Yuzuru’s part-time jobs all came through his parents’ connections.
His work assisting a lawyer and tutoring were via his father, while his job at Hiromi’s restaurant came through his mother.
For that reason, before Yuzuru could introduce Arisa to Hiromi… it was proper to speak to his parents first.
Additionally, he needed to consult the most “important” figure in the Takasegawa family—his grandfather. Though officially retired as the former head, in practice it was more like backroom elder politics.
Of course, none of this was strictly necessary… but Yuzuru, as the future head of the family, took these matters seriously and didn’t skip such steps.
Meanwhile, Arisa, naturally, had to obtain permission from her adoptive parents.
It was only proper for a high school student to consult their guardians before taking a job.
And most importantly, since school rules required permission, she had to obtain approval from the school as well.
Only after completing all these steps could Yuzuru introduce her to Hiromi.
And in the end, everything proceeded without issue.
Yuzuru’s parents and grandfather said, “If Arisa’s guardians approve, then it’s fine.”
Arisa’s adoptive parents said, “If it’s through the Takasegawa family, then it’s fine.”
And the school said, “If the guardians approve, then it’s fine.”
…It did feel like everyone was passing the responsibility onto someone else.
But at the same time, it was proof that both Arisa and Yuzuru were trusted.
In the staff room of Hiromi’s restaurant—
“Alright, stamp here with your seal. That means you’re hired.”
“Yes. Thank you very much.”
Arisa did as she was told and pressed her personal seal.
With that, the contract was complete.
“By the way, your application has a very proper-sounding motivation written on it… but what’s the real reason?”
“Eh!? Um…”
Caught off guard, Arisa’s eyes darted.
Her written motivation explained why she wanted to work at a restaurant—but in truth, that wasn’t her reason.
She simply wanted to earn money.
“Oh, don’t worry. Most part-timers’ motivations are things like wanting spending money or hoping to meet people.”
Hiromi said this with a wry smile.
She didn’t expect grand reasons from student workers.
Even university students quit once they’ve saved enough, found a job, or simply lost interest. At most, they stayed for four years.
Of course, quitting after just a few weeks would be a problem.
That’s why Hiromi wanted to hear her honest reason, at least.
“…I want to earn money.”
“I see. Well, that makes sense.”
Why work?
Because you want money.
A perfectly natural reason.
“Just out of personal curiosity… is there something you want to buy? Did your guardians tell you to earn it yourself? …Ah, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
Hiromi already knew Yuzuru’s family was extremely wealthy.
So she assumed Arisa’s family, as his fiancée’s, must also be well-off.
There was no reason for her to be short on money.
Which made her wonder—was it because her parents wouldn’t give her an allowance?
“…Please keep this from Yuzuru-san, alright?”
“From Yuzuru-kun? Go on.”
“I want to give him a present…”
“Ahh, I see. You want to buy it with money you earned yourself.”
“Yes, exactly.”
Arisa smiled shyly.
Hiromi, meanwhile, was quietly impressed by how earnest she was.
“So, about the job… can you handle the floor?”
“The floor… customer service? I think I’ll be fine…”
Arisa had assumed she’d be assigned to the kitchen, since Yuzuru had mentioned they were short-staffed there.
When she asked—
“Ah, well, that’s true. But we’ve got someone who can do both kitchen and floor. If we shift them more into the kitchen, that solves the issue. And I’d like you to take the open spot on the floor.”
“Is there a rule about starting on the floor first?”
“No, not really. It’s just… it’d be a waste to put you in the kitchen…”
“…I see.”
In other words—because she was pretty.
Arisa gave a slightly conflicted expression, and Hiromi quickly added as if to justify herself—
“It’s a customer-facing business, after all. First impressions matter. Well… if you try it and hate it, we can move you to the kitchen anytime.”
“I understand.”
For Arisa, as long as she could work, it didn’t really matter.
