The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

Hachiman looked up, a strange light appearing in his eyes.

Judging from her figure, the person was a young girl. Her face was obscured by shadows, making her features somewhat blurred. Her back was exposed, and her long, smooth hair cascaded down her back. A red ribbon tied around her black hair was a butterfly ribbon.

Kohei also looked in that direction and let out a soft "Eh."

He strode closer and peered at the girl with her head down by the pillar: "Yoshida-san? What are you doing here?"

The girl froze, looked up, and saw a familiar face. The old-fashioned black square-rimmed glasses had been replaced by frameless round glasses, and her bangs hairstyle seemed to have been specially trimmed, making her look much more sophisticated.

Facing Kohei's approaching face, she seemed to transform into a steam engine, her cheeks instantly turning red, and her speech becoming slurred.

"Um, this, I..."

Upon witnessing this scene, Iori sensed something was amiss.

What happens next after the hero saves the damsel in distress?

If the hero is ugly, he will be reborn as a cow or a horse to repay the life-saving grace; if he is handsome, he will naturally develop feelings for her and secretly pledge his heart to her.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, Kohei did indeed have the face of a pretty boy.

"Damn it! I have been betrayed three times."

Iori wailed in despair, her previous good mood completely gone.

"Where did these three betrayals come from?" Hachiman asked, snapping out of his reverie at the scene that resembled a romance manga.

"I originally thought you and that woman who came in second place were a couple. That was a betrayal. The second time was between you and Chisa. The third time is now!"

"Isn't your delusions a little too severe?"

How can something that never happened be described like this?

"You are all too hated!"

Iori choked back tears, as if on the verge of sobbing. He couldn't understand why he, a model young man, was so unpopular, while these two scoundrels always seemed to have good luck! Did the God of Comedy dislike him that much?

Just as he was feeling sad about this, a pair of hands, whiter than lotus roots, gently lifted his head and placed it on another person's shoulder.

“At times like these, you need your older sister’s comfort.” Hamaoka Azusa raised an eyebrow, smiling slyly like a fox.

Before Iori could react, his eyes were surrounded by two huge "humps," and the intense scent of roses wafted over, causing him to freeze on the spot.

"What a spineless fellow," Hachiman glanced at him, then calmly looked away, a touch of melancholy in his heart causing him to lower his eyes slightly.

On the other side, Kohei looked at the obviously flustered girl and asked, "Do you need something from me?"

He asked confidently, after all, the fact that someone would deliberately hide here and wait for them meant that something was up.

Could it be that those guys are still trying to harass her again?

“Um…” Yoshida Saki gripped the object in her hand tightly, finally mustering her courage. She raised her head, glared at Kohei, and quickly placed her hands in front of her. “This is my thank-you gift. I’m very grateful to you for saving me back then.”

Kohei looked at the cookies in her hand, paused for a moment, and said, "Ah, oh, thank you."

After he took the cookie, she ran away as fast as a startled rabbit. Kohei reached out his hand, watched her retreating figure, and scratched his head, clearly still not having reacted.

"How green he is," Hachiman sighed, looking at Kohei standing there, seemingly lost in thought. "It seems he's the only one who can live up to the image of a new man."

He's a mature man; he won't fall into a woman's trap like a fool.

Just as he was feeling proud, a gust of wind came towards him, making him stop in his tracks. Whether it was an illusion or not, the wind carried a familiar, cool fragrance. The scent was so faint that it had already disappeared before he could even recall it.

For some reason, he had a strong intuition to turn around and look.

"What's wrong?" Chisa's voice rang out.

Hachiman stopped turning his head and looked at the girl. After a moment, he turned his head back.

"...Nothing, I think I saw a red butterfly."

A red butterfly? Are there butterflies of that color?

"Of course, there are purple and blue ones too."

It must be an illusion...

Chapter Thirty-Three: Working

Although he had saved enough money for his trip, accommodation was a problem. Not only that, his allowance for the month was already running out, and he probably wouldn't even be able to afford next month's rent.

Therefore, he would have to spend the next few days in this tavern.

As he wiped the glass, Hachiman echoed the drunken woman's words, affirming that most men in the world were a bunch of bastards.

He breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the guest off.

He had worked as a waiter before, but back then he was only responsible for taking orders and delivering food. Now, however, he had to deal with these heart-to-heart questions from drunk customers, and he really found it difficult to know how to answer them appropriately.

In his view, the reason the woman was dumped was entirely due to his overly controlling nature. Who would demand that the other person be highly attentive and respond to messages immediately 24/7? Even customer service can't do that.

He tugged at his suit collar, his frustration reaching its peak. Damn it, why do we have to wear clothes at drinking parties!

"How are you doing? Are you adjusting well, Hachiman?"

Ryujiro walked over, wearing the same suit as him. However, the clothes, which looked loose on him, clung tightly to Ryujiro, making his muscular physique appear even more striking.

Overall, it's okay.

After all, as a novice, he is less likely to encounter difficult customers. Most of the troublesome people know Senior Shou, so they go to him to complain.

"Hahaha." Kotobuki Ryujiro chuckled. "Some guests are indeed very enthusiastic; you'll get used to it after a while."

No, for i people, it's a lifetime before they get used to e people.

Just as he was about to sigh again, the shop door was pushed open, and Hachiman had no choice but to return to a smiling expression, even though the smile looked so fake.

