Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

The bar quieted down.

Shimada Sho stood behind the bar, glanced up at the wall clock, and saw it was 1:47 PM.

He turned around, tied his apron, picked up a dry cloth, wiped the bar counter again, and adjusted the direction of the upside-down glasses.

About ten minutes later, the bar door was pushed open.

Shimada Sho looked up, his gaze falling on the figure at the door, and paused for a moment.

"Shimada-kun?"

"...Sasaki-kun?"

The newcomer was wearing a clean white shirt and a dark knee-length skirt. Her hair was a little longer than before and was tied into a small braid at the back of her head. She was carrying a small cloth bag. When she saw him, her eyes widened instantly.

Shimada Sho stared at the figure at the door, momentarily stunned.

Nozomi Sasaki stood at the door, her eyes wide open, even more surprised than he was.

The two stared at each other for two seconds before Sasaki Nozomi spoke first: "What's wrong, Shimada-kun...?"

"The manager asked me to help out," Shimada Sho explained, his gaze sweeping over her white shirt and dark skirt. "You too?"

"Okay!" Nozomi Sasaki nodded, walked into the store, and looked around. "I saw the job posting yesterday, so I called to ask. The manager said I could come in for a trial shift this afternoon..."

She was speaking when her voice suddenly dropped, her gaze falling on Shimada Sho's apron before quickly looking away.

"...I never expected to run into Shimada-kun here."

"I didn't expect it either." Shimada Sho turned and walked back behind the bar. "The manager said a little assistant would be coming. It turns out it was you."

Nozomi Sasaki stood at the door, carrying a small bag in both hands, looking somewhat awkward.

Shimada Sho glanced at her. "Come in, put your bag down, and I'll show you around."

"Good, good."

Nozomi Sasaki walked to the bar, put her cloth bag in the corner cabinet, and then stood next to Sho Shimada, keeping about an arm's length away.

Shimada Sho pointed out the menu to her, then took her on a tour of the warehouse and kitchen, showing her the location of various drinks and glasses, as well as the ordering and delivery process.

Nozomi Sasaki followed behind him, listening attentively, nodding occasionally, and sometimes humming in agreement, but always keeping her distance from him, as if there was an invisible line between them.

Shimada Sho didn't pay any attention. After explaining the precautions, he returned to stand behind the bar.

"Let's familiarize ourselves with the place first, and we'll start when the guests arrive."

“Okay.” Nozomi Sasaki responded, stood at the other end of the bar, picked up a dry cloth and began to wipe the already clean countertop.

She wiped very carefully, her eyes fixed intently on the countertop, completely absorbed in the task.

But actually, it was a bit unnecessary; he had already wiped that countertop once.

However, seeing that she seemed to have nothing to do, Shimada Sho didn't remind her.

Fortunately, a few minutes later, some guests came in.

They were a few young people.

After making the arrangements as instructed by Rena Takikawa, Sho Shimada walked over to Sasaki.

He sat down on the bar stool at the bar and asked, "Have you taken care of everything at home?"

Nozomi Sasaki paused in her wiping of the counter, looked up at him, then looked down again. "Well... everything's taken care of. The shop has reopened, and Mom's health has improved a lot."

"That's good."

"Thank you for your concern, Shimada-kun," she said softly, then lowered her head to continue wiping the countertop.

Shimada Sho looked at her for a few seconds, then didn't ask any more questions.

There were more customers in the afternoon than expected, mostly young people who were shopping nearby and office workers who came in groups.

The menu mainly consists of premixed cocktails and soft drinks. Occasionally, someone will ask if there are any snacks. Shimada Sho will then take some ready-made snack platters from the kitchen, as instructed by Takikawa Rena.

Nozomi Sasaki was in charge of delivering orders and collecting glasses. Her movements weren't exactly skilled, but she was very attentive, holding each glass of wine steadily.

However, whenever she passed by Shimada Sho, she would unconsciously quicken her pace, as if he were some kind of terrifying monster that she wanted to avoid at all costs.

Shimada Sho noticed it, but didn't point it out.

The bartender arrived at four o'clock.

He was a man in his early thirties, with short hair and thin-rimmed glasses. He didn't look like a bartender; he looked more like a programmer.

After he changed into a black vest and stood behind the bar, the atmosphere in the whole store did indeed become much more professional.

Another ten minutes or so later, a short-haired girl with a ponytail and wearing a black T-shirt arrived.

They said it was a part-time security guard job arranged by Rena Takikawa, standing near the entrance and occasionally helping to pass things.

The bar gradually got its full staff, and customer traffic steadily increased.

Shimada Sho stood at one side of the bar, handling orders and payments, occasionally glancing at Sasaki Nozomi carrying a tray as she walked between the tables.

Her pace gradually became less hurried amidst her busy work.

Occasionally, when turning to avoid guests, she will naturally tilt her shoulder slightly.

I guess once I get busy, I don't have much time or energy to pay attention to other things.

When facing Shimada Sho again, he was able to speak naturally.

Around 6 p.m., the store experienced a small peak.

The restaurant was about 70-80% full, and a group of customers came in together.

It looked like a company dinner; there were seven or eight people dressed casually, and they started talking loudly after they sat down, creating a lively atmosphere.

After they ordered several rounds of drinks, one of them ordered another cocktail.

Nozomi Sasaki walked over with the tray in her hand.

