Chapter 9 – Emblem (Part 2)
The next customer who came was a bearded lanky man about two meters tall. However, from the look of him, his weight most likely the same or even lighter that Yashiro"s.
This guy is suspicious…. really suspicious….
Grinman (temporary name) who came into the restaurant while grinning, his expression hardened for a moment when he saw Yashiro was sitting on the seat near the counter.
I wonder if he was surprised to see other customer in this deserted restaurant….
No, he was considering me as a threat.
When Yashiro turned his face to the side as if losing interest in him. Grinman sat down in the seat near the entrance as if he had recovered his mind. Seeing that, Ginette approached him.
“Welcome to Hidamari-tei!” (Ginette)
“The chair, did you fix it?” (Grinman)
“Yes. Yash…. I mean, it fixed!” (Ginette)
I told Ginette not to say that it was me who fixed the chair. Today, I"m here on the premise that I"m not someone related to this restaurant. The reason is… well, you will understand if you look at this guy.
“Are you ready to order?” (Ginette)
“Yes. Can I have stir-fried vegetable sc.r.a.ps?” (Grinman)
“Certainly, please wait a moment.” (Ginette)
Ginette bowed slightly and then disappeared into the kitchen. Grinman who followed Ginette with his eyes, turned his line of sight at Yashiro once more. Yashiro pretended not to notice it and ignore him.
When the food came, Grinman started to eat it while stealing glance at Yashiro from time to time.
If this is j.a.pan, his behavior is suspicious enough to be reported at this point.
Well then, it"s almost the time….
Yashiro left his seat after seeing the plate in front of Grinman was almost empty. He said “Later!” to Ginette and went out of the restaurant.
His expression…. there"s no doubt, he"s going to dine and dash.
Several minutes later…. The room was so quiet. Ginette went back to the kitchen, there was no sign of other people coming either. As if he has been waiting for this moment, Grinman immediately left his seat and walked towards the entrance without making any sound.
"Oh, where are you going?" (Yashiro)
"Eek!?" (Grinman)
The moment he saw Yashiro, Grinman leaked out a cry.
“Have you paid the bill?” (Yashiro)
When Yashiro asked with a smiling face, Grinman"s eyes wandered around and grains of sweat started to appear on his forehead.
“How strange, the shop keeper doesn"t seem to have come out of the kitchen though.” (Yashiro)
Yashiro pressed further. Grinman then lifted his bag and tried to intimidate Yashiro with a stern expression.
“Th-This is none of your business!” (Grinman)
He is tall, but I"m not feel intimidated because of his skinny body. But well, it will be troublesome if he resorts a violence.
“Really?” (Yashiro)
Having said that, Yashiro gently tapped his chest pocket. Turned his line of sight to there, Grinman was startled. In Yashiro"s chest pocket, a sheet of paper with a stamp of emblem could be seen.
“I"m afraid this in one of my business.” (Yashiro)
Yashiro changed his tone to give an impression that he was in superior position. The sweat that gathered on Grinman"s forehead, started to stream down like a small river.
“No, wait, this is…. that"s right! It"s toilet! I just want to go to the toilet!” (Grinman)
“Then, I will guide you.” (Yashiro)
“N-No, it"s fine! I"m not a kid! I can go to the toilet alone!” (Grinman)
“You know that such excuses won"t work on me, right?” (Yashiro)
Yashiro said with a smile without gap. Hearing that, Grinman dropped his shoulder. He probably had realized that it was impossible to escape from this situation.
Good thing he became obedient.
Oh well, I was planning to squeeze his neck even more if he keeps making excuses though.
Since he admitted his wrongdoing, I will let him off if he pays the bill.
Together with Grinman, Yashiro returned inside. In the innermost of dining area, on the corner seat, Grinman sat facing the wall with Yashiro on his side.
People tend to not be able to think straight when their field of vision is interrupted or someone invades their personal s.p.a.ce. In Grinman"s case, it will be more effective since he was caught red-handed soon after the wrongdoing.
Those who do deceitful business often put this theory into practice. You should be careful when you find yourself in this kind of situation.
Anyway, you can say that this the application of this theory. The reason why I didn"t choose a seat where we could sit face to face was to prevent his line of sight from escaping sideways. The current situation will give him a feeling of being surrounded from all direction, which also increases the pressure.
“You will pay for what you have eaten, right?” (Yashiro)
“Y-Yes, that"s of course, but…. right now….” (Grinman)
“You don"t have the money, correct?” (Yashiro)
“Y-Yeah, to tell the truth….” (Grinman)
Grinman confessed that he was planning to dine and dash from the beginning. Yashiro then took out a sheet of paper with stamped emblem from his pocket, and put it in front of Grinman.
I"ve completely cut off his escape route with this. If he looks at it, he will see the emblem. This would be giving him a great deal of fear.
