Chapter Text
The afternoon sunlight slipping through the curtains hit my face. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the clock on the wall. 3 PM. I sat up on the edge of my bed with a huge yawn. My whole body felt sore as hell. I scratched my balls for a second, then got up from the bed and headed to the bathroom. My apartment was an absolute mess. Earlier this morning I was binge-watching Netflix while stuffing myself with instant noodles and konbini snacks... but whatever, I’ll clean it later. Right now, I gotta get to work.
I walked into the bathroom, shaved the facial hair, it's starting to grow on my chin, brushed my teeth, then took a shower. After that I changed clothes, locked my apartment, went downstairs, and rode my bicycle to work. I’ve already had two bikes stolen before, so now I use a wheel lock so it won’t happen again. Tokyo isn’t exactly 100% safe, you know?
Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Mukai Ito. I’m from Hiroshima, I’m 20 years old, and I work in Tokyo. By the way, I work at an izakaya tucked away in one of Tokyo’s narrow little alleys. Twenty still sounds pretty young, right? Hell yeah. I’m always young. Honestly, I’ll probably stay young at heart even when I’m older.
You’re probably wondering why someone my age is working in Tokyo. Am I here for college? Nope. Didn’t go to college. My parents could afford it just fine, but honestly... my brain just wasn’t built for that kinda thing. Plus, I’m the type who loves freedom way too much. That’s why I moved to Tokyo to work and live however I want.
Working at an izakaya, huh? Sounds kinda pathetic when you say it out loud, but hey, I’m still young. Career stuff isn’t that deep to me right now
I finally arrived at work. The izakaya’s called Sakura. It’s basically a drinking spot for salarymen stopping by after office hours. We usually stay open till late at night and close around 2 AM. But right now it’s still 2 PM. Since I work in the kitchen, I gotta come in early and prep ingredients before opening. Our izakaya only has two shifts. I work the day shift from 2 PM to 8 PM
“IRASSHAIMASEEEEEEEE!” I yelled cheerfully from the kitchen entrance, startling everyone inside
“The hell?! You scared me!” Airi snapped back
“Senpai, quit messing around and chop the carrots for the kakiage,” Momomi ordered.
Oh yeah, there are six people on my shift. Me, Taniguchi Airi, and Yamada Momomi work in the kitchen. Then there’s Matono Mio, Murayama Miu, and Sato Neo working as waiters. Neo and Momomi are college students doing part-time jobs here. Murayama’s dating Airi too... hmmmmm...
Speaking of relationships, I’ve actually never dated anyone before. Haha, sounds tragic, huh? Back in school I was known as the loud, hyper, always-laughing class clown type. But girls usually prefer those calm ikemen guys who look mature and composed. I’m basically the exact opposite.
Have I ever liked someone before? Of course. But in the end, they always just saw me as the fun friend to joke around with. None of them ever seriously liked me that way. Well, that’s their choice. I can’t force feelings on anyone. I’m not really the aggressive type when it comes to chasing girls anyway.
But whatever, enough about girls. Back to work. Once prep was done, the shop opened at 5 PM. Salarymen usually get off work around 6, though some stay late doing overtime till 9 or even 10 PM. They come here to hang out, drink, and complain about life probably. Fridays get insanely crowded because of nomikai parties with their bosses. And yeah, they always end up drunk as hell.
Honestly, I don’t really understand about office culture. Even my dad is a salaryman himself. Why don’t I just work in an office too? Well... I hate stiff formalities. I’ll do any job as long as I feel free. Sure, office jobs are cool and all... basically every men's dream type of career. But me? I just wanna enjoy life. Sounds irresponsible? Haha... that's just how i am, dude
“We got customers,” Neo said as she grabbed the menu book and walked toward them.
Four people entered the place. Two men and two women. They looked like office workers, even though they weren’t wearing suits. Probably college fresh graduates. They were chatting with Neo while looking through the menu. Then my eyes landed on one of the girls talking to her. She was... beautiful. Medium-length hair. Smooth skin. Her face is very elegant and graceful. I swear, I got completely hypnotized just staring at her. After Neo finished taking their order, she handed the order slip to me.
“Are you daydreaming again?” Neo said while handing me the paper
I read it. Tempura, yakitori, chicken nanban, shishito, edamame, sashimi platter, yakimeshi, yakisoba, karaage, udon, oolong tea, beer... Goddamn, that’s a LOT! Are their stomachs secretly vacuum cleaner product with black hole feature or something? Ah, maybe they’re sharing the food. I shrugged and started prepping the ingredients