Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

Page 253

He took a tray and a dry cloth from the side, squatted down by the table, picked up the larger pieces of broken glass from the ground, placed them on the tray, and then used the dry cloth to absorb all the wine.

After that, I wiped it all over again, from the tabletop to the corners and even the floor.

The entire process was crisp and efficient, without any unnecessary movements.

After finishing, he looked at Yoshida and said, "For the dry cleaning fee, please leave your contact information. Someone will contact you first thing tomorrow morning, or you can send the bill directly to the store."

"That's it?" Yoshida was not satisfied.

Shimada Sho smiled and said, "If you're still not satisfied and want to do something else, our shop will certainly oblige."

As he spoke, the sincerity in his eyes gradually disappeared, revealing the roguish nature he had cultivated over half a lifetime of struggle.

With just a smile, a hint of sinister intent flashed in his eyes.

Under the dim light, his face looked exceptionally calm, but there was an unsettling chill in his smile.

Yoshida clearly hadn't expected Shimada Sho to respond this way, and subconsciously glanced around the bar, his eyes showing fear.

"Well, Section Chief?" Shimada Sho looked at the bald middle-aged man again.

Suddenly being stared at with such hostility, the bald middle-aged man was clearly taken aback.

He was silent at first, then glanced at the table before reaching for the drink that Shimada Sho had brought him. "Never mind, it's not a big deal."

With him taking the lead, several subordinates immediately followed suit and started serving.

Shimada Sho hadn't moved yet, his eyes fixed on the wine glass in his hand.

"..."

The balding middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then picked up the wine and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing this, the others followed suit.

Thank you for your understanding.

A friendly smile returned to Shimada Sho's face, and the pressure he had been relieved of vanished.

"If you need anything else, please feel free to call me. Enjoy your meal."

He picked up the tray beside him, bowed slightly, and left calmly.

The remaining few people looked at each other, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Shimada Sho returned to the bar, threw the dry cloth into the sink, and turned on the tap to wash his hands.

Nozomi Sasaki hurriedly followed.

He stood there, his face still a little pale.

He watched Shimada Sho's retreating figure as he washed his hands, and said in a soft voice, "Shimada-kun... I'm sorry, I added some..."

"It's nothing." Shimada Sho didn't give him a chance to continue.

After washing my hands, I reminded them while wiping them, "Next time you serve wine, pay attention to the height of the table legs. This table is a little higher than the others."

"...I've got it."

Shimada Sho glanced at her.

Nozomi Sasaki's eyes were red, clearly she had just been crying.

"Go and collect all the cups at the back," Shimada Sho casually instructed.

She nodded and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

But after taking only two steps, she stopped, turned around, and said, "Shimada-kun, you've helped me so many times..."

"It was just a quick thing." Shimada Sho picked up a dry cloth and wiped away the water splashes on the bar counter. "You don't need to keep remembering it."

Nozomi Sasaki hesitated, but in the end she didn't say anything and quietly walked towards the kitchen.

Her back looked a little more relaxed than before, but she probably hadn't quite processed what had happened in the last few minutes.

I was walking absentmindedly and almost bumped into the door frame.

The kitchen door closed behind her, and the restaurant returned to its noisy chatter.

Without giving it much thought, Shimada Sho continued to check the remaining bills.

The customers at that table stayed for a while before leaving. As they left, the man in the floral shirt passed by the bar and glanced at Shimada Sho, who was writing something with his head down.

In the end, the topic of washing clothes was never mentioned.

He turned his head to the side, said nothing in the end, and walked out the door.

The bar patrons gradually dispersed.

Around 9 p.m., the last table of customers in the restaurant paid their bill and left.

Shimada Sho put the used cups and trays into the kitchen, while Sasaki Nozomi stood by the sink, washing a few glasses.

She was more skilled than in the afternoon, and after washing one, she placed it neatly on the drain rack next to her.

The shop door was pushed open, and it was Takikawa Rena.

She was wearing a loose, light jacket and carrying a paper bag. As she entered, she glanced around the store and nodded in satisfaction when she saw the neatly arranged tables and chairs and the clean floor.

"Genji-kun, you've worked hard today~"

She walked to the bar, placed the paper bag on the counter, and turned her gaze towards the kitchen. "I heard there were some customers causing trouble today?"

"It's a minor matter, it's already been resolved," Shimada Sho replied casually as he wiped the bar counter.

Reina Takikawa blinked. "How was it resolved?"

"I offered them a drink and apologized," Shimada Sho said, putting down the dry cloth. "They didn't pursue the matter further."