“Fine, you can pay later. I need you to write something on this paper first, however.” (Yashiro)
“W-Write something…!?” (Grinman)
“Your name and address, also write ‘I will pay for what I"ve eaten at this restaurant‘.” (Yashiro)
“Y-You don"t have to go this far, because I will pay it for sure….” (Grinman)
“When I go to your home or workplace, I want a guarantee that the bill will be paid even if you"re away.” (Yashiro)
“Y-You"re going to my home and my workplace…!?” (Grinman)
“I won"t go that far as long as you pay it properly.” (Yashiro)
“I-I will bring the money right away! So, please…. not my workplace….” (Grinman)
“Write down what I"ve told you earlier and I will believe those words. If not, maybe I will take a drastic measure.” (Yashiro)
“……………. I understand.” (Grinman)
Grinman seemed to have various thoughts, but he finally gave up and wrote down those words on the paper.
“You know what happens if you give me a false name or address, do you?” (Yashiro)
“O-Of course! I won"t lie, don"t worry!” (Grinman)
The name of this lanky man seems to be Guzuya…. what a strange name.
"Th-Then, I will leave…. Please dispose of this paper properly later!" (Grinman)
"Yes, when the payment is complete." (Yashiro)
"You absolutely have to!" (Guzuya)
Having said that, Guzuya left Hidamari-tei in hurry. Ginette came out from the kitchen not long after that.
“Yashiro-san, where"s the customer?” (Ginette)
“He forgot his wallet, so he"s going back to fetch it.” (Yashiro)
“Is that so? Fufufu…. what a busy person.” (Ginette)
How careless of her. You know, someone almost ran away without paying.
“Ginette, what are you always doing in the kitchen?” (Yashiro)
“Preparing the vegetable.” (Ginette)
“You haven"t finished it?” (Yshiro)
“Yeah. I mean, there are a lot of things that are hard to get ready to eat.” (Ginette)
It"s no use. It"s a waste of effort.
“From now on, use the vegetable from Mormat and try not to leave the counter as much as possible.” (Yashiro)
“Yes. If it"s the vegetables from Mormat, they"re easy to prepare. I can talk a lot with customers with this!” (Ginette)
You miss the point…. but well, I guess it"s fine.
The customers won"t be able to dine and dash if Ginette were with them.
“Hey, Ginette. There"s only two costumer coming today.” (Yashiro)
“Granny Mumu comes to drink tea every day. I"m grateful.” (Ginette)
“Didn"t you say that five costumers come every day?” (Yashiro)
“That"s…. it depends on the day….” (Ginette)
This girl, does this mean there are days when the number of customer is zero?
“I"m sure one more customer will come today.” (Ginette)
Ginette made such a groundless remark. When Yashiro was about to admonish it, the door opened and someone showed up.
“h.e.l.lo, everyone! I"ve come to feast!” (Estella)
"Sigh, it"s just you…." (Yashiro)
“Don"t make such an unpleasant face right after seeing me, what a rude guy!” (Estella)
Estella raised her walking pace and sat on the opposite direction of Yashiro.
Why are you sitting here? There are plenty of other seats available.
“You promised me a free lunch, remember? I came for that.” (Estella)
“Too bad for you, but it"s already evening” (Yashiro)
“I missed my lunch because I was doing the procedure to establish a guild for you.” (Estella)
“Oh my, I feel bad for you. However, it doesn"t change the fact that this is the time for dinner.” (Yashiro)
“Are you still going to charge me who spent a lot of effort for your sake?” (Estella)
“Effort without result has no meaning.” (Yashiro)
Hearing that, Estella frowned.
This is wrong to ask a reward for your effort. Effort is something we should do for ourselves, not for a reward. Only when we get the results that we can ask for a reward. Effort is a matter of course.
If not, those who spent innumerable efforts to reach their dream as an idol, a singer, a baseball player, etc. should not be unrewarded.
“Estella. If you"re really proud of your efforts, then human being are done for.” (Yashiro)
“I also properly bring the result! The application has been accepted. From today, the garbage collection guild has been established.” (Estella)
“Oh, great! You have my compliment.” (Yashiro)
“Then, the feast….” (Estella)
“This and that are different story.” (Yashiro)
“Why!?” (Estella)
The contract is “free lunch“. If I give her free dinner, it will be a breach of contract.
“Umm, Yashiro-san. Isn"t it fine to treat Estellsan free din—-“
“In addition, if you don"t pay, this means Ginette has lied.” (Yashiro)
“—eh!?” (Ginette)
Ginette leaked out a surprise cry while Estella immediately looked at Ginette"s face.
“Ginette said this a while ago: ‘I"m sure one more customer will come today‘. It"s almost the time for the store to close, and it"s extremely unlikely that another will customer. I wonder if I should call the Judgement of Spirit….” (Yashiro)
“You!? That"s dirty.” (Estella)
“Umm…. Yashiro-san…. that"s….” (Ginette)
Well, I"m not saying that I will seriously do it though.
