"Really?" Kisaki Eri's eyes lit up. She hurriedly lowered her head to inspect herself. Every time she and Hayashi Shuichi were intimate, he would always claim that massaging them more would help them grow. Could it be that it was actually having an effect?
"...Of course it's fake!" Reiko stuck out her tongue mischievously. Her eyes curved into crescents, her face beaming with the triumphant smile of a successful prankster as she made a cute, funny face.
You little brat!
Eri's face turned an ashen shade of green from rage. She wanted nothing more than to teach this little girl a lesson, but she worried that with Hayashi Shuichi standing right there, getting violent would ruin her image in his eyes.
While she hesitated, Reiko, standing on the other side, had already widened her eyes in exaggerated horror. Her body trembled slightly as she shouted in a fearful voice, "Big Brother, Eri-nee is getting angry again! She's so scary!"
That brat! She's playing the victim before I even did anything!
Eri clenched her fists, wishing she could rush forward right now and hammer this troublemaking little girl with a few solid blows.
"Is she?" Hayashi Shuichi, standing behind the cooking counter, turned to glance at Eri.
The young woman quickly forced a stiff smile onto her face. "I'm not angry. Reiko is seeing things."
Shuichi shot his cousin a look of annoyance. "Stop causing trouble. Even if Eri gets mad, it's definitely because you provoked her first!"
Now it was Eri's turn to feel triumphant. The corners of her mouth curled upward as she looked at Reiko and let out a smug humph.
But she didn't expect the little cousin to blink her eyes innocently the very next moment and say, "I only provoked Eri-nee for her own good. Big Brother, didn't you say before that getting angry more often pumps up the chest?"
There was no way Eri couldn't hear the mockery in the little girl's words. Unable to hold back any longer, she lunged forward to discipline her little cousin. "You brat, let's see how I handle you today!"
Screaming, Reiko scrambled toward the cooking counter to seek her cousin's protection. "Big Brother, save me!"
Just as the three of them were playfully tussling, the door to the izakaya suddenly creaked open. Mouri Kogoro walked in, clutching the right side of his face, looking utterly crestfallen.
"What happened?" Hayashi Shuichi looked surprised. "Weren't you on a date with Ruri?"
"I... I think I made her angry," Kogoro gave a dry, awkward laugh as he lowered his right hand.
Only then did the others see clearly—there was a distinct, bright red handprint on the right side of his face.
"Whoa, Kogoro-nii, don't tell me Ruri-nee hit you?" Reiko's mouth dropped open, her face full of disbelief. "Ruri-nee has such a good temper. exactly how did you manage to make her mad?"
"To make Ruri angry enough to get physical, you must have done something incredibly stupid again!" Eri crossed her arms, a look of disdain on her face.
"Well, about that..." Mouri Kogoro looked embarrassed. He stammered for a long time, too ashamed to say it out loud.
"Eri, take Reiko upstairs for a bit," Shuichi said, knowing the man cared about his dignity and wouldn't want to lose face in front of the girls.
"Let's go!" Eri grabbed her little cousin by the collar. "Let us sisters go have some bonding time."
"Big Brother, help!" Reiko struggled desperately, but she couldn't escape Eri's demonic clutches and was dragged directly out of the izakaya.
The moment the two girls stepped out the door, Eri looked down at the little girl in her grasp. The two of them, one big and one small, locked eyes for a moment and seemed to reach a silent agreement.
Eri released Reiko, and together they pressed their ears against the crack of the door, their expressions focused, terrified of missing a single word.
...
"They're gone. You can talk now," Hayashi Shuichi poured a glass of water and handed it over.
"It's not really a big deal, actually," Mouri Kogoro gulped down the water. "Seeing how fast things are progressing with you and Eri this morning, I started thinking... maybe Ruri and I are moving too slowly..."
"So, you kissed her?" Shuichi frowned slightly, his eyes filled with confusion. "If that's all it was, she shouldn't have hit you. After all, Ruri has liked you for a long time."
"When I kissed her, I couldn't really control myself..." Kogoro laughed awkwardly, making a kneading motion with both hands. "And then Ruri slapped me."
Hearing this, Hayashi Shuichi couldn't hold it back anymore and burst out laughing.
At the same time, the two girls eavesdropping at the door also burst into laughter.
"Y-You guys didn't leave!" Kogoro's face flushed red, a mix of surprise and mortification.
