Four minutes had passed, and it happened twice. I don't understand why people can enjoy something like this. What's so fun about riding a train with tracks that feel like waves, huh?
My stomach started protesting against itself. It felt like being hungry and wanting to empty the contents of my stomach at the same time. The clash of these feelings resulted in a bad headache. Everything happened all at once, after we got off the wooden coaster ride. Maybe this is what they call nausea?
"That was so fun, wasn't it, Mr. Cake?" Feline smirked and looked up at me. I couldn't tell if she was smiling out of satisfaction or mocking my apparent weakness.
"I-I wonder what's showing on my face, Blllrrb-" The acidic pull in my stomach started forcing something out of my mouth. Fortunately, my mouth was closed.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Cake. Let's sit down for a moment." Feline helped me walk. From the roller coaster exit, we headed to the right. We walked back towards the center of the amusement park. I sat down, leaning against a wooden chair, trying to calm myself.
"Wait here, I'll find something for you, Mr. Cake."
I gazed at the ceiling. It had been bright and dazzling earlier, but now it was slightly cloudy.
"Tea, Feline. Please get something cold. Thank you."
"Aye aye, captain." Feline walked away.
She headed towards a kiosk with a slanted roof made of elastic and polyester, similar to the roofs of food stalls in general. The elastic polyester roof had pink, white, and yellow stripes. Beneath the roof was a long building that contained various kinds of stalls. It was called the Candy Shop on the map, but it didn't just sell candy. Since the Candy Shop was right across from me, I could see signs for Tea, Slush, Candy Floss, Donut, and Coffee.
I closed my eyes to prevent my head from spinning too much and left the rest to Feline. I thought I would conquer all the rides. But turns out, after just one ride, my body was already wobbly. I truly am pathetic. Honestly, this is my first time going to an amusement park. Moreover, the idea came up randomly based on local references in Cambridge. Well, what can I do? It's called a first impression, after all.
"Sweetheart... are you okay? Should we go home?" I heard a man's voice after feeling vibrations from the wooden chair I was sitting on. Apparently, there were people sitting next to me. And from the words I heard, they should be a couple. Well, the chair was wide from the beginning. If five people sat on it, they would be squeezed together. But the couple sat on the edge. Still, I could hear their conversation clearly.
#Cough! Cough!
"I-It's okay, Hon. Let me sit for a moment, and everything will be back to normal," the woman's voice replied hoarsely after coughing.
I could sense that the man was confused and worried. That's why he held back his words. But... had they gone through all the obstacles—I mean, all the rides in this place? It's not surprising.
"Can I buy you... something? Since we're near the food stalls?" he offered, maybe not wanting to think too much.
"Um... unsweetened tea will be great, Hon," she replied, sounding lazy.
The pressure on the chair I was sitting on eased. Then I heard the sound of the man's footsteps moving away from her. It seemed like our situations were similar, me and the unfamiliar woman next to me. I still kept my eyes closed to avoid dizziness and nausea. But I was also curious. Well, not like Feline, who is always curious to the point of annoyance. I'm different. If two people are experiencing the same fate, wouldn't it be natural to ask?
"Pssst...."
"...."
The woman next to me seemed confused. But I'm sure I gave her a clear signal that she should have heard. Or perhaps, the way I addressed her was somewhat suspicious for her to pay attention?
"Mademoiselle?"
"A-are you talking to me, sir?"
"There's no one else in these seats, right?"
She stayed silent for a moment.
"Well, sir, I-I'm not interested in this conversation. My boyfriend will be back in a moment, thank you."
Oh, she misunderstood. She thought I was a man searching for love in a gloomy way. But I applaud her cautious response.
"Non, non. I'm not interested in women, mademoiselle."
"Um... o-okay...?"
Well, that was purely my mistake. It only led to a further misunderstanding, I suppose.
"Let's set that aside, mademoiselle. I just want to ask, are you alright?"
"Um..."
She hesitated to answer. Let's consider this a failed opening. Well, no problem, I just won't repeat it.
"Lately, I've been very tired with work, sir. I rarely have time to be with Nick. Initially, when I was unemployed, we would always meet anytime," she explained with a somewhat gloomy voice, which was hoarse from the beginning. It seemed like she had been coughing since the start.
It's quite predictable. Perhaps this mademoiselle is experiencing the effects of adjusting to the time difference with her partner. It's actually a common thing. But I'm more interested in something else. Is her illness due to the adjustment or is her work extremely exhausting? So when she came to the amusement park, her body wasn't in good shape at all. Honestly, going to a place like this while not feeling well is not a good idea.
"I imagine it must be difficult to find time to spend during times like this. Especially with your current condition, mademoiselle."
"Yeah, this summer, sir. I-I can say that I'm not really fond of summer. Moreover, it causes some of our work to pile up. The six-week summer break on the academic calendar is like a flood of deliveries. Millennials are never seem to stop bothering us with their shopping needs. Because they spend more time on other things during their vacation. The daily targets can triple, not to mention overtime... hah... It's hard to work, and not working is also difficult."
Oh? So she's an admin at a delivery company? Well, that's quite intense. They have to work extra to create, organize, and process data accurately. From what I've heard from some customers in my store, their work seems to be poorly distributed. For example, they do different tasks simultaneously instead of prioritizing and completing one at a time. As a result, their time management suffers. Under normal conditions, that might not be a big problem. But what about when they're overloaded? Anyone would find such a situation frustrating.
