Passion Pay? Report It to the Labor Board
Everyone — if your part-time job forces "passion pay" on you, report it to the Labor Board.
Rai blew a raspberry at Shalla.
"Ha. You can get older all you want — you're still a brat compared to me."
"What?"
Before Shalla's eyes could even go wide, Rai's body shot off the ground in an instant.
BOOM!
The figure of Rai soaring to a tremendous height vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.
"Wait a second!!"
Shalla shouted in a panic, but it was already too late.
All that remained where Rai had stood was a cloud of dust.
And when Shalla turned around, La Place — who had been standing at Rai's side just moments ago — had vanished without a trace as well.
"......."
Shalla looked around, utterly dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, far off in the distance—
THUD!
Rai touched down lightly.
Immediately after, the black armor wrapped around his body scattered like light and disappeared.
Sssssssss...!!
Back to his ordinary appearance, Rai let out a sigh.
"Haa...."
Then he muttered, as if it were nothing at all.
"Even an LV 80 monster wasn't really all that dangerous."
"There is no existence that an Akra Minus cannot defeat. Defeat is not tolerated."
La Place, standing beside him before he'd even noticed, said it flatly.
".........."
Rai glanced at her sideways.
Something about her words felt oddly off to him.
But he didn't bother thinking too deeply about it.
"Well, sure."
That was when it happened.
"You....!!"
At the voice behind him, Rai's body went rigid.
"...Hm?"
Rai turned his head slowly.
And his face froze bone-white.
".........."
Shalla — the girl he'd thought he'd just shaken off — was panting for breath, having chased him all the way here.
"How...."
As Rai's face twisted in shock, Shalla grinned.
"A middle schooler the same age as me was an Akra?"
"Who's a middle schooler!!"
Rai barked.
"I'm a high schooler!"
Shalla looked him up and down like he was hopeless.
"The way you talk, you might as well be an elementary schooler. And that's me being generous."
"........."
A vein bulged on Rai's forehead.
"You—"
Crack.
The moment Rai ground his teeth and glared at Shalla—
SMACK!
"Ow!"
Out of nowhere, someone smacked Rai across the head.
"Where do you think you're off to, running around like that?! You brat!"
"AAAGH!"
Rai clutched his head and spun around.
There stood Ragna, arms crossed.
"I told you to come to the shelter, didn't I?! I'm pretty sure I said for the two of you to come together!"
"No, that's—!"
Without even listening to the answer, Ragna grabbed Rai's ear and yanked hard.
"Ow ow ow ow ow! Save me!"
Then, with his other hand, he grabbed La Place's ear too.
"Ow."
La Place offered a single, matter-of-fact word.
"If it hurts, at least react a little!"
Ragna shouted in exasperation.
"Ow."
"That's it?!"
Shalla stared blankly at the scene.
The person who had saved her.
The legendary Black Knight, surrounded by cheering crowds.
A being everyone looked up to in reverence.
And yet, standing before her eyes right now was....
"What an idiot...."
The words slipped out of Shalla's mouth on their own.
A short while later.
Having finished disciplining the two of them, Ragna approached Shalla.
And bowed his head politely.
"You're the one who saved these two, right?"
"I just...."
"Thank you so much~!"
Ragna beamed.
"Come by our cafe sometime — I'll treat you!"
"Ah...."
Shalla tried to say something, but Ragna was already pulling a business card from his pocket.
"Here's our cafe's address."
Ragna pressed the card into Shalla's hand.
"Drop by whenever you like!"
"Um...."
"Alright, let's go!"
"Wait! Noona! Let go of my ear!"
"Ow."
In lieu of an answer, Ragna grabbed both their ears and dragged them along again.
"Come along quietly!"
"AAAGH!"
"Ow."
And so Rai and La Place were hauled away by Ragna, dragged off into the distance.
Shalla watched their retreating backs for a long while.
Then she looked down at the business card in her hand.
"...What even is this."
And the next day.
"........."
Rai stood frozen in the middle of the cafe.
His gaze was locked on a single spot.
There stood Shalla.
But she looked completely different from yesterday.
"........."
Shalla was wearing a neat, black maid uniform.
The fitted black top bore a white frilled collar and shoulder accents, with a red ribbon resting at her chest like a point of emphasis. A wide white belt cinched her waist, and below it flowed a long, dark skirt that billowed out generously.
"......."
Rai's expression hardened bit by bit.
He turned his head slowly, and at the end of his gaze stood Ragna, grinning ear to ear.
"Noona."
"Yes~?"
"What is this situation?"
Ragna pointed at Shalla without a care in the world.
"Ohh, her?"
And then he said, smiling brightly:
"Our cafe's part-timer."
".........."
Rai's face went completely stiff.
Shalla stared at Rai without a hint of expression.
And a single thought surfaced in Rai's mind.
("Something has gone very, very wrong....")
Shalla watched Rai for a moment, then opened her mouth.
"So, actually...."
Ragna tilted his head.
