Chapter 212

“Right.”

Click.

The call disconnected immediately.

For some reason, I had the feeling Renka was grinding her teeth. Was it just my imagination?

I chuckled, imagining Renka trembling with clenched fists. Just then, the window slid open with a rattle and Miyuki climbed in. I welcomed her.

“You're here?”

“Yeah. Did you just wake up?”

“Yeah. Have a seat for a second.”

“Why?”

“Hurry up. I have something to tell you.”

I patted the mattress, which was still warm from my body heat. Miyuki tilted her head, then sat down beside me.

I told her about my plans for the winter break.

“You're getting a part-time job? Suddenly? What brought this on?”

“I'm just going to try it for a short time. I worked at my uncle's store, and it was pretty fun.”

“Really...? You must have liked it a lot. What about our studying, then?”

Miyuki seemed to approve of me getting a part-time job.

Actually, to be precise, she was probably just glad I was getting real-world experience, rather than the job itself.

Come to think of it, it felt like Miyuki was trying to raise me into a reliable, functional adult.

“It's not like I'll be working all week, so we can study on my days off. I'm thinking of doing about four days a week... though I don't know if that'll be up to me.”

“They usually adjust the schedule, so it shouldn't matter. Did you apply already?”

“Yeah. They told me to come in for an interview today at 3 PM.”

“What...? You applied already?”

“I'll tell you the details when I get back. They asked me to bring a resume, though. Do they sell those at the stationery store?”

“A resume...? They do sell them, but... Matsuda-kun, you don't have any part-time job experience.”

“Right.”

“Then you should probably just buy the simplest resume and fill in your personal information.”

'My resume is going to look incredibly pathetic.'

They might be reluctant to hire me if they only looked at the paperwork, but since it was an in-person interview, I should be fine.

It might be a different story if Renka had badmouthed me, but she wouldn't have done that. My chances of getting hired were high.

'My dear Renka... let's keep building up that affection level as we go through various things together.'

“Are they going to let you know if you're hired today?”

I shrugged at Miyuki's follow-up question.

“Well, I'm not really sure. If I'm hired, wouldn't they ask me to start right away? Since I'm only doing it for a short time, they'll want me to learn fast.”

“That could be true. Call me and let me know how it goes after the interview. If you end up working, Matsuda-kun, I'll go meet up with Haruka.”

“Who is that?”

“I figured you wouldn't remember. Nanase Haruka.”

“Ah, I remember now.”

She was Miyuki's friend who shared the same surname as Chinami.

It had been so long since I heard the name that I forgot it.

They say pretty girls flock together, so since she was Miyuki's friend, she had to be pretty, right?

I wanted to see her sometime.

A Gyudon Restaurant in a bustling downtown district.

Right next to it was a cozy cafe with a nice atmosphere.

Even though it wasn't mealtime, there were quite a few customers in the Gyudon Restaurant, but the cafe was completely empty.

Even though it was located in a busy district, it wasn't very popular.

Either the dessert menu was subpar, or the coffee just tasted bad.

After glancing at the part-timer who was just staring at their Cell Phone at the cafe counter, I left the area and parked my car in a public Parking Lot before checking the time.

I still had about thirty minutes left before the interview.

'Should I just go in and wait? Or should I kill some time here before heading over?'

'There are a lot of customers inside, so it would be a nuisance if I went in now. I'll wait a bit before going.'

Just as I was thinking that, a message arrived from Chinami.

[Junior, I'm sending you a photo.]

It was just a plain sentence, so why did it feel so cute?

Smiling like a proud father, I checked the photo Chinami sent.

The colors were fantastic—she was dressed in bright pink against a backdrop of deep green.

I zoomed in on the photo to admire Chinami's snow-white skin, then tapped on the screen.

[You look pretty. You could use this as your profile picture.]

[Ah, I don't want to.]

It was a firm rejection. Probably because it wasn't Momo-sama.

