The Yue Quanting store located at the entrance of the alley is not large, but it is very popular. After it opened at 5 o'clock in the evening, many customers came to the door soon.
Although he was recommended by his daughter, it was obvious that Soya, whose origin was unknown, could not stay with just a joke-like comment. He had to prove to Kirino and his wife that at least he was not a clumsy person through actual performance.
And now is the time for testing.
"My father and mother will be responsible for preparing the food and paying the bill. Sotani-kun's job is basically to greet the guests, take orders, and serve food and drinks."
Kirino Akane lowered her head and adjusted her work uniform, "That's what I helped with in the store before."
"Ever since I started preparing for the exam, the store has been a little busy, and the part-time workers haven't been able to stay long...Are you listening?"
"I'm listening." Zonggu nodded.
"Well... there's nothing else for now. Do you have any questions, Sotani-kun?"
"Isn't it okay to prepare for Kirino's exam?"
"..."
She was stunned, then quickly smiled and said, "No problem."
"From the end of the year to now, I have been busy preparing for the exam. I also want to change my mood a little bit."
The short pre-job training ended. The two left the changing room, and there seemed to be many more customers in the izakaya.
Akane Kirino's mother, Keiko Kirino, was taking orders for a table of guests. When she saw the two people coming out, she turned around and winked.
"Here we come."
Kirino Akane came to the bar and led another group of waiting guests to the dining table to sit down. Soya followed.
"What would you like to drink?"
After all, this is an izakaya, and drinks are the first course.
"Let's have a beer first."
"Oda, you must hate me... By the way, I want plum wine."
"Why do you say that?" "A cup of Kurokiri Island with ice." "I'm so exhausted..."
"Senior, do you drink soju when you come up?" "You hesitated when you chose your seat just now, right?"
"Look, this is the power of senior."
"That's... that's because..."
The several guests who were seated were talking to each other, and the information was quite confusing, but Akane Kirino quickly refined the key points after listening to it once.
"A glass of beer, a glass of plum wine, a glass of Kurogirishima shochu on the rocks..."
Her eyes swept over them one by one, and finally landed on the man who was still explaining why he hesitated, "What would this guest like to drink?"
"So...what? Wine? Everything is good."
“Can I have beer?”
"Beer... okay? Let me tell you..."
"I see."
She took out the menu and said, "Before that, please take a look at our dishes."
Returning to the bar, Kirino Akane poured the wine and added ice cubes according to the customer's request, and put a few special dishes of her own izakaya on the tray;
Just as he was about to pick up the tray, Sogu next to him reached out his hand first.
"Thank you~"
She smiled at him and returned to the dining table with him.
"Please use it slowly."
Soya distributed wine and side dishes to everyone. Akane Kirino held the order book in her hand, asking and recording the dishes they ordered;
After placing their orders, the two returned to the bar and conveyed their requests to Kirino Hiroyuki, who served as the chef.
"For the guest at table two."
Glancing at the menu, he picked out the already skewered ingredients and put them on the grill.
"Leave the cold slave to Qian."
"Uh-huh."
When she is busy, Kirino Akane will also help prepare some simple dishes to go with drinks, such as rennu (cold tofu) and edamame (edamame);
She was lowering her head to sprinkle the chopped green onion and bonito flakes on the cut tofu, and before pouring the soy sauce, another group of customers walked into the izakaya.
"Welcome to Jiequan Pavilion——"
She raised her head, and Soya beside her had already greeted her, leading the guests to the dining table inside.
"Sotani-kun learns so quickly."
While flipping the grilled food on the iron rack, Kirino Hiroyuki looked over there a few times.
"Boy friend?"
"Eh? No, no..."
...
Until about ten o'clock at night, the izakaya was still full of guests. But there were not many new arrivals among them, so it was not as busy as when it first fell into the night.
After delivering a plate of extra skewers to the guest's table, Sogu just took a breath and noticed someone waving to him at the bar.
"Miss Kirino."
Kirino Keiko arranged the dishes that had just been washed, and waited until he approached before turning sideways to face him.
"Sotani-kun, how do you feel?"
Being busy all the time, Zonggu didn't have any special feelings, to be honest.
"A little tired."
Kirino Keiko laughed and continued: "Although the work is simple, it is also very hard at night. But Sotani-kun copes very well. Have you ever worked anywhere else before?"
"No. It's just that when I was still in the orphanage, I often helped with housework. I don't feel there is much difference."
"Welfare home..."
Her voice gradually dropped, and when she spoke again she changed the topic.
"How much do Soya-kun know about Akane?"
Zong Gu thought for a while, "She is a kind and cheerful girl."
Probably because she came into contact with many people in this kind of growing environment, her personality is also more outgoing.
