CH 3

As the girls left, Fujisaki-san looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“Hey, what part of what they said was rude to me? What they said was obviously ‘rude’ to you.”

“Haha, I’m fine with it. It happens all the time.”

“Even if you’re fine with it, I’m not!”

Crossing her arms, she puffed her cheeks out as she said that.

She’s always a cool beauty when the others are around, so I wonder why she relaxes like this when I’m the only one around.

Although I honestly think it’s awfully cute when she sometimes shows this childish side of her.

“Well, aside from those guys, Yamamoto. Thank you again today. Your cooking skills are really good.”

“T-that’s not it! I’m not even close to your level, Manager!”

“Ahaha, I’m still working on my technique. But I can see that your cooking is full of love. It’s the most important thing. Tell me, what’s your secret?”

I was a little embarrassed to be asked such a question, but I confessed.

“I always cook with the same feeling I have when I cook for my sister. My cooking skills have improved because I was working hard since I wanted to feed my sister good food.”

“I see, your sister is a lucky girl. Well, I’ve added some color to your paycheck this month. Since you’ve been doing a great job.”

“No way! I’m sorry, I can’t be the only one… The store is run by everyone, so it’s not just me.”

“Well, don’t say that. You have a family to take care of, right?”

“To begin with, I really appreciate you hiring me when no one else was willing to hire me because of my body condition! So that was enough—”

It was then, Fujisaki-san’s phone rang.

“… Ha.”

Looking at her smartphone screen, Fujisaki-san made a gloomy expression.

“… Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, I’ve always been a cook because I wanted to have my own restaurant. But my parents are worried about me, and so they’ve taken the liberty of introducing me to some decent men, but… honestly, I’m just not interested.”

“Haha, that must be tough.”

“Just like the part-time girls here, I don’t know why they’re being so extra nosy.”

Fujisaki-san put her hand over her mouth and started to think about something.

“… Hey, Yamamoto. Do you also think I’m a boring and unfeminine person?”

Fujisaki-san started to say something like that and I hurriedly denied it.

“T-that can’t be true! Manager, you went to France by yourself to learn cooking for 3 years and opened such a wonderful restaurant at such a young age! A Michelin star is really a great achievement! People even say you’re a genius!”

“—But the most popular dishes here these days are your creations, aren’t they?”

“It’s all thanks to your guidance, Manager! And you don’t just cook, you do everything by yourself, from buying and managing the ingredients to running the restaurant! That’s why I respect you so much!”

When I spoke quickly and desperately in defense, Fujisaki-san laughed meanly.

“Fufufu, I was kidding. I’m not interested in romantic relationships, and sometimes I even get worried that maybe I’m not the right person for the job. I can’t even make friends because of my personality.”

Fujisaki-san’s laughter gradually became self-deprecating.

She always acts so stout-hearted, but in her heart, she may have been quite concerned about it.

As my sister always does for me, I tried to encourage her.

“Don’t worry! Fujisaki-san. You’re so beautiful that there’s a lot of people who are surely attracted to you! Besides, it means that you are fulfilling your dreams and is very focused on it, isn’t that a very wonderful thing?”

“Fufu. Thank you. You’re so kind, I’m good now. I wonder if I’ll ever really love someone someday? I can’t imagine it, but I’m sure I’d be too much of a turn-off. If I could, though, I’d take somebody to my parents’ house once just to reassure them…”

Fujisaki-san mumbled a little and tapped me on the shoulder.

“Well, I guess that’s it for your shift, huh? You can go up. There’s only one reservation at night. I can turn around just fine on my own now.”

“I see! Well then, I’ll come back tomorrow at lunch time!”

“Thanks for always helping me with the busy hours. Now, I have to stock up.”

Saying so, Fujisaki-san’s steps looked somewhat heavy as she prepared the cooking utensils.

I called out to her without a second thought.

“Manager, aren’t you working a little too hard?”

“Yeah, I’ve been busy with other work lately. Don’t worry, I’ll get some rest after today’s work.”

As soon as she said that, Fujisaki-san dazedly bumped her body against a kitchen cabinet.

And then the cookware stacked on top of the shelves lost its balance and fell.

“— Watch out!”

I frantically jumped out and covered Fujisaki-san, catching pots and frying pans that fell from above on my back.

The pot that was bounced off my body though, falls to the floor, making a loud noise.

“Argh… are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“You, what about you? Are you alright?”

“I’m good, and you seem to be okay too, Manager. Haha, good thing I’m big.”

But Fujisaki-san was looking at me with concern.

“I’m sorry, I know I jumped all of a sudden, I might have… scared you.”

“I’m not scared! Just, my heart is beating so fast!”

Fujisaki-san’s face turned red as she said so.

I’m a big guy, 130 kilograms. She said her heart is beating so fast. I guess she’s scared after all.

So, I said to Fujisaki-san with a serious expression.

“Manager, please leave the night business to me and my part-timers. And you should take some rest.”

“But tomorrow I’m calling on you again at lunchtime when you’re busy. I can’t rely on you, a part-time worker, that much…”

I used a little cheating to get past Fujisaki-san’s reluctance.

“Actually… I’m a little overspent this month and I’d appreciate it if you could give me overtime work?”

Seeing my eyes filled with the determination not to give in, Fujisaki-san looked away as if in contemplation, her face still red.　

“… Haah, you’re getting better at dealing with me. All right, you’ll do fine, and you’ll be the acting manager tonight. But if you need anything else, call me right away.”

“Thank you, Manager. And rest assured!”

I saw Fujisaki-san off in this way, and I managed to do a fine night’s work as well.

TLN- Me thinking if me can make it daily. Dem, probably me can manage 5 chaps a week. Lets see.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned!