In Chiba, the average part-time wage was around 1,000 yen per hour. Even bar work barely paid 1,200 yen per hour.
Takumi Yuuya offered 3,000 yen per hour.
For Kawasaki Saki, that was impossible to refuse.
But… such a high wage came with… what kind of work?
Takumi noticed her expression shift from shock to suspicion and immediately understood what she was thinking.
"My grades aren't that great," he said, "and yours should be better, Kawasaki-san. Any questions I have, I can ask you anytime."
"Also, I'm a bit lazy. Even though someone brings me lunch, I usually just grab a quick breakfast or dinner, so I'll need you to cook for me."
"And lastly…" he added with a sly smile, "I really like maid outfits. If you wear one while working, I'll add another 1,000 yen per hour."
At that last point, Saki no longer hesitated.
"Do you pay daily?"
"No. I'll give you one million yen upfront. When it's spent, I'll give you another million."
"Don't you worry I'll take the money and not work?"
"I trust you, Kawasaki-san. And honestly, a million yen isn't even that much," Takumi said with a smile.
Saki stared at him.
"Why give me this job?"
"You're sleep-deprived and working too hard. I can tell by looking at you — if you keep pushing yourself, it'll shorten your lifespan."
"…."
"Come on, my house isn't far from Sobu High."
Saki rode her bike to Takumi's house.
Inside the living room:
"Have a seat. I'll grab the money," Takumi said, heading into his bedroom.
Saki looked around the room while waiting.
A few minutes later, Takumi emerged with a stack of cash and handed it to her.
She counted it, double-checked several bills, and confirmed everything was in order.
"So, where do we start?"
"You should call your workplace first," Takumi suggested.
Saki remembered and quickly dialed the store manager. The manager didn't say much, just reminded her to rest properly.
Saki hung up, pocketed her phone, and Takumi settled on the sofa to watch anime.
"Please help me with laundry and tidying the room. Start preparing dinner at five; I want to eat with you," he instructed.
"Understood," Saki replied, stepping into the bedroom.
"Disgust level from Kawasaki Saki +10"
Excellent. The manga he'd bought earlier would finally come in handy.
From Saki's perspective, having him make her tidy up probably exposed that manga on purpose. Any normal girl would feel disgusted. If not, she would be abnormal.
"Disgust level from Kawasaki Saki +10"
Another notification popped up. Probably due to his clothes.
When she finished tidying the room and stepped out, her expressionless face pleased Takumi greatly.
Good. Perfect. Hate me more. The more you hate me, the happier I am.
Seeing 180 points, he didn't rush to open a bronze treasure chest just yet.
Dinner time.
Saki had prepared curry rice.
They sat together at the table.
Takumi tasted it and nodded.
"Kawasaki-san, your cooking is quite good."
"Thank you for the compliment," she said softly.
"While you were cooking earlier, I saw your back… and I admit, it made my heart skip. If we were a couple, coming home every day to see you cooking like that would be… wonderful."
"…."
"Disgust level from Kawasaki Saki +10"
Takumi smirked.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"No, I'm not planning on dating anyone right now."
"Such a pity."
"…."
"If I gave you ten million yen, would you be my girlfriend?"
"No," she replied coldly.
"Disgust level from Kawasaki Saki +10"
Two hundred points — ready to redeem.
After dinner, Saki cleaned the kitchen.
Takumi opened his virtual screen.
200 points redeemed for two bronze treasure chests.
Click. Rewards appeared:
"Congratulations, host, you've obtained 30 million yen.""Congratulations, host, you've obtained 40 million yen."
Two bronze chests, 70 million yen. Adding the remaining money, total: 109 million yen.
"This way of earning is perfect for me. I wonder if there's a better treasure chest," Takumi mused, eyeing the counter next to the bronze chest:
Bronze Chests: 6
He guessed that reaching a certain number would unlock higher-tier chests.
"Kitchen's clean. Anything else?" Saki asked.
"Could you watch a movie with me? Count it as working hours," Takumi said.
"Sure," Saki replied, checking the time.
It wasn't even 7 p.m. A movie would finish by 9, and her house was nearby — just a few minutes by bike.
"Grab some snacks and drinks from the fridge," he instructed while searching for a movie.
Saki returned with them, and Takumi corrected her:
"I meant for the both of us. You can't just watch without eating or drinking."
"Thank you," she said, fetching the proper snacks and drinks.
Takumi pressed play.
By 9 p.m., Takumi escorted Saki to her bike.
"I can go alone," she said.
"Since you're my employee, I won't let anything happen to you. I wouldn't have escorted you during the day, but at night, it's safer to go together," Takumi said seriously.
"Affection from Kawasaki Saki +10"
A notification appeared.
"Thank you for hiring me," Saki said, bowing politely.
"No problem," Takumi smiled.
They rode their bikes through several streets to Saki's home — a traditional wooden Japanese house.
"Thanks for bringing me home," she said.
"Good night, Kawasaki-san. Sweet dreams," Takumi replied, glancing at the house number before turning to leave.
For the first time, he had gained affection points from a girl.
He began thinking: constantly generating disgust points might not be sustainable. Maybe trying to earn some affection points wasn't such a bad idea.