"Hm?"
"The former Akra — I mean, that guy saved me."
Shalla fiddled lightly with the apron of her maid uniform as she spoke.
"I came to repay him for that."
"Ohh~!"
Ragna nodded in understanding.
"So that's why you came all the way here?"
"Yep."
In that instant, Rai's expression froze.
".........."
Rai frantically gestured at Shalla.
He brought a finger up to his lips — a desperate signal to say absolutely nothing.
Shalla tilted her head.
".......?"
And then, as she watched Rai for a moment, the corners of her mouth slowly began to curl upward.
"........"
Smirk.
It was a wicked smile.
Rai's face drained white.
"Ragna-unnie~!"
"Hm?"
"You see, Rai here~!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO—!!"
Rai shrieked and frantically clamped a hand over Shalla's mouth.
"DON'T DO IIIIIT!!"
"What now?"
Ragna looked at the two of them, baffled.
"You got leverage held over you by a kid like this?"
"........"
"Shameful, for a man~!"
"...Tch."
Rai gritted his teeth.
Beside him, Shalla stuck her tongue out at him.
"Bleeeh~!"
"Why you—!"
Rai's eyebrows twitched.
But Ragna was already eyeing the two of them with suspicion, so he couldn't bring himself to say a word.
And that day.
The cafe descended into absolute chaos.
"It's really her! Isn't that Shalla over there?!"
"A famous A-rank Awakener works part-time here?!"
"A maid outfit — is this real life?!"
"Can I take a photo?!"
"Where do I line up?!"
A line of people stretched out in front of the cafe, so long it seemed to have no end.
The rumor that a famous A-rank Awakener was working at a cafe in a maid outfit had spread in an instant.
"Your ordered coffee."
Shalla set the cup down bluntly.
"Here."
"Thank you!"
"Finish it and clear the table."
"Yes!"
The customer, far from minding, broke into a wide grin.
"Even the informal speech is amazing!"
"What?"
"Don't be polite! Keep talking to me casually!"
"...What strange people."
Shalla made a baffled face, but the customers loved even that attitude and laughed delightedly.
As a result, the cafe was busier than it had ever been.
"Rai! Order over there!"
"Got it!"
Rai had no choice but to shuttle back and forth between the counter and the tables, dealing with customers.
"Here's your order!"
And before anyone knew it, La Place was helping with the serving too.
"Delivery. The ordered items."
"Even the strangely cute little kid works here, huh...."
"Response. Yes."
La Place set the plates down with her usual expressionless face.
And so the frantic hours slipped by.
"Phew...."
When closing time came, Ragna leaned against the counter and rubbed his aching back.
"I'm dying...."
Then he handed Shalla an envelope.
"Great work today~! This is your day's pay."
Shalla took the envelope and peeked inside.
"...I didn't exactly come here for money, you know."
"I know."
Ragna smiled slyly.
"Take it anyway."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want this cafe going out of business."
"........."
Shalla stared at Ragna for a moment, then let out a small laugh.
"Then I'll put it to good use."
Envelope in hand, Shalla headed for the door.
"See you later, then."
"Yeah~! Get home safe!"
"Mm."
Ding-a-ling.
Shalla stepped out of the cafe.
Watching her go, Rai's face scrunched up.
"Seriously though, why did you hire that girl?"
"Why not?"
"She's got a prickly personality, talks down to the customers...."
Ragna grinned.
"But we got a ton of customers today, didn't we?"
"......"
"Today's sales came out to almost two weeks' worth."
"What?"
Rai's eyes went wide.
Ragna smiled contentedly and rubbed his back again.
"Celebrities really are on another level~!"
"...... ."
Just as Rai was looking around the cafe in disbelief—
"Hm?"
Something on the shelf caught his eye.
It was a black wallet.
Rai picked it up.
"Noona."
"Yes?"
"Isn't that Shalla's?"
Ragna looked at the wallet.
"Oh? You're right."
"I should return it."
"Thanks, I'd appreciate that~!"
Rai sighed and pocketed the wallet.
"I'll take it over. Want to come with?"
He asked La Place, who was stuffing donuts into her mouth behind him.
"Refusal. Busy."
"Haa... Fine, I'll go alone."
Ding-a-ling.
And with that, he stepped out of the cafe.
"Shalla!"
Looking for the girl who'd left just moments ago, Rai hurried down the street after her.
Meanwhile, Shalla was walking down the street with a small smile on her lips.
She thought back on everything that had happened at the cafe that day.
The customers' strange reactions, the frantic bustle inside the cafe.
And Rai, whom she'd teased mercilessly; Ragna, laughing as he watched the two of them; even La Place, who'd stolen a customer's donut and gotten scolded for it.
Shalla found the corners of her mouth lifting.
"......"
Lost in thought as she walked, she murmured softly.
"It wasn't bad. Working at that cafe."
Rustle.
Clutching the envelope Ragna had given her, she said:
"I wonder if Mom's eating her dinner okay~!"