Ho Fei-yu had already served several office workers when the two female figures finally arrived.
"Fei-yu-kun, good morning!"
"Mmm~ I didn't think Fei-yu-kun would be here so early. I thought we'd be waiting for you~" Yui Nakaizumi pulled Shiori Fuyutsuki over to the register.
She let go of Shiori's hand and leaned over the counter, her small fists lightly clenched, stretching her waist softly like a small cat, yawning. She tilted her head up, her cute, naive face showing a hint of laziness, as if she wanted to shake off the fatigue of waking up early.
Ho Fei-yu looked down from above. The girl's nascent cleavage was outlined in the thin fabric of her clothes, showing off her enchanting curves. He could even see glimpses of the soft, white flesh of her lower back.
Shiori Fuyutsuki watched Yui Nakaizumi act as if no one else was present, her tsundere face showing helplessness, but she said nothing. She was long accustomed to her best friend's simple-mindedness.
"You idiot, Yui. Your panties are showing again." Shiori's purple-brown eyes shifted from her best friend's body to the young man's face, only to find him staring at Yui Nakaizumi. Following his gaze, she realized her best friend was exposed, and her light green panties were visible beneath the hem of her skirt. She quickly slapped Yui Nakaizumi's butt, making a crisp sound and leaving a red handprint on the delicate flesh, scolding her.
"Wuu~ It's not like there are any customers anyway." Yui Nakaizumi felt a burning sensation on her rear. She quickly rubbed it gently, her innocent face full of grievance, trying to defend herself.
"Hmph, it doesn't matter if there are no customers." Shiori Fuyutsuki crossed her arms over her chest, replying with a cold snort, but her heart was complicated. Normally, she would have covered Yui with her hand or her body, but seeing the look in Ho Fei-yu's eyes directed at her best friend made her inexplicably uncomfortable, which was why she slapped her.
"Hmph." She turned her head away, her eyes glancing sideways at Ho Fei-yu, her tone full of resentment.
"..." Without waiting for Ho Fei-yu's reply, she pulled Yui Nakaizumi toward the changing room.
Ho Fei-yu felt relieved seeing Shiori Fuyutsuki was the same as when they first met yesterday. He had been worried the girl might not show up for work today, given what happened last night. But to his surprise, the girl recovered quickly. Although he didn't know if this was because of the Inner World, it was good that the impact was minimal.
Inside the changing room, Shiori Fuyutsuki had already taken off her shirt. Her pair of perky, snowy breasts were shapely even under the cover of her pink bra.
Shiori's expression was complicated as she looked at the area that was completely intact. The events of last night rushed back to her. Thinking of Shita Yoshihiro's disgusting face filled her with both revulsion and fear.
Fortunately, the slightly lewd young man standing at the register outside the door had appeared like a divine soldier, protecting her in his arms. The warm embrace still gave her a comforting feeling even in memory, and she recalled holding tightly onto the young man's hand.
Her pretty face, which had been pale with recollection, now flushed like the morning sun. Her lips curved into a subtle, involuntary smile.
'Could Shiori-chan be in love?' Yui Nakaizumi, who had already changed her clothes, tilted her head, curiously watching the distracted Shiori Fuyutsuki. She saw her best friend wearing a dreamy smile, like a heroine in a romance drama, and guessed internally.
Yui Nakaizumi playfully extended her hand and waved it in front of Shiori Fuyutsuki's eyes. When she still didn't snap out of it, and with the residual pain in her butt, a desire for revenge arose.
"Eek~ Yui-chan, ouch, what are you doing?" Shiori Fuyutsuki was dreaming of walking down the aisle with Ho Fei-yu. They were about to kiss under the priest's blessing when she felt a kneading sensation on her chest, which jolted her awake. She looked at her best friend's frantic antics, her hands harassing her "little rabbits," and asked in confusion.
"Heehee! Is the little girl lovesick?"
"N-No..." Shiori Fuyutsuki's heart clenched when Yui Nakaizumi asked this, and she stammered.
