Chapter 82: The Boss Wants to "Get Close" to You. How Will You Respond?
"Eh? Σ(°Д°;"
The massive plot twist, from running a shaved ice stall to working at her boyfriend's restaurant, had caught Yusa completely off guard. She paused, her gaze shifting to Ryohei.
She wasn't surprised that he was Yurine's boyfriend; she had already guessed as much when she saw Yurine affectionately feeding him ice cream. She was just curious what kind of restaurant he was running. Not that she had any intention of working there. How much could you really earn from a part-time job? Yurine's previous suggestion of a shaved ice stall was much more appealing. As Yurine had said, the costs were practically zero; every sale was pure profit. And she could set her own hours. How was that not better than working for someone else?
"I am Yusa," the snow-woman-like demon introduced herself in a gentle voice, then gestured to her younger sister. "And this is my sister, Koōri. We are ice demons."
"Koōri" wasn't her real name, but a nickname for young ice demons. Members of the ice tribe only receive their true names when they come of age. Yurine had previously suggested the name "Koji," but it had been rejected for sounding too much like a boy's name, though Jashin-chan still used it.
"I'm Ryohei Tanaka," he said, giving a little wave to Koji, who was peeking at him from behind her sister. He then turned to Yusa with a serious expression. "Yusa-san, it would be a huge help if you were willing to come work for us. I'm opening a restaurant, and all the paperwork is done. We're set to officially open next Monday, but we're a little short on front-of-house staff."
"The work is quite easy," he continued, laying out the terms. "Weekends off. We're open from 6 PM to 9 PM on weekdays. The salary is 220,000 yen a month, with dinner included on workdays. And by the way, I'm an excellent cook. My food is delicious. So, would you like to join?"
Yusa looked at him, surprised. A restaurant with weekends off that's only open from six to nine? Are you just playing at running a business?
But she had to admit, the conditions were excellent, and the work sounded easy. If she ran her own shaved ice stall, she'd probably have to work much longer hours. For a moment, she was genuinely tempted.
The pay is the same as mine, Pekola thought, scraping the last bits of ice cream from her cup.
Koji looked at Yurine, then slid off her chair. She trotted over to Yurine's side, tugged on her sleeve, and when Yurine leaned down, whispered something in her ear.
"Yes, I work there, too," Yurine replied gently, patting Koji's head.
Koji beamed, then turned to her sister and began speaking in their encrypted ice tribe language. "Jiggle-goo, jiggle-goo…"
"Hm? You want me to work at her boyfriend's place?" Yusa asked, surprised.
Koji nodded firmly. Noticing Ryohei looking at them, she shyly pressed closer to Yurine.
"You really do like Yurine-san, don't you?" Yusa sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. She knew her sister was only pushing her to take the job so she could be near Yurine. Yurine herself was starting to feel a little awkward, as if she had somehow manipulated the situation.
All gone, Pekola thought, having licked her ice cream cup clean enough to make Beto proud.
Yusa's ice-blue eyes turned to Ryohei. "Mr. Ryohei," she said in her gentle voice, "would it be alright if I brought my sister with me to the shop? She won't be any trouble, I promise."
Stare—! Koji looked at him with hopeful eyes.
"Of course," Ryohei replied. He had been preparing to show off his cooking skills to win her over, but it seemed Yurine's charm had already done the job. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that his skills weren't needed. "We have a break room where your sister can stay, or she can sit at the counter with Yurine."
"In that case… it will be a pleasure to be in your care," Yusa said, standing and giving Ryohei a graceful, traditional bow. Koji's face lit up with joy.
"Likewise. We look forward to working with you," Ryohei replied with a polite bow of his own.
Pekola, her food now gone and her intelligence having returned, looked on. (￣ ￣|||) This is not good. There are more and more demons! She felt her connection to Heaven growing more tenuous by the second.
As a good boss concerned for his new employees, Ryohei asked if Yusa and her sister had a place to stay. When they said no, he offered to help them rent an apartment, with the rent to be deducted from their future salaries. Yusa happily agreed.
He then turned to Pekola. "Pekola, are you happy with your current apartment? Or would you like me to find you a place in a better neighborhood?" His original idea had been to have all his employees live in the same building, but he figured Pekola probably wouldn't want to be neighbors with a bunch of demons.
"The apartment is great! I don't need to move!" Pekola quickly replied, waving her hands. Compared to her old cardboard box, the apartment was a palace. It was safe, comfortable, she could lock her door at night, she had a bathroom where she could take hot baths, and a kitchen where she could heat up food. Yurine had even left her a TV. It was nothing compared to her life in Heaven, but for now, Pekola was content.
"Alright, then we'll consider that apartment your employee dorm. The rent will be deducted from your salary as well." Since Pekola was an illegal resident, he couldn't legally sublet to her, but he could provide her with company housing. It was the same arrangement he would make for the ice sisters.
"O-Okay!" Pekola agreed, though the thought of having money deducted from her pay made her heart ache a little.
Seeing her pained expression, Ryohei thought he had done something wrong. He puffed out his chest and declared, "Once I'm making more money, I'll give you all housing allowances, transportation subsidies, and seasonal bonuses!" It wasn't an empty promise.
"Thank you, Boss!" Pekola's eyes lit up, the words flowing from her with a surprising smoothness.
"Thank you, Boss," Yusa added with a graceful smile.
Yurine just blinked, then chimed in with a teasing, "Thank you, Boss."
Ryohei looked at Yurine and had the sudden urge to ask, The boss wants to "get close" to you. How will you respond? But with outsiders—and a child—present, he decided against it. Next time.
After chatting for a little while longer, the ice sisters took their leave. Minos and Jashin-chan were still fast asleep. Ryohei didn't wake them, instead getting Pekola to help him load up the food cart. After Yurine came downstairs, they set out for their last night of business before the grand opening of the restaurant.
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