Kyousuke entered the hall with the manager.
The last table of customers had already left, and the staff of the Garden Of Words restaurant began cleaning up.
"Okudera-san, if you don't have anything else to do, you can head home," the manager said, glancing at Okudera, who was wiping down a table, then looking at Kyousuke standing beside him.
"Huh?" Okudera Miki paused, lifting her head in confusion.
Then she saw Kyousuke standing next to the manager and quickly understood what was meant.
"Yeah, yeah, Okudera-senpai, if you need to leave, go ahead."
"There's not much left to do, we'll finish up here shortly," said a girl from the staff, one of Okudera's closest friends.
She gently bumped Okudera's shoulder and smiled.
The rest of the employees looked at Kyousuke with a mix of envy and jealousy, wishing they could bite this guy who might steal their goddess away.
"No, no, I'll help too. It'll go faster this way," Kyousuke quickly replied.
He didn't want to cause any awkwardness or make Okudera uncomfortable.
Besides, he'd be coming here more often in the future, and creating any special treatment would only lead to exclusion.
With that, he went straight to his only acquaintance in the restaurant, the server Tanaka, grabbed the mop from his hands, and began cleaning the floor.
The manager watched him, then looked at Okudera, as if realizing something, and smiled before leaving.
As a kendo expert, Kyousuke was fast and efficient with the mop.
With his help, the restaurant's closing duties were quickly finished.
"Let's go, Okudera-senpai," Kyousuke said, as usual, bringing his motorcycle to the door of the restaurant.
He naturally took off his jacket and handed it to Okudera, who was dressed in stylish yet breezy clothes.
"Thanks, Hojou-kun," Okudera said, blushing as she put on the jacket, climbing onto the motorcycle, and holding onto Kyousuke's waist tightly.
Although this was the second time she had received this treatment, she was still touched by his considerate gesture.
After all, this wasn't something common in Japan, even in anime, where the cool, caring male leads rarely showed this kind of thoughtfulness.
The time was only around 10 p.m., and the night life of Shinjuku was just starting to come alive.
"Okudera-senpai, if you're not in a hurry to go home, how about we take a slow ride down Meiji Avenue?" Kyousuke asked, looking at the busy streets.
There were two ways to get from the restaurant in Shinjuku Gyoen to Ochanomizu Women's University.
One was to take the Metropolitan Expressway No. 5, the Ikebukuro Line, which was the route Celty had taken with Kyousuke before.
Though the route was longer, it was faster since it was an expressway.
The other way was a nearly straight line along Meiji Avenue, passing through Kabukicho, East Shinjuku, and Shinjuku 3-chome, the liveliest parts of the city.
However, this route was much more congested, though it offered the opportunity to stop and have fun along the way.
"I don't have any plans, so I'm fine with whatever. You decide, Hojou-kun," Okudera said.
In fact, she didn't usually head home right after work, but would hang out with friends and enjoy Tokyo's nightlife.
Two nights ago, she had to cancel plans with her friends because of Kyousuke.
She had planned to go to a new bar in Kabukicho, but ended up apologizing to her friends and letting them down since she was waiting for Kyousuke to pick her up from work.
"Then let's take Meiji Avenue," Kyousuke said happily.
The last time he had come to Shinjuku with Makki Hojou, the whole time was wasted on pointless fights.
But now, with such a beautiful girl riding on the back of his motorcycle, it was the perfect opportunity to explore Shinjuku, one of Tokyo's three major commercial districts.
Before long, they reached a crossroads on Meiji Avenue, and to the left was Kabukicho, one of the most famous entertainment districts in Japan.
Although Kyousuke had planned to go there from the beginning, he still asked Okudera, "Okudera-senpai, should we go to Kabukicho?"
"I'm fine with whatever, Hojou-kun. If you want to go, I'll go with you," Okudera said softly.
Great, maybe they'd even have time to meet up with Shizuka, Okudera thought.
Although Kabukicho was a special zone, it wasn't all adult establishments.
It also had plenty of regular businesses like restaurants, cinemas, arcades, and shops.
Kyousuke quickly found a place to park the motorcycle, and then he and Okudera walked side by side down the street.
As the crowd thickened, the temperature rose, and Okudera handed Kyousuke's jacket back to him.
This was why so many cyberpunk works were set in Japan, Kyousuke thought, as he walked through Kabukicho.
The flashing neon signs, the giant advertisements on the buildings, the outdoor screens playing loops, and the car lights streaking down the streets under the overpasses... It felt like stepping into a cyberpunk world.
"Hojou-kun, I want to check out that store," Okudera said, tugging at Kyousuke's sleeve, noticing he had spaced out.
"Sure," Kyousuke replied, snapping out of his thoughts.
He looked at the shop she pointed to, a cute store dominated by light pink hues.
As they walked into the store, Kyousuke immediately backed out.
The store was filled with girls, and the moment he stepped in, they all turned to look at him.
If he had a thicker skin, he might have rolled his eyes dramatically and strutted in pretending to be one of them, but...
There were even a few classic "gyaru" girls inside—wearing long fake lashes, bright red lipstick, and chewing gum.
Seeing Kyousuke awkwardly retreating, Okudera chuckled, offering him an apologetic smile before continuing her shopping.
She didn't make him wait long, soon returning with a small stuffed doll.
"What's this? To hang on a bag?" Kyousuke asked, eyeing the little figure dressed in a black dress.
"Of course, it's for my phone," Okudera said, holding up her phone, which was covered with rhinestones and featured an elaborate artistic design.
"This is the first time I've seen your phone," Kyousuke remarked, a bit surprised. "It's a bit flashy, huh?"
"Ha, you're shocked, right? I used to be a gyaru for a while," Okudera explained, smiling as she attached the doll to her phone case.
"Though I've retired from that life, I can't help but still like these things."
"Really? I never imagined someone as stylish as Okudera-senpai would have been a gyaru," Kyousuke said, genuinely surprised.
Her outfit and makeup were so well put together that she could easily pass as a fashion model.
He had wondered before why she worked as a waitress rather than pursuing modeling.
"Isn't a gyaru just someone who's ahead of fashion?" Okudera giggled, winking at him.
"Guess that's true," Kyousuke agreed, smiling.
"By the way, Hojou-kun, there's somewhere I'd like to go. If it's inconvenient for you, I can go alone," Okudera said hesitantly.
Since Kyousuke wasn't of drinking age, she felt a bit guilty about bringing him to a bar.
"Hmm? It's no problem at all. Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you. After all, I brought you here, so I'm not leaving without you."
"It's a bar, though. Are you sure it's fine?"
"It's okay, it's okay. I don't drink, but I should be fine as long as they don't check IDs, right?" Kyousuke asked.
"That's not an issue."
"It's a quiet bar, and even people who don't drink go there to listen to the owner play the piano."
"And besides, you look like a typical Tokyo handsome guy," Okudera observed, glancing at him.
Indeed, after changing out of his kendo gear, Kyousuke now looked like a young city professional in black casual pants and a brown jacket—perfect for an evening out.
"Let's go then! I'm looking forward to it," Kyousuke said, smiling.