Chapter 127

The door of the Sushi restaurant behind me opened, and Renka stepped out.

I glanced back at her and answered, "Yeah. Hello."

"Hi. Aren't you curious about where we are?"

"It's a Sushi restaurant. The name is... Inoo Family Sushi? Is it a family-run place?"

"Right. My uncles run it. It looks like a specialty Sushi shop, but they sell a little bit of everything. You're working here until nine tonight."

I figured as much.

Given how things were between us, there was only so much she could make me do anyway.

I gave a nonchalant nod.

"Understood."

"We open at eleven, and you'll just be doing odd jobs. I'll tell you what to do, so don't worry."

"Are you working too, President?"

"Of course. Where did you park?"

"The public lot."

"That costs money. There's a small dirt lot behind the shop. Move your car there."

"You should have told me earlier."

"I didn't think you'd actually park there. Park your car and come inside."

"Got it."

I moved the car to the dirt lot as Renka suggested and stepped into the restaurant, only to see two identical, massively built, bald middle-aged men.

Ah, her uncles were twins. They looked incredibly intimidating.

They had been chatting quietly with Renka, but now their eyes turned to me.

"You must be Matsuda Ken."

The man who seemed to be the older brother spoke.

I bowed my head and greeted him.

"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you."

His tone was blunt but warm.

Normally, this would be the part where they asked, "Are you the punk giving our Renka a hard time?" or something similar...

Since they didn't, Renka must have kept the details about my personality brief.

But I was a little curious about something.

Frankly, I was a walking liability.

From Renka's perspective, I was a rebel who could cause trouble at any moment.

It would have been much better to ask that pushover Tetsuya for help, so why call me out of everyone?

I found out the answer soon enough.

"He really is handsome, just like Renka said."

It was the slightly smaller uncle who said that.

So they needed a pretty face.

They could use me under the guise of her wish, and since they didn't have to pay me an hourly wage, it was a win-win situation for them.

Right. In an open kitchen where customers could see the staff, it only made sense to have someone decent-looking on duty.

If plain, gloomy Tetsuya were here, the customers would lose their appetites.

Wait, Renka called me handsome?

She might hate my guts, but at least she acknowledges my looks, huh?

I'll go easy on the spanking as a reward.

"You flatter me. What should I do?"

When I asked with a bright smile, the larger uncle grinned, baring his teeth.

"Renka will show you the ropes. We're counting on you today."

Hmm... The gold-capped molar really stood out.

With faces like theirs, the customers were going to flee.

"Understood. I look forward to working with you."

"You don't know how to handle a sashimi knife, do you?"

Handle a sashimi knife...? That sounded less like cutting fish and more like gutting a person.

It felt like I was at a yakuza interview.

"I don't."

"What about prepping ingredients?"

"I can handle that much."

"Then help out as an assistant alongside Renka. The shop itself is pretty slow, so it won't be hard work."

"Yes, sir."

"You can relax. We might look rough, but we aren't strict."

"Rather than 'not strict,' shouldn't you say 'not scary'?"

At my playful tone, the twins looked at each other before bursting into hearty laughter.

I guess they let that slide because it showed I was sociable?

I was just glad I wasn't getting gutted.

A towel tied around my forehead, a top similar in design to a yukata, and an apron tied around my waist.

Dressed in an outfit straight out of a Sushi or ramen joint, I filled my stomach with the Sushi the twins had made.

I couldn't tell if they used premium ingredients or just had a magic touch, but the Sushi was absolutely delicious.

With quality like this, they should have plenty of regulars who come just for the taste... Did they really need to open up shop in a tourist spot?

Well... It was none of my business.

After I ate breakfast, helped out in the kitchen, and did some odd jobs, it was time to open.

And just as the twins had warned, the shop was quiet.

It wasn't completely devoid of customers.

People often stopped by, drawn in by Renka's beauty at the front counter and the discount sign placed outside.

However, they would take one look at the intimidating twins stationed in the open kitchen, get scared off, and often just go to the restaurant next door instead.

Even if they did come in to eat, they were so tense that the atmosphere naturally became dead silent.

To make matters worse, the twins' worried expressions over their struggling business made them look like they were furious, leading to even more misunderstandings.

It wasn't enough to completely ruin the business, but their looks were definitely hurting sales.

It was hard for restaurants in tourist spots to build a regular customer base.

Aside from the local residents, most customers were one-and-done.

In this kind of location, you had to win people over with the atmosphere, and they were failing miserably on that front.

The food was great, so if we could just fix the mood...

At times like this, it was best to inject some life into the shop and help the customers relax.

I needed to create a bustling, lively vibe and make the customers feel a sense of familiarity with the twins.

'Hmm...'

The word 'Family' on the shop's signboard instantly signaled that this was an independent, family-run restaurant.

At first, I'd thought it was a terribly tacky name, but now it seemed perfect to exploit.

The best approach would be to make people feel like it was a place run by a tight-knit family.

And since the twins looked the way they did... the concept should be a happy yakuza family, layered with the vibe of rugged but innocent brothers.

It was a childish concept, but it would work perfectly.

As noon passed, customers began to crowd in.

It was fewer compared to the other restaurants, but half the tables were still full, mostly with new faces.

It got busy enough that even Renka had to step away from the counter to help out.

Deciding this was the perfect moment, I waited for a customer to finish their order and then yelled toward the kitchen.

"Little Uncle! Two bowls of Ebiten Udon over here!"

Renka flinched and shot me a look.

She seemed shocked by how naturally I used the title.

Her uncle, on the other hand, answered me casually.

"Two Ebiten! Order received!"

"Don't eat while you're cooking, and hurry it up!"

Caught off guard by the sudden jab, the younger uncle's eyes went wide.

But only for a second. Realizing what I was trying to do, he immediately huffed and shot back.

"Huh?! I don't do that!"

"Don't do what? Then what's with that gut?"

"This is all muscle!"

In a normal situation, people might have thought I was crossing the line, but thanks to the title and the shop's name, the customers would assume exactly what I wanted them to: that we were just a tight-knit family that didn't stand on ceremony.

And I was right on the money.

The customers in the shop let out light chuckles.

That instantly cleared the heavy air, brightening the mood in the restaurant.

"Big Uncle! Are those three plates of chutoro still not ready!?"

Having caught onto the act from the previous exchange, the older uncle immediately roared back.

"They're coming right out!"

"Hurry it up! The customers are waiting!"

When I threw my hands up in an exaggerated, angry gesture, the older uncle hurriedly scrambled to prep the ingredients.

"I got it! Sorry!"

Was it funny seeing a guy with a bear-like build and a nasty scowl getting scolded like that?

The shop lit up even more, practically humming with life.

Now all we had to do was open the door and let this lively atmosphere spill outside to draw more customers in.

With the nice weather outside and the heat pouring out from the kitchen, the shop was getting warm anyway... Leaving the door cracked open would be perfectly fine.

If the customers sitting right by the door complained, I could just throw in a few freebies.

And if they still hated it, well, there was nothing I could do.

Wait, why was I acting like the protagonist of a cooking manga?

I don't know. I might as well just work hard.