Kirino Keiko nodded and continued.
"Qian is different from ordinary girls. She is also very mobile. She has liked to pick up various small animals from home since she was a child.
In addition to kittens and puppies, there are also birds with injured wings, half-dead frogs, and snakes whose heads were crushed by cars... It’s hard to believe, but it’s all true.”
"..."
Her daughter was not here at this time, and Soya realized that he had not seen Kirino Akane for a while.
“However, after I discovered that I couldn’t take good care of all the small animals I picked up, such things gradually became less common.
Unexpectedly, she just picked up a handsome boy this time... Should I say she has grown up..."
Zonggu was silent for a moment and sighed in his heart.
"Sorry for causing you any trouble. I will move out as soon as possible."
"Sotani-kun is indeed different from ordinary boys. He is much more mature than them."
Kirino Keiko shook her head and smiled, "But you misunderstood, that's not what I meant."
"..."
She looked at him, "Sotani-kun."
"exist."
"I heard from Qian that it took you more than two years to wander here from the Northeast?"
It seemed that Akane Kirino didn't explain too many details to her parents. Soya hesitated and said, "Judging from the results, it is indeed the case."
"Is there anything that happened in the process that cannot be told?"
"No, even if I say it, no one will believe it."
"My daughter seems to believe it."
"She's not an ordinary person."
"..."
There were some subtle changes in Kirino Keiko's eyes, but it was obvious that she still could not fully understand what he meant.
Sogu noticed this, fumbled with the string around his neck, and took out the amulet from his collar.
"Akane's amulet..."
"Ms. Kirino, do you understand the function of this amulet?"
"I heard from my deceased mother-in-law that this was to prevent Akane from seeing those strange things." She looked at him, "Could it be that Soya-kun also..."
Zong Gu nodded, "My wandering experience is related to this."
"..."
Faced with this unexpected turn of events, Kirino Keiko did not let her surprise dominate her for too long, but instead became more candid.
"Sotani-kun."
"exist."
"I'm just an ordinary person, and it's hard to imagine those invisible things. Even though many people have told me that there is another world, I have always stayed away from it."
"Although I can see, my attitude is the same as Miss Kirino." Soya looked at her, "This ability only brings me trouble."
She smiled and quickly stopped.
"Sotani-kun is not a bad person, right?"
"no."
"There are no wanted notices for Sotani-kun in the police stations at all levels in the prefecture, right?"
"No." He paused, "Over in Sendai, there may be a few missing persons notices from two years ago."
"Really... Even this amulet has been handed over to Sotani-kun, which shows that Akane trusts you very much."
"Yes."
"In this case, Soya-kun won't be like the little animal that Akane picked up, and either die suddenly, or disappear secretly after recovering from his injuries, right?"
"..."
Only then did Zong Gu vaguely understand the full purpose of her series of foreshadowing and temptations.
"Won't."
He replied in the affirmative, and finally added, "When I decide to leave, I will say hello properly."
"That puts me at ease."
Kirino Keiko nodded and glanced at her husband who was listening silently.
"I hope Sotani-kun can stay forever."
Kirino Hiroyuki was taciturn and said nothing, just nodded.
"OK."
Kirino Keiko clapped her hands and then took out another notebook.
"Then let's talk about the hourly wage of working in our store."
...
After negotiating with Soya about hourly wages and accommodation, Kirino Keiko stayed with her husband in the store and asked him to take Kirino Akane home.
"...The hourly wage during normal hours is 1,000 yen, and after nine o'clock it is 1,200 yen. The salary is calculated weekly."
"Yeah."
Goose-yellow lights illuminated the street. It was not a big city after all, and the road was already very deserted at this time. Akane Kirino walked in front, turning back after a few steps to listen to Soya repeating what happened after she was sent away.
"Where is Soya-kun's residence?"
"It's still the Kirino family's old house."
With her bag hanging on her shoulder, Sogu glanced left and right, memorizing the streets she walked along with her eyes.
"But Miss Kirino didn't confiscate my rent, she just asked me to clean it occasionally to keep it clean."
"Really? That's a big help."
Finally freed from long-term voluntary labor, Kirino Akane showed a relieved smile.
"But my store won't open until five in the afternoon. What are Soya-kun going to do during the day?"
"study."
"Eh?"
She stopped and turned around, Zonggu was also looking at her.
"I plan to use my time during the day to study for middle school courses and take the high school entrance examination next year."
"..."
Kirino Akane looked at him for a while, "Sotani-kun, do you plan to continue your studies?"
"Um."
"That's great. Do you need my help?"
"Very much needed."
Soya nodded, "But let's wait until Kirino settles down in high school first."