"Thank you, one thousand yen."
"I'll help you put it up."
At the cashier counter, Itsuki paid the bill, put the radish and kelp for oden in a paper bag and handed it to the customer, then watched the other person leave.
Japan's "service industry" is famous throughout Asia, but behind the high standards and high requirements is the high-intensity exploitation of people working in the service industry.
Take his job as a convenience store waiter, for example.
During working hours, they are required to use the "standing and smiling" service.
Whether they are part-time or full-time workers, they must stand at all times during their working hours and respond to all requests from customers.
In addition, due to the oppressive social environment in Japan, everyone is holding back a sense of frustration.
In Japan, there is a convenience store every ten steps, so the convenience store clerk, a profession that can be seen everywhere in life, is in trouble and can easily become an outlet for everyone to vent.
If they are dissatisfied, they will be complained about by customers.
He was once harassed by an unscrupulous old lady.
The reason is: when you buy instant noodles, you get disposable chopsticks instead of a fork.
…
Just as he was boredly cooking oden in the rice cooker, Sakura pushed open the door of the staff lounge and walked out.
Her brown-green employee jacket has been replaced with a loose khaki windbreaker, and the white shirt underneath has also been changed into a knitted fur collar.
The rustic dark green short skirt had long been taken off, replaced by a pair of brown shorts that were not longer than the knees, revealing a pair of white and eye-catching legs.
She was touching up her makeup with a small mirror in hand as she walked, with a black tote bag slung across her right arm.
In the blink of an eye, she transformed from an ordinary convenience store clerk into a pure urban beauty.
"Yuko-senpai, you look so beautiful today."
"Do you have a date tonight?"
He looked at her and complimented politely. Although he was thinking the same thing in his heart.
"No, I'm just dressing up casually."
She put away the small mirror, smiled, and replied.
Women are creatures that love to be praised the most.
And for them, "praise" is time-sensitive.
If you praised her for her beauty yesterday morning, then at noon, evening, today, and tomorrow, she may repeat asking you the same question, "Am I beautiful?"
Because to them, different times, different outfits, and even the same words spoken by different people are all different.
It's much simpler for men.
If you compliment him on his good looks when he is 18, he will probably remember that comment even when he is 80.
"It's not a date. There's an orientation party for the club, and I'm the vice president, so I have to be there."
Being praised for her beauty by a handsome guy like Itsuki, Sakura was in a visibly good mood and revealed a lot at once.
Of course, there are some things in her heart that cannot be spoken out casually.
For example, she dressed so beautifully just to take advantage of the welcome party to hook up with rich guys.
As long as she could successfully hook up with a rich guy, her student loan could be easily paid off, and she wouldn't have to work so hard in a convenience store.
"I see. Then you go ahead and leave the store to me."
"Well, goodbye."
Sakura waved gently and stopped in front of the automatic sensor door of the convenience store.
She seemed to have thought of something suddenly; a trace of struggle flashed across her face, but she finally turned back.
"Um, Fujii-kun, I wonder if you noticed."
Sakura carried her bag across her shoulder, put her hands on the cashier counter, leaned forward, and her beautiful eyes with eye makeup stared straight at him.
"Ah? What?"
Hearing her words, he asked back subconsciously.
"That's right." There was a hint of unnaturalness in Sakura Yuko's eyes, and she said with her pink lips slightly opened, "Fujii-kun, the store manager seems to like you a little."
"Huh?!"
Sakura never stops saying shocking stuff.
He raised his eyebrows, and his face seemed to be full of question marks.
Manager Matsumoto?
Like him?!
A woman in her thirties with youthful and fair skin, a plump figure, and full of charm unconsciously emerged in his mind—Yuriko Matsumoto.
"Yuko-senpai, this joke is not funny at all." He shook his head, looking like he didn't believe it.
Manager Matsumoto is almost 40 years old and has already started a family.
Her children may be older than him. How could he possibly like him, a young student?
Itsuki never had such unrealistic dreams as "being taken care of by a rich woman and reaching the peak of life.".
He is a man who likes to do things by himself and has enough food and clothing.
"I'm just guessing. Women's sixth sense is usually quite accurate." Sakura said with an averted gaze.
"Okay, it's getting late. Bye, Fujii-kun, I'm going to get off work now."
"Well, be careful on the road, Yuko-senpai."
Hei withdrew his gaze and continued to cook the oden in the rice cooker without thinking too much.
…
At nine o'clock in the evening, he handed over his shift to his colleagues who were working the night shift.
After changing back into casual clothes in the lounge, he carried his bag to the tram station and took a private tram back to Minami Senju.
Standing in front of the gate of Fujii's house holding a discounted lunch box, Fujii Itsuki subconsciously glanced at the garage.
Sure enough, the old hag hadn't gotten off work yet.
Pushing open the door and stepping into the entrance hall, Fujii Itsuki was just about to take off his shoes and put on slippers.
In the distance, a petite figure drifted and slid to kneel in front of him at the speed of a 100-meter sprint.
"Onii-chan, you're back."
Ai kneeled down in front of Itsuki obediently, took out his special slippers from the shoe box, and smiled brightly: "You've worked so hard for so long, please change your shoes."
Ai placed the slippers at his feet.
If a stranger saw this scene, they would think she was a good wife and mother.
His eyelids twitched, and after thinking for a long time, he uttered a few words: "Delusional."
She was so confident at first and respectful later, which makes the whole thing laughable.
Isn't it obvious that Ai was hiding something?
His mocking voice made her cheeks twitch, but she still tried her best to maintain a smile and asked innocently, "What's wrong, Onii-chan? Did Ai do anything wrong?"
But inwardly she was raging.
"You damned scumbag, you actually called Ai a delusional person!"
"You are delusional."
She kept telling herself in her heart, "No, now is not the time to turn hostile; I must make this bastard let down his guard against me."
"You didn't do anything wrong."
He changed into his own slippers, and Ai quickly helped him put his casual shoes into the shoe cabinet.
"But you disgust me."
Looking past the kneeling girl, he deliberately spoke to test the waters.
Her expression frozen, and the movements of her hands also stopped.
In her heart she was shouting helplessly, "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
"Fujii Itsuki, Ai will definitely make you kneel down and apologize in front of me!"