#87 | The person who calls out to me with a face that looks like it's all a coincidence

It was the moment I stood up to head to the printer.

As I turned the corner of the hallway,
I happened to make eye contact with S-san.
Was it truly a coincidence,
or did they just pretend it was?
I don't know now.
But the timing was strangely too perfect.
"Good morning. Are you okay?"
Even though it was the same greeting as always,
their voice sounded just a little softer.
With just those words,
the tension in my shoulders suddenly melted away.
I think I had been tense ever since yesterday.
The heavy stone that had been stuck deep in my chest
felt like it had moved just a little bit.

"I didn't see you yesterday, so... I was a little worried."

After saying that,
S-san glanced around the area.
Then, they lowered their voice just a little.
As if they were about to start a secret conversation.
"...It's hard to say, but"
With just that preamble,
my heart made an unpleasant sound.

I have always been weak against these kinds of phrases.
"Got a minute?"
"I have something to talk to you about later."
"It's hard to say, but"
The time spent not knowing what lies ahead
is the scariest part.

S-san continued, knitting their brows slightly.
"The matter about the bagging yesterday, the manager and Y-san were talking about it."
Something sank deep in my chest.
I knew it.
That's what I thought.
"The manager said the orientation was backwards, apparently."
I was holding my breath unconsciously.
"Then Y-san said, 'Well, she's a temp, so it wasn't good to leave it all to one person.'"

The moment I heard those words,
I felt strangely convinced.
Ah, so that's how it is.
I really am not expected to do much.
I felt like I had finally found the "evidence"
for the anxiety I had been nurturing in my head since yesterday.

But S-san didn't end the conversation there.

"I was a bit annoyed when I heard that."
At those words, I looked up.
"○○-san, you were doing it properly, weren't you?"
The depths of my chest felt warm.
"So I told the manager that it was just too much volume, and it wasn't her fault."

I was saved.
That's what I thought.
For me, who had been sinking alone without anyone saying anything to me,
those words were more effective than I thought.
Perhaps I had wanted someone to tell me
"It's okay"
all along.
More than the mistake itself,
I wanted to confirm that I hadn't been abandoned.
"Thank you..."
My voice trembled slightly.
It was a voice so honest that even I was surprised.

S-san smiled lightly.
"Please don't worry about it so much."
As I watched them walk away,
the heavy stone that had remained deep in my chest
felt like it had become just a little smaller.