Anime Crossover : Living in the Heart of Tokyo

Hojou Kyousuke mechanically followed Tanaka into the changing room, put on the waiter uniform, and started working, still in a daze.

He worked until the restaurant closed. His stomach was growling loudly, and he was still lost in thought:

'Who am I? What am I doing?' 

No, what Kyousuke was really thinking was:

'Didn't I come here to eat?

'Why did I suddenly become a waiter?'

'Am I supposed to work for my food?'

[TL Note - Welcome to real life kid.....]

'But Mom never told me about this...'

Working as a waiter wasn't nearly as satisfying as practicing kendo, and since it was his first time doing the job, Kyousuke slumped in a chair, too tired to move, watching the other waiters clean up.

Probably because he was new, the others allowed him to slack off.

"Okudera, you really worked hard tonight," a person who seemed to be the manager said, walking over.

"Thanks to the new waiter, or we wouldn't have made it through tonight so easily," Okudera said with a smile, brushing away her falling hair and glancing at Kyousuke, who was sitting in the chair.

"New waiter? But didn't the newcomer who was supposed to come today tell me he wasn't coming?" the manager asked, confused.

"Then who is he?!" Okudera gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.

As soon as she said that, everyone in the restaurant turned their attention to Kyousuke.

He lowered his gaze to his hands, wondering if he had once again been tricked into doing manual labor.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry," Okudera Miki apologized repeatedly, her hands pressed against her stomach, bowing deeply.

'Why is this happening?' 

Okudera Miki groaned inwardly.

The boss's relative had come to the restaurant for a meal, but she had mistakenly treated him like a waiter and made him work all evening.

Kyousuke, still ravenously eating, had just shoveled a large bite of spaghetti into his mouth with his fork before he looked up at Okudera Miki, or rather, at the sudden springtime view before him.

'It's so dazzling!'

"It's fine, I should have clarified things myself," he said after swallowing his food with difficulty and taking a sip of water.

The manager had long since disappeared, probably because he knew that this situation would be better handled by the charming Okudera Miki herself.

"In any case, you've worked all evening. Would it be alright if I gave you my wages for tonight as compensation?" Okudera asked.

When she said this, her heart ached. The purse she had been eyeing for so long would have to wait a little longer.

"That's not necessary. It was actually a good experience," Kyousuke immediately refused.

Even though he was almost running on empty, paying for a woman's stuff... well, at least not now.

"Still, I'd feel uneasy. Please, let me make it up to you," Okudera Miki insisted, her hand resting over her chest.

She felt genuinely guilty.

This young man, though dragged into this mess, worked without complaining all night.

Now that she knew it was a misunderstanding, he still didn't blame her at all.

"Well then…" Kyousuke put down his fork and knife, crossed his arms, and studied Okudera Miki.

'Is he going to ask me for something bad?' Okudera felt nervous, but then she saw him smile gently.

"In that case, next time I come here for dinner, would you join me?" Kyousuke asked.

"Eh?" Okudera Miki almost thought she misheard.

Was that supposed to be a compensation? Was he compensating her?

"If I eat with you, the food will taste better," Kyousuke said, waving a piece of foie gras on his fork toward her.

"If the restaurant isn't busy…" Okudera blushed. She didn't expect that a guy younger than her could make her feel shy with just one sentence.

"Then it's settled!" Kyousuke finished his last bite of food and glanced around the restaurant.

The entire dining area was now empty except for the two of them.

"By the way, Okudera-senpai, aren't you going home yet?"

"Just call me Okudera. I'm waiting for you. After you're done, I'll lock the door," Okudera Miki said, showing him her keys.

"Then call me Hojou. Should I just leave the dishes here?" he asked.

"Wait a moment, I'll take them to the kitchen," Okudera Miki replied, then hurried to the back with a stack of plates.

Kyousuke started his motorcycle and parked outside the restaurant.

Okudera Miki was locking the door, and while waiting, he admired the night view.

"Do you need me to give you a ride home?" Kyousuke asked.

"No, I live in Bunkyo Ward. The subway is quick," Okudera Miki replied, already out of her uniform and wearing an off-shoulder top that revealed her collarbones.

She wore stylish gold jeans and white belt pants.

"Bunkyo Ward? I live there too, near the Sendagi Station," Kyousuke said.