Shimada Sho was checking the bill at the bar when he suddenly heard a crisp cracking sound from the other side.

He looked up and saw Nozomi Sasaki standing by the table, with broken glass and pale yellow liquid scattered around her feet.

She was still holding the tray in her hand, but her face had turned pale.

A middle-aged man in a floral shirt stood up at the table, reeking of alcohol. Pointing at the broken pieces on the floor, he shouted in a voice loud enough to be heard throughout the bar: "How did you handle that?!"

"I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to..." Nozomi Sasaki apologized hastily, her voice trembling.

But the guest in front of her didn't seem to have any intention of letting her go.

Chapter Twenty: A Special Fate

The man in the floral shirt had clearly drunk quite a bit; the smell of alcohol could be detected even across half the table.

"Oh dear, this is a big problem, waitress."

He looked up at Nozomi Sasaki and gave her a effeminate smile.

"I'm so sorry! I'll clean it for you right away..." Nozomi Sasaki said anxiously.

I wanted to help wipe it, but I had no experience, so I stood there hesitant.

But the guest wasn't satisfied and asked playfully, "Just wipe it clean?"

"I……"

"Let's not even talk about the alcohol. Sending the clothes to the dry cleaners will cost a lot of money, and I don't have time to meet the guests later. What do you suggest, waitress?"

The man in the floral shirt spoke with a condescending air, scrutinizing the girl before him.

The other guests at his table watched with great interest, but no one stopped him.

“…I’m sorry, I…I will take responsibility…”

Nozomi Sasaki's lips were tightly pressed together, her eyes were brimming with tears, and she bowed repeatedly, at a loss for what to do.

"Oh?" The guest seemed intrigued, leaning forward and looking at her with a predatory gaze. "How will you take responsibility?"

“I…” Nozomi Sasaki couldn’t say it.

But the tears that had been building up in her eyes began to fall silently.

The commotion attracted the attention of other people in the store.

Everyone turned to look in this direction.

Under the spotlight, Nozomi Sasaki shrugged, looking like a child who had done something wrong.

"Alright, Yoshida, why make things difficult for a girl?"

Finally, someone couldn't stand it anymore; it was a middle-aged, balding man sitting at the same table as the man in the floral shirt.

Sitting in the middle, he subtly exuded the aura of a leader.

After he spoke, the man called Yoshida finally stopped staring at Nozomi Sasaki.

"Section Chief, you're right, then..."

"Let her clean this place up, including the tables, the floor, and under the tables," the bald middle-aged man interrupted with a deep smile.

Upon hearing this, Yoshida immediately understood and turned to say in a low voice, "Did you hear that, waitress? Clean this place thoroughly, including every single corner!"

"..."

Nozomi Sasaki raised her head slightly, biting her lower lip as she observed the table surrounded by seven or eight strange men, her expression troubled.

"What?" Yoshida's face darkened. "You don't want to?"

"I……"

"Excuse me, gentlemen, your drinks are not served."

Before Nozomi Sasaki could respond, a voice suddenly broke in from behind.

She looked up at the sound and saw Shimada Sho carrying a tray of wine to the table.

His steps were steady and his movements were skillful. After setting down the tray, he served the wine glass by glass to the people at the table.

After it was over, he straightened up and glanced at the mess under the table.

Looking up again, without giving the man named Yoshida another glance, she turned to the bald middle-aged man sitting in the middle and smiled slightly, saying, "It's her first day at work, she's not familiar with things yet, I'm really sorry for spilling the wine."

His tone was neither humble nor arrogant; he looked directly at the other person as he spoke, without any deliberate attempt to flatter or avoid eye contact.

After he finished speaking, the people at the table exchanged glances, and the atmosphere eased a little.

The bald, middle-aged man leaned back in his chair, glancing at Shimada Sho a few times.

His expression remained unchanged; he simply asked, "Are you in charge here?"

"I'll be watching the shop for now," Shimada Sho replied.

The balding middle-aged man nodded, his fingertips tapping the table absently. "That's perfect. Your... waitress spilled wine on Yoshida, not only staining his clothes but also wasting a lot of time. What should we do?"

Yoshida chimed in at the opportune moment, his voice tinged with alcohol: "Yeah, an apology and that's it? This is my brand new shirt!"

Shimada Sho glanced at the scattered cups and plates on their table, but didn't rush to reply.

"We will cover the dry cleaning costs for the clothes."

As he spoke, he glanced at the table again. "As for cleaning, I'll do it. After all, she still has to serve the guests, and you all wouldn't want her to get her hands dirty while serving, would you?"

“You…” Yoshida opened his mouth, but couldn’t say anything for a moment.

The bald middle-aged man then said, "Since you're willing to clean it, let's begin."

He narrowed his eyes and stared at Shimada Sho with an unfriendly expression.

Clearly, she didn't like being interrupted by his sudden intrusion.

"Go and serve the other tables at the bar first."

Before starting his work, Shimada Sho gave an instruction to Sasaki Nozomi, who was standing behind him.

She was still worried, "Shimada-kun..."

"Go ahead," Shimada Sho said softly, giving a reassuring smile.

“…Okay.” Nozomi Sasaki left, turning back every few steps.

The table wasn't actually dirty, and only one wine glass was broken on the floor; it was easy to clean up.

Sho Shimada