Chapter 53: Equivalent Exchange, Equivalent Results
On a side note, Akishin had submitted a request for a one-day paid leave of absence for Hiratsuka Shizuka. After that, they returned to the faculty room and asked other teachers to cover their classes or allow the students to engage in self-study.
The principal and the three school board members naturally agreed without a fuss, though the looks they shot toward Akishin were a bit... peculiar.
Akishin generally understood what those glances implied; they were likely speculating about the nature of the relationship between himself and Hiratsuka Shizuka.
Unfortunately for their imaginations, for the time being, they were merely friends.
Holding the two approved leave slips, Akishin was escorted out of the office by the principal, who was beaming with smiles—it seemed that merely defeating Suzuki Tsuyoshi already warranted this kind of special treatment. If he actually won the championship title, they might just pick him up from Tokyo in a limousine.
It made sense, honestly. The influence of Kendo in Japan was massive, second only to baseball.
The Japanese viewed Kendo as an art without boundaries. Every strike, every movement was a display of beauty.
It was about being active on the outside yet calm on the inside, emphasizing aura and dignity. Beyond the physical health benefits, Kendo served to temper one's patience and fortitude.
Carrying the two slips, Akishin returned to the office and placed the one bearing Hiratsuka Shizuka's name on the desk in front of her.
Before heading out earlier, Akishin had told Shizuka to accompany him to the tournament venue. The permit itself had been filled out by Shizuka beforehand.
Shizuka accepted it, glanced at it for a moment, and then looked up at Akishin.
"They just agreed? Just like that?"
"Of course. Somehow, the news of me defeating Suzuki Tsuyoshi reached them. It's strange; there weren't supposed to be any reporters or anyone filming that day."
Hiratsuka Shizuka set down the Chinese book in her hand—Zhao Hua Xi Shi—and remarked, "Do you really think you need reporters? By now, the upper crust of Chiba likely already knows the news of your victory. Suzuki Tsuyoshi didn't exactly take any measures to keep it quiet; anyone could have spread the word. Those present that day, the ones wearing Gofuku, they're all major figures in Chiba's Kendo circles. Once people reach that level of fame, it's only natural for them to have ties with the wealthy families and conglomerates of the city."
Akishin asked, genuinely puzzled, "Shizuka-chan, how do you know all this in such detail?"
Shizuka's face flushed slightly. She turned her gaze away and muttered, "I was really into Kendo when I was a kid. Even though I stopped practicing later on, I still keep an eye on things like this."
"Fair enough! Is there news about me on the internet too, then?"
Akishin sank into his chair, pulled out his phone, and typed the keywords [Suzuki Tsuyoshi defeated]. Sure enough, information about that day popped up.
There was even a video—extremely blurry and grainy—which appeared to be footage captured from a CCTV camera.
"Should we bring Hikigaya along? I heard you acknowledged him as your disciple that day."
"We haven't performed the formal apprenticeship ceremony yet."
"What's the difference?"
"...None, really."
After a few seconds of silence, Akishin shook his head. "It's hard to explain to his parents. What are we supposed to tell them? That his teacher didn't let him study and instead told him to go watch a Kendo match?"
Shizuka stared at Akishin and asked, "Is that not allowed?"
Akishin stared back. "Is it?"
"..."
"..."
After a brief silence, meeting Akishin's dead-serious eyes, Shizuka burst out laughing. "Hahaha! What do you mean 'not allowed'? His own teacher is the one taking him, and to a formal event no less. Besides, I know Hikigaya's parents; they're very open-minded people. Leave it to me—I'll be the one to talk to Hikigaya."
Watching Shizuka stand up and leave, Akishin froze for a few seconds. He eventually shook his head with a small smile, picked up his book, and continued reading.
That evening, after the shop had closed, Akishin handed two portions of cash to Kondo Yuika and Sakurai Kaiko.
"Kondo, Kaiko, I'll be participating in the Kendo Tournament qualifiers tomorrow. There's a chance the shop won't be open tomorrow night."
"Aww~ Boss isn't opening the shop again?" Kaiko pouted, clearly displeased at the prospect of losing another 7,500 yen.
"Kaiko, Chishima-sensei has serious business to attend to."
Yuika glared at Kaiko, giving her a quick kick under the table before turning back to apologize to Akishin. "I'm so sorry, Chishima-sensei. Kaiko just doesn't know when to hold her tongue."
That was the typical dynamic between Yuika and her partner. Sakurai Kaiko often lacked a filter, and Yuika was always there to apologize for her outbursts.
However, Kaiko only let her guard down like this in front of people she was close to. In front of strangers, Sakurai Kaiko was the image of a cold, stiff-faced high school girl.
