“Oh.”
“Sorry, did I poke you?”
“Your stubble’s like needles. How long has it been since you shaved?”
“The hardness of stubble isn’t directly proportional to the time I haven’t shaved.”
“What is it proportional to, then?”
“Perhaps it’s innate?”
“Nothing is purely innate. How you live affects how you look… Look, this tie is too wide for you. Let’s try another one.”
“Okay.”
“Though, I still like it.”
“Thought you said it was too wide?”
“I meant your hard stubble.”
“What’s so great about that?”
“Say, in a robbery, you could headbutt the thief, leaving his face bloodied with your stubble.”
“If that were the case, you’d probably struggle even to eat or wipe your mouth.”
“You don’t know how to wipe? Just do it slowly… This one’s not good either, too yellow and flashy. You’re better suited for darker colours.”
“How many neckties did I try?”
“This is the third.”
“And how many have I picked?”
“One, two, three… five.”
“And for dark colours, you mean the blue and the dark brown.”
“The blue one is too wide. You’re a steady man, brown should be the best choice for you. Try it.”
“Do you treat every customer like this?”
“Except for those who come with their girlfriends or wives.”
“Fair enough, no room for gossip then.”
“But single men are very welcome. I’m a star employee here.”
“That’s playing with fire. There was a female colleague of ours, doing great in sales, always in the top three, lots of male clients… Then one day, she stopped coming to work, said she was drugged.”
“Sir, I’m just a salesperson. How can I compare to those of you sailing yachts by day and bar-hopping by night?”
“But you just said I was steady.”
“…”
“Alright, I’ll stop mocking you.”
“Dear customer, since we’ve picked so many, let’s try this red one too… Oh.”
“Hm?”
“The end of the tie slipped behind your back… Lean your head forward a bit.”
“That tickles…”
“It’s always amazed me how the hair on the nape of your neck is so soft, completely different from your stubble.”
“That’s the difference between stubble and hair.”
“Let me touch it a bit more.”
“tickle tickle tickle…”
“I think it’s nice this way, having both strength and gentleness. Like lava cake, leche frita, magnum ice cream…”
“Dessert, dessert, dessert…”
“See, the red doesn’t work either. The brown one is best.”
“I still prefer the blue one.”
“You always liked blue.”
“And you always loved sweets. People are like that, hard to change what they’re used to.”
“People are like that, only valuing what they’ve lost once it’s gone.”
“Annie, I’m Sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. So, are you buying this one?”
“Please.”
“That’ll be 5,600 yen.”
“Okay.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you! Please come again.”
“I will come again.”