From Earthbound Spirit to Tokyo Evil

"excuse me."

"Welcome!" A woman in her twenties was cleaning a table and greeted her with a smile when she saw her come in. "Are you alone?"

"Yes." Yui Aoki nodded nervously.

"Then can you sit here?" the woman then said.

The space in the izakaya is not very large. On one side is a semi-open kitchen, next to a wooden bar with about seven or eight seats. On the other side are three tables, each of which can seat four or five people. There are many paper lanterns with words hanging on the roof of the izakaya, and one wall is covered with handwritten menus. On the side near the kitchen are brands of various liquors.

Electric fans, televisions and other items are crammed into the wall facing the entrance, which feels a bit messy, but does not make people feel upset. Instead, there is a wonderful sense of harmony.

Because it was past noon, there were not many people in the izakaya. There were only six or seven guests drinking and eating. However, they were all uncles and grandfathers. When Yui Aoki walked in, she was like a lamb that accidentally broke into a herd of cattle, abrupt and a little at a loss.

"The menu is right across the street. You can order whatever you want, but it may not be available." The waitress said half-jokingly as she placed a small dish in front of her. "The specialty of our restaurant is that we cook according to the boss's mood. You can order, but he may not cook. But you don't have to worry, he won't do nothing. By the way, our food is delicious!"

The prices were marked on the menu. Natsukawa didn't know if they were expensive, but considering Yui Aoki's current wealth, she couldn't say she couldn't afford anything, but it would definitely hurt a bit.

Sure enough, after she hesitated for a moment, she finally stated her purpose directly: "Excuse me, are you hiring here?"

"Eh? Are you here to apply? You look like you're still a high school student, right? Why did you want to work part-time at an izakaya? Oh, and why are you here at this hour? Don't you have classes?"

As the waitress asked a series of questions at a fast pace, the chef who was sitting in the kitchen reading a newspaper put down the newspaper in his hand. He was probably in his forties, not tall, but looked tough and serious, with a blank expression, giving people a feeling that he was not easy to talk to. In particular, there was a long scar on his left eye, which made him look like a gangster.

He just glanced at Aoki Yui coldly, and said in a cold tone: "We don't need people like you here, go away."

This attitude immediately made Xia Chuan very unhappy. Of course there was no problem with not using anyone, as this was a two-way choice, but what was wrong with this tone?

Just as he was about to teach this guy a lesson quietly, the man sitting at the back of the bar accidentally dropped the wine jug and wine glass. He hurriedly bent down to pick them up, and the waitress also hurried over.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." said a strange voice.

"It's okay, I'll clean it up. Mr. Takahata, why do you look so bad? Are you okay?"

"It's okay, it's okay!" The voice sounded a little flustered. "Sorry, I have something else to do and I have to leave first. Can I come back to settle the bill another day?"

"Your dishes haven't even arrived yet... Hey, Mr. Takahata?"

Xia Chuan saw a short and fat man walking quickly through the narrow aisle of the izakaya with his head down. He looked like he wanted to hide his furry face in his collar... Wait, furry face?

The man named Takahata just raised his head quietly in fear, and their eyes met. He was not a short and fat man at all, but a fat and big raccoon cat that stood up and stuffed itself into its clothes!

Xia Chuan's gaze made it subconsciously crouch down, as if it wanted to escape in its original form. To others, it looked like it had suddenly fallen down, and several people screamed.

What's going on? Why is it so afraid of me?

Xia Chuan was originally a little confused about its strength, but this action immediately made him realize that this guy was very weak and timid.

How did it blend into the crowd? Is it a raccoon cat's transformation?

It was rare to encounter such a weak alien, and Xia Chuan, who was extremely eager for the real information of this world, could not control himself. But he had no way to catch it and interrogate it in public, so he could only watch it get up in a panic and run away in the midst of everyone's concern.

"Mr. Takahata, who loves to eat so much, only ate less than half of the food today and left?" The waitress was puzzled. "Boss, did you cook the food badly?"

"That's not the case!" the boss said coldly, standing the newspaper up again.

This small disturbance caused the narrow izakaya to fall into a brief chaos, and his previous fall also knocked the things on the table near Aoki Yui into disarray. She was about to say goodbye and leave, but when she saw that the waitress was too busy, she put the things back to their original positions. She also put back the chairs that had not been put in their positions before.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, thank you so much." Seeing this scene, the waitress said hurriedly.

"Please don't say that."

The two girls did something together, and suddenly it was like they were getting closer.

The waitress suddenly whispered to Aoki Yui, "Don't be fooled by the boss's appearance. He is not a bad person."

"Yes." Yui Aoki nodded and prepared to leave.

