A hamburger fast food restaurant that mainly operates at night had recently been overwhelmed by business due to staff shortages. It specially hired part-time workers at an hourly wage 40% higher than normal in order to operate normally.
However, just as it was about to close and they were finishing a busy shift, Hayasaka Yuuko and her high school junior Miyamoto Madoka were frowning in the locker room.
"Hayasaka-senpai, were we really secretly recorded? Could it be the manager who did it?", The high schooler Miyamoto Madoka, with a voluptuous body exuding youthful energy, looked at the pinhole camera that Hayasaka Yuuko had found and felt flustered.
How could she have encountered such a terrible thing on her first day working here? Could this high hourly wage have been a trap to lure them in.
"It should only be him. But it doesn't seem to be connected to the internet. Today was so busy, the manager probably didn't have time to watch...", Hayasaka Yuuko, holding her phone while staring at the pinhole camera, was also panicking.
However, as a university student, she still tried her best to maintain composure in front of her junior.
Originally, she hadn't noticed this pinhole camera. It was only because her neighbor, Hikigaya, specifically reminded her to be careful that she checked seriously, and to her shock, found the camera in the locker room.
However, after finding the camera, she didn't know what to do. The manager looked so fierce. If he discovered that they had realized he was spying on them, would he do something bad to them out of fear they might call the police?
"Madoka-chan? Yuuko-chan? Haven't you changed yet? I'm about to lock up. Hurry up!", The manager's rough voice came from outside the locker room. Hayasaka Yuuko and Miyamoto Madoka instinctively shrank back.
Beep!
["Miss Hayasaka, are you in trouble?"]
"Yes! Hikigaya, I'm very sorry to bother you so late, but I've run into a problem and hope you can..."
["You're being secretly filmed by your manager, right?"]
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Hearing the call connect and Hachiman's voice, Hayasaka Yuuko quickly tried to ask for help.
The place she worked wasn't far from her rented apartment. If kind-hearted Hikigaya could come and pick her up, they would be safe.
But as she spoke, Hayasaka Yuuko suddenly realized something was wrong. Hachiman's voice seemed to be coming from behind her?
"Hikigaya?"
'Didn't I just make the call?'
'How is Hikigaya here?'
Hayasaka Yuuko turned around and stared blankly at Hachiman, then couldn't help but glance down at the phone still on the call in her hand.
It was the number she just dialed. The call time showed it had only just connected.
Her high school junior Miyamoto Madoka was even more confused about the situation in front of her.
Although she was also shocked that a living person had suddenly appeared in their locked locker room.
Wasn't this rescue called by Hayasaka-senpai? Why did Hayasaka-senpai look just as shocked as she was?
"Let's talk about this later. First put your clothes on. We'll discuss the main issue after," Seeing Hayasaka Yuuko and Miyamoto Madoka stunned by his sudden appearance, Hachiman smiled and didn't intend to explain too much. He turned his back to them and looked at the locker room door.
"Clothes? I'm so sorry! I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly, Hikigaya. I truly apologize!", Hearing Hachiman's words, Hayasaka Yuuko was stunned. She looked down at her and Madoka's underwear and then blushed violently. While searching for clothes and changing with Madoka, she hurriedly explained that they didn't do it on purpose.
They had been about to change to leave work but got flustered after discovering the pinhole camera. They focused on calling for help and hadn't put on their clothes immediately.
Who would've thought that the moment they made the call, Hachiman would appear next to them instantly?
Only now did she realize what Hikigaya meant when he had told her to call him if she ever encountered danger after exchanging contact information.
"Madoka-chan? Yuuko-chan? Haven't you changed yet? Hurry up and open the door, we can talk about whatever it is!"
Outside the locker room, the burly fast food restaurant manager heard noises from inside but got no response. His heart sank. He suspected the pinhole camera had been discovered. He pounded harder on the door, which was already weak and now trembled under the blows.
He had thought that these two newly hired girls, one a high schooler and the other a recently enrolled college student, would be naive and lacking in social experience. He hadn't expected them to be so cautious.
