"Manager, I'm serious about what I said—" Takashima started, but Shuichi Hayashi's patience had run dry.
"Kogoro, get him out," Shuichi snapped.
Kogoro Mouri blinked, still processing, but trusting his friend, he clenched his fists. "Sir, you walking out on your own, or am I escorting you?"
"I'm a paying customer!" Takashima protested. "You can't treat me like this! I'll file a complaint!"
"Complaint?" Shuichi sneered, slamming the counter. "Here's something you might not know. The three of us? We're all high school freshmen. Minors."
He leaned in, his voice cold. "If I call the cops right now, who do you think they're dragging away—you or us?"
"What?" Takashima's face paled. "You're… all students?"
Japan's Minor Protection Law was strict, covering education, health, and safety. Anyone under twenty was considered a minor, and Takashima's earlier comments to Shuichi and Yukiko Fujimine could easily be classified as harassment. If the police got involved, he'd be the one in trouble.
"Gomen nasai!" Takashima bowed hastily, apologizing before turning to leave.
"Hold it," Shuichi called. "Your bill."
"You didn't even serve my food…" Takashima argued.
"But I started cooking it," Shuichi said, his face impassive. "Pay up, or wait for the cops. Your choice."
"Keep the change!" Takashima growled, slapping two thousand yen on the table before slinking out.
"Sorry for the disturbance, everyone," Shuichi said, bowing to the customers. "To make up for it, all bills tonight are twenty percent off!"
The grumbling patrons nodded, their frowns turning to smiles at the discount.
"Shuichi, what was up with that Takashima guy?" Kogoro asked, bewildered. "Why'd you and Fujimine-san hate him so much? He seemed decent. I was even thinking about joining his agency…"
"If you want to star in some sketchy video store flick, be my guest," Shuichi said, clapping Kogoro's shoulder with a smirk. "Might make you famous—for taking your shirt off."
"Famous? With my skills, that's a given…" Kogoro trailed off, then froze. "Wait, take my shirt off? Video store flicks? Was that guy—"
Shuichi stifled a laugh, leaving his stunned friend to process. He found Yukiko behind the kitchen, her eyes red and puffy, clearly upset from the encounter. Handing her the two thousand yen, he said, "Here, compensation from that creep. For your wounded soul."
Yukiko snorted, pushing the money away. "I don't want his dirty cash! And my soul's not that fragile."
"Oh, really? Then why're you hiding back here?" Shuichi teased. "Get back to work. Kogoro's still out of it, so cover his tables."
"You!" Yukiko's eyes widened in disbelief. "Can't you at least try to comfort me?"
"You said your soul's fine," Shuichi shot back, grinning. "Why waste my breath? Go help the customers."
"Shuichi Hayashi, I curse your future girlfriend to be a total hag!" Yukiko huffed, storming out of the kitchen.
Shuichi chuckled, pocketing the two thousand yen and washing his hands before returning to the counter. He noticed Mr. Fujimori had left, the payment for his tamagoyaki neatly placed beside the plate.
"Hope he doesn't get into trouble," Shuichi muttered, shaking his head before calling Yukiko over to collect the cash.
It was Saturday, and the izakaya stayed open an extra hour and a half, closing at 11:30 p.m. when Mrs. Mouri came downstairs to nudge them along. Shuichi locked up and started tallying the night's earnings.
"Not bad," he said. "Twenty percent more customers than the past two nights. We pulled in nearly eighty thousand yen, and after food and drink costs, that's about thirty thousand in profit."
"All thanks to me," Yukiko boasted, hands on her hips with a smug grin.
"Don't worry, I won't shortchange you," Shuichi said, counting out six thousand yen and handing it to her. "Your wages for tonight."
"What about that two thousand yen?" Yukiko asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Not included," Shuichi said, pulling the bills from his pocket. "It's right here."
"Hm," Yukiko nodded, then glanced at Kogoro. "Why just me?"
"Eri and Kogoro are permanent staff, so they get paid monthly," Shuichi explained. "You're a temp, so you get cash now."
"Wait, I get paid too?" Kogoro said, shocked. "Shuichi, Eri and I said we're just helping out…"
"You're helping me, so I'm not letting you work for free," Shuichi said with a smile. "At the end of the month, you and Eri split half the net profits."
"For real?" Kogoro's face lit up. "How much is that?"
"Based on the past few days, probably around one hundred fifty to one hundred sixty thousand yen each."
"One hundred sixty thousand?" Kogoro's eyes gleamed with visions of cash. "With that, I can get a new bat, a new baseball uniform, sneakers…"
He rambled on about his shopping list.
Yukiko's eyes sparkled too. She glanced at her six thousand yen, then grabbed Shuichi's arm, her voice dripping with sweetness. "Hayashi-kun, can I work here from now on? Pretty please?"
Shuichi shivered, goosebumps rising. "Talk normal!"
"I want to work here!" Yukiko said, dropping the act.
"Aren't you a star's kid?" Shuichi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Your parents don't give you an allowance?"
"They do, but high school's expensive," Yukiko said, counting on her fingers. "Mom and Dad give me a hundred thousand yen a month. Half goes to food and daily stuff. The rest? Clothes, makeup, hair salon, beauty treatments—it's not enough!"
"That's… a lot," Shuichi said, dumbfounded. "Can't you cut back?"
"Cut back?" Yukiko pondered. "I guess I could eat less, but my figure's already perfect. Any thinner, and I'd look bad."
(End of Chapter)