"Idiot! Are you out of your mind, woman?! Do you know how expensive this suit is?!"
The angry shouts of a man cut through the air. Tetsu Fuyukawa, in the middle of paying at the counter, glanced over with a frown. At a nearby table, a man in a suit was berating a young waitress.
This was a restaurant, and the young waitress, seemingly unfamiliar with Japanese, stood frozen, holding a half-empty plate of mapo tofu. The floor near the man's feet was splattered with the dish.
It looked like she'd spilled the food, and some had splashed onto his pant leg.
From a distance, Tetsu couldn't see clearly, but he noticed the man's black socks under his suit pants were free of any red sauce—the mapo tofu had mostly hit the floor.
The commotion quickly drew the restaurant's owner couple out.
"So sorry, sir. She's new and not quite used to things yet. Please, don't be upset. We can discuss compensation," the owner apologized profusely.
The owner's wife, meanwhile, pulled the waitress aside with a scowl. "Xia, what happened?!"
"Boss, he… he grabbed my butt first, and then—"
The waitress, Xia, looked on the verge of tears, her pale face full of grievance. But the owner's wife wasn't having it. Switching to rusty Mandarin, she snapped, "So what if he touched you? It's not like you're missing a piece of flesh! Now you've made a mess—your pay's docked for a week!"
With that, she turned back to the man, forcing a smile and even pushing Xia's head down to bow in apology.
"What?! An apology? If apologies worked, what's the point of police?!" The suit-clad man grew even more belligerent. "Oh,foreign girl? An illegal immigrant, huh? I'm calling the local cops!"
Seeing the owners too intimidated to stand up to him, the man's arrogance swelled. Some customers paid their bills and left, while others pretended not to notice. The owners panicked further. "No, no, please don't call the police! Xia, apologize now!"
Xia herself had no legal issues and wasn't afraid of the police, but the restaurant's hourly wage was well below Tokyo's mandated 1,167 yen. If the authorities got involved, the owners would face a hefty fine.
Afraid to call the cops?
The man in the suit sensed an opportunity. Initially, he'd just wanted to scare the girl to avoid a harassment complaint, but now…
His eyes gleamed with brazen excitement as he sized up Xia. Her figure was stunning—her white work T-shirt strained against her curves, and her long, black JK skirt revealed shapely legs wrapped in thigh-high stockings, paired with black loafers. Yet her beautiful face was filled with fear and confusion—a vulnerable girl with no one to rely on.
Sensing his predatory gaze, Xia's fear surged, her fists clenching instinctively. Just then—
"Kawai, what the hell are you doing?"
A familiar, icy voice cut through. The man turned to see a sharply dressed man in a black suit glaring at him.
Terror flashed in Kawai's eyes. He shot to his feet, bowing. "F-Fuyukawa-san?! I—"
"I asked what you're doing. An NTsoft employee bullying a young girl?" Tetsu's voice was cold, barely containing his anger.
This sleazy suit was none other than a loudmouth from the Kazuma Studio, whom Tetsu had encountered that morning. He already had a low opinion of that team, and now this? His tone seethed with suppressed fury.
Feeling Tetsu's mood, Kawai panicked, bowing a full ninety degrees. "It-it was her! She—"
Before he could finish, Tetsu crouched down, grabbed his hair, and yanked his head up. Their eyes locked. Tetsu glanced at the faint speck of sauce on Kawai's sock. "This? You think I didn't see what happened? Want me to check the security footage?"
"Uh—"
Kawai froze, staring into Tetsu's deep, calm eyes—calm like the sea, but with a storm brewing beneath. He was done for. Tetsu was known at NTsoft not just for his talent and favor with the higher-ups, but also for his no-nonsense temper.
And worst of all, Kawai knew he was in the wrong.
Unable to talk back, his lips trembled as he groped for an excuse. But Tetsu yanked his hair again, snarling, "Get lost!"
Wincing as his hair nearly tore out, Kawai let out a yelp, tossed some cash on the table for his meal, and turned to flee. But he froze under Tetsu's glare.
Tetsu's eyes flicked to the stunned Xia. Kawai got the message.
"I'm so sorry! It was all my fault! Please, take this as compensation!" With a 130-degree bow, he shoved money into Xia's pocket and bolted.
"Just when I thought he was tough, he practically wet himself," someone muttered.
"Who's that guy? So cool."
"No idea, sounds like some company bigshot. A righteous hottie, huh?"
"Wait! That's Fuyukawa-san! Didn't expect to see him here!"
"He's the Fuyukawa-san? So handsome! No wonder the office seniors call him 'NTsoft's hottest guy.'"
The restaurant buzzed with chatter. By chance, a few NTsoft female interns at a nearby table were practically swooning, their eyes turning to jelly as they stared at Tetsu.
Ignoring the adoring gazes, Tetsu turned to the groveling owners and then to the terrified Xia. In fluent Hunan dialect, he said, "Treat your own people better."
With that, in a foul mood, Tetsu didn't bother saying more. He left the restaurant with Sayoko in tow.
He didn't notice Xia's gaze soften into a pool of admiration as she memorized the name "NTsoft." Nor did he see, in a corner booth, Asuka Tsukitake, eating ultra-spicy jajangmyeon, watching the scene with an intrigued expression.
---
Lunch had been pleasant at first, thanks to Sayoko's playful teasing with her stockinged foot under the table. But the incident soured Tetsu's mood.
Sayoko clearly picked up on his irritation. When Tetsu retreated to the backseat of the car to change his pants, she initiated some playful interaction.
Normally, given their recent frequency, Tetsu might've been too drained to respond. But the system's boost to his physical potential was nothing short of magical.
Still, with limited time at lunch, Tetsu went a bit too hard, leaving Sayoko chugging two bottles of mineral water to recover her voice.
He worried he'd been too rough and was about to kiss her in apology, but Sayoko just smiled. "If Tetsu-kun's happy, Sayoko's happy," she said, affectionately pinching his cheek.