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Clumsiness and Store Employees
TL/ED/Proofreader: NaCl
Note: Our FanTLs for V3 to V5 were done a year prior to V6 and onwards, and are of lower quality. We recommend buying the official translation and reading those volumes there when it comes out.
“Haaahh…”
In a cute room filled with stuffed animals of various sizes, there was a sad sigh that didn’t match the atmosphere of the room. The owner of the voice was Maria, who was lying on her bed and holding a stuffed animal.
Maria was holding the stuffed animal in one hand and looking at the photo on a gold locket with the other, her facial expression was more somber than usual.
“Saa-kun…”
The name that came out of her mouth was the name of her loved one. The name she used to address with a melodious and beautiful voice was now filled with the sound of bitterness and sadness.
“I wonder if I’ll ever see you again…”
A pessimistic hope emerged from Maria’s mouth. But she quickly shook her head and curled up, burying her face in the pillow.
“…just a little more. Until this summer vacation is over…”
After saying that to herself, Maria clutched the pendant on her chest tightly. Either hoping for a reunion… or perhaps, terrified.
Knock, knock.
After a few minutes passed, there was a knock at Maria’s room. She answered the knock with one eye peeking out from her pillow.
“Yes~”
“…Masha? Can I have a moment?”
“! Alya-chan!?”
Maria jumped as if she was bounced off the bed by the voice coming from the other side of the door. Where had the melancholy mood gone? Maria’s mood could change very quickly.
“Wh-What’s wrong!?”
Suddenly, her younger sister, who had always been sullen towards her, visited Maria’s room alone. Maria immediately rushed to the door, as this occurrence only may or may not happen once every two weeks. Alisa, who came to visit her, looked a little confused by the festive welcome. On the other hand, Maria’s face immediately broke into a smile when she saw Alisa’s face. Alisa is here! Maria immediately got rid of all the troublesome things!
“…Were you sleeping?”
Alisa looked a little worried when she saw Maria’s slightly disheveled hair. However, Maria’s smile dispelled such worries from Alisa, and proudly puffed out her chest with a smile.
“No, I was just lying on my bed! So, what’s the need?”
“I see, yes… well, that’s…”
She was a little irritated by her sister’s proud statement of being lazy, and mumbled a little. Then, while looking away and playing with the ends of hair, Alisa hesitantly opened her mouth.
“At the training camp next week… we have to wear a swimsuit, right? Did Masha prepare her’s?”
It had been four years ago since the Kujou Sisters last went swimming. Since then, they had never gone to the beach or the swimming pool in person, so there were no swimsuits that fit their bodies, as they had grown up in many ways since four years ago. Although there are swimsuits designated by the school, even Alisa knew that wearing them outside of school was unethical. Therefore, she came to ask her sister who was in the same position. Which meant…
“No, I still haven’t bought it. I was thinking of buying it today or tomorrow.”
Anticipating her next words, Maria told her with a big smile. Then, true to her premonition, Alisa glanced at Maria and said as she averted her gaze again.
“Hmm… In that case, how about we buy it now? Since we still haven’t bought it together.”
Alisa asked her out on a date! Maria’s IQ dropped five points!
“Yes! I don’t mind, really~? Fufufu, I can go on a date with Alya-chan!”
“It’s not a date, okay.”
“When do you want to go? If it’s Onee-chan, it can be anytime~.”
“Uh, then… about 30 minutes later?”
“Alright! Then. I’ll get ready first, okay~?”
Maria, who quickly looked very happy, closed the door and began to change into clothes while starting to hum a song. The atmosphere was completely different from a few minutes ago. Once again, Maria’s mood rapidly changed.
So, after finishing her preparations with gusto, Maria left the house with Alisa.
“Then, let’s go~!”
(Original TL: https://glucosetl.wordpress.com/ )
“There’s no need to hold hands either.”
“Yahh~”
As soon as she tried to grab Alisa’s hand with both hands, she was brushed off roughly, and Maria puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction. However, she hurriedly chased after Alisa, who started walking fast first without paying much attention to her.
“Alya-chan, wait for me~ you’re walking too fast, you know~!”
