I apologize for the late post (sweat)
It was a difficult labor…
I had been living in anxiety, thinking it would be alright since Minami reported the matter of Amelia-san’s stalker. Then one day.
Today was supposed to be a day for us to gather in the Party Room for work, so I thought I’d make some light snacks on the side. I bought pancake ingredients and went to work, only to find.
“……”
“Amī, cheer up, okay? Please?”
Karen-san was desperately comforting Amelia-san, who was sitting on the Party Room sofa with her knees hugged to her chest.
“Uh, what on earth happened?”
“It is said that ignorance is bliss. Only time will comfort her.”
Taken aback by this sudden turn of events, I asked Minami to explain, but he, unlike his usual flippant self, had a serious look on his face and seemed to be telling me not to ask.
Honestly, I had no idea what was going on.
“Ah. It’s no use asking me? By the time I got here, she was already like this.”
I sought help from Kaido-senpai, who is also a man, but he shook his head, saying it was no use. Just when I thought I had to leave her be.
The shopping bag rustled, and I remembered what was inside.
“…Shall we eat for now?”
I was now desperately baking pancakes.
“What is it!! What is it!! Why are men so selfish!!!”
Amelia-san, screaming something in English in front of me, stuffed her mouth with pancakes and indulged in stress-eating.
Her usual cheerful demeanor had vanished, and Amelia-san was solely focused on eating.
What could have possibly happened?
If my memory serves me correctly, Amelia-san went to a group date yesterday.
If I were to guess the reason for her distress, it must be related to that.
Was Karen-san comforting her because of that?
I skillfully managed three frying pans.
I made pancake after pancake.
Then, I prepared a new plate, stacked three pancakes, and served them to Amelia-san with fresh cream, apple compote, and strawberry jam. She impaled them with her fork, pulled them to herself wordlessly.
“Wh-what really happened?”
Puzzled by her expression, Kaido-san, realizing that not knowing the situation was problematic, spoke to Karen-san.
“Ah, actually…”
Karen-san sighed deeply, realizing she couldn’t avoid explaining, and then gave her account.
“Everyone became infatuated with Amelia-chan and almost became stalkers?! Isn’t that dangerous?!”
“Amī’s efforts to liven up the mood backfired, you know. It was dangerous. There were emails, phone calls, people waiting for her, and even one person who was arrested by the police.”
Karen-san let out a big sigh and put her hands on her head, wondering how it all came to this.
“What’s more, the police officer who responded was an absolute disaster. When she tried to file a report about the stalking, he started saying things like she was too self-conscious or that the victim was to blame, and finally told her not to come in near closing time.”
“Well, that’s… what can I say. How is that appropriate behavior for a police officer?”
“It’s alright. I recorded the conversation and reported it to his superiors, and he was gone the next day.”
“That’s a terrifying amount of initiative. But hearing that story, it sounds like Amelia-chan should be more depressed or scared rather than angry. Why is she angry?”
Hearing Karen-san’s words, the thought of her bad luck with men flashed through my mind, and I couldn’t help but glance at Amelia-san, who was still devouring the stack of pancakes.
Indeed, as Kaido-senpai said, summarizing the story, she went to a group date, worked hard at it, and all the participants became interested in her, leading to stalking. The police were also unhelpful.
At this point, it would be more accurate to say she was shocked, but Amelia-san was angry to an extent that was completely out of character for her.
“Apparently, the way the police officer spoke to her was exactly like Amelia’s father, so in reaction to the shock, she got completely angry.”
“Amelia-chan’s father?”
“You know, Amī is a single parent, right?”
“Ah, so it’s something about family circumstances.”
“Yes. I don’t know the details myself, but it seems to have been quite serious?”
I see…
Hearing Karen-san’s words, I empathize.
My own mother was not a good person.
My current father, who is raising me, is not my biological father.
I can understand Amelia-san’s shock.
I picked up the frying pan again.
“Would Kaido-senpai and the others like some? I still have ingredients left.”
“Oh, is that okay? Then I’ll have some.”
“Yes, it’s probably better for everyone to eat together to take their minds off things, so I’ll have some.”
“Masaru, Masaru, with extra maple syrup for mine, please!”
At times like this, it’s good to have distractions. While fulfilling Minami’s request, I quietly poured more pancake batter and started cooking.
“Masaru-kun! Another one!”
“Yes, please wait a moment.”
I wondered how all that could fit into her slender body, and as I finished baking it, I heard the door open again.
“Oh, smells good, doesn’t it?”
“Oh, is that Senpai?! It’s been a while!”
“Yes, you seemed busy lately, so it’s rare to see you at this time.”
As Jiro-san, dressed in a suit, entered the room, I looked up from my work and saw him standing there, looking a little tired.
“Would Jiro-san like some? I’ve just finished making some.”
“I’d like some, but I just stopped by during work and have to head to my next appointment. Please make some for me next time.”
“I see.”
“Sorry about that.”
He was holding a brown envelope in one hand, which he gently handed to Minami.
“Here, Minami, this is what you asked for. Sorry it’s late.”
