"Why are you back again?"
"None of your business!"
After snapping back at Mori Shinra, Miura Yumiko took out her dad's high-level membership card and said, "High-level members of this bar can arrange for a complimentary car service. It's the middle of the night; who knows if you can even get a taxi!"
Yukinoshita Yukino hadn't expected Miura to return for this reason. She looked at the blonde normie with a bit of surprise.
In her impression, this woman had always held an inexplicable hostility towards her. It was one thing for her not to cause trouble, but to actually offer help?!
Although her tone was still harsh, the goodwill conveyed by her actions was obvious.
To be honest, this was a bit beyond Yukinoshita's realm of understanding.
Because of some bad experiences in elementary school, she had grown accustomed to the inexplicable malice from her female peers. Therefore, Miura's previous hostility had been naturally attributed to the 'jealousy' of the weak. For this reason, she had never had a favorable impression of her.
Of course, the same was true now. At most, her impression had changed slightly because she had offered help.
But a change in impression was just that. Yukinoshita wouldn't casually accept kindness from others.
"That won't be necessary. Although it's harder to get a taxi at night, this is a bustling area. Worrying about not being able to find one is a bit excessive."
"Ha? You won't take a free car and would rather spend money on a taxi? Is there something wrong with you?" Miura couldn't comprehend Yukinoshita's logic at all. She had already laid it all out, and the other party was still planning to refuse her.
Honestly, if it weren't because this was her turf (in her own mind), Miura couldn't be bothered to care if Yukinoshita got home safely or not.
Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow, and just as she was about to say something, she heard Miura continue, "So, have you guys cleared things up with her or not?"
"That has nothing to do with you," Yukinoshita replied coldly.
Miura was also getting annoyed by her cold attitude and shot back, "It's true that it has nothing to do with me, but your hesitant and indecisive attitude is really frustrating. If you're going to be so wishy-washy, why don't you just go home and sleep? In terms of efficiency, there's no difference."
"Is it that hard to understand? True, a simian brain like yours would have difficulty processing such a complex problem. Since you can't understand, why not just shut up? Talk less, watch more. That way you won't expose your shallow nature," Yukinoshita said, also going on the offensive.
Sandwiched between the two empresses, Mori Shinra felt as if he was about to be ground into dust. He hurriedly said, "Stop, stop, I said stop."
"Shut up!" x2
Left with no choice, Shinra had to wave at Kawasaki Saki, who was intently wiping a glass not far away.
Noticing the customer's gesture, her plan to pretend to be busy to avoid getting involved in such trouble fell through.
"Sir, how may I help you?" Kawasaki Saki glanced at the two girls who were locked in a death stare, then lowered her eyes and added, "We don't provide emotional support services here."
"Kawasaki."
Kawasaki Saki looked up, her expression puzzled.
"I'm very sorry, but who might you be?"
Honestly, if he hadn't said her last name, she wouldn't have even bothered with him. In her eyes, Mori Shinra was the type of playboy who trifled with women's feelings; he had even tried to hit on her earlier.
"Ha, you don't even recognize your own classmate," Miura sneered.
"Just because we're classmates doesn't mean we have to know each other. But if it's Mori Shinra, I suppose it's understandable," Yukinoshita said.
Are you my sister or not? Are you helping me or dissing me?
Upon hearing the words 'classmate,' Kawasaki Saki's pupils constricted, but she quickly returned to her professional expression, her voice cool. "Is that so. What can I do for you? If you're trying to hit on me, please spare me. Settle things with your two female companions first."
"Who's his female companion?" Miura was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, looking as if she was about to hiss.
"Miura..." Kawasaki Saki narrowed her eyes. After recognizing her, her expression immediately became dangerous. Her gaze then shifted to Yukinoshita at the side, and she softly uttered her name, "Yukinoshita..."
Seeing they were all her classmates, Kawasaki suddenly smiled. It seemed she knew why they were here, and she didn't offer much of an explanation.
"If you're here to persuade me, please leave."
With that, she dropped her bartender persona, shrugged, and crossed her arms, leaning against the wall in a typical defensive posture.
Perhaps because the cat was out of the bag, she suddenly became indifferent to everything.
"Would you like to order anything else, young masters and ladies?"
Hearing her words, which were soft but laced with thorns, Shinra couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose. He said, "Let's have some ice water. One for each of us."
After the water was served, Kawasaki continued, "So, what are you all doing here? It can't be a three-person date, can it? Has Miura-san had a change of heart?"
"Ha?" Miura raised an eyebrow. "Looking for trouble?"
Yukinoshita interrupted before the dispute could begin. "Because of a request."
"A request?"
"Taishi is very worried about you, so he asked me to come and talk to you. Also, I will be telling your brother where you work. I must make that clear in advance."
After all, Kawasaki Taishi's Wish Request was to help figure out what his sister had been doing these past few days. Mori Shinra was always responsible for the Wish Points.
"Tch... suit yourself," Kawasaki clicked her tongue, then added, "You came all this way just to say this? How kind of you. But do you think I'll obediently listen to a few strangers and just quit?"
"Of course not. After all, if even your own brother can't persuade you, it's natural that outsiders like us can't either," Shinra shrugged.
"Since that's the case, why waste your breath? Also, I don't know how you met Taishi, but I'll talk to him myself when I get back. I don't need you to meddle... In other words, don't get involved with him anymore!"
As she said this, she stared fiercely at Mori Shinra, as if looking at some kind of pollutant.