She’d only leaned towards the kitchen because she was good at cooking—not because she disliked customer service or insisted on kitchen work.
“Alright then, I’ll put you on the schedule starting tomorrow. Looking forward to working with you.”
“Yes, likewise.”
And so, Arisa’s part-time job was successfully settled.
The next day—
“…How do I look?”
A cute waitress with flaxen hair asked Yuzuru.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she looked a bit shy.
“You look cute. It suits you.”
The restaurant’s waitress uniform was already quite charming—but on Arisa, it looked even more so.
Of course, Arisa herself was cute, so she’d look good in anything.
“Yes, yes, it suits you perfectly. You’re really adorable.”
Hiromi said with a smile.
A cute waitress might just boost sales.
“Could you not look at my fiancée like that?”
“…I’m married with kids, you know?”
Hiromi gave a wry smile at Yuzuru’s complaint.
Naturally, he was only half serious.
“If anything comes up, just ask your senior… Yuzuru-kun.”
With that, Hiromi promptly dumped Arisa’s training onto Yuzuru.
Arisa bowed again.
“Then… please take care of me.”
“Yeah. It’s nothing too difficult.”
The work itself wasn’t particularly complicated.
Yuzuru believed Arisa would handle it just fine.
He believed that…
“Hmm… your smile’s a bit stiff…”
After work that day—
Hiromi said this with an awkward smile.
Arisa’s customer service had been… more awkward than expected.
Her smile was strained, and she kept stumbling over “Welcome.”
That sort of thing.
“Well, that’s normal at first.”
Yuzuru, naturally lenient with his fiancée, said so.
Though in truth, his evaluation wasn’t especially biased.
It was her first job—of course she’d be nervous.
Yes, her smile was stiff and she stumbled over words—but that was all.
She hadn’t made any critical mistakes, like spilling food over a customer.
It was all within the range of… an average beginner.
With enough repetition, people usually got used to it.
Usually.
“…Um… could I be moved to the kitchen?”
However, Arisa herself had already lost confidence.
It wasn’t that she’d been overflowing with confidence—but she’d thought she’d do better.
In her mind echoed Ayaka and the others’ words—
“Arisa-chan looks like an extrovert, but she’s actually an introvert.”
“Hmm… well, we could…”
From a staffing perspective, the kitchen needed more people anyway, so there was no issue.
But Hiromi didn’t want to waste a “blonde-haired, blue-eyed, big-busted beauty” in the kitchen.
Ideally, she wanted her as the restaurant’s poster girl.
With Yuzuru and Arisa together, she’d felt like she had a perfect pair—like rook and bishop on the board.
“How about having her start in the kitchen until she gets used to the atmosphere?”
Meanwhile, Yuzuru preferred that Arisa move to the kitchen.
Because he was worried.
Working on the floor meant interacting with many customers—
Which also meant the risk of dealing with “problematic” ones.
Of course, Hiromi’s restaurant was relatively high-end, so such customers were rare.
But not impossible.
The kitchen was safer.
It wasn’t as though there were zero risks—Yuzuru couldn’t always keep an eye on her, and their shifts wouldn’t always align—but still.
“…Alright. Yes, let’s do that.”
After a moment’s thought, Hiromi agreed.
Partly because it was Arisa’s wish—but also because she didn’t want her prized “rook” to run away saying, “I don’t want to work anymore…”
They could ease her into it—let her work in the kitchen, and occasionally put her on the floor to build confidence.
And so, from the next shift onward, Arisa would work in the kitchen.
Notably, she had absolutely no issues there.
And then…
On her first day off since starting work—
“Yuzuru-san… I have a favour to ask.”
“A favour? What is it?”
The moment she entered Yuzuru’s room, Arisa spoke.
“…I want to practise.”
“Kissing?”
“N-No, that’s not it!”
Arisa’s face turned bright red as she denied it.
After a small cough, she corrected herself—
“…I want to practise customer service. Being a waitress.”
