The proprietress put down the bill in her hand, then walked out from behind the counter and led Akira to a seat.
"I'm Naomi Shimamoto, the proprietress here. Please introduce yourself first."
"I'm Akira, a freshman at Saitama Prefecture University. My working hours are roughly from 6 PM to 9 PM, and my expected salary is 1000 yen per hour."
Akira replied concisely. He was only here to gain experience, so he didn't have very high salary demands.
He didn't have any arrogant quirks, thinking he was highly valuable.
He knew very well that, until he gained enough experience, he was just a brick that could be moved anywhere—a beast of burden to be driven by others.
Unless he wanted to use his still-handsome face for some kind of transaction, his conditions were not at all outstanding.
The proprietress was a bit surprised by Akira's introduction. She had thought the young man in front of her would expect a higher salary, but he directly asked for the average wage.
Though, for a handsome young man, there was still some room for negotiation.
"Alright then. Working hours are Monday to Friday, from 6 PM to 9 PM, at 1000 yen per hour." The proprietress made the decision directly, without calling her husband out, and then asked, "Can you start working today?"
Akira nodded, "Yes, I can." He was eager to start early.
"Go change into your uniform in the changing room. I'll take you to the back kitchen."
Akira came out in his uniform, and Naomi Shimamoto nodded, leading him to the back kitchen.
A burly man, wearing an apron, was busy at the counter. A white towel was draped around his neck, which he occasionally used to wipe his forehead.
"Honey, this is the new employee. You can show him the ropes."
"Hello, I'm the new employee, Akira."
"Hello, I'm Shimamoto Kota, the owner here. Akira-kun, you'll be working hard from now on," Shimamoto Kota said with a cheerful smile, his tone exceptionally gentle.
Shimamoto Kota took a kitchen knife from the side and asked, "How are you with kitchen tasks?"
"I do them quite often," Akira replied, taking the knife.
He picked up the cabbage prepared for processing and began to skillfully prepare it.
Shimamoto Kota looked at the shredded cabbage and potatoes Akira had cut, his face beaming with a smile. "We've found a treasure! Akira-kun can help me a lot!"
"Mr. Shimamoto, could you teach me how to cook? I'd like to learn how to make delicious dishes," Akira asked while preparing ingredients.
Shimamoto Kota exclaimed, "It's rare for a young man like you to dislike sports and instead enjoy cooking!"
He didn't hesitate at all and replied directly, "Then I'll fulfill this young man's wish!"
"After all, making good food was once my dream too! Hahahahaha!!!" Shimamoto Kota laughed heartily, and Akira's mood was also lifted.
The back kitchen then buzzed with activity, accompanied by the constant system notifications in Akira's mind.
[Cooking Lv3: 75/100]
[Getting Started: For even more delicious dishes, let's go!]
---
"Hello, here is your order." Akira brought the prepared meal to the customer and was momentarily stunned by her appearance.
The girl in front of him had coral-pink, shoulder-length hair, delicate strands, and twin pigtails. Her eyes, the same color as her hair, were exceptionally bright. She wore a red school uniform with a yellow bow tie at the collar, a black vest over a white short-sleeved shirt, and black long socks covering her smooth thighs. Her entire aura could only be described with two words: cute.
Next to her, another equally cute girl was slightly hunched over, wearing a grey vest over a white short-sleeved shirt. Her prominent chest was also covered by the vest. The girl had her head slightly bowed, her cheeks flushed, as if too shy to look at anyone.
This must be Sajuna Inui and Shinju Inui.
Akira quickly reacted and slowly placed the dishes on the table: "Please enjoy your meal, Juju-sama."
Sajuna Inui turned her head when she heard him, one hand still patting her sister's back, and looked at Akira with a cold expression. "Who are you?"
"My name is Akira, and I'm an employee here," Akira replied with a smile, then complimented her: "Juju-sama is just as beautiful as in the online photos!"
Sajuna Inui still maintained her cold expression and didn't respond to Akira. Shinju Inui, who had been looking down, slowly raised her head to steal glances at the young man praising her sister.
She had never seen her big sister praised by a male before!
"Excuse me, Juju-sama, I still have work to do. Could you tell me your name?" Akira said with a friendly expression. Although he wanted to stay and deepen his relationship with Sajuna Inui, he obviously couldn't stay there indefinitely; there was still a lot of work to do in the back kitchen.
So, a preliminary introduction would suffice for now. There would be plenty of time later.
"I refuse." Sajuna Inui coldly rejected Akira's request.
Shinju Inui, on the other hand, looked up and apologized softly, "I'm... sorry, my sister... isn't very used to interacting with men."
As she said this, Shinju Inui, who was already hunched, lowered her head even more. Sajuna Inui beside her said, "I've told you not to always slouch!"
Akira didn't get angry; he just smiled and said, "I apologize, I was too abrupt. I hope you enjoy your meal."
This was just his first encounter with Sajuna Inui and Shinju Inui. Given Sajuna Inui's personality, she would clearly be indifferent to men.
After all, Sajuna spent most of her time in an all-girls school, so dealing with the opposite sex must be quite difficult for her!
Even when she went to university, it was a women's university, mostly filled with girls.
For Sajuna Inui, who had no experience with the opposite sex, the idea of fainting just from shaking hands with a male peer was simply too adorable.
Moreover, the adult Juju-sama clearly possessed even more charm.
Akira returned to the back kitchen full of enthusiasm, a wide smile on his face, his lips practically splitting from ear to ear.
Shimamoto Kota, who was wiping sweat, saw Akira's expression and also grinned, asking, "Akira-kun, why are you so happy? Is there good news?"
Akira picked up another prepared meal and replied with a smile, "I met a cute girl I like."
"Oh, is she your girlfriend?" Shimamoto Kota asked curiously.
"No, she's just a girl I like. Before, because we lived far apart, I didn't have a chance to meet her."
"So you're so happy to see her today! Haha!" Shimamoto Kota laughed heartily, hands on his hips, and patted Akira's shoulder. "Go for it, Akira-kun! I, the boss, fully support you!"
"Love, no matter how far the distance, must be overcome. Akira-kun, you can't give up halfway now!"
Akira nodded and walked out of the back kitchen with the meal again.
"Yes, no matter how far the distance, it must be overcome! Before, it was a whole world away."