Chapter 209

Was she too busy to think about titles?

Or had she seen through my intentions?

Unlike before, Renka just nodded without a word and pulled the frosted beer mugs from the freezer.

"Ken! Need some sushi plates over here!"

"Yeah, coming! But where are those four plates of akami?"

"Huh? We just got that order!"

"Then make them right away! Keep your hands moving! The orders are backing up!"

"Sorry! Ask the customers if they want beer or soda and give them one on the house!"

A small cheer and a round of applause erupted through the restaurant at that.

The restaurant wasn't large to begin with, so a few free drinks barely counted as a loss.

I could see the uncles getting sharper at this as time went on.

At this rate, they would be just fine.

With that thought, I helped Renka hand out the free drinks, pulled my rubber gloves back on, and dove straight into the dishes.

Once the evening dinner rush passed, the restaurant finally quieted down.

Taking advantage of the lull, I suggested to the uncles and Renka that we tone down the atmosphere.

Families and couples worn out from a full day of sightseeing would prefer a quiet place to wind down, and it was about time for the local regulars to start filtering in anyway. When I explained my reasoning, the uncles readily agreed.

The restaurant felt remarkably peaceful compared to the chaotic lunch rush.

Renka and I took the remaining orders in a much more relaxed state.

"You really worked hard today."

It was a genuine word of praise from Renka, who was sitting on a folding chair outside the Changing Room.

After getting permission from the uncles, I pulled a soda from the fridge, chugged it, and offered her another can.

"We aren't done yet."

"It's basically over. We're almost out of ingredients anyway, so we can finally catch our breath, right?"

"True. Can I sit next to you?"

"No."

She slowly shook her head in refusal, but I plopped down right next to her anyway.

She let out a small chuckle, as if she'd fully expected me to do that.

Her gaze seemed a little softer than usual. Was it just my imagination?

I wiped my face with a clean towel and asked, "Are you heading back right after the restaurant closes?"

"Well... I'm definitely heading back today, but I'm not sure when. When are you leaving?"

"I'll leave whenever you do, President. We have to head back together anyway."

"I can go by myself."

"Not this again. Are you really that uncomfortable riding in the same car as me?"

"No, that's not it... I meant that you've been working hard all day, so you should head back whenever you want without worrying about me. Let people finish speaking before you jump to conclusions, would you?"

"Oh, is that what you meant? You should have just said so..."

"...You're so annoying, seriously."

A strong scent of blueberries wafted from the grumbling Renka.

Why did pretty girls always smell so good?

A sudden urge hit me to rub my face against her sweat-dampened body.

"Your voice is hoarse, by the way. You know that?"

Just as she pointed it out, I noticed a faint raspy edge to my voice.

I didn't have a naturally loud voice to begin with, so shouting from morning until now must have strained my vocal cords.

I cleared my throat and replied.

"I guess it is."

"Should I buy you some throat lozenges?"

"I'm good. It doesn't hurt."

"Then let me get you some warm water at least."

"I'll get it myself, so just sit there and rest. Want me to massage your legs?"

"A-are you crazy? You want to die?"

"Why are you getting mad? I offered out of the goodness of my heart."

"Yeah, right. You have a seriously creepy look on your face."

While we were chatting, a sudden gust of cold wind slipped through the crack of the slightly open back door.

Seeing Renka shiver from the chill, I shut the door tight, then wrapped a thick towel around her neck.

Renka immediately shot me a vicious glare.

"...What are you doing...?"

I just flashed her a grin.

"Keeping you warm."

"...Unbelievable."

Perhaps realizing I was just trying to be considerate, Renka grumbled something under her breath. She didn't complain about me abruptly throwing a towel over her again, and quietly sipped her soda instead.

Working together all day definitely made it feel like we'd gotten a little closer.

Did Renka feel the same way? Judging by how she was treating me, it seemed like she did.

"Here's your pay for today."

The eldest uncle handed a white envelope to each of us.

I accepted it with both hands.

"I can't exactly refuse it this time around."

"If you tried to refuse it, I would've shoved it in your pocket myself."

Don't say it so aggressively. I actually got scared for a second.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but would you be willing to come help out again sometime?"

The younger uncle chimed in. I gave him a slow nod of agreement.

I definitely wasn't coming alone next time, though.

I'd make sure to drag Renka along with me, and if possible, come when we could spend the night here.

"I'm taking a shower first."

With that, Renka slipped into the Changing Room and locked the door behind her.

Was there any chance of triggering some event where I accidentally caught a glimpse of her naked in the shower?

I almost wanted to force an event like that myself.

I stayed back and made small talk with the uncles until Renka stepped out, toweling off her wet hair. Once she was out, I headed into the Changing Room.

The shower room was still filled with that sweet, purplish scent of hers. Enjoying the smell, I peeked inside the envelope.

For a single day's wages, it was a shockingly large amount.

It looked like they had included gas money, plus the pay from the last shift that I had refused to take.

They looked intimidating, but they were incredibly decent guys at heart.

For a narrow shower room that someone had just finished using, it was spotless.

The floor had been wiped down and was barely even damp, and the mirror had clearly been wiped clean too.

'She's so meticulous.'

She didn't do this just to stop me from having weird, perverted thoughts... she was just being considerate, right?

Let's just assume the best.