“You’re the one walking too casually, right?”
“What’s the point of rushing, the weather’s just getting hotter, right? Let’s walk slowly while chatting with Onee-chan, okay?”
“It’s okay if we don’t have to talk about anything.”
“Boooo! Alya-chan is so annoying!”
While having their usual conversation, the two of them arrived at the nearest station and moved along the platform, drawing attention from the people around them.
“Come on, Masha, over here”
“Ehh, this one is closer to the stairs when we get off, right~…”
“No way. Let’s not be too fussy and board the women-only carriage properly.”
“Hmmph… fine~”
Maria reluctantly walked through the entrance after being asked by Alisa. Of course, even Maria knows why the women-only carriages exist, and she also knows that there are sexual harassment criminals in this world. Although she knew that, because she had never experienced it before, she didn’t really feel dangerous and threatened at all.
…… No, although she wasn’t really aware of it, she had experienced it several times. However, all of them only ended up being attempts because when before the perpetrator could touch her, the scary little sister would push them hard, or the scary student council vice-president would twist the perpetrator’s wrist. It seemed ironic that while she managed to avoid that thanks to the efforts of the two of them, her own sense of crisis still remained as weak as ever.
“Even when you ride alone, make sure to board the women-only carriage. If not, don’t get too engrossed in your smartphone, and stay aware of your surroundings.”
“Yes~~”
However, perhaps it was Maria’s nature to obey the advice of her sister and best friend, knowing that they were worried about her. Nodding at Alisa’s warning, Maria suddenly frowned.
“Alya-chan… by any chance, have you been harassed?”
“Huh? Never… unlike Masha, I have a tight guard.”
“Muu, I also have a tight guard, you know? Other than Saa-kun, I would never let another man touch my body!”
Maria puffed up her cheeks and put her hands on her hips in disappointment, but…. upon seeing her clothes, Alisa murmured in dismay.
“What mouth would dare say that…”
No wonder Alisa said that. After all, the style of dress Maria was wearing today featured her smooth shoulders and sexy belly button. With her fair skin smooth and healthy, her current appearance was already attracting a lot of attention from the people around her. However, Maria happily puts her hand on her hat and poses lightly for a moment, probably not knowing how to interpret the stares.
“Ah, this dress? Fufu, so cute, right~?”
“…I admit it. Although I would never wear it, anyway.”
“Eh~? But this feels really cool, doesn’t it~?”
“Girls shouldn’t let their stomachs get cold.”
Alisa pulled Maria’s arm and boarded the train car after glaring at the surrounding male passengers around her who were staring at her sister with indecent looks. Then, after riding the train for fifteen minutes, they got off the train at a large station, where they usually shopped for clothes and other items. When they both boarded the elevator to the women’s clothing area, Maria’s eyes immediately sparkled when she saw the rows of beautiful clothes ….
“Wahhh~, that dress is so cute!”
Immediately, she tried to enter a shop that had nothing to do with swimsuits. Then Alisa, who had anticipated her movement, grabbed her left wrist and stopped her.
“Today we came to look at swimsuits, you know. Come on, let’s go.”
“Ehh~~ wait a minute~ just a minute, let’s look around for a minute~~”
Maria made a pitiful sound as her arm was pulled away, but Alisa continued on her way without paying any attention to her. Alisa did not hesitate as she understood very well that if she left her free sister unrestrained, her gaze would wander endlessly.
“Ah, that skirt, the one that was on TV the other day!”
“…”
“Wow, they’re having a sale! Alya-chan, all the products are half price!”
To be honest, Alisa was a little shaken by those words. But since she had no intention to accompany her sister’s shopping which would definitely be long and pointless, she kept her eyes stared at the road ahead and kept moving forward. Maria finally started to calm down a little when she was dragged halfway by her younger sister to reach the shop she wanted to go to.
“Uwahhh~ there are so many cute swimsuits!”
No, rather, she was just transfixed by what was in front of her. After looking at her excited sister with a dumbfounded expression, Alisa looked around for a while and raised her eyebrows… briefly and raised her eyebrows.
