Another really hot summer day commenced, and it was the day Ippei was both excited and very nervous about.

Nobuteru Ueno, the owner of Ueno Music World, called and scheduled him for the interview on Tuesday Morning. Ippei prepared everything, the documents, what he'd say, the clothes he'd wear to make a good first impression. He researched on the internet with the help of Sachiko commenting on her own experience of job hunting.

Ippei walked downstairs, and saw Mizuho was sitting in front of the television still, not yet to open the PC shop.

"I'm going now." Ippei announced, and Mizuho was equally excited, if a bit more reserved about it.

"Go get 'em, tiger." Mizuho said in English, which Ippei thought was cheesy as hell, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Do you want me to buy some dinner from around the station?"

"If you can, sure. Just select something good."

Ippei gave an OK gesture, before he stepped out with his motorcycle helmet in hand.

He rode the white Gorilla less than 10 minutes before he arrived at the location of Ueno Music World. It was only a walk away from Tsuchiura station in a commercial area, which was a bit quiet compared to the glory days, but still had a few good brick and mortar stores operating.

Ippei parked the Gorilla right outside, among the bicycles and other mopeds. It was a medium size music store and had an aura of 'old' to it. It was not an immaculate storefront, and there's a sign advertising that the location had a recording studio for rent and jamming.

Ippei saw from a mile away that Sachiko was already there, leaning on her Little Cub as she waited for him.

"Good morning, you look pretty sleepy still, is it safe?" Ippei greeted her jokingly, which annoyed Sachiko slightly.

"Safe!" Sachiko said in a mocking tone with a salute to go along with.

"You aren't going to go in with me, right? It's a bit awkward."

"No," Sachiko shook her head, "I'm going to browse the book shop, then wait for you in the cafe."

Sachiko pointed to those stores respectively, which Ippei noted.

"Wish me luck." Ippei said.

Instead of replying, Sachiko just kissed him on the cheek, and Ippei wasn't sure if that calmed him down or made him more jittery with the heart rate going up, but he appreciated the gesture.

Ippei went into the music store, where it was packed full with instruments and equipment such as amps and stereo. All of them Ippei knew quite a bit about from researching, because he wanted quite a few, but still was pretty nervous.

A tall man, clearly younger than his dad but not by much, turned up. He was in the store polo shirt and had long, flowing hair. There's a slightly punk-ish feel to him. Tanigawa-sensei told Ippei this was Nobuteru Ueno, the store owner and the interviewer.

"You're Ippei Noda, right?" Nobuteru asked with his husky voice, as Ippei was a little bit bewildered looking at everything.

"Er, yes, Ueno-san. I'm Ippei Noda, nice to meet you."

Ippei bowed politely, which made Nobuteru smile with a slight smile, friendly expression, despite the slightly intimidating appearance.

"Hey, no need to be that formal, Noda-kun," Nobuteru's voice was really distinctive to Ippei, "I have to ask you a question though."

Ippei was nervous as what's coming.

"Er, sure?" Ippei said the affirmative.

"Who's your mother?"

That question from Nobuteru was WEIRD. It came immediately after one look at Ippei, and it made him a little bit unnerved, but he was willing to answer regardless.

"My mother is Kanoko, Ueno-san..." Ippei answered, a bit awkwardly.

"No way! I had a guess, but didn't know it'd be correct!" Nobuteru said excitedly, interrupting Ippei mid sentence.

"You know my mother?" Ippei was wondering.

"Sure, man! I know her. She used to work here ages ago! Like, dude, she worked here around the time you were born! You're 17, right? Yeah, that's about right."

Ippei was quite surprised to hear that, and it explains why his father knew about the store so much. It was a small world, but he had to admit he didn't know his mother too well since she went her separate way early in his life. Ueno-san might know her better than he did.

"Don't tell your father this, man, but I used to have quite a crush on her. I was really young and she was so cool!" Nobuteru continued, sounding like he's reminiscing, "You know I'm almost inclined to hire you purely on that basis, but my father would bicker with me about it so I'll do the interview, just on principle."

