"Well, it's not practical to keep running between the register and the kitchen, so it'd be a big help if you stayed here," their mom said, ignoring the brothers' bewildered looks. "Ah—and Ryo, you can help too if you want."
I think she's trusting us a bit too much.
"Don't worry, don't worry; it's not that hard," she said, waving them over. Ren and Ryo exchanged glances before moving over to the register.
"There are only two things you need to do, Ren," she began. "One is to welcome the customer and show them to their seats. The other is to take the customer's payment when they leave. Easy, right?"
"Yeah…" Ren said, not sounding convinced.
"Perfect, there's no better way to learn than by practicing. Ryo," she turned to him, "you'll be our customer for now. Go out and walk back in like a customer."
Ryo nodded and stepped out, only to return a few seconds later.
"Excuse me," Ryo called out the typical greeting as he walked in, playing his part.
"Welcome," Ren replied a bit stiffly. "Have a seat anywhere you like."
"Thank you very much."
Ryo walked to their table, still immersed in his act as a customer.
"That was good, Ren," their mom said. "Just remember to always be polite to the customer."
As she gave him a few more pointers, Ryo scribbled something on a piece of paper.
Might as well go all in on this act.
He walked up to the counter and placed a mock receipt and 1100 yen on it. "Thank you for the meal," he said to Ren, bowing slightly.
Ren looked up at his mother, unsure what to do.
"What are you looking at me for?" She said without changing her expression. "Give the customer his change."
"Ah—right, sorry," Ren fumbled as he looked over the receipt. He quickly composed himself as he spoke. "700 yen for soy sauce ramen and 350 yen for pan-fried gyoza, so your total change is 50 yen. Here you go." He placed the coins neatly on the counter
Ryo picked up the change.
"Good job, Ren, you did well," their mom said, smiling. However, she soon turned her attention to Ryo, her smile now looking sharper. "Ryo, where did you get that money from? I don't recall ever giving you any."
Ryo froze. "Umm, well… It was next to the register, so I borrowed it for a bit," he smirked. "Besides, doesn't a customer need money to pay for his meal?"
"Right. Ren, I'm leaving the register to you now," she said, walking away. "Oh—and make sure your brother doesn't steal any money."
Ryo sulked. I didn't steal it though…
—————————————————————————————————
"Please come again," Ren said, handing a customer her change. The dinner rush had kept both brothers busy at the register, but the results spoke for themselves. With the two of them handling customers, their parents could focus entirely on cooking and serving the food.
Ren quickly learned how to talk to customers and to efficiently count change. And with Ryo there to correct his mistakes, the night went smoothly.
"Once you two are done eating, bring the dishes to the kitchen and head home," their mom said, setting two steaming bowls of katsudon in front of them. "It's late, and you two still have school tomorrow."
"Okay, Mom. We'll go home soon," Ren answered.
Ryo dug into his food without hesitation. It was already pretty late, and with such an exhausting day, he was naturally quite hungry.
Dad's katsudon is the best… The sweetness from the caramelized onions goes perfectly with the juicy pork cutlets. On top of that, the egg is smooth, and the rice is so fluffy and delicious, too.
"By the way, Ren-nii," Ryo said in between bites of his food, "Don't you have homework to do?"
Ren froze, his chopsticks stopping halfway to his mouth.
"You haven't left the register at all tonight, so I was wondering if you had homework due tomorrow."
Ren stammered for a bit, "I–I totally forgot." He then started eating much faster. "Ryo, we need to get home as soon as possible; I need to finish my homework tonight."
"Okay, but if you eat too fast, you'll get sick, Ren-nii."
A few minutes later, their bowls were empty, and after dropping them off in the kitchen, they quickly made their way back home. Since Ren was in a rush to get his homework done, he went first to take a bath, leaving Ryo alone in the room. This gave him time to think back over his day as he sat down at the desk.
Today was pretty fun. Kazuki couldn't stop asking me questions at lunch… Maybe I should ask him if he wants to practice together on the weekends?