"Ruri is my good sister," Eri pushed the door open and walked in. "Of course I have to hear exactly how you managed to upset her!"
"Kogoro-nii, you're the worst!" Reiko looked at him with utter contempt. "Pervert!"
"I..." Kogoro gave a bitter smile and turned to his friend. "Shuichi, do you think Ruri is really mad at me?"
"I'm not a woman, how should I know?" Shuichi thought for a moment. "Did she say anything after she hit you?"
"Ruri seemed scared too," Kogoro recalled. "She blushed, apologized to me, and then ran off on her own."
"You didn't chase her?" Shuichi asked in surprise.
"W-Well, isn't she angry?" Kogoro asked, puzzled. "If I chased after her, wouldn't she just get angrier?"
"Idiot!" Eri rolled her eyes at him, her gaze filled with a helpless 'I expect nothing and I'm still disappointed' sentiment. "Since Ruri apologized, it means she didn't hit you out of malice! If you had chased her and said a few nice words, it would have blown over!"
"Eh? I-Is that so?" Kogoro finally reacted. "But she's already gone back. Even if I chase her now, I definitely won't catch up..."
"You can't catch the person, but can't you use the phone?" Hayashi Shuichi shook his head helplessly.
"Right, the phone!" Kogoro nodded furiously. "I'll call her as soon as she gets home!"
"Go now!" Shuichi said exasperatedly. "Ideally, call her ten or twenty times before she even gets home. That way, when she walks in and sees you've called so many times, she'll definitely be moved and feel that you care about her..."
"That's right! As expected, Shuichi, you have experience!" Kogoro had an epiphany and immediately ran toward his home on the third floor.
Although the izakaya had a phone, it was for customers to place takeout orders, so he naturally couldn't hog it.
Having sent Mouri Kogoro away, Hayashi Shuichi had just breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed Kisaki Eri and Reiko staring at him with eyes full of suspicion.
"What?" Shuichi touched his face confusedly. "Is there something on my face?"
"You really do have experience dealing with girls, huh?" Eri kept a straight face, looking thoughtful. "Do you use these little tricks to handle me usually? I knew it... sometimes I'm clearly very angry with you, but then I'm fine very quickly..."
"It's a misunderstanding!" Shuichi cried out defensively. "We grew up together. Whether I'm good at dealing with girls or not, don't you know better than anyone?"
"I think you just pretend not to be good at it," Reiko huffed, hands on her hips. "If you weren't good at it, Eri-nee and Yukiko-nee wouldn't both be clinging to you!"
Hayashi Shuichi was rendered speechless. He opened his mouth, unsure how to refute that. After a moment, he finally said, "If Yukiko really wanted to cling to me, she wouldn't have gone to Takasaki to film!"
At the entrance of the izakaya, Fujimine Yukiko had just raised her hand to push the door open when she happened to hear those words from Hayashi Shuichi.
Her hand froze in mid-air, and a trace of worry flashed through her bright eyes.
The girl thought Hayashi Shuichi was angry because of her departure. Her heart instantly panicked, and for a moment, she didn't dare to enter. She hesitated, then suddenly turned and left the izakaya.
The three inside the izakaya didn't notice the commotion at the door.
Eri glanced sideways at her childhood friend, a smile that wasn't quite a smile on her face. "Reiko makes a good point. So, all these years, you've just been pretending!"
You really can't reason with women... They have two mouths against one; how can a man possibly win?
Hayashi Shuichi covered his face helplessly. "By the way, we're missing an ingredient for dinner. I'll go get it now!"
Saying that, he quickly turned and fled into the storeroom.
Watching Hayashi Shuichi's retreating figure as he fled in defeat, Eri and Reiko looked at each other and smiled. But then, sensing something amiss, they simultaneously let out a humph, both faces showing a hint of tsundere pride.
"You..." Eri started to speak, but Reiko beat her to it.
"Why are you copying me?"
Eri choked on her anger. After a moment, she gritted her teeth and said, "...I won't stoop to your level!"
With that, she turned and walked toward the cash register.
Heh heh, I won!
Reiko stood alone in the same spot, hands on her hips, a triumphant smile beaming on her face, her eyes sparkling as if declaring her victory.
...
In the evening, the izakaya opened for business as usual.
Ever since Yukiko went off to film, the shop had been short-handed. Usually, they could barely manage, but today, they had fallen into a complete staffing crisis.
