The food in this world is usually super salty and oily—the kind of stuff guys like to eat—so it’s not really my thing.
And when I go out to eat, all the customers are adventurer dudes. There aren’t any groups of girls chatting over lunch or anything like that.
Well if the clientele are all guys, then it makes sense that the menu is all man food, I thought, biting into a leg of meat like you’d see in a manga.
“So I had the idea that I could probably rake in the cash if I opened a classy restaurant with a menu that would work for girls.”
“Right. But Haru, it must take guts to eat out alone, huh?”
“What?”
When I told my work friend Lupe about my idea as we were folding hand towels, she replied in exasperation, “Madam will scold you and say a woman eating out alone is disgraceful. You should only eat out when you have a man to escort you.”
This world that Chiba and I were forced to hitch a ride to by that runaway truck—it’s super misogynistic. I was born in the Heisei period, so I knew from just a taste of it that this society was not for me. There are lots of times I’ll be doing my normal thing and then—surprise—I’m in trouble.
Apparently a woman eating out alone should be ashamed. It’s improper. Well, then there’s no point in opening a cute restaurant girls would like. And, ugh, it’s embarrassing that I’d been eating out alone all that time.
“But I like that about you, Haru. You seem like you might start something cool.”
“You can tell? I was always a rebel at school, too.”
“Wow, you went to school? So how did you end up in this line of work?”
“Ah, well, a lot of things happened...”
“Oh, sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. Sorry, sorry.”
“Mm, how to explain...I guess I can’t go home, so I have to get by on my own. But there’s no real reason, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
Lupe is only a year older than me, but she has three more years of work experience; she teaches me a lot. Sometimes my lack of common sense astounds her, but we get along well.
She’s a cute girl with fluffy pink hair.
“I see. My parents sold me. I had two big sisters and a little brother, so I was kind of in the way.”
“What? That’s way more tragic than my story.”
“It happens all the time.”
This world is awfully hard to live in as a woman.
Chiba’s stoked about cheat abilities or whatever like an idiot, all, “This world is the best!” but I wonder what he thinks about his classmate who has come down this far. I mean, I’m on the dead-last rung of the social ladder.
He was saying that stuff about being his slave or maid or whatever, not even thinking about how I’d feel—and I’d rather die. I just know he would get a big head and start making ridiculous demands.
“You guys, don’t just stand there gabbing—finish up with those towels. Then when you’re done, please clean up the kitchen.”
“Okay!”
But maybe it would be better to work for a dude I know, meowing in a maid uniform, than running my body into the ground with this lifestyle. I do wonder.
Ahh.
Well, for now my goal is to make number three in monthly sales!
I’ll think about the rest after I hit that.
“Haru, take the trash out.”
“Kay-kay.”
When I took the huge can out, I noticed someone watching me.
It was a super fat guy. He hightailed it out of there, blushing. There aren’t many people walking around the nightlife district during daylight hours, so he stood out with his hulking figure.
The shop isn’t even open yet. What did he want...?
“Haru, what are you doing? Rehearsal’s about to start!”
“Oh, coming!”
But I was busy, so I didn’t have time to play Detective Conan over a guy who wasn’t even a customer. We have a lot of things to do even before the shop opens.
“A sweet flower that blooms only at night ♪”
So, sometimes we put on stage shows at the shop. They feature the girls who can sing or play instruments, but pretty much everyone does something.
“Sōre! Tiger! Fire! Cyber! Fiber!”
Incidentally, I was notorious in our school for being tone-deaf, and when we went to karaoke I was always in charge of dancing like a maniac, so I begged off singing duty.
Luckily, I had planned to be in charge of wotagei for the performances at our school festival, so I took on livening up the stage with the moves I had learned. Wotagei has substantially contributed to my livelihood.
Speaking of the festival, it must have happened ages ago. I wonder if our class managed to have a good time right after two of us died. I would feel bad if we killed the mood.
Of course, I’d be kinda pissed if they had fun without us, too.
“Haru, you’re looking sharp as usual. We’ll be counting on you for the performance.”
“Thanks!”
It was such an honor to have our singing princess Shequraso (number three in sales) talk to me. But I’m still going to take your rank someday.
“All right, we’re going to open up, everyone.”
“Come on in!”
The sun went down, and the shop opened. The pub and brothel Blue Cat Nocturne is located sort of deeper within the nightlife district, but thanks to its rich atmosphere and reputation for high-quality girls, the tables start filling up as soon as it opens.
“Hiya, Haru. Still no ass on you, huh?”
“Gimme a break! If you wanna touch it, that’s 70 rubers!”
“Sorry, I only have money for drinks today.”
The regulars gathered, and I did my waitressing despite the guys grabbing my butt. Honestly, where does he get off saying I have no ass if he has no money?
And then he was staring at Shequraso’s butt all like, “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about.”
Fuck. I’m still growing.
I cut across the hall with four beer mugs in each hand, stepping a bit higher than usual. I’m gonna get that gorgeous ass, just you wait!
Pretty much the only guy so unrefined he would say “Let’s go upstairs” the minute he walks through the door is Chiba. Manly manners dictated eating and drinking one’s fill—spending properly at the pub—beforehand.
Most of what I do at the pub is waiting tables, but I’d like to try working in the kitchen eventually. I should probably learn how to cook—after all, it feels shitty to eat out now.
“Come on in!” I welcomed a customer with a fawning pose.
But I’d seen that fatty somewhere before.
Huh?
Is this the chubby dude who was outside the shop before we opened?
“Ah...umm...”
He used a handkerchief to wipe a stream of sweat away. He was all red, with a face just like a sumo wrestler.
For the time being I smiled politely and led him to a seat. “Party of one?”
He was too big to put at the bar. It was a waste, but I gave him a window table. That’s a place where only cool guys should be sitting.
“Let me know when you’ve decided what you’d like.”
That day I was wearing my orange dress, so I was extra cute even though I couldn’t give as many free panty flashes. To leave an impression, I rocked my hips to make my skirt swish as I walked back to the bar. When I used the back of a tray as a mirror to check on Sumo, sure enough, he was fixated on my ass. Heh-heh. Not too shabby after all.
I had the feeling he kept glancing at me, but I had to wait on other customers too, so I didn’t have time to flirt. He seemed to have a hard time talking to girls, though—he still hadn’t ordered anything. Since he was so helpless, I decided to go over to him when I had a free moment.
“What can I get for you?”
“U-Uh...I...umm...”
Hakkeyoi!
“Wh-What’s your name?”
“Huh?”
“Please tell me your name.”
From what I could tell, he was still pretty young. Maybe around my age. He looked to be 18 or 19 at the oldest.
He was fat, but he was wearing nice clothes. He didn’t look like he was earning his own money, so his parents were probably rich. He must have been getting an allowance big enough to come to this sort of place on his own.
“O-ho.” I pulled up a chair and sat across from him. “Ten rubers.”
“Huh?”
“Happy Fun Talking Time. If you want me to sit with you, it’s 10 rubers for 30 minutes.”
“Oh, I-I see.”
As Sumo hesitantly took out some money, I made sure to get a peek inside his wallet.
Ohh.
Oh-hooo.
“Lupe, an ice-cold beett for this gentleman. I’ll have an oohaa.”
“Coming right up!”
“Uh, umm...”
“By the way, the girl’s drink is on you, too. That’s okay, right?”
“Uh, yes. That’s fine...”
“I’m Haru!”