“Oh! It’s here!”
Minami happily accepted it. I wondered if it was work-related, since it was from Jiro-san.
“And why is Amelia eating so fast?”
As I placed the pancakes on a plate, Jiro-san looked perplexed at Amelia-san’s rapid consumption.
“Senpai, girls have those kinds of days.”
“What really happened?”
And then Kaido-senpai said it with a determined look, making the situation even more complicated.
“Well, actually—”
Although it felt like a waste of time, Karen-san, thinking it would be wrong to let Jiro-san leave due to a misunderstanding, explained it all to him again.
“I see. It seems like you had a rough time.”
Jiro-san offered a wry smile, showing sympathy for Karen-san.
“Ah, if that’s the case, I have just the thing.”
Then, as if remembering something, he took out a ticket from his suit’s inner pocket.
“A branch of a fantasy-themed restaurant recently opened near this company. Evia gave me a free ticket for their amazing parfaits. Would you guys like to go?”
Upon hearing “amazing parfait,” Amelia-san stopped dead in her tracks.
“Oh!! Is this the rumored Magical Deluxe Wonderland Parfait?!”
Then, a spell-like parfait name came out of Minami’s mouth.
“I don’t know if it’s rumored, but Evia said it was quite delicious. How about going for a change of pace?”
“As expected of our leader! You understand.”
“Yes, I’m also interested, so going would be nice, but… is it alright? This is something Evia-san gave you, so aren’t we being invited?”
“It’s fine. During the ticket’s validity period, neither Evia nor I will be able to go to that shop. And if I were to invite Suella and the others, they are busy right now too.”
“Ah, yes, we are also in the process of preparing for Suella-san’s wedding at the same time.”
“That’s right. It will be after the inauguration ceremony for the General, but there’s still a lot to do. Honestly, I wish I had three more bodies.”
I couldn’t imagine the parfait, but judging by what Minami and the others said, it must be a delicious parfait.
Minami gazed at the ticket with excitement, while Karen-san looked apologetic.
Jiro-san waved his hand with a smile, telling them not to worry, gave a wry smile about his recent busyness, patted Amelia on the shoulder, and said,
“Well, you know. If you run into any trouble, contact me. I’m busy, but I’ll make time. Don’t bottle it up; let it out when you can.”
“OK.”
Seeing Amelia-san nod, though a little disheartened by his response, I nodded in approval.
“Well then, I’m going back to work.”
“Senpai, aren’t you working even more than when you were at your previous company?”
“Exactly. However, unlike my previous company, the work is rewarding, and I’ve become more robust, so it’s not a problem.”
With a wry smile, he left the room. It seemed he really just came to check on us during his work break.
“Minami, what did you get from Jiro-san?”
“Hmm? It’s the result of a small request I made.”
“A small request? You know how busy he is right now, don’t tell me you asked him to do something unnecessary.”
“It’s alright, really.”
“Are you sure?”
As I watched his retreating back, Karen-san looked at Minami with narrowed eyes. The slightly thick envelope was placed on the side of the desk. It was something he’d asked someone to do during his busy schedule, so it made me curious.
“Minami, is that—”
“Ah, it’s not what I asked for before. This is mine, personally. I just had to submit something to the company.”
I asked, wondering if there had been any progress regarding the man stalking Amelia-san, but Minami denied it.
Then, what was it?
“Mmm, it’s delicious! Masaru’s pancakes are still the best!”
It bothered me, but I didn’t expect Minami to answer.
I worried that he hadn’t done anything strange, but then.
“Ah, the ingredients ran out.”
I realized that the ingredients I brought had run out.
I thought I had brought a considerable amount, but surprisingly, they were gone so quickly.
“We’re all out already?”
“We ate quite a lot, including Amī, so it can’t be helped.”
“Shall I go buy some from the basement?”
“No, I’ll check the refrigerator to see if there’s anything else.”
“Hee hee, then shall we go eat this that Leader gave us right away? We still have time before work.”
Minami, who voiced his dissatisfaction, was about to be stopped by Karen-san, but Kaido-senpai also looked a little unsatisfied. Just as I was about to make something else, Minami picked up the ticket Jiro-san had left behind.
Amelia-san seemed to stop again at that action.
“Um, um, I think I’ll pass. I’m full.”
She also didn’t seem very enthusiastic.
“No! We’re going, Amelia-chan!”
“Yes, let’s go for a change of pace.”
“That’s right! It’s better to go all together and have fun! You’re coming too, aren’t you, Masaru-kun?”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
Thinking it might just be my imagination, I took off my apron, and we all began to prepare to leave.
“Yes, I understood.”
However, what bothered me was that Amelia-san’s eyes looked dead.
And we would soon come to understand the meaning of those eyes.
I clutched my stomach and realized with pain that it was foolish for just the five of us to challenge that monster.
Today’s Word:
Clearly distinguish between what can and cannot be done.
Thank you as always for your comments and for pointing out any typos.
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Pandora Pandemic Panic: Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened Again, But We’re Fighting Back with Various Things at Our Secret Base!!
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