{Exploring Together 1}

Later, Miyu shared a little bit about her father with me.

It seems he passed away when she was in middle school.

“In a car accident,” she said softly, leaving it at that without saying much more.

I didn’t ask further, just waited for her to continue.

“You already know this, right? I didn’t live here during middle school. When I started high school, I moved here to live with my grandparents. That’s when we moved to this town. So, my father’s grave is in the other town.”

It’s about a one-and-a-half-hour trip each way, with two train transfers.

“A bit of a small trip,” Miyu said with a slight smile.

“It’s not a very big town, so there might not be much to see. You haven’t been there before, right? But I know a few good restaurants, so I can show you around if we have some free time.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” I answered sincerely.

Miyu is trying to open up to me about a past she hasn’t been able to talk about for a long time. It’s a sad past, but I’m grateful that she wants me to know. Since we’ll be together moving forward, I want to understand her feelings and support her.

As for me, I’ve never lost a close family member before.

Both sets of grandparents are still alive, and since both my parents are only children, I don’t have many relatives. So, it’s hard for me to fully understand what she feels. Having never experienced the death of someone close, I don’t want to say something thoughtless to Miyu.

How can I be there for her?

Ever since we started planning for summer vacation, this question has been on my mind.

Before I knew it, summer vacation of my third year at university had arrived.

Even though I didn’t have classes, I didn’t plan to slack off. Miyu still had work, even during the summer, so I kept waking up early to make breakfast and see her off as usual. I also tried to be home when she returned in the evenings. Fortunately, between part-time work, household chores, club practice, and a bit of studying, I had plenty to keep me busy, so boredom wasn’t a concern.

Plus, I had an internship lined up.

At the beginning of August, I happened to participate in an internship at a company near Miyu’s workplace.

Internships vary greatly. Some have you working full-time for five days, while others focus on job-hunting prep like reviewing resumes and holding mock interviews. I hadn’t narrowed down my career path yet, so I was applying broadly to find something that suited me.

The internship I joined today was a two-day program, and the focus was on sales. I spent half the day shadowing a full-time employee, getting a glimpse of the sales field. Even though it was just an experience, we visited real clients, so I had to wear appropriate business attire. It was nothing like my convenience store job, and the customer interactions made me especially nervous. By the time we finished around 5 p.m., I was completely exhausted.

Since Miyu was finishing work around the same time, we agreed to meet at the station and head home together. I arrived first and waited for her in a corner of the concourse.

Miyu arrived just after 5:30, as the station was starting to fill with people.

The moment she saw me, her face lit up, and she shyly ran over.

“You worked hard today, Atsushi!” she greeted me immediately, then blinked as she looked me over.

“You really do look exhausted… Are you okay?”

“Well, it was my first time on-site,” I said with a strained smile, feeling my face muscles tense up. I was really tired, but I couldn’t admit that in front of someone who had worked full-time all day.

“You had the sales experience today, right? How was it?” Miyu asked after we got on the train.

We stood side by side, each holding onto a strap. I imagined this might become our routine in two years’ time and answered her question.

“I was definitely nervous. The clients were real, after all. I’ve dealt with customers at the convenience store, but the stakes were much higher. I was on edge the whole time, worried I’d mess something up.”

“You were on edge, huh?” Miyu chuckled softly.

“I even had to wear a tie again. It was hot, even after I took off my jacket.”

Cool Biz has been promoted for a while, but in sales, it’s still not common to go without a tie. The company I interned at was the same, and my neck felt constricted all day.

Looking around the train, there were many salarymen returning from work, and about 40% of them were still in long sleeves with ties. A few had loosened their ties, but I hadn’t found the right moment to do the same.

“Are you hoping to work in sales, Atsushi?”

“I’m not sure yet. The company today gave me a good impression, though.”