After finding a part-time job—no, calling it part-time was no longer accurate. With three meals a day included, it was closer to full-time. As a result, Aoyama Akira now spent most of his daytime hours in that run-down shop. Still, this didn't interfere with his training at all. As long as he managed his time well after work, he could continue improving both his physical condition and his Quirk.
Today followed the usual routine.
Akira trained his body first.
He completed a five-kilometer run without stopping. He could now do thirty pull-ups in one go, over one hundred and fifty push-ups in a single breath, and several hundred squats with stable form. Overall, his physical condition had reached an impressive level. At the very least, he had already surpassed the average person by a wide margin.
The improvement might seem exaggerated—but if anyone trained every single day for months without interruption, this level of progress wasn't unrealistic.
More importantly, Akira's Quirk—Holy Light—could circulate throughout his entire body. This energy eased physical fatigue and accelerated recovery, allowing him to train more efficiently.
It was similar to how athletes used nutritional supplements before and after workouts. By replenishing energy quickly and reducing exhaustion, they could maintain consistent performance. Holy Light provided that benefit naturally, from within.
The next morning, Akira arrived at Broken House right on time at eight o'clock.
As expected, Usagi Gin was still asleep.
It wasn't until Akira knocked on the shutter several times that Gin finally woke up. Half-asleep and irritated, he cursed under his breath as he staggered toward the door, completely forgetting that he had hired someone.
When the shutter rolled up and he saw Akira standing there, he froze for a moment.
"Oh—right," Gin said, then burst into laughter. "Sorry about that. It's been a while since anyone applied here. I got used to living alone."
Akira didn't mind. He glanced around the cluttered interior and asked calmly, "So… what exactly do I need to do here?"
Gin replied without hesitation. "Simple. First, clean up all the trash and grime outside the shop. Especially the stuff under the utility pole. Oh, and the graffiti too. Just take care of all that."
Akira felt a headache coming on.
So this was it. The real reason Gin had hired someone wasn't for business—it was because he was too lazy to clean himself.
Gin seemed to read Akira's expression and chuckled. "Hey, you can't run a business in a mess like this. Once it's cleaned up, we can finally open properly."
Akira thought silently: If you knew that, you should've cleaned it yourself.
But as an employee, he had little choice. After all, Gin was providing three meals a day.
"Gin-san," Akira said after a moment, "how about this—I'll clean outside, and you handle the inside. That fair?"
"No problem," Gin nodded readily. "Tools are inside. Go ahead."
Akira didn't argue further. He grabbed the cleaning tools and headed out.
The situation outside was even worse than expected. Garbage bags were piled near the entrance, and the stench lingered in the air. It practically felt like standing next to a dump.
Akira gathered the trash and carried it down the alley to the communal disposal area used by nearby residents and shops. After several trips back and forth, he finally cleared everything out.
Next came the worst part.
Using water, he scrubbed away the dried stains beneath the utility pole. The smell was unpleasant, but he worked quickly and thoroughly.
By the time he finished cleaning the entrance, nearly an hour had passed—and he hadn't eaten breakfast yet.
Akira returned inside and immediately noticed something.
Nothing had changed.
The interior was still a mess.
Gin was crouched in a corner, rummaging through something with his back turned.
"…You didn't clean at all?" Akira asked.
Gin turned around with an awkward smile. "I was looking for something important for work. Got distracted. Mind helping me out with the inside too?"
Akira stared at him.
At this point, he fully understood what kind of person his boss was—lazy, passive, and skilled at talking without acting.
"Boss," Akira said flatly, "I haven't even had breakfast yet. Can we eat first?"
"Oh—right," Gin slapped his thigh. "Breakfast should've been delivered already. I'll call him now. He promised to be on time."
Akira had a feeling the food delivery guy was just as unreliable as Gin.
Still, after Gin made the call, the delivery arrived about ten minutes later.
When Akira opened the bag, a warm aroma drifted out.
Inside were rice balls, miso soup, and grilled side dishes.
Gin noticed Akira looking over and casually picked up an onigiri. "I like simple food. You okay with this?"
"Yeah," Akira replied. "It's fine."
The only thing that caught his attention was that the meal was very light—mostly vegetables, with barely any meat.
Gin, on the other hand, ate happily, completely unconcerned.
After breakfast, they returned to cleaning.
Naturally, Akira did most of the work. The interior was far messier than it looked, and cleaning it properly took time. After an hour and a half of joint effort—though heavily one-sided—Broken House finally looked… presentable.
"It's done!" Gin stacked a pile of documents onto the desk, surveying the clean space with satisfaction. Hiring Akira had clearly been the right decision.
He had interviewed a few applicants before, but they all left the moment they heard cleaning was required. Only Akira stayed.
Because of that, Gin silently decided that once a week, he'd make sure Akira ate something decent. That was his idea of a reward.
"Boss," Akira asked cautiously, "is there anything else that needs doing today? Let's finish it all now."
He had no desire to return tomorrow just to hear there was more cleaning.
"Nope, that's it," Gin replied lazily. "You've worked hard today. Broken House is officially open again. Now we just wait for customers."
There really wasn't anything else Akira could clean. Some areas were clearly Gin's private space, and Akira didn't intend to pry.
"Then I'll rest for a bit," Akira said. "Call me if someone shows up."
He was exhausted. This kind of labor was nothing like training—it drained energy in a completely different way.
"Relax," Gin said cheerfully. "Someone will come soon."
With help at last, everything felt like it was back on track. Broken House had once been one of the more active shops in the alley, before various incidents led to its decline.
Now, with Akira—a capable and hardworking helper—Gin could finally enjoy being the owner again.