Summer in the UK has a six-week holiday on the general academic calendar. With the convenience provided by technology nowadays, smartphones in the hands of teenagers can become a bomb for their wallets or bank accounts. With just a tap, they can order items to be delivered to their homes. The negative effects are not only on their finances but also on the accumulation of data that needs to be processed by delivery service companies.
167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3YyWyENaL
Of course, their higher-ups must be delighted, sacrificing the freedom of their employees. This mademoiselle is a perfect example. In addition, during the summer, the business operates as usual.
"It must be quite daunting for a delivery admin to manage deliveries and handle complaints here and there. Well, I can imagine that. Shouldn't you consider taking a special leave to, um... maybe get a health check-up?"
"Um... previously, that's a bit inappropriate. I do work at a delivery service company, but I never have hot coffee and chocolate biscuits every morning."
"Oh, really? Do admins always get that?"
"Oh, it's quite clear!" Did I touch a sensitive topic? She slightly raised her voice, but she didn't seem too angry. "Yes, in my office, they work hard, just like us. Well, when it comes to complaints and other things, they always blame us without any rules. I know they're under a lot of pressure, but on the other hand, we're not idling around. There's always a gap between admins and couriers. They complain about late deliveries and broken items. I mean, how are we supposed to know, right? Besides, deliveries aren't just the couriers' responsibility. The first handlers through trucks, ships, and planes can be at fault too."
"Oh, you're not an admin, mademoiselle?" I still kept my eyes closed, afraid that this dizziness and nausea wouldn't subside.
167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNsMq90BHbW
"Ermm...-hah..." I felt a slight jolt on the chair we were sitting on. There was a faint sound of bones cracking, indicating that the woman was stretching. "I-I... how should I put it... I'm not very smart. I only graduated from high school. I grew up with my aunt, who has passed away now. Since no relatives wanted to take care of me, it wasn't strange for me to make a living on my own. Fortunately, I was about to finish high school. I've done various odd jobs with low pay. And now... there's a fairly large delivery company, and, yeah... because I didn't like to refuse jobs, so... since the available position was a courier..., well, that's how it happened."
"You're a courier? Sorting, unpacking, inputting, and arranging items for delivery every morning, mademoiselle?" I was surprised, turning my head to the right where the woman's voice came from, still with my eyes closed. I mean, who would have thought a woman would become a courier?
"Woah! You know a lot, sir?"
"Yeah, I have an acquaintance who works at a delivery company. Wasn't the qualification only for men?" I asked, still curious. At least I knew for sure because back then, Mr. Henderson, the muscular man with a scary face, joked about being an android.
That incident happened one evening. It wasn't too late, but Moncake Shop had only twenty more minutes of business hours for the day. She was one of those who enjoyed my chiffon cakes. Mr. Henderson always came at night because of his work.
Mr. Henderson, with his stern face, always told me that he was an android who could work any time without breaks. He said, "Just with overtime pay, I can fully charge myself and work overtime again the next day without any problem. I'm amazing, right? It's called being an Android, hueh!" while flexing his muscles. Well, that's how I knew about the courier employees' sarcastic remarks.
"Back then, there were qualifications. I saw it myself. I don't know, maybe they needed people? But speaking of which, the treatment is still the same. Well, there are a few gentlemen who make things easier for me. Usually, when I'm still tired and getting off at a certain time, those gentlemen do it for me. They even tell me to take a rest. I rely more on them than on the manager or HR department. That's why I always contribute coffee and sugar as a token of gratitude and a small form of attention. Oh, I remember! My first salary was for a water dispenser. Well, what can I say? This is life, sir. I can take time off like this because they care about me. Otherwise, it would be impossible..."
Hearing that, I honestly felt sad. Moreover, the unfamiliar woman said it with a slightly hoarse tone when she started speaking. I also didn't expect her to be a strong worker, but packaged in the form of a woman. What about her arms? Are they as muscular as Mr. Henderson's?
Well, by the way, I couldn't really help much. Especially for a tough woman like her, taking a vacation to an amusement park, which ironically made her body sore and not well-rested. All just to spend time with her partner. All just to make her partner happy.
Perhaps, to maintain their relationship?
After contemplating for a while, I heard footsteps approaching with a short interval. The sound grew closer. It seemed like Feline was running towards me.
"Mr. Cake, have you been chatting with that woman all this time?" Feline asked. My right hand felt the bottle that Feline handed to me, which I immediately grabbed.
After opening the bottle cap, I realized that Feline hadn't gotten what I wanted. Or more accurately, when my tongue greeted the contents of the bottle.
"What is this? Apple tea?" I protested, while moving my tongue, tasting the unnatural sweetness and acidity of the liquid.
"Hey, Mr. Cake, isn't that woman... the one you were talking to... the same woman from earlier?"
These eager eyes ignored me again. She seemed to be cleverly avoiding a conversation that would disadvantage her. Feline was just looking for excuses.
Listening to Feline's attempt to find excuses, I started to open my eyes. Thankfully, my dizziness had subsided. Then I turned to the right just to have a final conversation and thank her for accompanying me in the previous chat.
Turns out, Feline was right, she didn't mean to avoid the conversation or make excuses. The woman... was the same woman I and Feline were queuing with at the ticket booth or waiting for the roller coaster.
Now, is this called a coincidence? Or perhaps something is about to happen to her? But on what basis am I thinking like this?
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