Chapter 6 : Suzuki Hikaru

“…” Clutching the menu tightly, Suzuki lowers her head, her thick bangs obscuring most of her face like a dark curtain. It’s impossible for others to read her expression. In a Galgame, she’d probably be a “slightly refined background character.” But Shangguan He knows better. This “Suzuki-san” is a romanceable character.

Suzuki Hikaru. 16 years old, Yingcheng High, Class 1-A, same as Shangguan He. Distinctive traits: long bangs and a perpetually slouched posture that hides her surprisingly nice figure. Extremely shy, with a delicate and sensitive personality. She tends to start conversations with filler sounds like “ah,” “oh,” or “mm,” and her dialogue can sometimes feel a bit eccentric. Hobbies include collecting unique bandages and oddly shaped pebbles. She joined the astronomy club at the start of the school year but, due to her personality, quickly faded into the background. After missing a club activity unnoticed, she naturally transitioned to the “go-home club.”

Logically, a girl like her wouldn’t be working at a family restaurant. But having lived through his first playthrough, Shangguan He knows why. First, her parents, aware that her introverted nature might hinder her in the future, want her to build social skills through part-time work. Second, Hikaru herself is willing to try. So, under her parents’ arrangement, she started working during spring break.

Has the job improved her social skills? Shangguan He isn’t sure. Strictly speaking, going from zero to one is still progress, right? Okay, getting off track.

More important than her character details is her role as a “romanceable character” and how easy she is to pursue. Having been confessed to by her in his first playthrough, Shangguan He can vouch: romancing Suzuki Hikaru is a breeze. Practically effortless. She appears at the family restaurant during specific time slots. Show up regularly, make your presence known, and her affection meter fills up naturally. That’s why, in his first playthrough, she was the first fully romanced character to confess to him.

‘If I go for a single-girl route this playthrough, Hikaru’s the easiest pick. Though, right after her confession, I got stabbed…’

As he muses, his peripheral vision catches Hikaru’s subtle movements. Though silent, her thumb is rapidly rubbing her index fingertip—a nervous tic to ease anxiety. In this second playthrough, this is their first meeting, so the next step in the conversation is obvious.

“Sorry, Suzuki-san, it’s work hours, and I probably startled you by saying hi out of nowhere. How about this? Pretend that didn’t happen, and treat me like a regular customer.” He flashes a reassuring smile. “One katsu-egg rice, one hot water. That’s my order. Thanks!”

“Eh? Ah, um… coming right up…”

Hikaru blinks, startled, then responds quickly. She scurries off, feeling a wave of relief at not having to stay and talk, but three seconds later, she’s frustrated with herself for feeling relieved. When Shangguan He spoke to her, she thought her spring break’s worth of social training might finally shine—like a freshman eager to show off post-bootcamp. But that excitement quickly turned to worry. How does she talk to a classmate she hasn’t seen all break?

Their first-semester interactions were limited to passing exam papers, but since he approached her kindly, she should reciprocate. Should she bring up something interesting? Class extroverts can toss out a line and get laughs effortlessly. Extroverts are so cool, so awesome—she wants to be like that. But working at the family restaurant, nothing exciting happened. It’s not a trendy café; she’s just a waitress taking orders and serving drinks. Her customers are mostly housewives. Her time here can only be described as “plain as water.”

Lost in her worries about conversation topics, she realizes she’s screwed up. By focusing on what to say, she left Shangguan He hanging, and the silence between them grew painfully awkward—nine out of ten on the cringe scale. She’s trapped in a social dead end.

‘Should I explain why I didn’t respond?’ ‘Or ignore the silence and start a new topic?’ ‘What topic was I supposed to pick again?’

Her mind spirals, growing blanker by the second. A burning sense of shame surges, her face flushing red. Just as she’s about to bolt, he speaks. “Sorry, Suzuki-san… Pretend that didn’t happen, treat me like a regular customer… That’s my order. Thanks!”

To Hikaru, those words are like a royal pardon. After relaying the order to the kitchen, she ponders why he said that. Did he sense her awkwardness? Wasn’t he annoyed by her rude silence?

“Your katsu-egg rice and hot water. Enjoy…” After delivering the steaming meal to his table, Hikaru pretends to clean nearby, her eyes occasionally drifting toward him. Before she knows it, he’s finished eating and heads to the cashier to pay. As he passes her, she grips her broom, feeling she should say something.

[When a customer leaves, staff should cheerfully say, “Thank you for your visit! Come again!”] That’s from the employee handbook her manager gave her. But that’s not what she wants to say. She needs to thank him for not minding her rudeness.

Okay! Here goes! Time to say it!

“Thank you for coming! Welcome back next time! And—ow!” Her nervous, high-pitched voice sounds bizarre, and she bites her tongue mid-sentence. The sensation of her tongue and mouth clashing is all too familiar. Ugh. Screwed up again.

Knowing she’s made a fool of herself, Hikaru’s face burns red. She wants to morph into a mole and burrow into a hole forever. But Shangguan He doesn’t mind, picking up her fumble with a laugh. “Got it, I’ll come back. Make sure you give me a warm welcome next time, okay? Kidding, relax!”

“…Thank you.”

“Yep, see you next time.”

Hikaru stands rooted, watching him push open the door and disappear around the corner. Reflecting on their exchange, she feels like a total dunce. But even so, he was so kind to the clumsy her… Shangguan-san, what a nice guy.