The Fourth Class Is Modern Chinese (Continued)

The year-end atmosphere remained unchanged. Red boots stuffed with candy and sparkling cider bottles printed with children's cartoon characters had silently been moved to the half-price clearance section.

In their place, cheerful red-and-white flyers covered every corner of the store, reminding customers to reserve New Year's Eve soba and traditional New Year's dishes.

Samples of the New Year's dishes sat on the counter platform, with a tiny kadomatsu decoration beside them.

Besides that, a hand-drawn POP sign had been posted beside the curry in the bento section. Paired with the old line, "New Year's dishes are delicious, sure, but curry is great too!" it was remarkably thoughtful. It looked like one of the clerks had drawn it.

At times like this, part-time workers who could draw really got worked to the bone. Every time a new product came out or an event was held, I saw new POP signs. This exploitation was way too overpowered. Well, headquarters probably had sales targets to meet, so the clerks were likely working hard too...

After New Year's, they had to take reservations for Setsubun ehomaki and eho Swiss rolls, then Valentine's Day was right around the corner. That was the convenience store industry for you. What the hell was an eho Swiss roll...

I had seen this sight several times by now, but I still couldn't get used to the busy season after Christmas.

Only the scenery before my eyes changed at a rapid pace, while I remained completely unchanged in my everyday life. The gap between the two kept widening.

Still, the passage of time could not be resisted. I would probably spend this year and next year lazing around without a care, only to realize once I came to my senses that spring had already arrived.

Whether I laughed or cried,