Chapter 213: Matsuda, Gets a Part-time Job
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 213: Matsuda, Gets a Part-time Job
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“Aaaah!”
Thump—! Thump!
Renka kicked her legs wildly under the thick covers.
After a while of kicking the blankets in frustration, she ran her hands through her completely disheveled hair, messing it up even more.
‘He found out…’
Judging by Matsuda’s reaction at Comiket, there was no doubt about it.
A secret that not even Chinami knew had been discovered by him.
And of all people, by Matsuda.
Renka shuddered, recalling the familiar, low voice she’d heard from behind her as she was happily buying merchandise.
A chill ran down her spine so intensely… she thought she might faint for a second.
Couldn’t his voice be less pleasant… How annoying.
“Haa… This is driving me crazy…!”
Frustrated, Renka slapped the bed with her palms and rolled over.
Then, she buried her face in her pillow and tried to sort through her thoughts.
What do I do now?
Should I just act confident? Pretend like nothing happened?
No, that wouldn’t work. If she did that, Matsuda would be like a fish in water, thrilled to have a new way to tease her even more.
Then what? Should I just admit it?
Matsuda might be a slick bastard, but he wasn’t the type to go around telling everyone.
No, I shouldn’t be so optimistic.
I need to plan for the worst-case scenario.
But is there even a point in planning now? Isn’t it far too late?
Why on earth did I use my nephew as an excuse? It seems so ridiculous even now.
If only I could turn back time.
‘I’m so screwed…’
Lying on her back again, Renka looked at the new merchandise she’d just placed in her display case.
The cute character figure sitting on the top shelf…
Just looking at it seemed to ease her suffocated heart.
By the way, shouldn’t Matsuda be home by now?
He’s such a troublemaker, he’s probably going to tease me…
Just as Renka was thinking that,
Bzzz—!
Her phone, placed by her head, vibrated. She checked the screen.
[Are you resting well?]
As expected, it was a message from Matsuda.
She could feel his intent to tease her just from the text.
So he thinks he’s got something on me, huh? What a jerk.
After imagining all sorts of negative scenarios, Renka hesitated before tapping on the screen.
If she ignored him now, she had a feeling Matsuda would only escalate his torment.
[y]
[Are you kidding me? Answer properly.]
A corner of Renka’s mouth curled up before falling again.
She’d tried talking back for once, and it was surprisingly fun. It felt like she could almost see Matsuda getting annoyed.
Maybe I should try replying like this sometimes.
[yeah.]
[You said you’re starting your part-time job tomorrow, right? Ask your boss for me.]
[I already told you no.]
[Let’s do it together.]
[Why on earth do you want to work with me?]
[I told you. It’s more fun with someone you know.]
Why wasn’t he bringing up her secret hobby?
The thing Matsuda must be most curious about right now wasn’t the part-time job, but her fandom activities…
She suspected he was saving it, planning to use it against her if she didn’t do as he said.
[Working with you would just be stressful.]
[We can help each other out, isn’t that a good thing? If we work like we did at your uncle’s store, the boss will love it, right?]
[The place I’m working at has a completely different style from your uncle’s store. It has a quiet atmosphere.]
[I’m not saying we should act like that, I’m saying we work well together.]
[Not at all. Don’t get the wrong idea.]
[But why waiting tables of all things? Can’t you work at a cafe?]
[It’s about getting used to it. I’ve worked at my uncle’s store quite a bit, even if it was only occasionally.]
[You’d get used to a cafe in no time. Let’s do the cafe. Restaurants are tough.]
Look at him, being so stubborn again.
He’s so obnoxious.
Come to think of it, wasn’t there a cafe next to the place she was going to work? It was even hiring.
It would certainly smell better and be less physically demanding than waiting tables… but she had already told them she’d start tomorrow, and this job paid more, so she had no intention of changing her mind.
[You do it. I like waiting tables.]
[Or a figure shop would be good too.]
Flinch.
Renka’s face flushed the moment she read the word ‘figure.’
So Matsuda was starting to tease her now.
She wanted to curse him out, but she couldn’t react.
[Whatever.]
To be honest, she had considered a figure shop herself.
A place where she could turn her hobby into a job. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t interested.
But they were all looking for long-term employees, so she hadn’t even applied.
[Anyway, you’re going to ask for me, right?]
Working with Matsuda wouldn’t be boring.
She didn’t know why, but time seemed to fly when she was with him.
And the boss would surely like Matsuda, who was not only handsome but also highly capable.
The problem was that he knew about her hobby.
Being with Matsuda would feel like sitting on pins and needles.
But if she refused his offer, she was worried about what the unpredictable Matsuda might do.
It seemed better to keep him close, to both monitor and control him…
Avoid him, or face him head-on. It was an evening of deep contemplation.
[I’ll think about it.]
[Okay. Are you going to sleep now?]
[Yeah.]
[Sleep well.]
What’s with the sweet goodnight message?
