Three girls were chatting and laughing as they passed by the management office, but Shuichi didn't make any effort to hide. He simply sat there reading his manga book.
However, perhaps because he was too inconspicuous, or maybe he really didn't have any appeal to girls of his age, the three of them completely ignored the fact that a classmate was sitting there and walked straight into the ramen shop next door.
"Well, that's fine..." Shuichi was actually glad for the peace and quiet. After all, as long as his tenants were happy, there was no problem.
He then turned his attention to the system interface and admired his gains for the day.
[Fumika Ogawa, Sense of Belonging: 70]
[Tamako Akiyama, Sense of Belonging: 60]
[Sayuki Ogawa, Sense of Belonging: 50]
[Ichika Kitagawa, Sense of Belonging: 10]
[Current Monthly Salary: 2,000,000 yen]
Just as he had expected, the opening of the shop, like signing a contract, was a fixed milestone that would undoubtedly increase the sense of belonging!
"Two million yen in monthly salary..." Shuichi stared at the numbers, and his soul seemed to tremble with a sense of bliss.
How to solve worries? Only by getting rich quickly!
But why hasn't the salary been paid yet... The system better not act like some construction boss who skips out on paying wages.
…
At this moment, An was busy cleaning up the dishes, trying hard to resist the cravings in her stomach. It had been almost an hour since she last ate, and she really wanted something to eat…
Oh right, she should bring food to Chiba-kun. He's such a good person, and she might get some delicious food out of it too.
"Class president?!!"
"Why is it the class president?"
"Ah, it really is the class president!"
The three girls immediately noticed An as soon as they entered the door, and they were all a bit surprised. Although, when they saw the name of the ramen shop earlier, they had already thought of the class president and the student council president.
But who would have guessed it was actually her family's shop! What a coincidence!
"Hm?" An turned her head in confusion. When she saw it was her classmates, she shuddered slightly and quickly tightened her face, putting on a cold and distant expression.
She gave a slight nod. "Good afternoon."
"Huh?"
"Good afternoon."
"Oh, good afternoon."
The three girls responded in turn.
An glanced at them, puzzled as to why they looked a bit dazed—dazed even more than herself. "What would you like to eat? Go ahead and sit down first."
The three girls obediently sat down at the counter.
"What should we eat?"
"I don't know."
"Class president, it's up to you."
An furrowed her brows slightly. How could they not even know what they wanted to eat? If they didn't know something so important, what else could they know? So silly.
My older sister is worried about me getting tricked, but they're the ones who are more likely to be fooled, right?
"Ah, are these An-chan's classmates? Then I recommend our signature tonkotsu ramen! My version isn't as greasy as others, and the flavor should be worth looking forward to."
Akiyama's mother had already received her eldest daughter's instructions and had even practiced a bit last night. Now, she was handling the situation with ease.
"Wow, is this the class president and student council president's mom?"
"She's so beautiful..."
"Such a kind person... I wish my mom were like that."
The three girls were immediately deceived by the surface appearance.
When Akiyama's mother received such compliments, she became a little flustered and broke into a wide smile. "Do kids these days really know how to flatter? You can eat for free today."
"Eh? Really?!"
"Then I want two bowls!"
"Come on, calm down! We should still pay. Otherwise, we'd feel bad and it would be too much trouble for you."
Akiyama's mother waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine, it's no trouble at all. Just enjoy the food! I'm pretty confident about my ramen."
An, standing off to the side, cast a slight side glance. Her mom seemed to be losing her self-awareness again... Was this about to turn into a disaster?
"By the way, An-chan, Chiba-kun's meal is ready. You should take it to him." Akiyama's mother suddenly said to her.
"Hm? Oh, okay, I'll go right now." An immediately forgot what she had been thinking earlier and quickly grabbed the food box, rushing out with quick little steps.
The three girls watched her retreating figure in confusion, exchanging glances with one another.
"Chiba?"
"Bringing him food?"
"The class president seems really happy?"
…
An arrived at the management office next door, and Shuichi was still sitting in the chair reading his manga. Seeing her full of energy, he couldn't help but feel his mood lift as well.
"Hurry, let's go upstairs and eat!" An bounced on the spot, urging him, looking as if she would starve to death if they didn't leave immediately.
"Alright... don't rush so much." Shuichi chuckled, standing up and following her.
Her slender, fair legs moved with joy, clearly revealing the girl's excited mood.
They went upstairs, sat down, arranged the food, and then Shuichi had her perform a little "magic" before they began to eat together.
It seemed that Akiyama's mother knew her daughter well, as the portion sizes for the meals had been getting larger and larger recently.
"I saw three girls from our class go to your shop earlier. How was it?" Shuichi fed An a piece of pig liver, but his chopsticks were caught by her teeth.
Her neatly white teeth had a surprisingly strong bite, and Shuichi almost couldn't pull the chopsticks back.
An mumbled vaguely, "Nothing much... They just seemed a bit silly. I asked them what they wanted to eat, and they didn't know, yet still asked me."
Shuichi couldn't help but laugh, pinching her cheek. "Looks like you're really good at pretending. They must have been intimidated by you and didn't dare speak."
"I don't know. I want to eat that pig kidney." An stared longingly at the food on the plate.
Shuichi twitched his mouth, feeding her a piece. "You really aren't picky. By the way, don't you feel anything after eating? No reactions at all?"
He, for one, always felt noticeably warmer and more energetic after eating.
"Hm? What reaction? Does feeling full count?" An looked confused, not understanding what he was asking.
"..." Shuichi was at a loss for words. Well, it was all just about filling the stomach, right?
Alright, maybe the tenfold bonus effect was really that different, after all.
The two ate quickly. An always ate fast, and Shuichi, motivated by how delicious the food was and by her pace, also ate much faster than usual.
Before long, the food was gone. An cleaned up the dishes, packed them back into the food box, and hurriedly ran back to help.
…
Meanwhile, the three girls were now in shock.
"Hey, I have to ask—is ramen actually this delicious?"
"Are you kidding? Does that mean all the ramen I've eaten for the past decade was just bad?!"
"Your mom will probably be so happy to hear that, but I kind of want my mom to try it too. Hopefully, she'll stop wasting food after that."
Akiyama's mother was delighted to hear this and couldn't hide the smug little expression on her face. "So, what do you think? It is not disappointing, right?"
"Not only did it not disappoint, honestly, I'm really shocked."
"I'm disappointed. Why wasn't I born into the Akiyama family? I'm so jealous of the class president and the student council president..."
"Yeah, the class president and student council president are so beautiful, they're smart, and their mom is beautiful, so kind and can cook..."
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