Ippei was quite a bit weirded out by how open Nobuteru was about what he was thinking.

The two walked over to the counter which was in the deepest area of the shop, there was so much music related stuff in here that Ippei couldn't help but be excited. Nobuteru sat down behind the counter and motioned for Ippei to sit on the chair next to him.

"Okay, so tell me a bit about yourself." Nobuteru suddenly went into a serious mode.

"Ah, so, I'm Ippei Noda, I'm going to become 18 this September..." Ippei started.

"Born September 2006 then?"

"Yes, Ueno-san."

"Haaaaah, thanks for making me feel old..." Nobuteru mused, "I was 12 in Summer 2006. A guy born in 2006 is now 18... Haaaahhhh."

Ippei could only smile sheepishly back at Nobuteru, slightly guilty for making him feel old.

"Right, so do you play instruments?" Nobuteru changed the subject suddenly.

"I can somewhat play the electronic organ, and had piano lessons when I was really young." Ippei answered.

"Ooooh?! Just like Kanoko-san." Nobuteru brought up Ippei's mother again.

"Yes, she introduced me to it."

"Well, in that case I probably wouldn't need you to prove that you aren't lying, but on principle, right? Go play something on that piano over there."

"Eh? The last time I played a piano was maybe a decade ago?"

"And when was the last time you played an electronic organ?"

"Maybe a week ago?"

"I'm not expecting you to be Chopin, don't fret about it too hard, it's similar enough."

Ippei was wary of doing exactly as instructed. It was an old upright piano that sat in the corner clearly being used only occasionally. It did not have a price tag, so it probably was not for sale. Ippei had to hold his breath in order to calm his nerves and play something.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

"Yeah, that's good enough."

Ippei was absolutely confused as after only less than 10 notes, Nobuteru stopped him. He turned and looked at him perplexed as it probably took more time to open the piano cover than what he played. Nobuteru then waved him to come back.

"You know how to operate it, you aren't lying, that's good enough as I have to explain this is not a musician job, you dig?" Nobuteru said, and it made more sense to Ippei now.

"Yeah, I've read the job description, and I believe I'm capable of doing it, Ueno-san." Ippei tried to think of how to convince Nobuteru, but it didn't seem necessary.

"Right, so you understand it right?"

Nobuteru adjusted his posture, from being relaxed to a more tensed up one. His expression changed too, he didn't seem serious at first, but was now.

"So, this year's part-time program is a bit different from what you may have heard from your teacher." Nobuteru continued.

"Eh?" Ippei was a bit confused.

"You see, my wife, Megumin, is now pregnant. She usually does quite a bit of work around here, see, but as she's pregnant, she wouldn't be able to work for a while. The workload will be more than the usual, and it'll be less about learning and more actual work. Obviously I've already stated it's not going to be just manning the cashier and dealing with customers occasionally. Also it'll be more like a full-time job in that I need you 8 hours a day, 5 days a week and there may be paid overtime if needed."

Ippei was worried for a second, but after listening to Nobuteru, he was actually pretty excited to be doing actual, more meaningful work.

"I'd gladly do anything you needed me to do, Ueno-san." Ippei replied, with quite a bit of determination in his face, which surprised Nobuteru.

"Ooh? Can you start tomorrow then?" Nobuteru said.

"Eh, sure!" Ippei gave the affirmative.

"It'll be more of an orientation anyway, I have to introduce you to the system here..."

Nobuteru looked around the place, Ippei couldn't help but notice that he seemed disheveled and tired. It seemed that he was in the right place at the right time.

Once the talk was over, Ippei walked out of the store, feeling pretty chuffed about it. He walked over to the café that Sachiko pointed out to him and saw her in there, reading a book. He stepped inside and she didn't look up.

"Hey." Ippei called Sachiko, who finally averted her eyes from the pages.

"Oh, how did it go?" Sachiko asked.