But fortunately, he had already put up the "Closed" sign outside and locked the door. If things didn't work out, he would just break in and take down the two girls on the spot.
As for them calling the police afterward? He had interviewed both girls and knew they were introverted and timid, exactly the kind of people he targeted.
When dealing with weak girls, just a few threats about reputation, school, family, or friends would make them endure in silence and not report anything.
Still, to avoid police coming to his door, he needed to get in and stop them before they could call.
Staring at the still-silent locker room, the experienced criminal's eyes gleamed with malice as he prepared to break in with his body.
———
Inside the locker room—
"Sorry, sorry, Hikigaya, for making you wait... Huh?"
Hayasaka Yuuko and Miyamoto Madoka, now dressed, quickly brought the pinhole camera to Hachiman's side to explain what had happened. But upon approaching, they found a silver-haired, red-eyed, brown-skinned, petite girl standing beside him.
Wasn't Hikigaya alone? When had this other girl appeared?
"This is my helper, Ursula. You should know her as the demi-human ambassador, elf princess, and ultra-popular national idol mermaid singer, right?"
"She's a dragon clan chieftain from another world, just like the elf princess. She's strong, and with her here, you can relax."
Hachiman put his arm around Ursula's shoulder and smiled at Hayasaka Yuuko and Miyamoto Madoka.
"Come on, Ursula, say hi to them."
Ever since this little brat put on the servant collar and he sent her to protect Sakurase Shino, he hadn't really trained her. Now she was here to help, and he'd teach her properly after the job.
"Heh!", Expressionless, Ursula pulled at the corner of her mouth and gave Hayasaka Yuuko and Miyamoto Madoka a cold smile.
How humiliating. Whether in strength or status, she was far superior to Iris or Ellio, yet she was being introduced by comparison because she wasn't famous enough.
Damn it... if it weren't for this collar around her neck, she'd have bitten Hachiman hard by now to show him she wasn't to be underestimated.
She needed support too, just like Iris. But that guy was enchanted by those shameless elfs and left her alone. He didn't even bring her along for today's check-up but brought Sakurase Shino instead.
"Demi-human? Dragon clan chieftain?"
"Miss Ursula, hello. Thank you so much for coming with Hikigaya to help us."
Although Ursula's attitude wasn't very friendly and both Hayasaka Yuuko and Miyamoto Madoka were a little scared, when they saw the dragon horns on her head and the tail swaying behind her, their anxiety eased significantly, feeling much more at ease.
No wonder Hachiman had appeared instantly the moment they called. Magic from another world really was powerful.
"Now, explain in detail what happened. Once we understand everything, Ursula and I will go take care of the guy outside."
Hachiman saw the look on their faces and guessed what they were thinking. He pointed to the locker room door, now being banged on repeatedly, and smiled.
He knew that instead of explaining, it was better to bring Ursula directly. The moment ordinary people saw her dragon horns and tail, their shock and confusion would turn into acceptance.
"Alright, Hikigaya. Madoka and I just started part-time here. But thanks to your warning, I noticed the pinhole camera in the locker room...", Hayasaka Yuuko, looking at the calm Hachiman and the dragon-girl Ursula beside him, found that her fear and helplessness about being secretly filmed and cornered by the manager had unknowingly dissipated. She calmly recounted how they ended up working at the restaurant.
Miyamoto Madoka stood quietly beside her, occasionally adding a few details.
They were only one grade apart. Hayasaka Yuuko studied at Chiba University, and Madoka, a third-year high schooler, was also aiming for college. But her family wasn't well-off, so she started working to save up for tuition.
Because the restaurant's previous employees had suddenly quit and it was understaffed, it urgently hired new people at a wage 40% above average. That's why the two of them had taken the job.
But they hadn't expected the high wages to be bait.
After discovering the pinhole camera, they realized that the sudden departure of the previous staff and the persistent staffing shortage likely stemmed from similar incidents.
Luckily, they noticed in time and contacted Hikigaya for help.
"Hmm...", Hachiman looked at the locker room door, now on the verge of collapse, and nodded thoughtfully.
