Crucible of Ideas

I followed the couple with my eyes for no particular reason, watching them until they turned a corner and vanished from sight.

When they completely vanished from my field of view, I let out a murmur that was half a sigh:

"Must be nice."

Romance draws a girls interest like nothing else.

Especially if they had someone they fancied, or someone they loved.

Recalling the image of the couple — the girl's happy expression — I sighed once more.

"I wish I were going off to play too, not minding the boring old shop."

Not alone of course.

With someone I liked.

And I'd decided who that was a long, long time ago.

We had not actually gone on a date yet, however.

"I wonder if big brother will come home soon."

Still cupping my chin in my hands, I stared at the entrance.

My gaze rested on the large, wooden door.

But, of course, it showed no sign of opening.

Big brother, the rightful proprietor of this shop, and my only family, was out today procuring stock.

Most of the goods our shop dealt in were procured from friendly merchants.

But very occasionally a bargain market where peddlers hawked goods from far off places was opened in a nearby town.

At such times it was normal for big brother to go out himself in order to obtain goods that couldn't be got through the usual suppliers.

Besides that, big brother also single-handedly took responsibility for business meetings, negotiations, and most other important jobs — jobs I couldn't do.

I say that "Flimlight's Odds and Ends" was our shop, but the reality was that big brother managed most of it.

That was why big brother had gone out early this morning.

It looked like he might be back late, so he he'd told me when he left that when it got dark I could close the shop without waiting for him to come home.

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. The short hand was still pointing between the two and three.

Heaving a sigh, I muttered, "I guess there's still a while until closing time."

Even if no customers came in, I could still have killed time talking if big brother were here, but alone I couldn't even do that.

That being the case, I should probably have done some little job around the shop, but I'd mostly taken care of arranging the goods on the shelves and cleaning the shop over the course of the morning, and there was no need to do it again in the afternoon.

Of course, I wasn't completely out of work, and there were still a few things left to do if I wanted.

But faced with the lazy afternoon weather, I couldn't muster the energy.

Still, slow business day or not, I was in charge of the shop for the time being, so I couldn't leave the place.

"He might as well have taken me with him. I wish he had," I complained, pursing my lips.

I had no interest in bargain hunting, but it would be far preferable to staying here alone.

The idea of just flipping the wooden tag hanging on the storefront to "closed" popped into a corner of my mind.

Napping until evening seemed like an extremely attractive idea.

"But I guess I can't do that, however much I'd like to." I gave my head a little shake and chased those thoughts away.

Still, I had a feeling that idea would be just a bit difficult to keep out.

"I already said I can't do that." Still regretting the loss of my afternoon nap, I gave my head another shake and continued to diligently mind the store.

And still, not a single customer appeared. The tedious hours flowed on.

I genuinely had more free time than I knew what to do with.

I stood up, thinking that moving my body a little would help keep me awake.

I thought I'd do some cleaning around the shop, even if there wasn't much point to it.

I crouched down under the counter and grabbed a worn-out feather duster from its metal hook.

Then I heard the door open.

The clear tone of the bell hanging from the wooden lintel signaled that someone had entered the shop.

"Ah... Welcome to our shop," I called out instinctively as I stood up.

I was just a little flustered by the unexpected appearance of a customer, but I was steeped in the ways of a shop clerk.

My dulled senses switched over to customer service mode as I turned my gaze to the entrance.

But even before I got a look at the person who stepped into the shop, their words reached my ears:

"Much appreciated, Lilia."

The voice carried a gentle quality, even in a short utterance.

It's familiar sound was enough to tell me the identity of the speaker.

As I did so, I felt my face break into a smile of its own accord.

"B, big brother." My voice practically oozed with delight.

The slightly drooping blue eyes turned in my direction were filled with a gentle light, and the mouth below them widened in a quiet smile.

His features were said, making allowances for the difference in sex, to closely resemble mine, and revealed the same gentle disposition, but there was also a manly dignity running through them.

His hair, tawny with a slight reddish tint, was neatly arranged and gathered behind his head into a bunch like a tail.

There was something androgynous about the impression created by his overall silhouette, which was somewhat slender for a man, coupled with his gentle features.

He was dressed simply in jacket, shirt and trousers.

His neat clothes, without a tear or a stain anywhere on them, seemed an expression of his earnestness.

Shutting the door behind him, big brother walked over to the counter where I was sitting.

He was much taller than me.

Big brother always had to look down at me when we stood face to face.