章節 4: The Manager and his Ex-Girlfriend
Ehem, Chiaki speaking here. I'm glad everything went well yesterday. We definitely erased those miasmatic semi-old people. And now, our employee search starts to complete our staff, but the first applicant turns out to be someone I knew... and the word 'knew' is a big understatement.
"Managerial position?" asked Kanata. "I'm sorry but-"
"Yes! I'm here to apply for that pos-" said Itsuki but stopped when she looked at me. "Y-You're...!"
T-This girl, why is she here?!
"What are you doing here?!" asked Itsuki and I in sync.
This is the worst. Tatsuhisa Itsuki, she's my ex-girlfriend! What is she doing here?! I thought she already transferred to another prefecture!
"You two know each other?" asked Kanata.
"Uh, yeah," I said. "She's my ex-girlfriend back in high school."
"I-Is that true, Ma'am?!" asked Kanata. "W-What a compelling coincidence!"
"Well, yeah," said Itsuki. "For a year, it was."
She even revealed it.
"So Chiaki, are you an employee here?" asked Itsuki. "Are you in the service crew or the maintenance? Hmm, I can't imagine you being the barista either, it doesn't suit you."
She really pisses me off this early morning, huh?!
"No," I answered. "I am the one and only manager of this wonderful restaurant, the Umami Land!"
"You're lying about the term 'wonderful', aren't you?" asked Itsuki.
"Everything can be beautified by applying confidence, fufu," I said. "Sorry to disappoint you but we aren't hiring for an assistant manager. Guhehe~"
This somehow feels good for some reason!
"Then, why is this posted in front of your restaurant?" said Itsuki as she reveals a printed paper. "HIRING: Manager - 50000 yen salary plus full benefits included, it says."
"I don't remember sticking something like that..." said Kanata.
"T-Those musculados and guru gossipers!" I said. "They want to oust me that bad?"
"Ah, too bad," said Itsuki. "I felt that I could run this place better than that piece of crap beside you, uhh..."
P-Piece of crap?! Is she referring to me?!
"You can call me, Kanata," said Kanata.
"Kanata-chan, then," said Itsuki. "Did that guy do something perverted to you? We can sue him, y'know."
"I didn't do anything to her!" I said. "And what's with the use of law here?!"
"Don't worry, Itsuki-san. Manager is a kind person," said Kanata.
Nice defense, Kanata-san! I'll promote you faster than anyone!
"Well, he did almost peek at me while I was changing," added Kanata.
"K-K-Kanata, t-that was accidental," I said. "You know, cliche occurrences..."
I can feel a glare of death from the other lass with us.
"Kanata-chan, are you below 18 years old?" asked Itsuki.
"I'm exactly 18 years old," said Kanata.
What's with the inquiry of age?!
"Ah," reacted Itsuki.
What's with the disappointed look?!
"I thought we can sue him for being a lolicon," said Itsuki. "You dodged a bullet there, Chiaki."
"Do you want me to be jailed that badly?! You witch...!" said Chiaki.
"Said by someone whose breath stinks like a witch," answered Itsuki.
"H-Hey, apologize to all witches around the world!" I said.
Is she here just to cause trouble?
"It seems I'm done here," said Itsuki. "I'm going to apply to another resto. I can't stand working with that guy."
"W-What are we gonna do, Manager?" asked Kanata. "She's leaving!"
Seems I got no choice, after all.
"Are you sure about that?" I asked. "I'm sure you'll flop every word you'll speak during your interview since you have this kind of semi stage fright, am I wrong? Hehe."
"I-Idiot! Why are you bringing that up now?" said Itsuki.
Guhehe, she's flustered. That trait of her is already a core memory for me.
"I-I wouldn't flop!" added Itsuki. "Y-You'll see! If I didn't come back here later at night, then it means I got accepted!"
Hoho, a challenge? I have no problem with that!
"Bring it on!" I said. "I'm pretty sure you'll be begging me to accept you later!"
"Go to hell!" said Itsuki. "Hmp!"
Ah, she left.
"Ah Manager, you made her mad," said Kanata.
"It's okay, she's just one of the numerous tsundere(s) here in Japan you'd meet," I said. "I guess it's on her blood."
"I-Is that so?" asked Kanata.
"Nevermind her, let's continue with the work," I said. "I called my contact about a change in the wallpaper and lights inside this place and they should arrive at any minute. The glass crew should also arrive here soon enough since they'll replace those dilapidated jalousies with laminated glass."
"Wow, you already made a request yesterday?" asked Kanata. "That means you already computed the budget too?"
"Yeah, I did it overnight," I said. "Commendable, right? Hahaha!"
"Your confidence is off the chart as always, Manager," said Kanata.
<Kanata and I did every possible fix that we could manage. We cleaned the storage room which was definitely the most neglected part of this restaurant. The crews that I called yesterday arrived at around lunchtime. The jalousies were replaced by the glittering durable sets of laminated glass. Blinds were also placed instead of traditional curtains or the like, making the vibe being modernized. The wallpaper crew did 50% of the work within the day and stopped by the time the clock ticked at 18:00 and would continue it the next day. I thought we can call it a day already but...>
"I guess we should close now," said Kanata. "The workers already left. Huh?"
<Itsuki suddenly entered the restaurant gloomed.>
Uh, so she really returned here.
"Itsuki-san," said Kanata. "What's wrong?"
"I-I went to five restaurants around here and two from the other city and they all.... rejected me!" said Itsuki. "Eek! This is so irritating!"