She certainly wasn't indecisive about things like this.

'Makes me want to corrupt her just a little bit, maybe?'

[Understood. Aren't you going to send any other photos?]

[What kind of photos? Should I send you a picture of some nicely sliced kiwis?]

[I am curious about that, but I need something else.]

[Like what?]

[For example, a picture of Master looking all soft and fresh right after a shower... things like that.]

[Ah.]

When I blatantly told her what kind of photo I wanted, Chinami replied with a short exclamation.

It felt like I could picture her embarrassed expression right in front of me.

I wished Chinami would come back quickly. I already missed her plump ass and her shy little face.

[So, how about it?]

[Hmm... since it's a request from my junior, I suppose I should consider it positively.]

[Thank you.]

[My mother is asking me to help prepare the food, so I have to go now.]

[Alright. Talk to you later.]

[Yes.]

Come to think of it, Chinami didn't know I was here for a part-time job interview.

How would she react when I told her I ended up working part-time with Renka?

She definitely wouldn't be jealous. There was a high chance she'd actually be happy about it.

Because she wanted Renka and me to get along.

'I hope she can accept a threesome with that same mindset.'

After finishing my conversation with Chinami, I aimlessly scrolled through my Cell Phone before getting out of the car and heading to the restaurant about fifteen minutes before my scheduled time.

The large crowd of customers from earlier had all cleared out. Since it was a Gyudon Restaurant where food came out fast and could be eaten quickly, the turnover rate seemed excellent.

Glancing through the clear glass, I saw a middle-aged man explaining something to Renka, who was standing in front of the register.

She must be learning how to use the machine.

Thinking about how incredibly well that blue, wavy-patterned uniform suited her, I pushed the door open and walked in.

With the ringing of a bell, their gazes turned toward me.

Just as the middle-aged man mistook me for a customer and was about to greet me, Renka beat him to it.

“You're here? Boss, this is the guy.”

At that, the Boss's eyes instantly swept me up and down.

It was a gaze entirely without malice, just looking to get a first impression of the new part-time applicant.

After exchanging a nod with Renka, I bowed to the Boss.

“Hello, I'm Matsuda Ken. I'm here for an interview today.”

“Yes, hello. You still have some time before your appointment, but you arrived early.”

“I prefer to be early for everything.”

“I like that. Inoo, could you watch the counter by yourself for a bit? If there's anything you don't know, just ask Kento in the kitchen.”

Leaving Renka behind after she nodded her agreement, the Boss led me to an office next to the storage room.

Then, he had me sit in a comfortable chair and pulled over a small desk, placing it in front of me.

“Did you bring your resume?”

“Yes. Here it is... And please, feel free to speak casually with me.”

The Boss accepted the resume I handed over with both hands and nodded with a smile.

“I'll do that, then. Just a second...”

Asking for a moment, the Boss began scanning my resume.

'How nice would it have been if the Boss was a woman?'

'Especially if she had been a married woman completely unsatisfied with her husband's tiny dick. That would have been absolutely fantastic.'

'Doki-Aka always lost points on little details like this. Typical trash game.'

“You don't have any part-time experience?”

The Boss asked after briefly reviewing the resume.

I nodded and replied.

“Yes. This is my first time.”

“Inoo mentioned that you helped out at your uncles' restaurants twice? Waiting tables.”

“I didn't list it because it wasn't an actual job, I was just helping out.”

“Is that so? You haven't done anything else at all?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm... Inoo mentioned that you were a hardworking guy.”

'Our Renka said that?'

'Did she really want to work part-time with me that much?'

'I have no choice but to give her a reward. A blowjob should suffice.'

“I suppose I should thank her for thinking so highly of me.”

At that, the Boss let out a small chuckle.

“Right. You're applying for a short-term job just like Inoo, right?”

“Yes.”

“Both of you go to the same Academy and are in the same Kendo Club, right? With Inoo being your senior and President.”

“That's correct.”

