“The bread was delicious.”
Not just the cream bread generously slathered with fresh cream, but also the sweet cream puffs filled to the brim with custard cream, and the soboru bread, much softer than I remembered.
Especially the soboru bread—it seemed freshly baked, neither too dry nor crumbly, and it was warm.
The bitterness of the Americano paired with it enhanced the sweetness of the bread even more.
If it had been just these three types of bread or if the drink had also been sweet, I probably wouldn’t have fully appreciated the true flavor of the soboru bread by the time I got to it.
After all, the first two breads I ate were incredibly sweet and distinctive.
The clean bitterness of the drink washed away the sweetness lingering in my mouth, preparing it perfectly for the next bite.
Thanks to this, I was able to enjoy three sweet breads without getting tired of them.
Although, if I had to drink the coffee on its own, I probably wouldn’t have finished it.
“Hoo…”
I let out a small sigh.
It was a sigh filled with satisfaction.
Of course, I wasn’t full.
From the jjajangmyeon and tangsuyuk I had for breakfast earlier, I realized that even though my body seemed a little smaller than before, my appetite hadn’t changed much.
I’d probably need to have lunch later.
Though I could buy more bread from here… for some reason, I didn’t want to.
My first impression here must have already left a strange mark.
I didn’t want to make it any stranger.
Ah.
But… what about the cup and tray?
At fast-food places, there were designated spots to return trays, but this place was too small for that.
Should I just return it to the counter?
If that’s the case, what about the customers paying at the counter? Would I have to stand behind them holding this? Of course, I didn’t see any other customers here right now.
But that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be busy times…
Yeah, just sitting here and worrying won’t solve anything.
Honestly… it wasn’t really the trivial issue of the tray that was bothering me, but the thought of having to talk to my sister again.
Since she gave me a free cup of coffee, it didn’t seem like she thought badly of me, but at the same time, it also didn’t feel like I’d left a completely normal impression.
Whether that was a good or bad sign, I wasn’t sure.
Over the past five years, I had gotten used to approaching people easily, thanks to the status I’d built as a ‘hero.’
But now, without any of that status, I had no idea how to connect with someone from scratch.
On top of that, talking to my sister required extra caution.
If a ‘stranger’ seemed to know too much about her past, it would definitely come off as creepy or scary.
Really, nothing’s easy.
Looking back, I think I underestimated things when I first returned here.
“Hoo.”
I let out another small sigh.
Alright.
I can’t just sit here forever.
Staying here in a daze after finishing my food would seem even stranger.
I pushed back my chair and stood up.
Placing the now-empty cup with only ice left on the tray, I slowly walked toward the counter.
Seeing me approach, my sister stepped up to the counter again.
“Um, th-this is…”
I stammered again.
It felt strange.
I used to be able to talk so easily about trivial everyday things with her.
It felt like the five years that had passed had built a massive wall between us.
Maybe it really had.
Invisible dust called time might have continuously piled up between us over those five years.
I don’t know how my sister has lived.
Did she mourn for me after I ‘died’ here? She probably did.
She was that kind of kind-hearted person.
Maybe she even comforted our mom, who was left alone.
And perhaps that event changed her to some extent.
Of course, it’s hard to tell just from seeing her now…
I’ve changed a lot too.
I’ve seen and learned so much over the past five years.
I’ve seen both the good and the bad in people, faced entities akin to incarnations of evil, helped many people, and also took many lives.
I even experienced dying twice.
…How much have I changed?
I started to wonder now.
Not just about my outward transformation into a woman, but how much my essence had changed.
It’s not something I can figure out on my own.
I can’t view myself objectively.
I wonder if the comrades I spent those five years with noticed any of it.
“Yes, please hand it to me here.”
My sister smiled faintly as she took the tray.
“It w-was delicious.”
I managed to say the one line I had prepared with all my effort.
The only reason I could say it at all was because I genuinely felt that way.
It was delicious.
Truly.
Enough to make me want to come back again.
Hearing my words, my sister’s eyes widened slightly.
