The Shirogane family was very poor.
Ever since Kei was old enough to understand, she knew this.
When she was young, other children got to wear beautiful new clothes every year, but Kei could only wear second-hand dresses that her father bought from who knew where.
When the other children had new toys, she could only stand in the corner and secretly envy them.
However, Kei did not resent her family because of this.
She had heard that the Shirogane family used to be very wealthy. Although her father was not some great tycoon, he had still been the president of a company.
But something happened. The Shirogane family's company went bankrupt, and her father was left with heavy debt.
All of that happened before Kei was old enough to understand.
Because of the harsh family situation, her mother chose to divorce and leave the siblings behind.
Their father, now single and bankrupt, did his best to raise them.
As a former company president, Kei's father was a very capable man.
Although he developed a drinking habit after their mother left, he never became violent when drunk and never laid a hand on the siblings.
Even after bankruptcy, he was still able to find a well-paying job thanks to his abilities and the connections and clients he had accumulated over the years.
However, the massive debt from the bankruptcy meant that most of his monthly income went toward repayment.
Only the remaining money was left for the Shirogane family's daily expenses.
And from that, they still had to pay rent.
After all, there are differences between boys and girls. The Shirogane family consisted of a brother and a sister, so they could not share the same room. The rented house had to have three rooms.
If they wanted something affordable, they could only live in a more remote area.
Every day, Kei had to spend a long time commuting to school.
Fortunately, both siblings were outstanding.
Her brother, Shirogane Miyuki, entered Shuchiin Academy, a prestigious school, when he advanced from junior high to high school.
In order to maintain its high university admission rate, Shuchiin Academy recruited a certain number of talented external students each year.
The school had only one requirement for such students, study hard. As long as their academic performance was good enough, all tuition and miscellaneous fees would be waived.
Being able to receive the educational resources of a private elite academy without paying tuition, Miyuki naturally worked with all his strength.
Kei was also promising. Last year, she entered the junior high division of Shuchiin Academy, also through a tuition waiver.
Although she no longer had to worry about tuition, and only needed to focus on studying, this still did not change the Shirogane family's living situation.
Miyuki woke up early every morning to deliver newspapers as a part-time job, and during holidays he would look for other work as well.
Kei, who was frugal and kind-hearted by nature, also wanted to ease the burden on her family.
Not long ago, she saw an online recruitment post for a part-time job at a café.
The café was hiring part-time staff who could work after school every day.
The pay was similar to other part-time jobs, nothing particularly high.
But what attracted Kei was the schedule. Being able to work after school was rare.
Especially since the shop was located in the busy area of Ikebukuro, right next to the subway station. Even if she worked late, she could take the subway home directly.
There were appearance requirements for the job, but Kei felt she looked pretty good. The only problem was that she was still in junior high, and the owner probably would not hire her.
That made her feel regretful. She wished she could grow up faster. If she were already in high school, she should be able to get this job and help her family, right?
Because of that advertisement, she had been paying attention to this shop.
As time passed, she finally learned that the owner of the shop was Toru.
There were countless reports about him on various social media platforms.
Within Shuchiin Academy, he was also a legendary figure.
He transferred into Shuchiin Academy in his third year of high school, and at the time, no one knew he was from the Fujiwara family.
Yet this outsider, in the highly exclusive Shuchiin Academy, and as a third-year student at that, managed to overthrow the sitting Student Council President in just two months and personally ascend to the position.
In another two months, he turned the young masters and young ladies of Shuchiin Academy into his followers.
It was not until he was admitted to Tokyo University this year that his short but brilliant one-year legend came to an end.
Kei felt very regretful. She had only entered the junior high division this year and had never personally witnessed this legendary Student Council President.
But after the major events that took place in Japan over the past few months, Kei and the students of Shuchiin Academy realized that what he accomplished at the academy was only the tip of the iceberg.
What Toru had done in recent months made him a true legend in Japan.
Many junior students at Shuchiin Academy suggested inviting their former president back during a school event to visit the academy that once belonged to him.
Gradually, Toru's name became someone Kei admired silently.