“What’s wrong, Alya-chan?”
Without answering Maria’s question, Alisa looked once more at the surrounding area of the sales floor…… and tilted her head slightly. “Aren’t all the swimsuits too revealing?”
“Ehh, is it~? It doesn’t have to be, does it?”
Tilting her head at Alisa’s words, Maria pointed at the swimsuit-style one-piece swimsuit hanging on the wall.
“If you’re curious, there are also swimsuits like that, you know? That one…”
“My legs can still be seen, you know?”
“…Legs?”
Maria turned to Alisa with a flat face when she heard the slightly unexpected statement. However, Alisa’s look was very serious, and Maria blinked rapidly.
“Umm, Alya-chan? I thought it was normal for your legs to be visible…”
“No, it’s not. Unlike the school swimming pool, there must be boys there too, right? You’re supposed to hide places that aren’t normally visible.”
“Ummm, so what does that mean?”
When Maria tilted her head solemnly, Alisa said
something as if it was a natural thing.
“Besides the belly, we should hide the legs and thighs too, right?”
“Alya-chan, do you want to be a diver?”
After making a joke with a flat face, Maria inwardly thought, “This is bad.”
She knew that Alisa’s guard against the opposite sex was very strict, but Maria could imagine a future where Alisa would finally wear a wetsuit if she was allowed to choose a swimsuit. As a girl, she thought that was inappropriate, and as an older sister who loved her younger sister, Maria wanted Alisa to wear a cute and pretty swimsuit.
However, it is obvious that if she directly suggested a swimsuit and said, “Let’s try this on!”, she would have flatly refused with “I don’t understand Masha’s taste”. After all, she had just seen Maria’s dress with her belly button exposed and declared that she would never wear it. If that was the case, then…
“Alya-chan… Onee-chan thinks it’s a good thing that Alya-chan is trying to protect your own body, but I don’t think it fits with the TPO, you know.”
TPO, meaning the behavior of a reasonable person…… No, those are words for someone who wants to be a reasonable person. Alisa was no exception to this, and looked at Maria with a twitch of her eyebrows. While looking straight into her eyes, Maria enthusiastically advised her.
(TN: TPO means time place and occasion)
“The training camp we’re going to next is not an ordinary training camp, but rather a social trip to increase the closeness between fellow student council members. In other words, it’s just a recreational trip, right? Therefore, I think we should dress appropriately and suitably.”
“…That may be true, but it’s not like we need to wear swimsuits that are too revealing….”
“Of course we do. If you’re dressed in a way that clearly implies ‘I don’t want to show you my skin’, no friendships will be formed.
I’m sure that everyone~ will feel uncomfortable and awkward, you know? Remember, there’s no such thing as a truly honest relationship in Japan, right?”
“Muu….”
Alisa was at a loss for words, probably thinking that Maria had a point. Then, Maria seized the opportunity and folded her arms.
“Besides, the beach we’re going to is a private beach, so we’re not going to be seen by other unknown beachgoers.”
“…Isn’t there still Masachika-kun and the Chairman there?”
“Don’t worry~ after all, the Chairman only pays attention to Chisaki-chan only. Besides, Kuze-kun will definitely see me.”
“Ehh?”
When Alisa raised her eyebrows to ask what she meant, Maria dared to puff out her chest proudly.
“Remember, even Kuze-kun is a boy, you know. All boys must feel curious about girls’ breasts. Therefore~… as long as I wear a cute swimsuit, I’m sure that the gaze of his eyes will be glued to me.”
Maria gently wiggled her body while placing both hands on her chest. The corner of Alisa’s mouth twitched at her sister’s uncharacteristic words, and the competitive spirit flared up.
“Heee… how dare you say that. I am inferior to Masha.
who is not only fat in the breasts but also in the stomach?”
While strengthening her tone of voice on the “I am” part, Alisa folded her arms and curved her body as if bragging about her own style. Then, she turned a meaningful gaze to Maria’s bare belly and sneered at it.
However, Maria did not take offense to such a cruel provocation.
“You still don’t understand anything, Alya-chan. Boys really~ prefer girls who are a little fuller, you know~? I think Alya-chan’s toned body is also quite good, too?”