"Great, I'd say. I'm starting tomorrow."

"Eh?! Is it that easy? Junji told me like it was the hardest thing he'd ever done."

"I mean," Ippei looked a bit sheepish, "I'm not sure it could be called nepotism..."

"Your dad know the guy or something?" Sachiko was surprised that Ippei said that.

"No, but my mom apparently did..."

"Ehh?!"

"Ueno-san told me she actually used to work there for a bit, actually, after I was born."

"That is one hell of a coincidence, if you ask me."

"But I'm sure it helped a lot, along with Ueno-san's wife being pregnant so she couldn't work. He seemed to want someone to let her have a bit of a break." Ippei explained.

"Oh, that's nice, isn't it?" Sachiko understood now, and she thought it was wholesome.

Ippei looked at the book still in Sachiko's hands, and wondered.

"Did you just buy that at the shop?" Ippei pointed to it, and Sachiko nodded.

"Yeah, it was very cheap." Sachiko replied.

It was apparently a trashy, English language romance novel that Ippei didn't recognize at all. He wondered what took the attention of Sachiko to it. It looked unremarkable, and English was not his strong suit so he couldn't imagine himself reading it.

"So, you're done way quicker than I thought, should we go somewhere to celebrate?" Sachiko put the book down and asked.

"Definitely."

—

From the last day of July, Ippei started working for Ueno Music World, and he found it to be the best thing that'd ever happened to him.

The first few days were, as Nobuteru said, just an orientation. He explained that Ippei would also be trained with an aspiring musician and college student, Asada-senpai. She came in more sporadically than Ippei, and usually only takes a shift late in the afternoon and into the nights.

Asada-san's responsibility was for the studio, she usually took the booking and prepared the room as requested by the renter. It was rare for the studio to be booked during Ippei's work hour anyway so this was not an issue.

Like today, Friday. Ippei came in at 8 AM, and Nobuteru was already there as he was usually the one opening the shop and stayed until as long as the studio was needed. Sometimes it's until the next morning if the renter paid for it, but it's extremely rare.

"Ueno-san, why don't musicians come in during the day?" Ippei started a small talk during a slow hour.

"Ehhh? I don't know, man." Nobuteru answered, he genuinely didn't have an answer.

"Are you in a band, Ueno-san?"

"I was when I was still in school, yeah. I stopped after getting into college because no one had the time..."

Ippei thought that the way Nobuteru described it sounded a bit forlorn and nostalgic.

"Speaking of, sorry if I'm pressing the wrong button by accident, you don't know much about your mother, right?" Nobuteru said, and Ippei was surprised.

"Eh? I'm not that bothered by it. You're absolutely right as she left when I was very young." Ippei answered.

"Would you be interested in her anecdote, then? What was she like and such?"

"Sure! I'd love to hear it."

Ippei replied enthusiastically, as his father never even mentioned her after she was gone. If Nobuteru would be happy to tell him, Ippei was happy to listen to it.

"I think it was after you grew up a little bit that you didn't need constant attention, maybe a year after you were born? Like, Kanoko-san applied for a part-time job, similar to yours right now, actually, but that was with my dad..." Nobuteru started, a bit scattered, "but it was obvious from the start she was not merely a bored housewife wanting something to do to pass time, you know?"

"Did she work here long, Ueno-san?" Ippei asked.

"For about 3 years, maybe? She didn't stay manning the store long, okay? She moved to working mainly in the studio as more and more aspiring musicians wanted her to help with mixing, producing and stuff."

"I do vaguely remember that..."

"Right, and then my dad introduced her to a music school in Tsukuba that wanted a piano teacher. So she went and worked there as well on a part-time basis. Kanoko-san did pretty much everything. She worked really hard."

This story made Ippei recall back when his mom was around, and indeed it tracked with what Nobuteru was saying. His mother always went out of the house to work early in the morning, and usually came back late, quite often during the night. Even if it was only a vague memory.

"She taught you as well, huh? I'm almost surprised to hear that she had the time to do so." Nobuteru said with a chuckle.

