Hanatarou watches with a tiny smile as Tetsu struggles with the bread, resisting the impulse to step in - he's sure the taller man will manage on his own. Sure enough, after a bit of wiggling, Tetsu straightens out the barcode; the scanner lets out a high-pitched peep, and the bread is thrust in Hanatarou's direction.
He grabs the packet just below the plastic tie, sweeping it down into the first bag. The cookies slot neatly in beside it, and the tea bags. He raises a hesitant hand to ask if Tamai-san would like her detergent in a separate bag, shaking out a second for the small, green bottle as the woman nods and the diatribe about her husband continues unimpeded.
He swings the bags up onto the bench, steadying the bread with one hand as he waits for Tetsu to ring off the sale. He wonders just how much the other man has retained from their earlier conversation and has just decided it doesn't really matter when he hears the tell-tale rumble of a delivery truck out the back.
It would be impolite to leave in the middle of a sale, not to mention stressful to Tetsu. He'll wait. But his shoulders tense in preparation for a dash; he hasn't even warmed up the forklift yet.
Distracted by the sounds of impending delivery, it takes Hanatarou a few seconds to register that Tetsu has somehow managed to get halfway through cancelling the transaction.
"Ah," he begins, touching a finger to the 'cancel' button. The screen ceases its flashing, retreating to the usual blue-grey monotone. "That was 'end', Tetsu-san, to take back the entire sale." He points to the button. "You wanted 'summary', right?"
This button brings the subtotal up on the screen, along with an assortment of payment options. He smiles at Tamai-san. "And will that be cash, cheque, or credit card, Tamai-san?" He gestures Tetsu forward to try again, certain the taller man has been through this process before.
As soon as Tamai-san turns away, Hanatarou's hand lands on Tetsu's forearm. "Can you, um, just stay here and watch the store Tetsu-san, the first delivery is here and I have to-- but just call me if you need--"
He's halfway out the back door before Tetsu's had the chance to respond, fumbling with the keys to the forklift.
He grabs the packet just below the plastic tie, sweeping it down into the first bag. The cookies slot neatly in beside it, and the tea bags. He raises a hesitant hand to ask if Tamai-san would like her detergent in a separate bag, shaking out a second for the small, green bottle as the woman nods and the diatribe about her husband continues unimpeded.
He swings the bags up onto the bench, steadying the bread with one hand as he waits for Tetsu to ring off the sale. He wonders just how much the other man has retained from their earlier conversation and has just decided it doesn't really matter when he hears the tell-tale rumble of a delivery truck out the back.
It would be impolite to leave in the middle of a sale, not to mention stressful to Tetsu. He'll wait. But his shoulders tense in preparation for a dash; he hasn't even warmed up the forklift yet.
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"Ah," he begins, touching a finger to the 'cancel' button. The screen ceases its flashing, retreating to the usual blue-grey monotone. "That was 'end', Tetsu-san, to take back the entire sale." He points to the button. "You wanted 'summary', right?"
This button brings the subtotal up on the screen, along with an assortment of payment options. He smiles at Tamai-san. "And will that be cash, cheque, or credit card, Tamai-san?" He gestures Tetsu forward to try again, certain the taller man has been through this process before.
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He's halfway out the back door before Tetsu's had the chance to respond, fumbling with the keys to the forklift.
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