While saying that in a comforting manner, Maria confidently protruded her large chest. The corner of Alisa’s eye twitched as she saw the arrogant attitude of Maria’s uncharacteristic arrogance. Because Alisa was proud of herself, she was proud of the fact that she worked harder than Maria to maintain her figure. Was her hard work outweighed the fat deposits that her sister had accumulated through her negligence? Alisa flatly refused to accept such a thing.
“Your guts are big too… I don’t want to know, you know? Don’t whine that you’ll feel embarrassed when walking next to me with my perfect style.”
“Okay, who’s afraid~? Then, Alya-chan will also wear a bikini, huh?”
“……Hmm?”
“What’s the point of wearing a swimsuit if it doesn’t show your belly~? Don’t worry, I’ll wear a bikini too~. Oh, this one looks good.”
While Alisa tilted her head with, “Huh? How did it come to this?” Maria quickly began to choose a swimsuit. Then, a female employee who was wearing glasses with her hair tied up tightly, walked up to her and interrupted her.
“Please forgive my impertinence, dear customer. With all due respect, this swimsuit seems a little small for you. I recommend one size larger.”
“Ehh?”
Maria turned to Alisa when the female employee pointed it out to her while clicking the temples of her glasses. She then looked at Alisa’s breasts seriously and said.
“Alya-chan… Did your breasts get bigger again?”
“S-so what?… Even Masha is the same, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so… I wonder if it’s because of mom’s cooking? My growth hasn’t stopped at all~”
Tearing her gaze away from Alisa who gasped awkwardly, Maria looked down at her own breasts and made a troubled face.
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“Alya-chan, you’d better be prepared for this, okay?”
“What the heck… anyway, this isn’t the right place to talk about that, you know!”
While saying that, Alisa tried to grab the swimsuit that Maria was holding in her hand, but the store clerk took one size larger and quickly slipped it into Alisa’s hand.
“Dear customer, if you want, you can try it on over there.”
“Ehh, no, but…”
“There’s no harm in trying it first. You can try it on first and then decide which swimsuit you want to wear. Now, please, this way.”
Alisa was quickly guided to the front of the changing room and pushed into the changing room. Maria gave a thumbs up to the store employee, who had brought and forced Alisa to try on the swimsuit smoothly.
“Thank you so much for doing this.”
“No, no, because this is my job.”
“What a pro~… By the way, what’s your name?”
“I’m sorry for introducing myself so late. My name is Watanabe and I am the manager of this store.”
Watanabe-san then showed the nameplate on her chest while clicking the temples of her glasses. The store manager’s glasses seemed to shine.
“By the way are you two siters?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right~. I’m the older sister, after all~”
In addition to her height being shorter than Alisa, coupled with her baby face, she always tended to be thought of as the younger sister, which was why she added those words. However, Watanabe-san was not surprised at all and repeatedly nodded her head as if she knew what she was talking about.
“Yes, yes, I can figure it out. You want your sister to wear a beautiful swimsuit. That’s right, isn’t it?”
“That’s right~! That girl is likely to wear a diver’s suit if she is left alone…”
Then Maria realized that there was no sound at all from inside the dressing room, and she poked her face through the edge of the curtain.
“Alya-chan, is something wrong~?”
“Wait-, at least call me, sis!”
Sure enough, Alisa frowned and made a reluctant expression with the swimsuit that was given to her, she then returned her gaze to Maria who suddenly peered at her.
“Then change your clothes immediately~ because the store manager ma’am is also waiting, you know.”
“But, this swimsuit…”
No wonder Alisa felt hesitant. After all, the swimsuit that was in her hand was some sort of ultimate black bikini. The black bikini looked plain, had no ribbons or frills, and coincidentally, it only covered the sensitive area with a small cloth.
There is just a thin string and a small piece of fabric. This is the type of bikini that tends to be often worn by Western supermodels.
“I knew it, I can’t wear this!”
Alisa shouted and tried to take her swimsuit off. Then Watanabe-san, the store manager, suddenly appeared there.