"Big Brother, this is the order for Table 3, and here are the dishes just cleared..." Reiko shuttled between the tables, her steps hurried, a look of anxiety on her face as she handed the items to Hayashi Shuichi.
Kisaki Eri also walked over carrying several plates. "Shuichi, Table 6 wants their skewers well-done, Table 7..."
"Wait, wait..." Shuichi's head felt like it was about to explode, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Where is Kogoro? Why hasn't he come down yet?"
"I went up to look for him just now," Eri said annoyed. "That guy is still on the phone with Ruri. Mrs. Mouri said they've been talking for over two hours."
"That idiot!" Shuichi fumed. "How can a woman be more important than work—"
Before he could finish, seeing Eri's eyes glare at him, he quickly corrected himself. "I mean, work isn't as important as a woman. It wasn't easy for Kogoro and Ruri to get together, so let them keep talking."
"Big Brother," Reiko put down the things in her hands, looking puzzled. "The customer at Table 2 seems a bit off."
"What's off about them?" Shuichi looked up.
Table 2 was by the window, quite far from the cooking counter. He only saw a woman wearing sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, and a pale yellow long dress, dressed very fashionably.
"She's been in the shop for a while, but she refuses to take off her hat or sunglasses," Reiko whispered. "Just now when I asked her what she wanted to eat, she didn't speak. She just held the menu and pointed at items for me to see. When there was a problem, she used her finger to write words on the table."
"That woman is definitely suspicious," Eri agreed with a nod. "Ever since she entered the shop, she's been looking around everywhere, and she often stares at me..."
"Could it be someone from another izakaya on the shopping street?" Reiko speculated wildly. "Are they jealous of our business, so they sent someone to spy on us?"
"Before Yukiko left, business was indeed good every night," Shuichi grumbled. "Traffic has dropped by a third these past few days. They're probably too busy gloating to be jealous."
"So, is she really a deaf-mute person?" A trace of sympathy flashed in Reiko's eyes, and her voice softened. "If that's the case, that's just too pitiful."
"Let me see what she ordered," Hayashi Shuichi picked up the ticket for Table 2 and glanced at it. His heart suddenly stirred. "It is indeed strange enough. Tell you what, I'll go take a look myself."
"Hey, you still have several orders here to make?" Eri asked in surprise.
"Don't worry, it won't take much time." Shuichi waved his hand, stepped out from behind the cooking counter, and arrived at Table 2. "Excuse me, miss, I'm sorry, but we can't make the Kiryu Himokawa Udon right now. Could you change it to something else?"
Just as Reiko had said, the woman didn't speak. She used her finger to write on the table: "Why can't you? This should be very simple, right?"
"The one who makes this dish is our female chef, and she is temporarily away," Shuichi said. As he spoke, he pretended to pour water for the woman, leaning in slightly to take a subtle sniff.
A familiar fragrance instantly flooded his nose!
Yukiko? What is this girl up to now?
Hayashi Shuichi immediately confirmed the person's identity. A flash of surprise and amusement crossed his eyes as he pondered her motives.
The disguised Yukiko wrote on the table again: "It seems she is very important to you all!"
Even through the large sunglasses, Shuichi could imagine Yukiko's smug look and the thoughts running through her head right now.
Humph, humph, without me, the izakaya's business really isn't doing well!
He wasn't wrong; that was exactly what Yukiko was thinking.
When she came by in the afternoon, hearing Hayashi Shuichi's words at the door made her mistakenly think he was angry. She didn't dare enter immediately, so she went home, changed her disguise, and decided to scout the situation in the shop first.
After sitting in the shop for a while, Yukiko had already noticed that the customer flow was significantly less than when she was there.
And the fact that Hayashi Shuichi couldn't make the dish she had added to the menu made her feel instantly triumphant.
Yukiko was just about to take off her sunglasses and give Hayashi Shuichi a surprise, but she didn't expect him to suddenly speak up.
"Who said that female chef was important? She's just a kitchen helper in our shop. With or without her, the izakaya opens for business just the same."
Yukiko's hand, which had already reached her sunglasses, suddenly froze. W-What? This isn't what I expected!
Hayashi Shuichi kept a straight face and continued, "Guest, you haven't met her. That female chef is both lazy and stupid. There are some dishes I taught her several times, and she still couldn't learn them. All she knows how to do every day is preen and look in the mirror..."
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