"I live near Ochanomizu Women's University," Okudera Miki said in surprise.

"In that case, let's not waste time. Let's go together," Kyousuke invited again.

Okudera Miki hesitated for a moment but then agreed.

She couldn't help but feel drawn to the city guy with the cool vibe, and the good impression Kyousuke left on her made it hard for her to keep refusing.

"Here, take my coat. It's pretty chilly at night," Kyousuke said, taking off his jacket and handing it to her.

"Thanks," Okudera Miki said as she slipped it on.

The faint scent of his cologne made her blush.

"Hold on tight, I'm taking off," Kyousuke said, revving the engine.

Soon, Kyousuke followed Okudera Miki's directions to an apartment building in Bunkyo.

Because of the many schools in the area, there were a lot of apartment buildings.

"Well, see you tomorrow," she said, standing by the entrance and holding the sleeve of her coat.

"See you tomorrow, Hojou-kun," she added with a smile.

Okudera watched as Kyousuke's motorcycle taillights faded into the distance.

'Oh no, I forgot to return his jacket.' Oh well, she thought.

She'd just bring it back tomorrow, and she might as well wash it tonight.

After entering the building, she closed the door behind her.

———————————————————————

Meanwhile, Kyousuke returned home.

He turned on the TV, dialed his mom's number, and shared the awkward events of the night with her.

'Ding' A message notification popped up from Yamauchi Sakura.

Kyousuke clicked on it, and a large photo of Sakura popped up on his screen.

Her face took up most of the photo, her mischievous smile lighting up her face.

Her chestnut-colored eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and her bright white teeth were in full view.

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"Kyousuke, I went to Akihabara today with some friends! I saw so many cosplayers! You wouldn't believe it—the diplomat's daughter agreed to come to Akihabara with me!"

"You remember the blonde lady I mentioned last time? Isn't she pretty?"

———————————————————————

Seeing the message, Kyousuke took another careful look at the photo.

In the gap between Sakura's fingers, he could just make out a small hint of blonde hair. He couldn't even get a good look at her face.

"I don't know if she's pretty, because my eyes are all on you," Kyousuke replied helplessly.

———————————————————————

"Hehehe, Kyousuke, you're so cheesy. Say that kind of thing more often next time~"

———————————————————————

Looking at the message, Kyousuke imagined Sakura's cheeky grin.

"Get some rest, don't eat too much tonight. Don't trouble your liver!" ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ she said.

"Got it! Goodnight, Sakura!"

Kyousuke smiled when he saw the cat emoji at the end of her message.

He took a sip of water, thought for a moment, and sent a message to Shouko.

"Shouko, want to hang out next Saturday?"

He knew that if he didn't take the initiative, that shy girl wouldn't have the courage to ask.

And if she finally did, maybe Kyousuke would already have other plans.

It was better to make the first move.

"Sure!" Shouko replied almost immediately, as if she had been waiting.

In fact, Shouko had been thinking about asking Kyousuke out on the weekend since Friday.

But when she saw that Sakura had already booked him for the weekend, she decided to give up.

So for the last two days, Shouko hadn't been as happy.

Even though Naoka took her to the MeowMeow Cafe to play with cute cats, it only cheered her up a little.

[TL Note - I need more information with this MeowMeow Cafe!]

Lying in bed with her phone, Shouko was debating whether to ask Kyousuke about next weekend.

She kept typing and deleting a message, with Naoka beside her, getting frustrated and almost sending it for her.

Then, Kyousuke took the initiative to invite her.

———————————————————————

"Let's invite Naoka to join us," Kyousuke wrote.

———————————————————————

"Naoka, Kyousuke-kun invited us to hang out next weekend," Shouko texted Naoka excitedly.

Naoka, however, was busy removing her makeup.

"I have a part-time job this weekend. You and Kyousuke should go ahead," Naoka said, focused on her eye makeup remover.

"Naoka says she has a part-time job," Shouko typed back.

"Alright, then you can think about where we'll go next time. Goodnight, Shouko," Kyousuke replied.

"Okay, goodnight, Kyousuke-kun."

'Has Naoka been working part-time since middle school? Is she really that short on money?'

———————————————————————

Kyousuke put his phone down and thought to himself.

Maybe he'd ask her about it next time.

And he wondered where Naoka worked. He could go and support her.

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