However, she then gave a relieved smile and said:
"Seeing Mochizuki-kun like this, I can finally stop worrying."
"Even though every time I asked before, your answer was always 'it's nothing,' that look of being troubled by something was really worrying."
"But today's Mochizuki-kun feels completely different. It looks like the problem has been successfully resolved?"
The problem hasn't been resolved, but the person has been replaced.
Akira almost broke character for a moment. He was also a bit surprised; he hadn't expected her to care so much about the Original Owner.
"Sorry for making you worry. As for the problem, well... something like that. At least I won't be like I was before."
"Is that so? That's good then."
Sakamoto Kayo heard the ambiguity in his words and didn't intend to probe further.
Suddenly, she changed the subject, teasing him with a smile:
"But speaking of which, a serious-faced Mochizuki-kun is actually quite nice too, just like Rukawa Kaede from slam dunk."
"Handsome guys of that type are very popular with girls right now, you know?"
"Rukawa Kaede?"
Akira mused:
"Well, I do quite like sleeping too."
"That's not the type I meant!"
Sakamoto Kayo gave him a playful, annoyed look, then couldn't help but giggle again, finding it very amusing.
And she had to admit, today's Mochizuki-kun really was very different from before.
Back to the main topic.
The peak hours for foot traffic in Akihabara were from 11:30 AM to around 4:00 PM, but for a bookstore, the busiest period started at 2:00 PM and ended around 5:00 PM.
His shift today started at 12:00 PM. It was precisely because the peak hours hadn't arrived yet that Sakamoto Kayo had time to stand at the shop entrance and chat with him for a while.
"Anyway, I'm counting on you for today's work, Mochizuki-kun! I'm going to grab some lunch first."
"Yes."
Akira put on the blue work apron, stood behind the checkout counter, watched the manager leave temporarily, and began his day's work.
By the time Sakamoto Kayo returned from lunch, it was around 1:30 PM. Two other temporary employees besides him and the manager arrived at the shop one after another; the busiest time was about to begin.
"Welcome!"
"The total is 1,700 yen. Out of 2,000 yen, your change is 300 yen. Please take it."
"Do you need a bag?"
"Alright!"
"Thank you for your patronage!..."
During peak hours, the busiest person was undoubtedly the manager, Sakamoto Kayo. Whether it was customer guidance, restocking shelves, or cashiering, she had to personally oversee every part. She was practically a human spinning top.
He primarily served as the cashier, occasionally helping with some physical labor. Overall, his work intensity was relatively light.
The reason he was assigned easier work, besides Sakamoto Kayo's care, was another important reason she had mentioned before: he was the shop's ace.
As for what kind of ace exactly...
"Thank you for your patronage!"
After checking out two girls who looked like friends, Akira focused on continuing his work. However, the two girls kept looking back every few steps, and as soon as they reached the shop entrance, they began whispering eagerly to each other:
"That cashier guy is really handsome!"
"Right? I didn't lie to you...!"
—That kind of ace.
According to Sakamoto Kayo, since he started working part-time at the shop, there had been a noticeable slight increase in sales, with a significant rise in female customers. The reason was, of course, self-evident.
There were many bookstores like theirs in Akihabara. Only a small portion of the types and prices of goods sold by each bookstore differed; otherwise, most goods were not much different. For customers, it was the same no matter where they bought them.
Since they could buy the desired goods here just the same, and there wasn't much difference in price, why not take the opportunity to look at a handsome guy?
Thus, he became one of the few highlights of their bookstore, which was a major reason why the manager, Sakamoto Kayo, took such good care of him.
Of course, part of the reason was simply because he was a handsome guy.
It had to be admitted that good looks were indeed an important resource. When other conditions were similar, handsome men and beautiful women were simply more likely to gain an advantage than others.
Especially in this era where plastic surgery technology was not yet very advanced, the advantage of naturally handsome men and beautiful women was even greater.
Speaking of which, since he had these looks now, becoming an idol seemed like...
No, that's absolutely out of the question!
He suddenly snapped out of it halfway through his thought. He wasn't in China right now, but in Japan.
And Japanese idols... that was a very complicated subject.
The industry status was low, it was competitive and exhausting, there were extreme sasaeng fans, and company requirements were strict to the point of being abnormal—even the companies themselves were abnormal.
In fact, just this past April, the Japanese entertainment industry had experienced a major earthquake—
Weekly Bunshun had published a magazine special titled "Johnny Kitagawa: Allegations of Sexual Assault of Minors," and released two consecutive issues that month, completely exposing the sexual assault scandal of Johnny's founder Kitagawa against his own artists!
Setting aside what far-reaching impacts this event would have in later generations, for the idol industry at the moment, it was definitely a nearly fatal and heavy blow.
Tsk, tsk, tsk...
Thinking of this, Akira silently shook his head in his heart, his disdain fully exposed.
Being a Japanese idol these days is something even a dog wouldn't do!