"Kawasaki Saki?"
Hearing Yukinoshita's words, Miura Yumiko also followed her line of sight.
It really was her!
To be honest, Miura's impression of Kawasaki Saki was not good. She had once tried to talk to her because of her outstanding appearance, wanting her to join her small group, but the result was obvious.
At that time, the feeling Kawasaki gave her was that her personality was too strong, not at all sociable. No matter where she went, she was always alone, and she was cold to her classmates, her tone of voice also very blunt.
After being rejected, Miura wasn't exactly angry, but she never spoke to her again, very much in the spirit of "if you don't click, half a word is too much."
Seeing her here now, Miura suddenly had a realization. "You're looking for her?"
"Yeah, at the request of her little brother." Since he had agreed to let her come along, Mori Shinra had no intention of hiding it from her.
Miura thoughtfully sized up Kawasaki Saki's current attire. The intelligent girl immediately noticed something was wrong. "Why is she wearing a bartender's uniform?"
Although Sobu High didn't prohibit students from taking part-time jobs after school, there were restrictions on the hours and types of work. Working as a bartender in a bar was clearly not allowed; it could even be said to be a serious violation of school rules.
Just as they were observing her, Kawasaki also noticed them. However, she didn't seem to recognize them, simply placing coasters and nuts on their table. Then, like the waiter at the entrance, she didn't rush them, but waited quietly for them to order.
"Kawa—" Hikigaya had just started to speak when he was interrupted by Shinra.
"Do you have non-alcoholic cocktails?"
"Yes," Kawasaki Saki's reply was short and firm.
Right now, she showed none of her usual laziness from school. Her light blue hair was tied up high, and her server's uniform was clean and sharp. Her movements were elegant and composed. She expertly listed the drinks she could make for Shinra, some of which were high-end sounding cocktails.
Shinra casually chose one. "I'll have... the Cinderella."
The Cinderella, a well-known non-alcoholic cocktail, is made from a certain ratio of three fruit juices: orange, lemon, and pineapple. It contains no alcohol at all.
Although it sounds strange for a cocktail to contain no alcohol, it's the same principle as a wallet not necessarily containing money; both can be changed according to demand.
Since Shinra had specifically emphasized no alcohol, she would not add any base liquor during the preparation. The price was the same anyway.
"Here." Kawasaki Saki deftly slid the finished cocktail in front of him and then looked towards the other customers.
Hikigaya and Yuigahama followed his example and ordered non-alcoholic cocktails. Yukinoshita and Miura, on the other hand, each named a liquor that an ordinary high school student would absolutely never have come into contact with.
Watching her deft bartending movements, Shinra knew that she wouldn't be easily persuaded by them.
Even if they could get the owner to fire her on the grounds that she was a high school student, with her bartending skills, she could easily find work elsewhere.
Moreover, doing so carried a certain risk. After all, not all bars were as safe as [Angel's Ladder]. In fact, a mix of good and bad was the norm for bars.
If she lost her job here, the security of her next workplace would most likely not be as good as this one.
Furthermore, the reason she was working so hard was clearly linked to the blue Wish Request on her head. In short, they had to take it slow.
With this in mind, Shinra once again stopped Hikigaya, who was about to go up and reveal everything.
Are you kidding? Her parents and her own brother can't persuade her. What makes you think an outsider like you can?
"It's getting late. You guys should head back first," Shinra said, raising his wrist to check the time. It was almost ten o'clock. Any later and they would miss the last train.
People like Hikigaya and Yuigahama, who had families at home, were clearly not suited to stay any longer.
Besides, they couldn't be of much help now anyway. It was better to go home, wash up, and sleep. Tomorrow was Monday, and they had school.
Shinra didn't want them to be late for class tomorrow morning because they stayed out too late at a bar, ultimately having to face Hiratsuka's iron fist.
"What about you?" Hikigaya asked.
"I'll stay a bit longer and see. It's not far from my place, and a taxi won't cost much," Shinra replied.
Yuigahama couldn't think of a reason to refuse, so she had to agree. "Then... alright."
Miura had come to accompany Yuigahama in the first place, so she naturally didn't say much and went down the elevator with the two of them.
As for why it was with "the two of them"?
Because Yukinoshita didn't leave.
"You're not going home?"
"I want to stay and see too. It's not far from my place, and a taxi won't cost much. Besides... isn't there another person here who can split the fare with me?" Yukinoshita Yukino said calmly.
"Furthermore, how can the president go home and rest while leaving her members to do all the work?"
"Uh... isn't that a common sight?"
Yukinoshita Yukino glared at him with her beautiful eyes but didn't banter with him further. Instead, she asked, "So what's your plan?"
"A direct approach definitely won't work. Even her own brother couldn't persuade her, let alone outsiders like us."
"Hmm... talk to the owner here?"
"Even if she gets fired, she can just find another job. That only treats the symptom, not the root cause. And doing so would most likely only make things worse."
Yukinoshita pondered for a moment and summarized, "In other words, our priority now is to find out why she's working. After all, working here can't be easy."
Don't be fooled by the lack of customers in the bar. As a bartender, she had to stand at the counter until three or four in the morning. That wasn't easy even for an adult, let alone a high school student like Kawasaki Saki.
"By the way, since you're in the same class, haven't you heard any rumors at all?" Yukinoshita looked at Shinra.
He could only spread his hands helplessly. "Although we're in the same class, we weren't in the same class in our first year. To be honest, it's been over a month since school started, and I haven't said a single word to her."
"How about I go and try to get some information?" Shinra thought of a method that wasn't really a method.
"Who would casually reveal information to a stranger in a bar? Besides, you're a guy."
"You never know," Shinra hummed mysteriously. For someone with Emotion Perception, wouldn't striking up a conversation be a piece of cake?
Moreover, he didn't need her to be completely honest with him. He just needed to find a way to obtain the Wish Request on her head. As long as he could accept the request, he would understand everything.
Mori Shinra walked over with his glass.
Mori Shinra walked back with his glass.
"A piece of cake?" A mysterious smile played on Yukinoshita's lips.
"This one's a tough nut to crack," he replied without changing his expression. It was clear he had failed to trigger the request on her head.
Just as the two were planning their next move, a blonde girl sat down beside them.
It was Miura Yumiko, who had come back!