"BOOM!!! Good evening, everyone!"
"Kikuri-senpai, shouting like that is going to disturb the other customers..."
Yoshinoya. Japan's most common beef bowl specialty shop—one could say it's a household name that every city dweller has eaten at, the luxury "salaryman" special!
Miyazawa Yuu had originally thought Kikuri would choose something gentler like porridge to line her stomach. After all, back at the PaB Club, everyone preferred something light after a hangover to dilute the alcohol concentration in their gut. But Kikuri clearly had her own ideas.
The moment she entered the shop, she didn't hesitate for a second. She lunged straight for the ordering counter, leaning half her body inside and grinning foolishly. "Ehehe~! I brought you some business, aren't you happy?"
"Happy, my ass!"
Fortunately, there weren't many customers. Seeing that Kikuri's noise wasn't affecting anyone else, Yu simply sat down at the counter and curiously poked his head toward the kitchen.
Startled by the drunkard's shouting, a small girl with wine-red eyes immediately rushed out of the kitchen, brandishing a meal scoop as if she were about to play "Whack-a-Mole" with Kikuri's head. Luckily, she was pulled back by a pair of arms wrapping around her from behind.
"Wait, Tomo, you can't just lay hands on a customer~"
"But this girl comes every day! She's so loud, and lots of customers have already been complaining!"
"Now, now~"
Firmly holding back her bristling companion, a girl with a grayish-brown color palette walked out from the kitchen and bowed deeply, radiating professional hospitality and a high-energy smile.
"Hello, welcome! May I take your order?"
"Ehh~ so mean! Rupa-chan is being so cold!"
"Well, it is working hours after all, so please sit down and order, customer~"
"Fine~"
Swaying her head and tucking one leg under her butt, Hiroi Kikuri pouted dejectedly, alcohol bubbles metaphorically rising from her head and popping in the air.
"Give me a medium beef bowl plus a beer! Yu, what are you having? My treat!"
"No need, Kikuri-san. For the main, a large beef bowl with extra onions, please. As for the drink, just a beer will do fine!"
"Understood~ Please wait a moment, your food will be ready shortly!"
Rupa tore off the order slip and clipped it to the stand in front of them. She narrowed her large eyes and smiled, then walked back to the kitchen to prepare the meal with methodical precision.
However, as he watched her retreating back, Yuu brow furrowed and his eyes filled with confusion. He suspected he might be under the influence of some strange Stand ability!
After all, he had seen the same person working three different jobs in different locations within a single day. What kind of professional spirit was this? It was enough to make a capitalist shed tears! It had to be a hallucination!
"Um... Kikuri, was the person just now..."
"Yep! Rupa works at Village Vanguard in the afternoon. She actually called me and told me to look after you~"
Cluelessly rubbing the back of her head, Hiroi Kikuri stuck out her little tongue sheepishly. "Sorry though, I was so sleepy that I fell back to sleep..."
"Hiss... three jobs a day? That's a bit ridiculous, isn't it?"
His pupils constricted slightly as he took a sharp breath. Yu had originally thought he had run into a twin-sister scenario or some other mix-up.
Who would have thought she was actually a "Part-time Sage" working three jobs a day? Factoring in commute time, she probably had to leave the house at 6:00 AM and work straight through until finishing her Yoshinoya shift at around 10:00 PM.
What kind of insane triathlon was this! Do dark-skinned girls all come with a "Part-time Emperor" trait?
"Mhm! Rupa always works very late..."
Nodding seriously, Kikuri pressed her hand to her chest and opened her eyes slightly, the respect in her tone clearly coming from the heart!
"So, I always come here to support her with a heart full of awe!"
"I say, you! If you know we're busy, try coming a little less often, okay!"
With a clack, the conversation was interrupted. The girl with short grayish-white hair placed the pre-prepared beef bowl in front of Kikuri. Her wine-red, upturned eyes were wide and full of disdain!
"And you're always forgetting things. This is the bass you left here yesterday! Please stop leaving it lying around!"
"Ah! It's my Shuten-douji! I finally found it, thank goodness!"
Joyfully hugging the bass case to her chest, Kikuri smiled and extended a hand toward the aggressive girl, introducing her: "And this is Haebizuka Tomo, she's also a junior I really admire!"