"If you want to work part-time, wouldn't it be more convenient to go to a convenience store or something like that? Didn't you find a suitable place? It's not that we have any objection to you, but it's always a bit inconvenient to employ minors in a place like an izakaya. You should understand, right?"

It was another series of questions, which left a person like Aoki no chance to interrupt and he could only listen to her.

"Come to think of it, why did you skip classes and come to look for a part-time job? Did you run into any difficulties? Where are your family members?"

"Midori, you talk too much!" The boss suddenly put down the newspaper and said coldly. "If you have time to talk about these things, why don't you go and clean up that table?"

"Sorry." The waitress called Midori finally realized that she had asked too many questions and was too forward-thinking. She hurriedly apologized to Aoki Yui, but at the same time she became dissatisfied with the boss. "Boss, it's because of your always bad attitude that we can't recruit anyone! Let me make it clear first, my wedding date has been set. When the time comes, whether you find someone or not, I will go back to my hometown!"

"Then go ahead! It's okay to leave now." The boss still said coldly. "Don't think that a place can't survive without you."

"Do you think I dare not leave?"

Seeing that the two seemed to be about to quarrel, Yui Aoki was extremely anxious, but she didn't know how to calm down their dispute.

"What's your name?" the boss suddenly asked.

"Ah? Aoki, Aoki Yui."

"My name is Matsushige Goro. I've hired you, but you have to go to the district government to explain and bring the approval documents. A high school student can only work four hours a day? Then you'll work from 1000pm to pm every day, yuan per hour, dinner included, daily pay, four days off a month, no consecutive days off. You're not allowed to be late, leave early, or be absent from work. You have to ask for leave one day in advance. If you violate these rules once, you won't be allowed to come again."

"This..." The development of the matter was a little beyond Yui Aoki's understanding, making her a little confused for a moment.

"What? You don't want to?" asked Matsushige Goro.

"No... Thank you very much for hiring me, I will definitely..."

"Instead of talking about these useless things, why not go wash the dishes?" The newspaper stood up again. "Today is a trial, no money is paid. If you want to do it, do it. If you don't want to do it, it doesn't matter."

"Hmph! Boss, if you keep going on like this, this store will collapse sooner or later!" Midori made a face at him.

"It's none of your business if the company goes bankrupt tomorrow. There's already someone to take your place. Go get married right away and stop hanging around!"

Yui Aoki felt a little uneasy, but the drinkers around her were watching the fun with a smile, and some were even making a noise.

"Ignore them!" Midori said to Aoki Yui, holding her arm. "If you really want to work here, you have to get used to that guy's cold words and these guys as soon as possible. I'll teach you a secret."

"Yes." Yui Aoki nodded seriously.

"Don't be nice to them. If you're unhappy, just scold them. Don't hesitate. Especially the boss. If he dares to scold you, just scold him. Speak harshly until he stops talking! That guy looks fierce, but he's actually very easy to bully. As long as you don't give in, he can't do anything to you."

"Ah?" Yui Aoki looked at her with her mouth open, not sure whether she was telling the truth or joking.

"I'm serious!" Midori grabbed her hand and said seriously. "Oh, I'm really worried. You should follow me for a few days. I'll leave after you figure this out."

Chapter 10 A call scarier than a ghost

"I'm so sorry!"

The girl named Midori talked too much and was too familiar. It was more than an hour later when Yui Aoki came to her senses and secretly ran to the alley behind the izakaya.

Why do you want to apologize to me?

After confirming that she would not be in any danger, Xia Chuan circled the area several times.

Twenty meters is not a big distance, but it covers more than a thousand square meters. Needless to say, the shrine next to it, and even the houses behind the izakaya, the shops on the other side and opposite are all covered.

Unfortunately, just like near Yui Aoki's house, Natsukawa did not find any resources that could be used nearby.

This commercial street may have been prosperous more than a decade ago, but now, even within Arakawa Ward, it is not a particularly lively place. Most of the people coming and going are middle-aged and elderly people, and there are almost no young people.

Young people probably prefer to go to places like Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro. The biggest reason why Yui Aoki came here to find a part-time job is that it is close to home, so she can save on transportation fares and time spent on the road.

After all, she now needs to spend more time praying to Xia Chuan to replenish his consumed power.

Although Xia Chuan didn't specifically ask her to do so, she did so more often after conducting those experiments.

"I'm sorry, I should have asked for your opinion before agreeing." Yui Aoki said a little uneasily.

Alas... Although this feeling of being depended on is not bad, Xia Chuan hopes that she can be more confident and sunny, smile more, instead of always keeping her head down, looking like "I'm easy to bully, everyone come and bully me".