Glancing at Estella, she was scowling at him.
“Fine, I will pay for the ‘dinner‘! However, don"t be fussy about the small details again next time! Something like: ‘It"s still morning, the time for breakfast‘, or ‘Three o"clock is snack time‘, and so on….” (Estella)
Oh, as expected of Estella. She predicted what I was going to do next time. Well, I can deny the result of her effort. I will let her off this time.
“Ginette. From those you"ve prepared for today, what ingredients are still left? The one which won"t last until tomorrow.” (Yashiro)
“In that case, it would be the river fish….” (Ginette)
“Estella. The river fish stew in this restaurant is very delicious, I recommend it!” (Yashiro)
“You really have a bad personality.” (Estella)
Estella leaked out a sigh while looking at Yashiro with exasperated eyes.
“Well then, the river fish stew and black bread please!” (Estella)
“Certainly. Please wait a moment!” (Ginette)
Ginette immediately rushed towards the kitchen. However, just before Ginette set foot into the kitchen, she turned around and bowed to Estella.
“It"s because of me, I"m sorry.” (Ginette)
“Eh!?” (Estella)
For a moment, Estella who had no idea the reason behind Ginette"s behavior was frozen. However, she soon realized what Ginette was trying to say and gave a respond while waving her hand.
“No, it"s not your fault. Everything is this guy and his rotten personality"s fault!” (Estella)
“What!? You don"t know it, Estella? Something that"s almost rotten is the best” (Yashiro)
“What are you talking about? You are completely rotten to the core, it"s already too late!”(Estella)
Watching their interaction, Ginette chuckled.
“I will prepare your order!” (Ginette)
Having said that, Ginette went into the kitchen.
“Geez. It"s really disappointing.” (Estella)
After Ginette was nowhere to be seen, Estella put her elbows on the desk and looked at Yashiro"s eyes.
“Even though I was sure I would be praised.” (Estella)
“Do you want me to pat your head?” (Yashiro)
“What!?” (Estella)
Estella who was supporting her head with both hands, she immediately straightened her body as if trying to get away from Yashiro. Her face was slightly turned red.
“Don"t treat me as a child!” (Estella)
“Well then, how about rubbing your b.u.t.t?” (Yashiro)
“Wh-What kind of treatment is that!?” (Estella)
“I"m treating you as a woman.” (Yashiro)
“You will be judged someday, absolutely!” (Estella)
Stupid. I"m not lying about rubbing your b.u.t.t. Call the Judgement of Spirit for all you want. I will be fine for sure.
“You"re quite a black belly.” (Estella)
“My belly is white though.” (Yashiro)
“I"m not talking about your skin color. I"m saying that you"re quite a manipulator!” (Estella)
“My nipples have a beautiful pink color.” (Yashiro)
“I can"t hear you, and I don"t want to listen that kind of information!” (Estella)
With face that was getting even redder, Estella turned her face to the other side.
Unlike Ginette, s.e.xual hara.s.sment works really well on this girl. Her reaction is really interesting. It feels as though she"s asking for more.
But, well…. her sharpness is quite troublesome. For her to call me a manipulator, it"s surely because we are the same kind. In addition, Estella is always hiding something. That"s what I read from her eyes. I know it because I"m also doing the same thing.
Still though, a manipulator huh….
"Then, how about yourself?" (Yashiro)
Yashiro tried to provoke Estella with those words. However, Estella with an angry face, she immediately sunk his fist into Yashiro"s face.
“Guoh!?” (Yashiro)
“Wh-Why do I have to tell you the color of m-my…. ni-nipples…!?” (Estella)
Wait, I"m not talking about nipples here!
Yashiro was thinking about clearing the misunderstanding, but no words were formed.
Yeah, I should do s.e.xual hara.s.sment in moderation to avoid this kind of thing happens in the future
Let"s be careful from now on!
“Thanks for waiting…. fuee!? Yashiro-san, what happened?” (Ginette)
“Don"t mind him, Ginette-chan! He reaps what he sows.” (Estella)
“Is that so…?” (Ginette)
“Ginette-chan. If he tries to do something funny to you, tell me immediately, okay?” (Estella)
“Y-Yes….” (Ginette)
“You should have this for a self-defense!” (Estella)
“Wh-What is this!?” (Ginette)
“Just take it! It"s easy to use. Unfortunately, it doesn"t have the ability to kill, but it can repel the bad insects.” (Estella)
“Uh, eh, repel…!?” (Ginette)
Estella seemed to be giving something to Ginette. However, Yashiro couldn"t see it clearly because his vision was blurred after getting punched.
s.h.i.t! She punched me really hard there….
While Yashiro was enduring the pain, Ginette sat next to Estela who was having a meal and had a pleasant chat.
These girls are really get along.
Proofreader: _____
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