"Welcome... What brings you here?"

He looked at the group of people who had just entered. Hamaoka Azusa, who was walking at the front, waved with a smile. Following her were Iori Kohei and Chisa Yoshiwara and the others.

"I've come to show them your workplace."

Hamaoka Azusa explained, and very skillfully sat down at the bar and picked up the menu.

"So you're here to be a bartender."

Chisa looked at Hachiman, whose hair was pulled back and who was dressed in a pure black suit, blinked, and sized him up.

The glaring gaze made Hachiman awkwardly straighten his clothes. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's just the first time I've seen you dressed like this." Chisa smiled. "You look quite energetic."

"Saying that makes it sound like I used to be a very颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being listless or decadent) person."

Well, he couldn't refute what he said.

What a carefree person he used to be, haha.

"Please have a seat. Just let me know if there's anything you'd like to drink."

"Such an old-fashioned approach. Have you become a skilled worker by now?"

As Chisa spoke, she sat down in the seat in front of him, along with a silver fork and a silver knife.

Hachiman stared expressionlessly at the scumbag holding the two murder weapons, and calmly began preparing the most expensive drink on the menu.

"Senior Shou, could you please lend me the rag from the sink that was just used to clean the drain?"

"Damn it, are you trying to poison us?" Iori angrily pointed.

"Not at all, that's the essence. The rag that has been soaked in all kinds of liquor from the sewers is the acclaimed bartender. Using it to mix your drinks is my thoughtful preparation for your presence here."

"No matter how much you try to justify it, you can't deny that it's a pile of filth."

Iori and Kohei sat down and started complaining.

"Don't we make a good match?"

His sharp tongue is truly masterful.

"You lot, don't cause trouble in a place like this," Chisa said helplessly, while Yoshihara Aina, who had come with her, also looked speechless.

Seeing this, Hachiman stopped talking and handed over the mixed drink he had prepared. Chisa thought it was for her and was about to reach out to take it when she found that he handed it directly to Iori.

Iori looked at the wine in front of her, pointed to herself, and asked, "For me?"

Hachiman nodded.

Unexpectedly, he was actually being valued so much by Chisa. Iori swallowed hard, not because of any emotion, but because the displeasure in the girl's eyes was almost piercing him.

"I don't think I like this flavor, so you can have it, Chisa."

He pushed the wine glass toward Chisa with his hand, but Hachiman stopped him halfway.

"I've already adjusted Chisa's."

"when?!"

Iori stared in surprise at the glass of wine with a slice of lime on the rim, which was placed in front of Chisa. Damn it, now he couldn't give the wine to Chisa.

He looked at Hachiman and created a brainwave connection between the two.

[Iori: What are you doing? Are you trying to use someone else to do your dirty work?]

[Hachiman: What are you talking about? I was just asking you to drink.]

His bewildered expression made Iori's eyelids twitch. Could it be that he was overthinking things?

Seeing that Chisa's gaze was drawn to the wine in front of her, Iori looked at the wine on the table, glanced at Hachiman several times, and seeing that he didn't seem to care, licked her dry lips with her tongue.

Damn it, it's just a glass of wine. He watched them make it with his own eyes, what else could they possibly put in it?

Iori picked up her glass, took a deep sip, and exclaimed, "Mmm, a refreshing lemon flavor and a crisp texture. As you savor it, a subtle floral and basil aroma follows. Good wine."

"Thank you for tasting it. It's 2,000 yen a cup."

Iori, who had just drunk the wine, almost vomited it up again.

"Two thousand yen?"

He had just looked at the menu, and everything was clearly 500 yen, so how come his drink cost 2,000 yen?

As if to dispel his doubts, Hachiman turned to the second page of the menu, which prominently displayed various types of alcohol priced between 1,000 and 1,500 yen.

"That's only 1500!"

"Labor fee: 500, thank you."

"You're a liar."

"I'm ruining my son's life."

Chisa sipped her wine, calmly observing the scene. Forget it, he gave up. There was no good outcome for these two if they stayed together.

Just as Iori was about to unleash her vulgarity, an uncle carrying a vase of roses walked over.

He was the store manager, and he heard the argument while tidying up the store's decorations, so he came over to take a look.

Upon arriving, he saw Chang Wei—or rather, his own employee—joking with a customer. Hmm, what a lovely sight. Perhaps it would be even better if one of them were a woman.

Could he have hired some extraordinary employee...?

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Photo Incident Continues?

"That won't do, Hachiman-kun."

After observing for a while and confirming that his staff and the customers were acquaintances, the store manager stepped forward with a smile, as elegant as a gentleman.

"Even if they are friends, they are guests now, so we should treat them with the same respect we would show to a god."

"That's exactly right, you need to show some attitude!"

Upon hearing this, Iori and Kohei revealed their ugly, smug faces, their expressions of secret delight making Hachiman want to kiss their butts with his leather shoes! God, my foot! The only connection these two have with God is that they have tried to assassinate God's son more than once.

He was furious, but he still had to put on a smile. If he lost this part-time job with a decent salary because of these two, he would be heartbroken.

Hachiman took a deep breath and clenched his fist.

"What would you gentlemen like to drink next?"

He thought his concession would make the two of them a little more sensible, but to his surprise, the two idiots gaped open, looking as if they had seen a ghost.

"Who are you! Where did you hide Hachiman?"