Rena Takikawa leaned against the edge of the bar, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment, a hint of ambiguous amusement in her eyes.

"Genji is quite steady in his work."

"good."

Rena Takikawa reached into her apron pocket, pulled out a folded pay slip, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of him: "This is today's pay, five thousand yen per hour, calculated for five hours."

Shimada Sho took it, folded it, and put it in his pocket. "What about the convenience store..."

"You can start working here tomorrow, I'll find someone else for the other side."

"Why?" Shimada Sho asked, somewhat surprised.

Rena Takikawa explained straightforwardly, "The convenience store is very quiet every afternoon, so we need more people here. You can come from Monday to Friday afternoons, and also on Saturdays and Sundays, and the salary will be calculated accordingly."

“Okay,” Shimada Sho replied.

Anyway, the working hours are the same, but the salary here is higher, and I can at least keep myself busy.

"Also, your new girlfriend... she's quite capable, nothing too messy happened today."

Rena Takikawa glanced in the direction of the kitchen and spoke in a teasing tone.

“She’s not my girlfriend, and I don’t have any ex-girlfriends,” Shimada Sho corrected.

"Okay, okay~"

Rena Takikawa completely ignored this explanation.

She picked up the paper bag and walked towards the door, turning back to remind him before leaving, "Remember to lock the door when you leave, Genji-kun. I left the key in the bar drawer."

The door closed, leaving only Shimada Sho and Sasaki Nozomi in the shop.

Shimada Sho tidied up the things on the bar, then went to the back kitchen to check the power and water valves, making sure they were all turned off before returning to the front of the house.

Nozomi Sasaki had come out of the kitchen and was standing by the coat rack by the door taking off her apron.

She saw Shimada Sho walk over, pick up a small cloth bag from the shelf, take a key out of his pocket and place it on the bar, whispering, "Here's your key back."

"No need to return it, you can keep it," Shimada Sho said. "I'll need it tomorrow."

Nozomi Sasaki paused for a moment while holding the keys, then gently closed her fingers and put the keys back in her pocket.

The two walked out of the bar side by side. Shimada Sho locked the door and turned around, only to find that it had started raining outside.

The rain was light, a fine, dense drizzle that looked like a thin layer of gray mist under the streetlights.

The street was already wet, and the reflections of the streetlights and shop signs looked like spilled light.

Nozomi Sasaki stood under the eaves, glanced up at the rain, then looked down at the small cloth bag in her hand; she had no umbrella.

Shimada Sho took a folding umbrella out of the side pocket of his backpack, opened it, and glanced at her.

"Let's go, it's on the way."

Nozomi Sasaki hesitated for a moment as she looked at the umbrella.

But Shimada Sho moved naturally and stepped under the umbrella.

Raindrops pattered on the umbrella, making a soft, pattering sound.

The two walked side by side into the rain, the light from the streetlights filtering through the edge of the umbrella and casting a blurry halo on the ground.

The shops on both sides of the street have closed one after another, leaving only a few warm yellow sign lights still lit, reflecting on the wet asphalt.

Perhaps because of the rain, this stretch of road was very quiet.

They could hear the faint sound of raindrops sliding down the edge of the umbrella and dripping onto the ground between them.

Nozomi Sasaki walked with her head down, only looking at the small patch of ground beneath her feet.

It seemed like there was something he wanted to say, but he didn't say anything.

After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice mingling with the sound of rain, as soft as if afraid of disturbing something: "Shimada-kun, why did you help me today?"

"Didn't you help me too?" Shimada Sho asked casually, glancing at her with his umbrella handle in hand.

Sasaki Nozomi was stunned for a moment. "What?"

She didn't know what kind of help she had given.

On the contrary, it was Shimada-kun who kept helping him.

"Yesterday was the opening of the new store. If it weren't for your help, I definitely wouldn't have been able to manage it all by myself today," Shimada Sho explained earnestly.

“…That’s different.” Nozomi Sasaki instinctively wanted to refute.

"How are they different?"

"That is……"

"Helping is helping."

Shimada Sho didn't give her a chance to delve into the differences.

After a casual interruption, we started talking about other things.

They had walked together in the rain like this before.

She didn't have an umbrella with her at the time, and Shimada Sho took her home.

There was another time later, and it rained again.

Shimada Sho suddenly realized that every time he and Sasaki Nozomi walked together, it was on a rainy day.

Even the reason they first met was because it was raining and they decided to take the bus, where they met.

Is this also a special kind of fate?