I scrubbed myself down thoroughly under the hot water, got dressed, and grabbed my bag.

When I stepped out of the Changing Room, the uncles were chatting away with Renka.

The two of them were laughing heartily, while Renka just shook her head as if they were impossible to deal with.

From the looks of it, the uncles were teasing her.

"Ah, you're out. We packed this up for you two, so take it with you."

The eldest uncle handed over a takeout box holding the most expensive sushi set on the menu.

Refusing a gift like this would be rude. I'd have to share it with Miyuki later.

I took the bag and flashed him a toothy grin.

"Thanks, we'll enjoy the meal."

"Sure thing. You heading back right now?"

"Yeah, we should get going. Take care of yourselves."

"You too. And really, thanks again for today."

"You should pass out some flyers when you have the time. It's vacation season for everyone from middle school straight through to college, right? Though since you two look pretty intimidating, you might want to hire a part-timer to actually hand them out on the street."

"You little punk... alright, we'll keep that in mind."

I had zero actual business experience, and my only serving experience was helping out here twice.

Simply put, I was a total amateur.

The uncles, on the other hand, had been running businesses for years.

They had serious pride in their skills and their own distinct philosophy for management.

For veterans like them to just nod and accept unsolicited advice from a greenhorn like me... it took a lot of humility.

With such an open mindset, I knew they were going to do great with this restaurant.

Wait, didn't I have this exact same thought last time?

Figuring Renka might want some more time to chat with the uncles, I told her I would head out to the car first.

I said my final goodbyes, walked back to the car, and carefully set the sushi in the backseat. Then, I turned the ignition and flipped on the heater to warm the car up.

Not long after, Renka pulled open the door and slipped into the passenger seat.

Her face was expressionless as she buckled her seatbelt.

She reached back to set her portion of the sushi next to mine in the backseat, then turned back around and handed me a small bottle.

"Drink this."

"What is it?"

"Kakkonto. You take it for colds, but it's supposed to be good for a sore throat, too."

How thoughtful. It made me want to lean over and kiss her.

I took the warm bottle of Kakkonto from her hands, popped the cap off, and downed it in one go.

"It's sweet, but bitter."

"It's medicine. You should just be grateful it has any sweetness at all. Hey, where's my thank you?"

"What for?"

"I did you a favor. So what are you supposed to say?"

She was throwing my exact words right back in my face.

Chuckling, I shifted the car into gear and thanked her.

"Thanks."

"Yeah. Thank you, too."

"For what?"

"For helping out my uncles."

"It was my wish, remember?"

I shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

"Ken! Safe travels! Come hang out if you ever get bored!"

The uncles were standing out front to see us off, so I smiled and waved back at them.

Then I glanced over at Renka and said, "I guess that's it for the wishes."

"...Right. It's over."

"Aren't you a little sad?"

"No, I just feel incredibly relieved."

"Then should we compromise and call it bittersweet?"

"I'm not sad about it at all, so why would I?"

"Not at all? Really? Not even a tiny bit?"

"Not one bit. I just feel liberated. Utterly refreshed. It was a long, painful ordeal. Your wishes were pure torture."

"Wow, that hurts."

"You called me over just to make me stand perfectly still, locked me up in a steel cage, and made me cosplay in a maid outfit. How is that not torture?"

"I gave you plenty of accommodations though."

Renka let out a small sigh at that.

"I suppose I'm a tiny bit grateful for that, at least."

"Did you really hate it that much? I loved having you grant my wishes, President. Want to keep doing it?"

"No way...!"

"Just one more time."

"I said no."

"Just one time. Truly the last."

"I refuse."

"Why? Come on, let's do it."

"...Drop the informal talk. You want to die?"

This was exactly why I could never resist bickering with her.

She was as sensitive as a cat; you only had to poke her a little to get a sharp reaction. It made me want to tease her endlessly.

"I'll take that as a yes. We already had an agreement anyway, as a reward for doing well in the tournament."

"Are you really trying to force it again? How many times do I have to tell you we never agreed to that?"

It was so fun watching her instantly snap back at things she could've easily just ignored.

"Shall we just drive in silence then?"

"Please, for the love of God."

"Alright, alright. Get some sleep."

"...Right. Wake me up if you get bored or something."

Tossing the words out casually, Renka turned her body away to face the window.

Why did 'wake me up if you get bored' sound so incredibly cute?

She was annoyed, sure, but she was still trying to be considerate of the fact that I was driving a long distance. It brought a smile to my face.

"President."

"....."

"President."

Even after calling out to her a few times, Renka didn't wake up.

Her mouth had fallen slightly open. She had tried to hide it, but her body was clearly exhausted.

Still, wasn't she sleeping a little too defenselessly?

Forcing down the urge to slip my tongue between her soft pink lips, I gave her arm a light poke.

"President. We're here."

"Ngh..."

Renka finally groaned and cracked her eyes open. She looked over at me. "Ah..."

She let out an exhausted sigh and glanced around our surroundings.

"Are we here...?"

"Yep. We made it."

"Right... I'll pay you for the ride. For gas."

"Forget it. Let's just do another cosplay session instead of the fare."

"I wouldn't mind tha— Wait, no... Are you crazy...?"

She had almost nodded in agreement half-asleep, but quickly snapped awake, glaring at me with wide, groggy eyes.