Then they narrowed again as she smiled warmly.
“Thank you. Please come again.”
She replied with a bright smile.
I bowed my head slightly to her and quickly turned away.
As I moved away from her, many thoughts ran through my mind.
Come to think of it, if she’s just working part-time here, she might quit at some point.
What if that’s tomorrow? Should I ask for her contact information now? No, that’d definitely come off as weird.
In the end, I left the store without saying much more.
Still, I lingered near the door, slowly stepping out.
The difference in temperature between the air-conditioned interior and the hot, sticky air outside hit me.
Ah, it’s really this hot and humid outside, huh.
That thought briefly crossed my mind.
And then, I saw something I hadn’t noticed on my way in.
A sign inside the bakery’s window read, “Part-timers Wanted.”
Below it was a single contact number, with no details about how many they needed or what kind of person they were looking for.
But—
As soon as I saw the notice, a spark of hope ignited in my chest.
I turned back into the bakery before the door could fully close behind me.
“Are you hiring part-timers?”
“When I quickly asked that, my sister, who had been watching me as I was about to step outside, blinked.”
Ah.
In my haste, I ended up saying it loudly at the entrance of the store.
Realizing this a moment too late, my face grew slightly warm.
‘Oh, yes, we are hiring,’ she said, quickly regaining her composure.
‘Th-then, would it be alright if I applied too?’
Unfortunately, I had never worked a job before.
No matter how poor we were, my mom had always strongly opposed the idea of me working.
She believed it would be better for me to study during that time, and her reasoning had convinced me to avoid part-time work.
So I had no idea how to even apply.
Should I prepare a resume?
By the time such thoughts crossed my mind, it was already too late.
Thankfully, my sister simply smiled faintly and said, ‘In that case, could you come back tomorrow?’
‘Tomorrow?’
‘Yes, tomorrow,’ she repeated, her voice soothing as if trying to calm me down.
‘I don’t even know your name yet.’
‘Oh…’
That’s true.
She didn’t know my name yet.
I could, however, see hers.
She had a name tag pinned to her chest.
But to her, I was meeting her for the first time.
My name… What should I say?
On my bank account and the ID card I carried, my name was still written the same as it always had been.
Not that it seemed particularly strange.
My name wasn’t excessively odd, even for a woman.
If I gave my real name, would she recognize me?
My heart thumped loudly.
I knew the truth.
There was no way anyone could think that a dead person, now of a different gender, was somehow the same person.
Besides, I was the one who requested, ‘Don’t let anyone recognize me.’ Asking now to be recognized would be contradictory.
Of course, I could give a different name for now.
But that might cause issues later if I actually worked here.
After all, a part-time job involves exchanging labor for money.
If I made up a convincing enough story, my sister might believe it.
But still.
If I told her my real name, would she at least think of me, even just a little?
I knew these thoughts were selfish and wrong… but if my name could remind her of me…
‘We’d also need to teach you how to work, discuss shifts and pay, so take some time to think it over and come back tomorrow. Don’t worry about spots filling up; there’s no way that’ll happen in a single day. Just come back tomorrow.’
‘Ah, yes!’
Hearing her say it again helped me make up my mind.
‘Then I’ll come back tomorrow!’
‘Yes, I’ll be waiting.’
Her words filled my chest with emotion.
She said she’d be waiting.
She told me to come back tomorrow.
If I came here tomorrow, she’d still be here.
Of course, my sister might not actually be the owner of this store.
Considering her age, it was more likely she was just an employee.
Maybe even a part-timer.
Eventually, she’d quit.
But at least, it wouldn’t be tomorrow.
For now, I’d bought myself some time.
‘Ah, thank you for the coffee earlier! It was delicious!’
I shouted that as I bowed deeply.
Embarrassed, I quickly turned and left the bakery.
The hot, sticky air of the sweltering summer afternoon enveloped me.
But even under the blazing sun, my steps felt light as I walked down the street.
I couldn’t help but look forward to tomorrow.”