Hahaha! That interesting reaction, I knew it's going to come! What a satisfying scene! Crap, I couldn't hide my smirk.
"Hehe, I was right all along," I said. "So, you being back here means that..."
"F-Fine! I'll apply here!" said Itsuki.
"That's the spirit!" I said.
"Yay!" cheered Kanata. "Then, show Itsuki-san her table. We'll interview her."
E-Eh?
"Aren't you the one who's gonna escort her?" I asked.
"You're the Manager," said Kanata. "You should make your applicant feel easy about the interview. I'll prepare some coffee for her so I'll be back in a minute."
"K-Kanata-san..." I uttered.
"So Manager-san, show me my table," said Itsuki as she smirked at me.
T-This is a little awkward even for me!
"Y-You can walk on your own, right?" I said. "Just walk towards here."
"Oh, is this what you call service with a smile?" asked Itsuki. "Hehe, pretty lame."
W-What did she say?!
"I advocate for a better gender equality," I said. "You can sit on your own since you are not a blind person."
"How about I'll blind your eyes forever? Huh?" asked Itsuki.
"S-Sorry," I said.
<After ten minutes, we proceeded with the interview.>
"Sorry I took so long," said Kanata. "I already changed my clothes since it's already closing time."
"No worries, Kanata-chan," said Itsuki.
"So, let's proceed," I said. "Based on your resume, uhh.."
She really had the guts to put 'Can withstand tremendous pressure' in the special skills section, eh? 'Likes to interact with people without being nervous', is she though?!
"No wonder you weren't accepted! This is all lies!" I said.
"H-How rude!" said Itsuki. "I thought they wouldn't test me!"
W-What an idiot.
"What are you applying for?" I asked.
"Service staff position," said Itsuki.
"Hoho~ I thought you're applying for the managerial? Guhehe..." I teased.
"I couldn't, thanks to some annoying, stinking roach occupying the position already!" said Itsuki.
R-Roach?! Me?!
"N-Next question!" I said. "What are your vital statistics?"
"You really asked me that nonchalantly?" asked Itsuki.
"It's for uniform size purposes," I said.
"Your grin doesn't complement your reasoning," said Itsuki as she grabs and shakes my polo collar.
"H-Hey! Knock it off! I-I can't breathe, Itsuki-san~" I reacted.
Her grip is something to be terrified of!
"Manager, just ask her a basic yet powerful question," said Kanata. "We can justify whether we should accept her or not, though I hope you consider."
"E-Ehem, fine then," I said. "What drives you to work here even though you're from a farther place?
I referred to her resume about the location.
"I want to make my dream come true," said Itsuki.
Oh, it's the first time I heard this.
"Dream?" I asked.
"I want to become a voice actress," said Itsuki. "That's why I came here to Tokyo from Kyoto. I separated myself from my parents since they didn't support me in my dream. They wanted me to be an architect even though it wasn't really my passion."
That's why she suddenly arrived here.
"I just arrived here yesterday but I couldn't sleep knowing that I don't have some source of money to fund myself," said Itsuki. "That's why I searched immediately for a job, which I started today. I wanted to do something for myself."
Hearing her answer makes me think that, "Hey, she's so independent.". To be honest, I am moved, j-just a little bit.
"I'm so proud of you, Itsuki-san!" said Kanata. "I wonder if I can be independent as well!"
"Rebelling from your parents isn't really good..." answered Itsuki. "But, I'm sure you can be independent, you actually act mature!"
"I-Is that so? Ah~ I got complimented by a super beautiful lady~" said Kanata. "So Manager, what's your decision?"
Guess I'll give in since we're urgently hiring and it would affect my conscience if she couldn't find a job to sustain her current life, aiming for her dream.
"Fine, you're accepted," I declared. "Welcome to Umami Land!"
I am still embarrassed about saying the restaurant's name. What is this, a children's show?
"Yay, Itsuki-san!" cheered Kanata as she hugs Itsuki.
Y-Yuri... Wait, what am I thinking again, really?!
"Oh wait, a phone call," said Kanata. "Hello..."
"Nice working with you, Manager-san," said Itsuki as she winks at me.
"Yeah, whatever," I said. "Don't hold us back or I'll fire you..."
"Haha! You'll be fired sooner than me!" said Itsuki.
"Y-You...!" I reacted.
She pisses me off again...!
"Excuse me, I'll be going now," said Kanata. "My mom said she needs help with something at home so I need to scram now."
"Yep, no problem," I said. "Take care on the way home, Kanata-san."
Ah, she left. She's really in a hurry, huh?
"You can go, too," I said. "We'll talk about your schedule tomorrow so be here at 10 am. I'll close the place down once I'm done changing."
I wonder where she's living around Tokyo?
"Chiaki, uhh.." said Itsuki.
"Huh? Is something wrong? Need to take a shit?" I said. "There's the comfort room, we just cleaned it earlier. Just hoping that you're not constipated since I really want to go home now."
"I'm not going to poop nor I'm constipated!" answered Itsuki.
"What's wrong, then?" I said.
"Well, uhh..." said Itsuki.
She's being fidgety for an unknown cause.
"I-I stayed at a hotel yesterday but if I stayed there continuously, my savings isn't enough until the next paycheck," explained Itsuki. "A-And I haven't scanned for apartments around here since I'm not familiar with the place so..."
"So?" I asked.
"C-Can I stay at your place for the meantime?" asked Itsuki.
W-Weird... Is fate playing with me for today?!
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