There Is a Wall That Blocks the Wind
There was a wall that blocked the wind. A soft bed to lie down on. Food that could be eaten anytime. All those things still held a gentle warmth.
Even though the brightly burning lights had all gone out and the bustling crowd had vanished, leaving only silence in the empty space, the woman thought so as she remained alone within it.
Someday. There was a word that Ain had taught her back when she spent her days in the alleyways.
"…Happiness."
She remembered the man scratching his head awkwardly when that word came up during his studies. She recalled her past self from those days, tilting her head in confusion, unable to grasp what happiness really meant or what it should bring to mind.
She reminisced like that.
'Ain, what is happiness?'
'…Um. A state where you feel sufficient satisfaction and joy in your daily life?'
His figure, reciting a dictionary definition because he didn't know how else to explain it, head cocked to the side.
'How do you get satisfied and happy with life?'
'Uh… well….'
His expression, at a loss for words because it was such an odd question.
'It's okay. Even Ain doesn't know everything. Tell me something else.'
'….'
The memory of that moment when she'd tried to tactfully move on, seeing how troubled he looked.
The woman remembered all those scenes.
But more clearly than any of them, she remembered those words.
'Then next is this….'
'Yeah… alright. Let's do it this way. I'll make you happy later.'
She reflected on the man's voice promising to make her happy.
She recalled his eyes, filled with certainty as he looked at her, and embraced that image.
So she reflected once more. Was she happy? Did the woman feel happiness now?
And her answer came without a moment's hesitation.
"…I'm happy."
The woman thought she was happy.
"I feel happy, Ain."
At this emotion she felt for the first time, she fidgeted with her hands, unsure what to do.
"Ain."
The shop was empty now that night had fallen and everyone had gone.
"Ain."
A soft bed and blankets.
"Ain."
Stew that still held warmth.
"I'm happy."
And Ain.
"Ain."
The woman's heart thumped.
The emotion welled up, rising again to tint her cheeks a faint red. To hide this feeling she still couldn't quite name, she burrowed into the blankets.
About a month had passed since the woman started staying at the shop.
From what I'd observed during that time, her emotions had definitely become richer.
"Ain, thank you?"
"Thank you."
Her communication was clearer now, and a spark of intelligence shone in her eyes.
"Should I help more then?"
"No, it's okay if you rest."
Her slow, slurring speech had sharpened.
"But I want to help more."
"…Then grab a bit more stock from the warehouse."
"Okay, got it."
Her limp, unsteady movements had become fairly normal.
And yet, her pattering little run was still the same, which made me chuckle a bit.
I watched her back as she headed to the warehouse, and before I knew it, a smile crept onto my face.
But there was someone who always ruined these heartwarming moments.
"You're grinning like an idiot. Just so you know, no workplace romance in my shop, you twig."
"…Sorry, but I don't have those kinds of feelings at all."
I'd only been watching her growth like a father raising a daughter, but this foolish uncle was trying to twist it into something else.
"With that dopey grin, like hell you don't, you moron."
"You wouldn't get it since you only have three sons and no experience raising a daughter."
He'd prayed so hard for a girl, but ended up with three sturdy boys who all took after him—that was the running joke around the market.
And even the long-time shop hand had been a dull boy.
So it was safe to say Uncle would never have the blessing of a daughter.
I looked up at him after saying that, and his face turned beet red, like it was about to explode.
"You insolent brat, you finally touched my sore spot!"
"Ah, wait a sec…."
I thought it would end with the usual knuckle-rapping on the head, like always.
"…Don't hit Ain."
But suddenly, the woman was blocking my way.
She hugged the ingredients I'd asked for to her chest, glaring at Uncle with a pout.
"Hitting Ain is bad."
"…."
"…."
And everything she said was spot on, leaving Uncle and me staring at her in a daze.
In the end, Uncle gazed at her intently, then awkwardly lowered the hand he'd raised high.
"No, this is cheating."
"Even if it's a joke, it hurts. So no."
"Sigh… fine, I get it. Go finish what you were doing, you two."
Uncle let out a defeated laugh and shuffled back to his spot. Thankfully, no gray haze rose in this scene.