Kazuki was better than most first years at their school. He was already in the advanced open practice, meaning he was almost on the level to play on the second team. In the advanced group, the drills focused on honing each player's individual techniques with scrimmages a few times a week. This allowed the players to enjoy the football club without the pressure of competition.
The low commitment allowed students to more easily participate in other clubs in the school. If they got good enough, they could choose whether to keep playing casually in the advanced group or try out for the competitive teams. With several students choosing not to pursue football competitively, there was no shortage of talent in the advanced group, allowing for an environment where the more skilled seniors could help guide their juniors in different aspects of the game.
It wasn't until the players got onto either team that they focused on group tactics. The football club chose to keep the open practices casual and open to all students, even if it also served to nurture talent for their competitive teams.
Ren started in the beginner group at the beginning of his first year. Two years later, he was able to make it onto the first team… His quick growth is unbelievable.
Ryo leaned back in the chair.
Good thing I remembered that I had homework, too.
Ryo took out a small workbook from his bag. Truth be told, he'd only reminded Ren because he remembered he had homework himself.
It's only some simple hiragana and kanji practice. I could've done it at the restaurant earlier, though. Whatever… I'll try to finish it before Ren comes back from his bath.
Since the homework for first years was generally light, Ryo finished his assignment in just ten minutes—right as Ren stepped into the room. Deep down, Ryo was glad he was learning kanji starting from the elementary school level. In his previous life, he had no clue what the kanji he used looked like. His teachers had tried to write them out on the back of his hand, but it took him way too long to learn even one character, so they chose to give up on that method.
Earlier in the restaurant, I knew the kanji because of how often I stared at the menu. I wouldn't have been able to draw up a fake receipt otherwise.
"Ryo, I'm done. You can go to the bath now," Ren said, putting away his dirty clothes.
"Okay, I'll be back soon," Ryo said, grabbing his pajamas, skipping as he made his way to the bathroom.
Nothing feels better than a bath at the end of a long day. Although he loved a long bath at the end of a day, Ryo also enjoyed quickly showering in the morning. It wasn't a social norm to shower in the morning in Japan, but nothing quite woke him up like a rinse in the morning. Also, it had the upside of making him feel clean at the beginning of the day.
A shower in the morning and a long bath in the evening are essential for a perfect day.
Ryo took his time soaking in the bath, appreciating the hot water on his skin. After putting on his pajamas and brushing his teeth, he went back to the bedroom, where Ren was still hunched over his workbook.
"Are you almost done with your homework, Ren-nii? Mom and Dad will be home soon. They'll be mad if you're still up."
"Yeah, just a bit more," Ren murmured.
"Okay, I'm going to sleep then," Ryo said, getting under the covers and turning to face the wall.
Ren stayed silent for a minute as he seemed to think over his homework problem. Then—
"Hey, Ryo," Ren said, testing to see if his brother was still awake.
"Hmm?" Ryo mumbled, half asleep.
"Do you know how a lightbulb works?"
"Mhmm."
"We learned about electricity in class, but I don't get how that turns into light."
"Well…" Ryo murmured, eyes still closed. "That depends on the type of lightbulb. In simpler, older lightbulbs, electricity passes through a small wire, causing it to heat up so much it starts glowing."
"Oh, I see," Ren thought about it for a second. "But why does electricity cause the wire to heat up?"
"You can think of electricity like a football," he continued drowsily. "You know what happens when you hit a football into a puddle, right?"
"Yeah, it slows down very quickly, and it splashes water everywhere."
"Right. So just think of the wire like a really big puddle. Any time the ball goes through, it splashes water. In the wire, this splashing causes it to heat up."
"Ah, that makes sense. Thanks, Ryo," he said excitedly, scribbling down what Ryo said in his workbook.
Once he was done, Ren turned off the light and went to bed.
"Goodnight, Ryo," he said, looking back over his shoulder.
However, no response came back to him. Ryo was already out cold.
"How mean," he whispered, smiling faintly. "You don't even say goodnight to your older brother…" He pulled the covers over his shoulders.
Within a few minutes, their breathing fell into the same rhythm, and the room slipped into a gentle and comfortable silence.