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Chapter 96: Which Timeline’s Shouji Minami is This?
🕑 Added 2025-02-09 05:57:21 +0000 UTCChisato never imagined something like this would happen.
A customer came in for a meal, and as he ate—
Tears welled up in his eyes.
His expression was serene, as if his entire being had been purified at this very moment.
Eating a meal... could it really be this emotional?
Had he gone that long without eating?
Chisato scrutinized the man in front of her—Akasaka Kazuya.
Then, a thought suddenly struck her.
Could it be—
Was he crying because he spent 7,000 yen on a meal,
Only to find that Minami's cooking was just average,
And now he was so heartbroken that he was shaking?
Honestly—
That actually made a lot of sense.
If she had spent 7,000 yen on a bowl of ochazuke,
She might have also ended up teary-eyed,
Heart aching so much that she couldn't even breathe.
With this in mind, Chisato opened her mouth to speak.
"Sir, you—"
"..." (Akasaka Kazuya)
Akasaka Kazuya didn't reply.
He was still completely immersed in the deepest layers of his emotions—
A profound sense of warmth and happiness.
So instead of responding,
He simply waved a hand,
Signaling for Chisato to let it go.
Then, he lowered his head and continued eating in silence.
At this moment,
He finally appreciated just how peaceful the atmosphere at "Riko-Riko" was.
It allowed him to savor his meal quietly.
He picked up a shrimp roll and took a bite.
The shrimp inside was incredibly fresh.
And beneath the crispy outer layer,
There were delicately seasoned crab roe bits mixed in.
That soft, rich texture made him let out a deep sigh of satisfaction.
It felt like—
Every bit of pent-up frustration and negativity he had carried for years
Was released in that single breath.
He recalled—
The carefree joy of his childhood.
The boundless confidence of his youth.
The disappointment and despair of his middle-aged life.
Eating with an almost reverent devotion,
Feeling a storm of emotions rising within him—
Akasaka Kazuya began to reflect.
How did I end up like this?
Was it because of my family?
Or the pressures of my job?
Maybe both.
But more than anything,
It was my own cowardice and weakness
That left me stuck like this.
Too afraid to take a step forward.
Too scared to resist.
Under Chisato's watchful gaze,
He stood up—
And bowed deeply.
His sudden gesture threw Chisato completely off guard.
"Thank you. Truly incredible cooking, from an incredible chef."
"Eh?!"
Chisato's mouth fell open.
Wait, what?
We're just talking about a meal here.
Is a deep bow really necessary?
Was it really that good?
She had been working in this café for over six months,
But she couldn't make sense of this at all.
Sure, she had seen customers enjoying their food before.
But a customer bowing to her after a meal?
This was a first.
And the most baffling part—
Chisato's gaze landed on the 10,000-yen bill sitting on the table.
She opened her mouth, about to call out—
"Wait! Sir! I still need to give you change!"
"It's fine. I'll be back."
The man chuckled lightheartedly and turned to leave.
"Huh?"
What was that supposed to mean?
He'll be back?
Wait—
What does that have to do with giving him change?!
Chisato was completely lost.
Her pink lips parted, calling out a few more times,
But getting no response.
In the end,
She could only watch his figure disappear from view.
"What the heck... was that all about?"
She glanced down at the money in her hands.
Sure, she was happy that Riko-Riko had made some extra cash today.
But that entire situation was just way too bizarre.
Still—
If he left behind 10,000 yen,
That must mean he was satisfied with the food?
Chisato pocketed the money,
Her curiosity toward Minami's cooking growing stronger.
After all—
That was a meal worth 10,000 yen,
Yet the guy didn't even feel like he had been ripped off.
What kind of taste...
Especially since she had been standing right at the counter,
She could smell the incredible aroma wafting from the kitchen.
And since she hadn't eaten since breakfast,
The temptation was overwhelming.
She took a step forward,
Intending to sneak into the kitchen to grab a bite—
And then—
Something utterly unexpected happened.
——
"Finally done..."
Wiping the light sweat off her forehead with her fair-skinned hand,
Inoue Takina let out a slow exhale.
The supply process for Riko-Riko wasn't exactly complicated.
But because the café was located in a quiet residential area,
It was a bit out of the way.
That meant Takina and Kurumi usually handled inventory and orders themselves,
And then had the goods delivered back with them.
Normally, this whole process wouldn't take that long.
But today—
Kurumi had disappeared somewhere to slack off.
So, Takina had to do everything alone.
Naturally—
This made things much slower than usual.
"Did We Just Jump to Another Timeline?"
Luckily, Inoue Takina was a patient person.
Since she had finished her inventory checks early, she worked diligently until now.
Finally, it was done.
After getting the delivery workers to load the goods onto the truck,
Takina climbed into the vehicle, no longer bothering to look for Kurumi, who had gone off to slack.
Since Kurumi loved slacking off so much,
She could figure out how to get back to Riko-Riko on her own.
Before long,
The truck arrived at a small warehouse.
Another round of unloading followed,
Stacking everything neatly inside.
Takina stretched her tired body and let out a relieved sigh.
"Finally done."