Akishin had heard them talk about their childhood once. Because Yuika struggled to fit in as a child, she was often bullied, which led to her gentle and fragile personality. Then she met Sakurai Kaiko, and they became inseparable.
Sakurai Kaiko became Kondo Yuika's protector. Because of that, Kaiko had gotten into several fights with Yuika's bullies—the "one against many" type—and she had won.
From elementary school through middle school and into high school, they were always at the same school. Even during the two times they weren't in the same class, they remained the closest of friends—BFFs, essentially.
Sakurai Kaiko protected Kondo Yuika from bullying, while Kondo Yuika's academic skills ensured both of their grades remained excellent.
Akishin waved his hand dismissively. "I should be the one apologizing for constantly taking time off. On the eleventh of next month, I'll likely need to take a few more days off as well."
He knew Yuika needed the money, though he wasn't as clear on Kaiko's situation. Both wanted to work more, but they also had to make time for their studies, meaning they could only look for jobs with high hourly wages and short shifts.
And for high school students, those kinds of jobs weren't exactly easy to come by. Finally, they had found Akishin—a kind boss who paid well, even if the work was exhausting.
It was just that their boss seemed to have a rather unstable working schedule...
Akishin didn't have much of a choice. He had opened the shop purely as a hobby because he didn't want his skills to go to waste. If he truly wanted to make a fortune, he could have done something else. Without even touching on "great wealth," he could at least do better than a small restaurant.
Unfortunately, a small amount of extra money didn't mean much to him. Currently, working two jobs, his income was already higher than that of a senior manager at a typical corporation.
After thinking for a moment, Akishin spoke softly. "How about this, Kondo, Kaiko. From now on, Chishimaya will be closed one day every week. You're both students; you should have a beautiful life of your own. You should go out once in a while, see the fireworks at night—don't exhaust yourselves too much. If you ever run into any trouble, you can talk to the Boss. Personal issues aside, the Boss can at least help out financially. You can see for yourselves, Chishimaya's daily turnover is at least 130,000 yen. Furthermore, I'm planning to raise your wages to 1,800 yen per hour."
He was being sincere. Chishimaya was small and couldn't accommodate many customers, but business was booming!
Every day, watching Kondo Yuika and Sakurai Kaiko constantly running around the shop, so busy they didn't even have time for a sip of water, he felt a twinge of guilt.
The workload was undeniably heavy.
Of course, 1,800 yen per hour for an Izakaya server was exceptionally high, but this was Akishin's way of showing his appreciation.
Originally, he had wanted to raise it to 2,000 yen, but fearing Yuika and her partner would refuse, he dialed it back to 1,800. This should be enough!
Losing a bit of money didn't affect him. Even after paying Yuika and Kaiko's wages every day, he was still looking at at least 70,000 yen in net profit.
That was 490,000 yen a week, 2.1 million yen a month, and over 20 million yen a year.
Even after accounting for unexpected events, holidays, and vacations, he'd still amass at least 15 million yen a year. That was enough to buy a small apartment in the suburbs.
To put things in perspective, the annual salary at Sobu High was only around 9.2 million yen, which was already considered high-income in Japan.
"Eh?"
Upon hearing Akishin's words, Yuika was so shocked she practically jumped to her feet, immediately declining. "I can't, I can't. Kaiko and I have already received so many favors from you; how could we possibly accept another raise? Honestly, it's not that tiring..."
"She's right, Chishima-sensei. You're incredibly kind—the best boss Yuika and I have ever had—but you don't need to help us this way. It would just make us feel guilty..."
This time, Kaiko also refused with a serious expression. She accepted the 1,500 yen wage because she felt her and Yuika's abilities were worth that much. Anything more felt like money they hadn't earned.
She was willing to negotiate with a boss, but only for what was rightfully hers. She would never take what she didn't deserve. Yuika felt the same way.
"It really doesn't affect me at all..."
Akishin tried to persuade them, noting it was only a 300-yen difference, but both remained firm. Kaiko even looked slightly annoyed, as if Akishin were looking down on them—she could accept a high wage, but she wouldn't accept charity.
1,500 yen per hour was already plenty high.
In the end, Akishin was forced to compromise. They both agreed to take one day off per week because they did want time to enjoy themselves, but the wage remained at 1,500 yen.
Hearing that Akishin wouldn't push the raise further, both girls smiled. Akishin could only offer a bitter smile in return. Were high school students in Japan these days really this impressive? They wouldn't even take extra money?
Deep down, however, Akishin found himself liking these two girls even more. He emphasized several times that if they ever faced difficulties, they should seek him out immediately.
The two girls agreed sweetly.
As they were about to leave, Akishin gave them each a box of pastries. Lately, he had been spending his spare time making snacks like these, intending to sell them eventually or give them away—specifically to Shizuka-chan.
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