"Well, it was not often, Ueno-san. I later learned the piano and organ with Yamaha Tsuchiura until I got into junior high, after which I only played by myself." Ippei answered.

"Ah, that's the branch she also taught in for a while, but she didn't like it that much. Kanoko-san later worked for an independent school I think in Manabe? Can't remember the place's name."

Ippei found it interesting hearing the story about his mother from a perspective of a person who was possibly more familiar with her than he was, despite not being related. He only knew her when he was very young, and the memories were hazy. Nobuteru very likely remembered more than him.

"And, you know, she was gone after 2013. Man, we were all very sad about it actually." Nobuteru was slightly wistful saying this, and he was being cautious not to upset Ippei.

"Do you happen to know where she went after she divorced my dad?" Ippei asked, and it surprised Nobuteru that he was forthright about it.

"Eh? Well... I thought she moved back to Gunma, but my dad believed she moved to Tokyo. We weren't sure at all and if you ask my dad now he'd probably tell you otherwise, you know?"

"It's fine, Ueno-san. Thank you for telling me this anyway."

Ippei bowed once as he was saying that, and it made Nobuteru jerked up like he was startled by the gesture.

"It's okay, man, don't worry about it, my dude." Nobuteru quickly reassured Ippei he didn't need to be formal like this with him, "Kanoko-san was a big part of my youth, you know? She was my inspiration to become what I am today, and you working here makes me feel like I'm having a little brother I never had."

Ippei was slightly blushing for that, but happy to hear it.

"Ah, Asada-san is here." Nobuteru announced as he saw her coming.

The workload here was not exactly carefree, but it was not unnecessarily heavy either. Ippei also gets to learn a whole lot of things that Ueno and Asada had to teach. Not only vocationally like how to be organized, but also musically, as Asada was an aspiring musician.

Asada was a short, cute, yet stern and reserved looking woman, not much older than Ippei was. She wore round glasses, and was always dressed in stylish, gothic lolita fashion, which was unusual not just in the store but in the area, as it was pretty rare in a fashion backwater that is Tsuchiura.

"What are you planning to do after high school, Noda-kun?" Asada asked.

"I haven't really thought about it all that much, Asada-senpai." Ippei answered, and it made her wonder.

"But you should at least have a vague goal by now, huh? You study at Tsuchiichi, right?"

"That's right, Asada-senpai."

"So it's a two term school, you're approaching the end of first term soon. If you ask me it's pretty late..."

Ippei knew that too, but he never had a goal like that before, and he thought too that perhaps it was the time he got some actual idea.

"Where are you studying, Asada-senpai? Ueno-san hadn't told me yet." Ippei wondered.

"Would you be surprised if I say Electronic course at Tsuchiura Industrial Technical College?" Asada answered.

"Ehhhhh?! Seriously?" Ippei was shocked by that answer, it was not something he expected at all.

"Yep, I want to obtain a Type 1 Electrician certification eventually."

Ippei looked at Asada-san again, a tiny older sister in a casual gothic lolita dress, the word coming out of her mouth was not matching the expectation at all.

"How did you decide on that?" Ippei asked.

"It pays well, and I'm pretty good at it." Asada answered straightforwardly.

"But you're also in a band, right?"

"Yep, if you want to, you can come and watch anytime we play, I'll give you a ticket. We play at a few live houses." Asada replied with a cheerful smile.

"How did you find the time to do all of that?"

"I guess once a passion takes hold, you make do."

Asada-senpai's words made Ippei think about his future in a more clear manner. There's two aspects of everyone's life, the one that pays, and the passion that keeps you going. Asada-san got both pretty concrete now.

Ippei was discovering from working at Ueno Music World that the passion he once had in music, never really went anywhere. He still liked it, and he should be proud of it more than he was.

The monetary part was still a bit unclear though, Ippei didn't have an answer of what he really wanted to do yet, but who knows, Ippei could feel that the answer might be closer than he thought before...