TJTPBFB 02

Chapter 2

“The People at the Gemstone Shop”

The small office had a modest setup:
a tiny storefront on the first floor,
and a workshop on the second.

It was a natural stone shop that had been passed down since the time of the president’s grandfather.

Ruri Aokawa had originally worked there part-time during her student days,
and when jobs were scarce after graduation, she simply stayed on and became a full-time employee.

Back then, handmade crafts weren’t a trend yet.
Most of their customers were either hobbyists who made jewelry for fun,
or professionals who came by because there weren’t enough specialized stone shops around.

When she thought about it, Ruri realized—
she’d been working there for over twenty years.

Nowadays, handmade craft shops had sprung up all over the neighborhood,
and even people called “event creators” or “mineral girls”
could be seen walking around here.

Times change, and so do the landscapes.

“Ruri, are you doing a workshop at the Handmade Festival again this year?”

asked Mitsuko Mochida, the oldest part-timer in the company, as she sipped her coffee.

Mitsuko was a childhood friend of the former president,
and lived nearby with her husband.
Since she never had children, she’d been making accessories here since her youth—
and even now, in her seventies, she still worked at the shop.

“Yes, I was asked again,
so I’ll be teaching a resin class.”

“Ruri-chan’s always been great with handmade crafts.
It’s no wonder they ask you every festival,”

said the current president, Taichi, still addressing her with the affectionate –chan suffix even though he was in his fifties.

“President Taichi, I’m forty now.
Don’t you think calling me ‘Ruri-chan’ is a little embarrassing?”

“What’s wrong with that?
I’ve known you since you were twenty—
it’s hard to get rid of that student image,”

he laughed.

Eventually, Taichi planned for his high school–aged son, Tomokazu, to take over the business someday.

Well, if the shop lasted that long, that is.

Tomokazu was attending an art school, so even if he didn’t end up inheriting the store,
he’d probably pursue a career related to design.

“Why don’t you get a certification while you’re at it?”

suggested Midori (Sui), the youngest employee.

“I love natural stones,
but when it comes to gemstones, I just end up thinking,
‘They’re pretty!’ and that’s it—I don’t really get deeper into it.
But I do have a resin instructor’s license.
Since I do workshops at festivals,
I thought it’d be good to have some kind of qualification.”

“Hmm, maybe I should get one too,”

Midori said thoughtfully, looking up.

“Then how about a Power Stone Appraiser license?
It’d be perfect for a natural stone shop—
especially since we sell power stone bracelets too.”

“That’s true.”

The suggestion came from Haruki Akasaka,
the only male designer in the shop aside from Taichi.

A graduate of a gem design school,
he was a rare case—someone with awards to his name,
yet working in this small, old-fashioned shop.

Even Tomokazu, the president’s son,
often came by to show his designs to Haruki and get advice.

Haruki once said that he preferred designing with natural stones and beads over gemstones.

“This place gives me creative freedom,”

he’d explained when asked why he applied here in the first place.

And that, apparently,
was his main reason for joining the shop.