He hadn't listened too closely to their explanation. The moment he teleported to the fast-food restaurant and saw Madoka trigger a system prompt, he already understood how Hayasaka Yuuko had gotten involved.
["Character Card Detected, Miyamoto Madoka."]
["Role Quest Updated, Girls of the Late Night Shift."]
The plot he remembered wasn't much different from their current situation. The manager of this fast food joint was a habitual ra*ist, hiring pretty girls while pretending to be just a manager, then ra*ing and bla*kmailing them.
In the original, he had been arrested after a victim testified. But he used every trick to settle out of court and continued offending.
This guy was truly trash of society.
However, just like Hayasaka Yuuko, the timeline was different from the original. Miyamoto Madoka, who was supposed to be a college student, was still a high school senior, and Yuuko's junior.
When Yuuko was in danger, she immediately called him. When Madoka was in danger, she could only panic and wait for Yuuko to find help.
Did they really distrust police that much? Neither of them had thought to call the police. He didn't know whether to call them foolish or blame it on useless cops in this world.
"Um... Hikigaya, I've finished explaining...", Hayasaka Yuuko, thinking Hachiman doubted their story, quickly added, "I can't guarantee everything I said is 100% accurate, but we did find a pinhole camera in the locker room, and the manager calling for us so frequently was suspicious. That's why I asked you for help..."
"I can vouch for everything Hayasaka-senpai said."
Madoka, who had been mostly silent, quickly followed up. Though she wasn't sure what kind of relationship her senpai had with this guy who could casually bring a demi-human to help, she felt she had to speak up.
The manager was still pounding on the door. If they were misunderstood as making things up, they'd be in serious trouble.
"That's not the problem. I'm just thinking about how to deal with that guy outside. Simply killing him seems too good for him."
Hikigaya waved his hand, walked to the locker room door, and suddenly opened it.
Before the manager outside could react, he grabbed the man's throat with one hand and pinned him against the wall, suspended in the air. With his other hand, he pulled the manager's phone from his pocket and glanced at it.
No doubt, it was locked with a password.
Though he had mastered this kind of skill thanks to his fusion with the 47 assassin templates, and could easily unlock it, clearly there was a more direct way now.
"What's the phone password?", Hachiman looked at the middle-aged manager who wasn't answering and just struggling, then smashed a fist into his stomach.
The pinned manager coughed and squirmed more violently but said nothing.
As Hikigaya kept questioning, his struggles weakened.
"Um... I think the manager wants to talk, but you're gripping his throat too tightly for him to make a sound...", Looking at the manager turning purple and on the verge of suffocation, Madoka couldn't help but whisper.
Amazing... Hikigaya didn't even look muscular, yet he held this big, burly manager against the wall with one hand. No matter how hard the guy struggled, he couldn't escape.
If Hikigaya didn't let go, the manager might really get strangled to death.
"Hmm... good point..."
Seeing the bulging eyes of the nearly suffocated manager, Hikigaya suddenly let go and tossed him aside.
"Cough! Cough, Cough..."
The manager, face down, didn't care about the pain in his face. With his bruised throat, he gasped for air like a man who had narrowly survived.
He hadn't expected anyone other than Madoka and Yuuko to be in the locker room.
Much less expected to be pinned against the wall and beaten almost to death in one move.
He hadn't even had time to process what was happening.
"I told you to give me the password, not take a break."
Looking at the scum on the ground, Hachiman reminded him, then grabbed his neck again and pinned the half-dead man back against the wall, this time with slightly less force, enough to let him talk.
"I'll tell! I swear I'll tell! Don't kill me... Cough, Cough..."
The pinned manager, seeing Hikigaya's calm eyes and ruthless actions, quickly begged for mercy while he could still speak.
He knew giving up the password meant jail for a long time.
But even that was better than being killed.
[🎉 Shoutout to Naut_De, Alex & Roger for joining patreon. Thank you very much.🤗
Also "✨AUGUST SPECIAL DISCOUNT✨" is ongoing for 7 days on my Patreon. Grab it now 🤣]
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y