“You must be close, then?”

'Are we close?'

'If Renka heard that, she probably would have thrown a fit.'

“You could say that.”

“Very close?”

It was entirely too personal a question for just asking about closeness.

It seemed like he was trying to ask if Renka and I were involved in that sort of relationship.

I could understand the Boss's perspective; he wouldn't want to hire people only to have them flirt around instead of actually doing the work.

“We're close, but there's a certain hierarchy between us. Inoo-sunbae is the President of the Kendo Club, and I'm a club member.”

'In truth, you couldn't really call it a deep relationship right now, but we'll soon be forming a wonderful master-servant dynamic.'

Swallowing those words, I waited for the Boss's response.

“Is that so...”

Trailing off, the Boss tapped his pen against the desk.

He looked deep in thought.

After a brief moment, he asked.

“By any chance, did you see the cafe next door?”

“I did.”

“Not many customers, right?”

“It seemed pretty empty compared to the restaurant.”

“Right? Did you know I run that place, too?”

'I know. Of course I know.'

“I had no idea.”

“Really? Do you have any interest in working at the cafe instead? I'll match the hourly wage for servers.”

“The cafe? Just me?”

“For now, I'm thinking of putting you and Inoo in there together. Though I'll have to ask her first.”

I knew exactly what the Boss's intentions were.

He figured it would be a waste to use good-looking part-timers just to wait tables, so he wanted to move us to the cafe to attract both male and female customers.

He probably planned on tossing us in there to see how things went, so it only made sense to accept, right?

I didn't know what Renka's answer would be, but if the pay was the same as serving, she'd have no reason to refuse either.

After all, a cafe gig was way better than simply waiting tables at a Gyudon Restaurant.

Unless she was actively trying to specialize in waitressing, her mind would naturally lean toward the cafe.

“That sounds good to me.”

“I like how straightforward you are. Do you mind what time your shifts are?”

“The times don't matter, but I'd like to work four days a week. Would that be possible?”

“Of course.”

'This is the part where I should ask to be put on the same shifts as Renka.'

'But I won't.'

'Why? Because the Boss is highly likely to adjust the schedule so that Renka and I work together anyway.'

'It might not be the exact same shifts, though.'

'In any case, a dynamic where a President and a club member have a hierarchy but are still close?'

'It's obvious that our work efficiency will skyrocket.'

'The only problem will arise if the Boss starts thinking my relationship with Renka isn't just a simple matter of President and club member...'

'Well, whatever. He'll probably put us together first, and if he feels it's hurting business, he'll just separate us.'

“When can you start?”

Smiling proudly at the Boss's follow-up question, I replied.

“I could start today.”

“I love the enthusiasm. Then let's have you learn a little today.”

“Understood.”

“Wait just a minute.”

The Boss pulled a canned coffee from the mini-fridge in the office, told me to drink it, and headed out the door.

A moment later, he brought back a bewildered-looking Renka, sat her down next to me, and laid out his idea.

Renka's eyes went wide after silently listening to everything the Boss had to say.

“But I've never worked at a cafe before...?”

“You can just learn. There's nothing hard about it. So, how about it? Want to switch to the cafe?”

“Uh... I...”

Renka's eyes subtly shifted in my direction.

I couldn't tell if she was feeling pressured about working with me, or if she was actually interested.

Seemingly deep in thought as she idly rubbed the back of her neck, she soon made up her mind and raised her head.

“Yes... I want to switch.”

At those words, the Boss gave a deep nod.

The corners of his mouth were turned up, too. Was he envisioning a rosy future?

His expectations seemed awfully high... It was going to put a lot of pressure on Renka.

“Great. It's decided, then? I just need to write up the employment contract for Matsuda. I'll go get the cafe uniforms.”

“Ah, okay...”

The Boss stepped out of the office again to fetch the uniforms.

Renka stared at his retreating back, but the second the office door clicked shut, she snapped her head around to glare at me.