And the next day was Monday.
About three hours after Hae-na left for work—around eleven, to be exact—Hathor stepped outside.
Lately, she had gotten fairly used to walking around by herself.
When she had first arrived, she’d needed Hae-na’s permission just to open the front door and step into the hallway. Hae-na had also given her the kinds of warnings meant for a little kid: stick to the nearby area so you don’t get lost, don’t follow strangers, and so on. At any rate, perhaps thanks to that, Hathor had been able to get around without any problems.
She didn’t have any particular destination today, either.
She had simply come out because staying cooped up at home was starting to feel a little suffocating.
The sunlight was pleasantly warm. The streets in the late morning were quiet, as they tended to be on weekdays, and the shops in the shopping district were opening one by one. Hathor walked slowly along the street. By now, she was quite used to looking at the clothes of passersby and browsing the shop signs.
Then she saw someone walking toward her from across the street.
Black hair, pale skin, a Gothic outfit, and a parasol. And eyes that looked at people with a certain detached indifference.
Hathor stopped walking.
“…Hina?”
The woman looked up at the same time.
After staring at each other for a moment, Hina narrowed her eyes.
“…Ha…thor?”
“That’s right.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Just walking around.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
Hina stared intently at Hathor for a moment.
“Still, it looks like you’ve gotten pretty used to life here.”
“A little.”
Hathor thought for a moment before asking,
“What about you? Are you still working at that… café?”
“Yes. I’ve been there for quite a while.”
“Is the work fun?”
“Well… it’s fine, aside from the kind of stuff that makes me cringe. The pay is enough to live on, too. And I get days off like today.”
Hathor nodded at that.
Making a living. It was a subject she and Hae-na had been talking about constantly lately.
To earn money, you had to work, and to work, you needed to have something you could do.
But Hathor still had no job lined up.
Looking at her, Hina asked,
“Are you still looking for work?”
“Yes.”
“Then… I know a café.”
Hathor’s eyes widened slightly.
“A café?”
“Yes. It’s not a concept café, just a regular one. Someone I know runs it.”
Hina hesitated briefly before continuing.
“They said they were looking to hire one person. If you’re okay with it… do you want to go check it out?”
Hathor considered it for a moment.
“Can I… really do it?”
“You worked at the flea market, didn’t you?”
“That was only for one day.”
“Still, that means you can deal with people.”
“And they won’t make you do anything difficult right away.”
Hathor thought about it for a moment. What would Hae-na say if she found out?
She’d probably tell her she’d done a good job. If so, there was no reason to hesitate.
“Let’s go.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Follow me.”
The café was tucked away in an alley a little distance from the shopping district.
Hathor stopped in front of the door for a moment. It was a small shop.
There was no flashy sign or eye-catching decoration like a concept café. Through the windows, she could see a few wooden tables and some small potted plants. A low hum drifted from the coffee machine behind the counter.
When Hina opened the door, a small bell rang.
“Welcome.”
The woman behind the counter looked up.
“Oh, Hina.”
“Boss.”
Hina pointed at Hathor.
“This is the friend I told you about.”
The owner looked at Hathor.
“Ms. Hathor?”
Hathor froze for a moment.
“…Yes.”
Hina smoothly continued from beside her.
“She hasn’t been in Japan very long, so she’s still looking for a job. Her Japanese is fine, too.”
Hathor quietly listened to the two of them talk.
The owner went on to ask a few questions. They were basic things, like whether Hathor had any café experience and how long she’d be able to work. Hathor answered honestly.
“I’ve never worked at a café, but…”
“That’s okay. I won’t make you do anything difficult right from the start.”
The owner thought for a moment, then held out an apron.
“Then why don’t you try it for today? If it works out for both of us, you can keep coming in.”
Hathor accepted the apron.
“…All right.”
The first tasks she was given were simple.
Clearing the tables after customers left and washing dishes. Hathor handled them more skillfully than expected.
She was especially good at moving heavy things; one of the other employees even ended up getting help from Hathor instead.
“You’re strong.”
When the owner exclaimed in admiration, Hathor replied as if it were nothing.
“This much is easy.”
Next, she began taking orders. At first, looking at the menu and writing down orders went fine.
The problem came when customers asked questions.
One customer pointed at a cake.
“Is this good?”
Hathor looked at the cake for a moment.
“It’s not very good.”
Silence descended.
The customer gave an awkward laugh. Hina ducked her head, trying not to laugh. The owner behind the counter closed her eyes for a moment. Hathor didn’t understand why everyone was making those faces.
“Why?”
Hina said in a small voice,
“Just say it’s good in situations like that.”
“But I didn’t like it.”
“Even so.”
“Are you telling me to lie?”
“……I’m telling you to be tactful.”
Hathor thought about it for a moment.
“Humans are difficult.”
Hina lowered her head completely and burst out laughing. Hathor wore a thoroughly troubled expression.
By the time she finished work and stepped outside, the sun was already beginning to set. Hathor looked down at the apron in her hands in front of the café.
She was more tired than she’d expected. But she didn’t dislike the feeling.
“How was it?”
Hina, who had been walking ahead with her hands clasped behind her back, turned around and asked.
“It was fine.”
“Then, do you want to do it?”
“Yes.”
Hathor looked back into the café.
It was a small shop.
It wasn’t noisy, and the customers hadn’t bothered her much.
“I want to work here.”
“Then it’s settled. Come back tomorrow and tell the owner.”
They parted ways partway there. When Hathor got home and glanced toward the apartment next door, it seemed Hae-na still hadn’t returned.
Hathor opened the door and went inside. She trudged in and flopped facedown onto the sofa. With her eyes closed, she briefly looked back on everything that had happened today.
She had put on an apron, brewed coffee and made drinks for humans, handled payments, and occasionally carried things around. None of it had been complicated or difficult.
Best of all, she could now earn money and support herself. She even felt a little proud of herself.
Perhaps it was the feeling of finally taking her first confident step into life in the human world—not as a person… but as a dragon.
Hathor texted Hae-na to tell her that she had found a job that day. As expected, Hae-na congratulated her happily.
Of course, one café job wouldn’t be enough to live comfortably… but the fact that Hathor was living without problems as a member of society gave Hae-na a sense of relief, pride, or some other more complicated and subtle emotion before she even realized it. Perhaps it was because Hathor reminded her of herself five years ago, when she had just arrived in a country that was both familiar and unfamiliar, and was beginning to adapt and put down roots.
Back then, Hae-na had been a lonely stranger with not a single person she knew. But she hoped that her precious neighbor Hathor would never have to know that feeling.