Grumbling to herself, Renka didn’t reply and instead tapped on the AniShare app.
When her mind was in turmoil, browsing the community was the best remedy.
She would leave a review for the anime she just watched and look up information on new releases.
[Notifications: 68]
She had only missed one day, but a flood of notifications had arrived.
They were the latest comments on the hundreds of reviews she had written.
Most of them were compliments. There was even a comment saying that while the BDSM content she recently reviewed wasn’t their cup of tea, they found it interesting.
A genre she’d watched because some toxic user named MK had recommended it.
The story wasn’t too jarring, so she had found it somewhat enjoyable herself.
Come to think of it, that user, MK, had been strangely persistent.
Just like Matsuda. That’s why she’d blocked him for her own peace of mind.
‘MK…’
A user who liked BDSM and the training genre.
Coincidentally, his tastes were similar to Matsuda’s, and even his nickname initials were the same.
When she ran into Matsuda in Akihabara that one time, he had bought a doujinshi from the training genre called [Asagao-san’s Household Finances].
At the time, she’d wondered if MK and Matsuda were the same person, but she had laughed it off.
But not now.
That thought was turning into a suspicion, and that suspicion was about to become a certainty.
He was interested enough in this stuff to come to Comiket even without an admission ticket, he liked the training genre, and his initials were MK…
Could all of this really be a coincidence?
‘Is it really him…?’
Suddenly, she felt an urge to confirm if there was a connection between MK and Matsuda.
But how could she check?
* * *
The next morning.
I was sleeping in to recover from the past few days’ fatigue when my phone rang. It was Renka. I picked it up.
“Hello…”
-Hey.
“Yeah.”
-…What was that?
“What is it?”
-Were you sleeping?
“Yes.”
-It’s almost lunchtime.
“Are you calling to nag me for sleeping in?”
-…That wasn’t my intention.
In the past, she would have argued back, but now she was backing down… Looks like her spirit is broken.
I want to see the Renka who snaps back at me, so I’ll have to tease her gently for now.
“Did you ask your boss?”
-I did. He said he wants to meet you. He asked if you can come by this afternoon.
It seems she mentioned it to her boss as soon as she got to work.
Good girl. I should give her a chin scratch as a reward.
I sat up, stretched, and asked.
“What time?”
-By 3. Fill out a simple résumé and bring it with you.
“Got it. Send me the location.”
-See you later.
“Okay.”
Click.
The call ended abruptly.
I have a feeling Renka is grinding her teeth. Is it just my imagination?
I chuckled, picturing Renka clenching her fists and trembling with rage. Just then, with a soft rattle, the window opened and Miyuki came in. I greeted her.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah. Did you just wake up?”
“Uh-huh. Sit down for a second.”
“Why?”
“Quick. I have something to tell you.”
I patted the futon, which was warm from my body heat. Miyuki tilted her head, then sat down next to me.
I told her my plan for the winter break.
“You’re getting a part-time job? So suddenly? What’s gotten into you?”
“I’m just going to try it for a short while. I worked at my uncle’s store, and it was fun.”
“Really…? You must have liked it a lot, huh? What about our studies?”
Miyuki seemed to be okay with the idea of me getting a job.
No, to be precise, she was probably happy that I was engaging in society, not just about the job itself.
When I think about it, it’s like Miyuki is trying to raise me into a dependable, full-fledged member of society.
“I won’t be working all week, so we can study on my days off. I’m thinking of working about four days a week… but I wonder if I can decide that myself.”
“They usually adjust schedules, so it should be fine. So, have you applied?”
“Yeah. They told me to come for an interview today at 3 PM.”
“What…? You already applied?”
“I’ll tell you the details when I get back. But they said to bring a résumé. Do they sell them at stationery stores?”
“A résumé…? They do, but… you don’t have any work experience, do you, Matsuda-kun?”
“Nope.”
“Then you should probably just buy the simplest kind of résumé and fill in your personal information.”
My résumé is going to look pretty pathetic.
They might be hesitant to hire me based on the paperwork alone, but since it’s an in-person interview, it should be fine.
If Renka had bad-mouthed me, it might be a different story, but she wouldn’t have done that, so my chances of getting hired are high.
My dear Renka… Let’s go through all sorts of things together and build up that Affection Level.
“Will they let you know if you’re hired on the same day?”
I shrugged at Miyuki’s follow-up question and replied.
“I don’t know. Maybe? If I get hired, they might ask me to start right away, saying I need to learn quickly since it’s a short-term job.”
“That could happen. Well, let me know what happens after your interview. If you get the job, I’ll go see Haruka.”
“Who’s that?”
“I knew you wouldn’t remember. Nanase Haruka.”
“Ah, I remember now.”
She was Miyuki’s friend with the same last name as Chinami.
I hadn’t heard her name in a while, so I’d forgotten.
As they say, a pretty girl always has pretty friends. Since she’s Miyuki’s friend, she must be pretty, right?
I’d like to meet her sometime.