I knew her gray emotions could surge like waves from the slightest stimulus, but she was staying calmer and more serene than I'd expected.
As soon as Uncle left, she whipped her head around and held out what she'd brought.
"Ain, I got this. Thank you for this too?"
"Ah, thanks."
I smiled at every grateful word she uttered.
"And just now, that was playing with Uncle."
"I know. But it hurts if you get hit."
She stared right through me.
"Ain shouldn't hurt."
"…Yeah. Thanks."
I replied like that and took the ingredients from her to stock the shelves.
Lately, something had been feeling off.
We sat down together with Uncle, squeezing the woman in between us.
"Why is sales…."
"Suddenly rising again…?"
"Ain, is it bad if sales go up?"
We all tilted our heads at the fact that sales, which had peaked on her childhood cuteness and then declined, were rising again bit by bit.
"Hmm… Twig, was there something that could boost it?"
"Well, I did think the number of customers increased a lot. And it's not 'twig.'"
"Sales going up is good?"
I'd noticed more customers lately.
But it wasn't the return of the housewives who'd left.
And the new customers were only buying cheap stuff, so I hadn't thought much of it.
But as the saying goes, "many a little makes a mickle"—it was adding up to a real boost in sales.
"But I don't know if it's your doing yet, so no raise, twig."
"What? Of course it's not thanks to you, so it must be mine."
"It's because of Ain?"
And if I had to pinpoint it, yeah, the sales bump was probably my doing.
Because.
Looking at the age and gender of these new customers at the grocery, it had to be.
But my train of thought was cut short by a slightly sulky voice.
"Ain, why won't you answer me?"
"Ah, sorry…."
She must've felt ignored, because she was pouty and bumping her head against my shoulder.
Anyway.
About these new customers—they were girls my age.
In the mechanical grind of busy days, I'd overlooked it, but on reflection, there were way more girls my age coming in.
They weren't buying big like the housewives—just candy or snacks before leaving—so I hadn't paid much mind.
"P-Please ring this up…!"
"Ah, sure! That'll be it."
Seeing them trembling as they handed over a handful of candy in front of me—even someone without much ego could pick up on it.
"That comes to 15 deni total."
"Ah, y-yes…! H-Here, have one!"
She shoved a candy at me and fled the shop—it was pretty obvious.
"…Next customer."
So yeah.
Many a little makes a mickle.
I was fleecing these girls' pocket money and turning it into my salary.
That's what I ended up thinking.
Heh heh. My salary.
I felt inexplicably good and greeted customers with my best business smile.
Looking back later, I realized I shouldn't have done that.
"…Ain."
"Yeah? Need something?"
I should've been a bit more curt instead of getting blinded by the money and smiling.
"…."
"What's up?"
"…Nothing."
I should've properly seen the woman peeking from behind me, fidgeting her hands like she didn't know what to do as she watched.
If I had, maybe we wouldn't have met again like that, ambushed in the dead of night.
The woman was shaking her pupils wildly, at a loss.
"Ah, Ain…."
His smile was so nice to look at that she craned her neck to take it in with both eyes.
"…."
But the fact that it was directed at another girl her age made her want to block it somehow.
Still, she didn't act on it, thinking it wouldn't help him, and just fidgeted, stamping her feet.
Gathering courage, she called his name.
"…Ain."
"Yeah? Need something?"
His head turned right to her, and her lips curved up as she tried to voice what she wanted.
"…."
Don't smile at other girls.
Smile only at me.
Her mouth opened and closed, tongue moving with the words she wanted to say.
It was a feeling she'd never had before.
Her heart kept racing, her face flushing red, her stomach churning, sometimes stabbing with pain.
It wasn't something she could control—it wailed pitifully, thumped with excitement.
But she couldn't name the emotion herself.
And she feared what revealing it might do to their relationship.
All that terrified her.
"What's up?"
"…Nothing."
So she just shook her head.
Still stamping her feet, fidgeting her hands.
Every time he smiled, it felt like a stab to her heart, and she bit her lip.
Thump—
Something pounded in her ears.
Thump—
Once, twice, it kept echoing without stop.
Thump—
It scared her a little, so she crouched down and plugged her ears.
But.
Thump—
The pounding kept coming.