He thought for a long time, not knowing what to say to comfort her. He was also afraid that what he said would make her think too much. In the end, he could only type the following sentence on her phone: "This store seems pretty good, there's no problem with it."

"Hey, so you were hiding here texting? Is it your boyfriend?" The back door was suddenly opened, and Midori's voice once again came out before the figure.

"Ah? No, no!" Yui Aoki was stunned for a moment, her face turned red instantly, and she explained in panic.

"What does it matter?" Her reaction surprised Midori. "If he's a reliable person, then it wouldn't be bad to develop him into a boyfriend."

“Sister Midori, please stop talking…” Yui Aoki’s face was as red as if blood was dripping out. She didn’t know where the power surged from in her body, and she pushed Midori in desperately.

"So you're so shy..." Midori laughed without knowing what was going on. "By the way, my boss told me to tell you that you can go back now. Remember to get the relevant documents done at the district government before you come tomorrow. Oh, and here's the fried pork chop he made especially for you, take it home and eat it."

"Why are you talking so much nonsense! If it falls into the oil, you can only do it. Otherwise, what should you do? Throw it away?" The boss's voice immediately came out in an unpleasant tone.

"Haha..." Midori laughed. "Look, I was right, wasn't I? That guy just looks fierce, but he's not..."

"Come in and chop this cabbage! Did I pay you to come and chat?"

"You think my knife skills are bad? Cut it yourself!" Midori answered loudly to the door without caring. "You think I talk too much? If I wasn't here to help you liven up the atmosphere, no one would come to eat at your place!"

"Yes, we are here because of Midori. If it was only Goro, we wouldn't have come." Someone inside the door laughed. "It's a pity that you are leaving. When will you come back to see us old bones?"

"Drink your wine." The boss said coldly. "I never saw you drink less before this girl came."

The taboo topic about boyfriends has finally been forgotten...

Yui Aoki touched the amulet that she had carefully hung on her chest with a guilty conscience.

...It should have been forgotten, right?

"Then I'll be leaving first. Thank you, Mr. Matsushige."

"Yeah." The boss just snorted coldly to indicate that he heard it, while Midori walked her out of the store.

"Be careful on the road!"

"Yes!"

Yui Aoki stood by the roadside and waited for her to return to the store. She bowed seriously to the store and then started walking back.

A smile crept up her cheeks again unconsciously, and her steps became lighter.

[I feel very good]

"Yes, Mr. Guardian Spirit, you are right, it is a good store! The boss is very nice, and Midori-san is also very nice, but she is going back to her hometown soon."

Is the boss a nice person?

Xia Chuan didn't quite understand her standards. Although he shouldn't be a bad person, that kind of attitude couldn't be associated with being a good person no matter how you looked at it, right?

"You have to work hard!" Yui Aoki continued.

At this time, a middle-aged man with a gloomy face walked towards her, brushed past her, and then walked into the izakaya. She could vaguely hear Midori greeting him loudly, so he must be a regular customer.

Xia Chuan turned around and looked at his face.

This guy…isn’t he the lucky guy who I used as a training ground to cure blood clots and early-stage cancer? What’s his name?

Kentaro Sato?

Already discharged from the hospital? Then why is he acting like he has a terminal illness and is living a life worse than death?

"Ever since I met the guardian spirit, my luck seems to be really good!" Yui Aoki suddenly said at this time.

[Of course, otherwise wouldn't I be useless? ]

"That's right." Aoki Yui paused and bowed to the phone. "Then I'll continue to count on you from now on."

[Don't worry, leave it to me]

The beautiful smile bloomed again.

The phone suddenly rang, and Xiachuan saw the caller ID displayed: Mr. Abe.

Yui Aoki's face suddenly turned pale.

what happened?

She bit her lip, subconsciously held the amulet in her hand, and finally answered the phone.

"Is that Yui Aoki?" The person on the other side should be a man in his forties or fifties, and his voice sounded very impatient.

"Yes." Yui Aoki replied in a low voice.

"I'm your homeroom teacher, Takuro Abe. I heard you were sick. How are you? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Mr. Abe, thanks to you, I have been discharged from the hospital."

"If that's the case, then you should still attend. You're only a freshman and your attendance rate is so low... Although I know it's not entirely your fault, if you don't come to school and hang out outside and get caught, it will be troublesome for both you and the school. Speaking of which, if your mother is still alive, she probably wouldn't want to see you skipping classes all the time, right? Even if it's just for her, you should still come to school, right?"

"I'm sorry..." Yui Aoki said in a low voice.

"Well, I hope to see you at school tomorrow."

The head that had been gradually raised lowered again, and the smile on his face completely disappeared.