Chapter 231: The Eye God Is Actually a Middle School Student Clerk (Patreon)

"I'm staying over today."

"Captain, are you jealous?"

"It's just making clothes, isn't it?"

"What's there to be jealous of?"

That was what Natsuka said out loud, but inside he couldn't stop thinking.

I actually envy Kuroneko more.

Hiss.

So big.

A facial cleanser would definitely work extra well on that.

…

After taking a taxi out of Chiba Prefecture, Natsuka went back to the tavern.

It was seven in the evening, supposedly prime time for business. But when he pushed the door open, only a few people were scattered along the bar, and the empty seats were ridiculous in number.

"Welcome."

A bartender he didn't recognize greeted him.

Natsuka could say with one hundred percent certainty that he had never seen this person before. And, most importantly, no matter how you looked at it, this was a middle schooler.

The face was far too young, and the build was short. The technique looked quite practiced, but from every angle the bartender still looked like a middle schooler.

Natsuka walked over and asked first.

"Where's the manager of this place?"

The bartender froze for a moment, then answered very politely.

"Are you a regular here, sir?"

"I'm sorry."

"Mr. Amuro took the day off."

"Manager Yusa also just stepped out."

"It seems she went to keep an eye on someone."

"Uh…"

Natsuka was speechless for a moment.

Tooru Amuro taking a day off was easy enough to understand. Gin and Vodka had both gotten their kidneys wrecked, which made this the crucial time for investigating the Organization members' movements.

As for Yusa…

Surely she wasn't off camping out at MgRonald's again to catch the Demon Lord slacking off at work?

While he was thinking it over, the tavern door was pushed open again.

A drunken Kogoro Mouri staggered in and bellowed.

"Hitomi-chan!"

"Get me a Blue Lady!"

"Um…"

"I've never made that drink before."

"No problem, no problem."

"I'll teach you."

Kogoro Mouri plopped down at the bar and actually began earnestly coaching the bartender on mixing the drink.

The sight gave off an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

Natsuka stared at the bartender for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke.

"Your name is Hitomi Mishima, right?"

The bartender stiffened all over.

Her hands slipped half a beat, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead, but she denied it right away.

"Y-you must have the wrong person."

Inside, Hitomi Mishima was already screaming her head off.

I'm done for, I'm done for.

Could this be an upperclassman from school? Or a teacher?

How does he know me?!

If the school finds out I work at a tavern, I'm completely finished.

Natsuka looked calm on the surface, but inside he was blowing up.

Oh my god.

This is Hitomi. The Hitomi. The legend herself.

How on earth did Emi Yusa trick this kid into working at my shop?

In the world of part-timers, even a super part-time warrior like Aoyama Nanami would probably have a hard time surpassing her.

You could honestly call her the god of part-time work.

Good job, Emilia.

As expected of the Braver. She really has some skill when it comes to recruiting companions.

Once Hitomi Mishima finished mixing the drink, Natsuka leaned in and deliberately put on a stern little face, the very picture of a serious investor on an inspection visit.

"Actually, I'm an investor in this tavern."

"I'd like to get a sense of things."

"How do the manager and Mr. Amuro usually perform at work?"

"Would you mind telling me?"

The moment Hitomi Mishima heard that, tears nearly burst out of her eyes.

She grabbed Natsuka's sleeve, as wronged as someone who had finally found an upright magistrate, and began to accuse through her tears.

"Wahhh."

"Miss Yusa is practically inhuman."

"She threatened me with a photo and made a middle schooler work for her!"

"She also sweet-talked me into running away from home and sharing a luxury apartment with her."

"To pay the rent, I have no choice but to work like crazy."

"I don't even get any rest time at night anymore!"

"Mr. Investor, please, you have to stand up for me!"

Hearing this, Natsuka's first reaction was, absurdly:

Good job, Emilia.

He coughed and forced himself to put on a perfectly serious face.

"I see."

"Are you short on money right now?"

"Yes!"

Hitomi Mishima nodded frantically.

"Then how about working at my other company?"

[Author's Note: Begging for flowers…]

"It's related to the internet."

"Don't worry."

"Our technology over there is extremely advanced."

"You can even get your work done properly while you sleep."

"The pay and benefits are good too."

Hitomi Mishima stared at him blankly.

The corners of her mouth drooped bit by bit, and black lines seemed to stripe her forehead.

I'm doomed.

This guy is even scarier than Senior Yusa.

Hitomi Mishima.

Her looks weren't especially striking. She looked like the textbook honor student, a good, obedient girl.

Her ability to learn was absurdly strong.

But at the same time, she had one fatal personality flaw.

She couldn't say no to people.

Even the reason she had come to work at this tavern was that, at first, her classmate Hina had asked her to come along and help find her father.

Then a customer casually asked her to make a cocktail, and just like that she muddled her way into becoming the tavern's official bartender.

What was even more outrageous was that in just a few days, her skill had already surpassed that of many veterans who had worked for years.

Later, because she often worked until late at night and got home too late, she had a huge fight with her mother.

Add to that Emi Yusa fanning the flames on the side, and this girl who couldn't refuse anyone was half-pushed into renting a luxury apartment together with Emi Yusa.

And then things developed into what they were now.

The girl named Hitomi Mishima worked herself to the bone every day for rent and living expenses, with almost no time to catch her breath.

In summary.

"If you just shift your nighttime rest hours over to this, the money you'd make would match what you normally couldn't earn even working three part-time jobs in a row."

"A chance like this might not come along even once in a lifetime."

"What are you still hesitating about?"

"But…"

"But what?"

"When you get right down to it, it's just playing a game. It's called relaxing. It's called enjoying yourself."

"Do you have any idea how many people out there are fighting tooth and nail and still can't get in?"

"The line of people who want an invitation code could stretch from Beika Town all the way to Haido Town!"

Under Natsuka's passionate, nearly brainwashing pitch, Hitomi Mishima ended up, in a complete daze, joining the so-called "chat group."