In her eyes, he was clearly a frivolous guy. If her little brother got involved with him, he would inevitably be led astray.
"Although I don't know who Taishi is, I have a reason to stop you. The owner of this place is a friend of my father's. Your act of lying about your age and hiding the fact that you're a student is undoubtedly a violation of the hiring requirements. If you get caught, there will be a lot of trouble," the threat in Miura's words was palpable.
"Is that so? Then have your father's friend fire me. Even if I get fired from here, I can just find another job elsewhere."
Kawasaki Saki put a heavy emphasis on the word 'father,' as if mocking Miura for being someone who only relies on her parents to threaten others.
"Ha? Do you think I'm joking?"
"No. Please, feel free. Also, even if the owner here is your father's friend, you still have to pay the bill."
"You..."
Seeing the topic straying further and further, Yukinoshita interrupted again. "So why are you working here?"
"Isn't it obvious? I need money."
Kawasaki felt that talking to this group of young masters and ladies was like a chicken talking to a duck. How could people like them, who had never had to worry about food or clothing since birth, possibly understand her?
"I can understand that, at least," Shinra interjected.
However, hearing him say this, Kawasaki's expression immediately stiffened, even turning a little gloomy.
"How could you possibly understand... a guy who jokes about his own future, how could you possibly understand?"
"Uh... when did I joke about my future?" Shinra felt wronged.
Yukinoshita, however, felt he was not wronged at all. She 'kindly' reminded him, "The top student in science who enrolled in the liberal arts track."
Huh? It seems that's true. He couldn't refute that at all.
"I need to correct something. That wasn't a joke."
"Oh? If it wasn't a joke, then it means you're still a child who takes life too simply!"
Shinra blinked. With his Wish system, wasn't his life already on easy mode?
Of course, he couldn't say this to her. The system was his biggest secret, something he would never tell anyone in this lifetime.
"You... no, not just you, but Yukinoshita and Miura as well. None of you would understand. I'm not working for fun money. Don't lump me in with that kind of idiot!"
Kawasaki glared at him, the intense emotion in her eyes was palpable even without his Emotion Perception.
Perhaps because she was too agitated, or for some other reason, he could clearly see a thin layer of mist covering her eyes.
Should he call her strong? It was more like she had to plate herself with a shell because of life.
Since she needed money not for fun, it must be related to her future or her dreams.
"As Miura said, her father is a friend of the owner here, on the same social level. I hear Yukinoshita's father is a member of the prefectural assembly, right? As for you... I don't know who your parents are, but to be with these two, you probably don't have a simple background either..."
"That's where you're wrong. I don't have parents," Shinra said suddenly.
"You... what?"
Kawasaki was clearly thrown off by his sudden statement. For a moment, she forgot how to continue.
Her expression was no longer as cold and hard as before. She was like a little girl who had made a mistake and didn't know what to do, her mouth opening and closing but no words coming out.
Miura Yumiko was also so shocked by his 'I don't have parents' bombshell that she forgot to be angry with Kawasaki. She looked at him uneasily, wondering if her attitude towards him earlier had been too harsh.
Yukinoshita, however, had known about this for a while, so she showed no surprise. Seeing the reactions of the other two, she even felt an urge to laugh, but considering the situation, she forced it down, which was quite difficult.
After saying this, Shinra sighed, his expression a little lonely. "The reason I can stand here with them is not because my family is rich, and my parents weren't some high officials or nobles. It's simply because we're classmates."
"As for what you said about me joking with my future, that's even more baseless. I chose to study liberal arts after careful consideration, and my grades have already caught up. If you don't believe me, you can ask Yukinoshita."
Hearing this, Yukinoshita subconsciously nodded. She had seen his progress these past few days. Although he would likely not surpass her in the liberal arts exam subjects, it was still uncertain who would win in terms of the total score.
"If you still don't believe me, you can wait until after this regular exam and compare our scores. Then you'll know I'm not lying."
"Wh-what does that have to do with me?"
In Shinra's view, the emotion of guilt on Kawasaki Saki was about to overflow, but her mouth was still so stubborn.
"I'm not doing this to gain any sympathy. I'm saying that I can understand you. In fact, after their accident, my quality of life also dropped significantly. Although it wasn't to the point where I couldn't afford to eat, it wasn't good either. I'm also in great need of money."
"In fact, I pretty much know what you need the money for. It's for your future, right?" he said, his gaze burning into her. The intense look made it difficult for her to look back, and she had to avert her eyes in a show of weakness.
"Wh-what does that have to do with me..." the girl stammered, her voice having lost all its previous coldness. She was like a cornered kitten, only able to use a weak cry to hide her vulnerability.
"I know. But I want to remind you, think about your family, think about Taishi. They're not trying to stop you; they're very worried about you. No matter what difficulties you have, can't you just explain it to them clearly?" Seeing that the emotions had been sufficiently brewed, Shinra decided to use his final killing move.
"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, for old time is still a-flying, Kawasaki-san."
Although she didn't quite understand the meaning of his last sentence, Kawasaki knew that he was right.
She really should explain things clearly to her family, instead of making them worry.
She took a deep breath, just about to speak.
"Young Master Shinra?"
A middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes stood in the middle of a group of people, looking in their direction with a surprised expression. And on the outskirts of this group, Kawasaki Saki saw the owner of this bar.
And the title he used for Mori Shinra... Young Master?
Combined with his impassioned speech just now, the light in Kawasaki Saki's eyes gradually faded, and her gaze became extremely dangerous.
Mori Shinra was right?
Right, my ass!