“Then, how about this one?”
She then gave her a pink bikini, this one had a much larger fabric to cover the sensitive area. The edges were decorated with frills and gave a cute and sweet impression.
“Well, if it’s this one…”
Where did the assertion a few minutes ago that she would not wear a swimsuit that showed her stomach or legs? She was completely fooled by the door-in-the-face technique, but Alisa picked up the swimsuit Watanabe had brought without realizing it. Then, a few minutes passed to change clothes.
“Uwaah~ so cute~”
“The swimsuit is perfect for you. It’s a type of swimsuit that’s popular this year, but we’ve never seen anyone wear it as well as dear customer.”
“R-Really?”
If it was just a compliment from Maria, Alisa would probably ignore it. However, Alisa blushed slightly at the shrewd compliment from the professional store manager.
“But the pink color is a bit too sweet for me…”
“I see. Then, how about this one?”
Watanabe-san quickly extended her hand to the side, and another store employee who suddenly appeared, gave her a new swimsuit. Do all employees in this shop undergo special training?
“This swimsuit has the same model, but as you can see, the floral pattern on the blue background gives it a refreshing and pretty look–“
Under such conditions, Alisa, who was carried away by Watanabe-san’s promotion that was offered calmly, tried on six pieces of swimsuits.
“Hmm… this one might look good.”
In a light blue striped bikini with big frills, Alisa’s mouth slackened as if it was her first time being satisfied. Without missing the opportunity, Maria nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, yeah, according to Onee-chan, that swimsuit looks cute on you, really~.”
“Uhh, hmm, but…”
Then, perhaps feeling a little calmer, Alisa checked her appearance again in the mirror and frowned as she asked,
“Isn’t this still too revealing?”
But then Maria immediately put on a curious face.
“Ehhh~? It’s still better than Onee-chan’s, isn’t it?”
Maria lifted up the white bikini with only a string in the middle, exposing her cleavage. Alisa’s judgment was shaken when shown with a swimsuit that was more daring than hers.
“But my legs…”
Still, Alisa stared at her bare thighs, as if she was still very worried about that part. Then, Watanabe-san quickly handed a piece of cloth to her.
“If so, how about covering them with this pareo? If you buy it as a set now, we will provide special services up to this point…”
Watanabe-san took out a calculator from somewhere and pressed the numbers quickly and showed it to Alisa. The telling term “The price will be cheaper if you buy it as a package” made Alisa’s heart sway.
After a few minutes later, Alisa slowly nodded as she tried on the pareo and checked her appearance.
“In that case, I’ll buy this one…”
“Thank you very much. I’ll bring you a new one from the back now.”
Manager Watanabe clapped her hands loudly, and one of the clerks disappeared into the back area of the store. Alisa was a little surprised at how dexterous they were. Then, after finishing paying for the two of them,
“Thank you so much for shopping~”
They were guided out of the store by Watanabe-san and her highly well-trained employees.
After reaching her destination, Alisa’s mind was already in the position of preparing to go straight home, but ……, on the other hand, Maria looked at Alisa with high spirits, as if the spirit engine in her body had just been turned on.
“In that case, what should we do next?”
“Next? I want to go home as soon as possible…”
“Ehh~ let’s look around the other stores with me~”
“I don’t want to come with you because I know it will take a long time.”
“Muu~~ Alya-chan is so stingy~”
Maria complained with a boo-boo~, but Alisa didn’t pay much attention to her and headed for the elevator. Maria was really curious if there was a reason why she wanted to go home quickly because of her stubbornness.
(Hmm~… aha! Is it possible that she wants to go home quickly because she wants to do a fashion show in the swimsuit she just bought? After all, buying new clothes must make one feel good!)
……Maria is often told by her family and friends that she sometimes makes clumsy, incoherent statements. However, she doesn’t realize this and does not admit it.
(Perhaps she felt embarrassed in front of me and the store employees earlier… I’m sure she was planning to enjoy the fashion show alone in her room. Oh, when thinking about it, I want to do it too.)
Because in Maria’s mind, her statements always made sense. She always speaks after thinking of the proper logical progression in her own way. However….