Inventory days were always a pain for her.
But they had to be done.
After all—
Chisato was completely unreliable, always goofing off.
And Mizuki?
She drank so much alcohol that her brain was practically fried.
If she relied on those two to manage the books?
She might as well burn the entire ledger and be done with it.
So in the end, it all came down to her.
However—
"Even if I handle these tasks well, Riko-Riko's business is still..."
Takina's expression darkened slightly.
Since only the coffee was decent,
Riko-Riko had always barely managed to stay afloat, relying mainly on regulars.
But how much could regular customers really contribute?
Because of this, Riko-Riko's finances were always unstable,
And sometimes even ran a deficit.
At this rate—
Forget about supporting the orphanage.
Even keeping Riko-Riko open was becoming a problem.
And on top of all that—
There was also Chisato's heart condition...
These issues piled up in her chest,
Becoming both a financial and emotional burden.
"What should I do?"
Sighing,
Takina shut the warehouse doors,
Then turned around, lost in thought,
While walking back toward Riko-Riko.
Then—
She spotted someone standing by the street,
Looking completely stunned.
Mizuki.
Takina's already bad mood got even worse.
She had explicitly told Mizuki to watch the shop before heading out,
Yet here she was, loitering outside.
"Riko-Riko is already struggling, yet everyone keeps slacking off."
"How are we supposed to survive like this?!"
"Mizuki-san, what are you doing?!
Didn't I tell you to watch Riko-Riko while I was out?!"
Mizuki barely reacted,
Still wearing that same dumbfounded expression,
Mouth slightly agape.
"Ah... ah..."
"Huh?"
Even after being scolded,
Mizuki still looked completely bewildered.
Her mouth opened and closed, as if struggling to process something.
Takina frowned.
"What's wrong with you?"
Mizuki swallowed hard,
Then shakily raised her finger, pointing forward.
Even her voice trembled—
"Uh... Takina... did we... go to the wrong café?"
"Huh?"
Takina snorted, crossing her arms.
"Mizuki-san, I told you to cut back on drinking."
"What do you mean 'wrong café'? This is obviously Riko-Riko."
Annoyed,
She swatted Mizuki's hand away and turned toward her own café.
And then—
She froze.
Because what she saw—
Was something completely unimaginable.
The Riko-Riko she remembered was usually dead quiet.
But now?
It was completely packed.
There was even a long line stretching out the door.
It was an unprecedented sight.
From inside, she could hear Chisato's panicked voice—
"Ah! Table 2's set meal!"
"Here's your hot towel! Ice water is over there!"
"Sorry, it's so crowded! Could you repeat your order one more time?"
Takina and Mizuki exchanged looks,
Then rubbed their eyes,
Trying to confirm they weren't hallucinating.
Their expressions were frozen in shock.
Especially Takina—
She knew very well what kind of café Riko-Riko was.
Forget a waiting line—
Even on weekends, the place rarely filled up completely.
At most, business would be slightly better than usual.
But on regular days?
The situation was so dismal that Takina would rather not even think about it.
Yet right now, before her eyes,
The café was overflowing with customers.
This defied all logic.
If not for the familiar Riko-Riko sign hanging at the entrance,
Takina might have questioned whether this was even the same café.
"Is this... really Riko-Riko?"
She muttered uncertainly.
"You're asking me?"
Mizuki was just as clueless.
She had only stepped out for a bit to buy some hangover medicine,
Wanting to sober up before work.
But when she came back,
Riko-Riko was completely unrecognizable.
For a brief moment—
She seriously considered the possibility
That she had somehow gained the ability to jump between timelines.
"Did we just enter a world where Riko-Riko is actually successful?"
But then—
"Takina?! Mizuki-san?!"
A cheerful, familiar voice rang out.
The two women turned their heads.
They saw Chisato running toward them,
Her face filled with urgency.
"Chisato?"
Takina's mind was still foggy.
She subconsciously murmured—
"Chisato... weren't you supposed to be resting in the dorm?"
"Huh? Resting?"
Chisato blinked.
"Riko-Riko is THIS busy! How could I possibly rest?!"
"But... Chisato, your heart condition—"
Takina's voice softened with concern.
After all, Chisato had a congenital heart disease.
She wasn't supposed to overexert herself.
However—
"Huh? My heart condition? Oh, that's been cured already."
"What?!"
Chisato's nonchalant response left Takina and Mizuki completely stunned.
They stared at each other,
Now fully convinced—
Something completely insane was happening.
Especially Mizuki.
Ever since Minami fooled her into believing in supernatural abilities,
She had been somewhat open to the idea of the impossible.
But seeing Riko-Riko packed with customers AND hearing Chisato say her heart disease was cured?
It was too much.
She turned to Takina and asked—
"Did we really just jump timelines...?"
Takina wanted to refute it.
But with everything happening before her eyes,
She couldn't make sense of anything anymore.
Before they could discuss it further,
Chisato grabbed both of them by the wrists—
"No time for this! We're swamped! Come help already!"
And just like that,
The two completely bewildered women were dragged into the chaos of Rush hour: Riko-Riko.