"Ugh... even if you say that, I'm not taking it back!"
Her face turned red as Haebizuka Tomo took a half-step back, showing her true flustered colors. To be praised like that in public was totally unfair; how could this drunkard say it with zero psychological pressure?
"Ehh~ why not! I've contributed a lot to the sales revenue!"
"But contributing to the shop's revenue is useless! We aren't the managers, we're just wage-slaves earning a fixed salary!"
Mentioning this, Tomo's eyes sharpened and she was instantly wide awake. It was true that Hiroi Kikuri contributed a lot of sales to the shop!
But the warm cash flowed straight into the owner's pocket, leaving nothing for "beasts of burden" like them except cold, dirty dishes.
If she had her way, she'd prefer the shop to be half-dead—just enough to keep the boss from closing down, so she could at least wash a few fewer plates!
"Looks like you've completely lost the debate. Just apologize, Kikuri-san..."
"Ehh! So mean! Is Yu taking Tomo's side just because she's young?!"
"Not at all!"
Yu folded his arms and stood at the counter with Tomo, speaking irresponsible words with dead-fish eyes as he felt her pain. "As a fellow service industry worker, I also hope the members who signed up with me come as infrequently as possible!"
"So mean! Absolutely no service spirit!"
Startled by the thick aura of "scumbag" beside her, Tomo jumped back a step to open up some distance, looking in horror at the boy who had somehow teleported next to her.
First of all, the blonde hair was a massive demerit. The thing she hated most was blonde guys!
Secondly, he had no sense of propriety in his words or actions. If her guess was right...
"A band person?"
"Stereotypes are no good! And don't forget, we are also band people!"
Rupa gave Tomo's head a sharp knock. She placed the beers next to the two beef bowls and finally found a moment to bow deeply to Miyazawa Yuu.
"It looks like you found a suitable Livehouse. Congratulations~"
"I should be the one saying thank you. Sorry for adding to your workload! Miss Part-time Emperor!"
"A new nickname?"
Having a title bestowed upon her without warning, Rupa wondered about it briefly before accepting the label from the eccentric boy. After all, he wasn't wrong, was he!
"Yes, I am the Part-time Emperor~ So, what's up with Kikuri? You didn't order infinite beer refills..."
"Exactly! Let's have a drinking party together tonight, Rupa! Call Seika over too! This kid is an expert as well!"
Kikuri dragged Yu back to his seat and hooked her arm around his neck. Yu had no objections to the ever-expanding drinking party; in fact, his eyes were sparkling! After all, it's only a party if there are a lot of people; otherwise, what's the difference between that and just regular drinking?
And since Kikuri was a band person, anyone she "summoned" would definitely be a high-quality beauty. If it were Iori, he'd probably be jumping up and down with impatience by now. Yu had no reason to refuse!
"Eh? A drinking party? For me..."
At the mention of a party, a small light flickered in Rupa's eyes. Working all day, she also really needed to relax "appropriately."
Coincidentally, there were no recording tasks tonight. In that case, having a small drink shouldn't be a problem... Stare!!!
"..."
Feeling Rupa's longing gaze sweeping over her face, Tomo's expression shifted from bristling to utter conflict. Finally, she gritted her teeth and let out a soft sigh of concession.
She couldn't help it. Rupa's current state was like a child who had finished their homework and prepared for tomorrow's lessons, wanting to play on their phone for a bit.
As the parent(?), even if she wanted to say playing on a phone is bad for the eyes, she lost all strength and resolve when faced with those twinkling little eyes.
"The party must break up before midnight! Otherwise, tomorrow will be a headache!"
"I guarantee the mission will be completed early~"
Cheering slightly, Rupa smiled and pulled Tomo into a hug, squeezing slightly as warm energy flowed through the contact to the other girl.
"Uwah..."
The little girl who had bristled three times since he entered was now wearing a look of total bliss. Yu was quite surprised that these working girls were also in a band; with this kind of work frequency, it would be a miracle if they found time to practice!
But he had to admit their personalities were truly complementary. If he had to be descriptive, it was like a kind mother and a hedgehog daughter!
Looking at it this way, tonight's drinking party didn't seem like it was going to be boring at all!