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“Alright I understand, Alya-chan. But since I want to do it with you, can you wait for me for the fashion show later?”
“…What the hell are you talking about?”
It sounds like a very nonsensical statement from the listener’s point of view because she starts from the conclusion without mentioning the process at all. Of course, once again, Alisa had no idea what her sister was talking about. But she immediately thought, “The usual thing, huh?” and abandoned her understanding, then shook her head as she said “Yare~ yare~”.
“Yes, yes. Well then, I’ll take that swimsuit with me.”
“Ah, really? Thanks~”
Alisa took the plastic bag from her sister’s hand and quickly headed for the elevator alone. After watching her sister leave, Maria checked her watch, thought for a while, and then boarded the next elevator. She then went straight down to the ground floor, and left the building without looking around any stores in particular.
“Hmm… I wonder if I can walk from here?”
Then, after searching on the map app, she said to herself and started down the street. The place she was heading to was a place she had been frequenting in her free time since she returned to Japan. Today she was walking to a place she usually goes by bicycle. She was headed there, but…
“Ara? What kind of shop is that, huh?”
Maryia was still changing her mind here. She entered the accessories shop on the right side of the street as if she was sucked into it. After ten minutes, she then left the shop without buying anything… When she should have gone right and returned to the original road, she turned left without hesitation. She kept walking for several minutes…
“…Ara?”
Maria finally realized that she had strayed far from the path she had originally traveled. She then stopped for a while and opened the map application on her smartphone.
“Hmm~….. Hmm, maybe this way.”
And still, without hesitation, she started walking in the wrong direction. Yes, in fact in fact, Maria was… a person who was always lost and directionless.
She used to tell her friends and family that she liked to wander around the city, but in reality, most of the time she was simply lost. Although she refused to admit it. That’s because……
“Ara? I arrived here without realizing it…”
Maria was also someone who always experienced miracles, who despite suffering from severe directional blindness, somehow managed to reach her destination. Suddenly, something familiar caught her eye as she looked to the side, and Maria tilted her head slightly as she headed in that direction. There, there was a square with a lot of playground equipment at the edge of a large park.
Without hesitation, Maria crossed the center area and stood in front of a playground with holes of various sizes and climbed onto it. Then, she sat down on a piece of vinyl on the spot and looked around once, as if looking for something.
“…. As expected, he didn’t come, huh~”
While muttering a little sadly and keeping her lips tightly sealed, Maria looked up at the sky to cover her loneliness.
“Alright, no problem. I’ll wait, okay? Because destiny is something that you have to reach for.”
She puffed up her cheeks as if reminding herself of something, and began to stare at the clouds. Then, she waited patiently under the hot summer sun for 20 minutes.
“Ah, there she is! Hey~!”
Maria’s shoulders jerked slightly when she heard a voice calling her…, but she soon realized that the voice was not “that guy” and lowered her gaze in slight disappointment. On the outskirts of the playground, she saw a group of seven elementary school children she recognized.
“Maria onee-chan~!”
“Our Onee-chan is coming~!”
“Let’s play together again~!”
A group of boys and girls looked at Maria and smiled happily. With a smile on her face, Maria came down from the top of the dome.
“Yosh~ what are we playing today? Onee-chan won’t lose, you know~?”
After cheerfully stating that, Maria started playing with all her might with the elementary school children. They played hide and seek using the entire large garden, and when they were tired, they could play online games under the trees, or chat with the girls. After spending time like that, the sun began to set, and the children began to return to their respective homes while waving to Maria.
“See you soon~”
She waved back at them, and when the children’s existence disappeared…… Maria looked back at the dome-shaped playground equipment and smiled sadly. Maria’s heart felt both happy and painful as she saw the illusion of her favorite boy who used to be there.
At that moment, a strong wind suddenly blew, and Maria quickly held her hair and turned her face away. Then, when she turned her gaze towards the playground equipment again, the illusion of the boy had already disappeared.
“…I’ll come again, Saa-kun.”
After lowering her eyebrows slightly and saying that, Maria again left the place filled with memories again.
Glucose Translations 
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