"Q-Quickly... let go." Yui Nakaizumi originally only wanted to tease Shiori Fuyutsuki, but... it felt so good to squeeze~ Soft and bouncy, she couldn't stop.
"Hmph, Yui-chan!" Shiori Fuyutsuki initially only played defense, not wanting to quarrel with Yui Nakaizumi. But the more she retreated, the more ground she lost. She recalled how she was almost able to kiss him, only to be interrupted, and then Ho Fei-yu's lewd gaze directed at her best friend. Annoyance rose from her heart, and she began to counterattack.
Ho Fei-yu served a few more customers. During the lull, he looked strangely at the changing room. They had been in there for over ten minutes, and there was no mirror inside. Were they doing something else?
Fortunately, the two girls saved Ho Fei-yu from more wild speculation. They opened the changing room door and walked out looking exhausted, their faces faintly flushed and their foreheads dotted with fine sweat. They were vibrant and beautiful, yet with a touch of seductiveness.
Well... That was the girls' private business and had nothing to do with him. He only glanced for about ten seconds. Yep! Purely appreciating beauty.
The three of them then performed their duties with clear division of labor, and the morning passed just like that.
When lunchtime arrived, the two girls changed into their casual clothes, preparing to leave the convenience store to eat lunch at home, take a nap, and then return to work. They saw Ho Fei-yu still standing at the register with no intention of going home, and both stared at him.
"Heh heh, you two go ahead. I'll go home tonight." Ho Fei-yu understood what they were thinking, so he waved his hand.
The two girls looked at each other, then back at Ho Fei-yu. They didn't say much and left the convenience store together.
"Sigh~" Seeing the convenience store empty, Ho Fei-yu let out a light sigh. It wasn't that he didn't want to go home for lunch, but he couldn't face Auntie Mitsuko yet. It wasn't about shirking responsibility. Having spent a year with Mitsuko Yarima, he already considered her family, and naturally, feelings were involved. After all, who wouldn't like a proper, virtuous, and charming milf? He was just having trouble transitioning from a kind of relative to a real family member. Maybe after resting this afternoon, he would go home tonight without any psychological burden.
Ho Fei-yu shook his head and walked toward the area where Shita Yoshihiro used to hang out. He planned to take a nap inside. Just as he pulled back the curtain, a foul, rotting stench rushed toward him, nearly making him throw up.
He quickly dropped the curtain, rushed out of the store, took several deep breaths, and after a moment, recovered and cursed loudly. "Is this place fit for a human being?" He knew where the foul smell came from. Ho Fei-yu was a man, after all~ He had smelled it when he was intimate with other women, but it was never this bad!
Ho Fei-yu immediately took out his phone and called Takayuki Taro. He was just the store manager, so he needed to consult Takayuki Taro about certain things. The call was answered in a moment. The voice on the other end was as enthusiastic as ever. He told Takayuki Taro about his request, and the man promised to immediately send people to clean up. Ho Fei-yu subtly mentioned that he would speak favorably of Takayuki Taro to Reika Kurashiki. After the other party's thanks, they ended the call.
The reason Takayuki Taro was so courteous to Ho Fei-yu was because of his connection to Reika Kurashiki. If he were just an ordinary high school student, how could the president of a convenience store chain treat him like this? Likewise, Ho Fei-yu wasn't taking advantage of Takayuki Taro for nothing. He planned to whisper sweet nothings about him to Reika Kurashiki after their next encounter. As for what Reika Kurashiki would do to Takayuki Taro, that was none of his concern. Only mutual respect allows for a long-lasting relationship.
Takayuki Taro's efficiency was indeed high. In just a few minutes, a van stopped in front of the convenience store, and a group of fully equipped cleaners with various tools got out.
Ho Fei-yu told them where to clean, tactfully described the severity of the environment, suggested they wear masks, and recommended gas masks if possible. After speaking, he quickly fled the convenience store. He ran away as if there was a ferocious beast behind the curtain, leaving the bewildered cleaners behind.