It was not until one day that she suddenly realized her good friend, Moeha Fujiwara, was actually Toru's younger sister.
When Kei casually mentioned wanting to work part-time, Moeha kept it in mind and directly dragged her to the shop, leading to the current situation.
Ikebukuro, as one of Tokyo's central districts, always had heavy foot traffic, especially after school, when students from various schools gathered here.
A large crowd was gathered in front of a shop called ring.1ive.
As one of the most famous live houses in Tokyo, many well-known girl bands had practiced here in the past. Naturally, many fans hoped to run into their idols here.
Since Toru acquired the shop, its popularity had increased even more, and many people came specifically to see it.
"There are so many people!"
Kei exclaimed as she looked at the junior high, high school, and even university students gathered outside.
Because of the crowd, nearby businesses were also thriving. It was said that the rent in this area had risen sharply recently. The shop owners fortunate enough to be neighbors with Toru were probably smiling in their sleep.
"Kei, do you really want to work here? Brother recently raised the wages for both full-time and part-time staff, but look at all these people, it must be exhausting every day."
"If you work part-time, you'll have less time to study. You can't let your grades drop."
Moeha knew Kei was a scholarship student, so she was worried that working part-time might affect her grades and get her expelled.
When Kei heard that the wages had increased, her eyes lit up.
"I can sleep one hour less every day and use that time to study!"
Seeing her friend's determined expression, Moeha said nothing more.
The Fujiwara family had strict discipline, and Moeha never looked down on Kei. Although she sometimes had mischievous thoughts, she was essentially a kind girl who liked helping others.
"Alright, I'll go talk to Brother. I'll definitely get you a part-time job here."
Moeha patted her chest confidently.
Kei glanced at Moeha, then looked down at her own chest.
It was not that she was flat. Among her peers, her figure was actually quite good. It was just that Moeha's was too impressive.
Is she really a first-year junior high student? Could she be lying?
Moeha was also nervous inside.
Would Toru really agree to her request? She was not sure.
But in some ways, the Fujiwara family shared the same personality. Act first, worry about the outcome later.
After entering the shop, the two looked around the first floor.
Many girls carrying guitars and basses were chatting at the front desk, renting practice rooms, paying fees, and heading inside to rehearse.
"Kei, that's Roselia, and that's Hello, Happy World! You can actually see so many famous girl bands here!"
Moeha shouted excitedly as she looked at the beautiful girls one by one.
Kei nodded vigorously.
Girl bands were extremely popular in Japan right now. As a girl, keeping up with the trend was a must.
Kei was very familiar with those famous bands, but because she had no money, she had never attended a live performance in person.
After excitedly watching members they usually only saw online, Moeha grabbed Kei's hand and went up to the second floor.
The second floor was a stylishly decorated café with many tables.
Normally, cafés, milk tea shops, flower shops, and bookstores tended to lose money.
But this shop was different. Even though it was large, almost every table was occupied.
Kei glanced at the menu above the ordering counter and clicked her tongue inwardly.
The drinks and food were not cheap.
At least for ordinary students, they were quite expensive.
However, when she looked at the beautiful girls and a few boys in JK uniforms drinking coffee and eating desserts, she understood why the place was always full despite the prices.
Judging by their uniforms, they were either from Tsukinomori Girls' Academy or other prestigious schools nearby. She even spotted several from Shuchiin Academy.
So they were all young masters and young ladies. No wonder they did not care about the price.
"Welcome. Please wait a moment. Manager Amuro, I'm a bit busy here. Could you take their order?"
"Coming. Shiina, go ahead and finish your work."
Kei saw a beautiful, cold-looking girl with long black hair and a tear mole at the corner of her eye walk away to make coffee.
A dark-skinned man dressed in something resembling a butler's uniform came over to take their order.
Moeha stepped forward and said, "Excuse me, is Toru-nii here?"
"Toru-nii ?"
Rei looked at the middle school student in front of him with a strange expression, secretly thinking, has the boss started targeting middle school students?
Th, this is a crime.
As a member of the Japan Public Security Bureau, I must firmly crack down on this.
"I am his younger sister, Moeha!"
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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