They were puzzled by Ho Fei-yu's frightened look. After all, what was there to be scared of about cleaning, and gas masks? That was ridiculous. The cleaners just assumed he was a wealthy young master who had never done manual labor.
But the moment they pulled back the curtain, one after another, their faces turned green. They quickly ran out of the convenience store, found a wall corner, and started retching. Some even threw up the breakfast they hadn't fully digested.
After a long while, the group stood up, leaning against the wall. They all looked hollow-eyed and gaunt, as if they had eaten poisonous mushrooms.
Ho Fei-yu saw this and chuckled inwardly. "Those who don't heed the 'elder's' advice suffer the consequences."
Since no one dared to go back in, someone made a phone call. After a while, another car stopped in front of the convenience store. A person got out and handed a gas mask to everyone. This restored the group's courage to continue cleaning the "poisonous den," which took about forty minutes.
After Ho Fei-yu thanked them, he locked up the convenience store and walked toward the break room with a nervous feeling. He opened the curtain, instinctively held his breath, and then took a slight breath. There was no foul odor, which allowed him to relax.
He lay down on the brand-new sofa, closing his eyes to rest. But an uneasy feeling lingered in his heart, as if he had forgotten something important...
Something important? Forgotten?
"Holy shit!" Ho Fei-yu quickly pulled out his phone, turned it on, and found more than twenty missed calls from last night until this noon. He wouldn't have cursed out his national essence from his past life if they were just spam calls, because they were all from the same person: his creditor, President Reika Kurashiki!
His phone had been dead since he showed the video to the police yesterday. He only plugged it in to charge when he got home and didn't turn it on. He didn't have time to use his phone this morning either. If it weren't for cleaning the break room, he probably wouldn't have turned it on until he got home.
Ho Fei-yu swallowed hard and immediately dialed Reika Kurashiki's number. In the next second, a cold, elegant voice came through the phone.
"You finally decided to call me back?"
"..." Ho Fei-yu didn't know what to say for a moment.
The other side was also silent for a moment before the voice came again.
"It's been ... seconds since I called you last night until you returned my call."
"Based on the bank loan... oh no, my personal loan, calculated at 0.0001% per second."
"The interest plus the principal totals ¥21,100,000. I'll waive the change."
Then the cool voice paused.
"By the way, minus your last service, you owe ¥20,600,000 in total."
"..."
"So ruthless," Ho Fei-yu mumbled quietly after hearing Reika Kurashiki's words.
"Huh!?"
"Not ruthless, not at all."
"Boss Reika Kurashiki is the greatest, whatever you say goes."
"Are you implying I'm talking nonsense?"
"No, no, how dare a lowlife like me~" Reika Kurashiki, on the other end of the phone, moved her pretty face and curved her lips into a beautiful smile, hearing Ho Fei-yu speak in a strained voice. If Ho Fei-yu were next to her, he would definitely rush over to kiss her.
"This Sunday again."
"Consider this to settle your ¥600,000."
Ho Fei-yu chuckled at Reika Kurashiki's words. If she wanted him, she should just say so, why all the indirection? But the last sentence annoyed him.
What did that mean? He got used for free? And more than once?! Being a gigolo was so frustrating! He was quitting!
"It includes the fish foot you like."
"Deal." Ho Fei-yu immediately agreed. Getting used for free? Whatever!
"By the way, do you want me to help you take care of..." The cold, elegant voice spoke again, but this time with a hint of indifference and coldness.
But Ho Fei-yu felt warmth in his body and heart after hearing it.
"No need." Ho Fei-yu replied seriously.
"Mhm." Reika Kurashiki didn't say anything more. She knew a little about Ho Fei-yu's abilities.
"Well then, see you Sunday."
"Alright." Reika Kurashiki hung up the phone and casually tossed it aside. She looked at the pink rose tattoo on her foot, gently stroking it with her fingers. A warm current surged from her foot to her lower abdomen, as if Ho Fei-yu was pinning her beneath him...
"Don't disappoint me this Sunday."