My Girlfriend is an Evil Woman

Kitahara Hideji had never experienced such a large family-style life, and he had never seen a girl around his age take charge of the household like Fukuzawa Fuyumi did. It seemed that Fuyumi, that little radish, was handling all the household chores and managing her younger siblings.

While eating, Fuyumi also fed her younger brother and sister. After everyone was fed, she kept an ear out for any noises outside while checking her sisters’ homework. Haruna’s homework was fine; Fuyumi praised her and even asked if she had enough pocket money. However, when she looked at Natsuo and Natsuha’s homework, her face slowly turned dark. Finally, she slammed the exercise books down, went over to them, and grabbed one ear of each of her sisters, angrily scolding, “Have you turned into idiots from going to school? Adding 300 people to the workforce takes 90 days, but adding 500 people takes 160 days? Are you dumb?”

Yukari knelt beside them, holding her book high. She hadn’t even finished eating her food, but she was trying to follow the lesson. However, it was too late; she couldn’t understand what was going on.

Natsuo and Natsuha looked at each other in confusion. Wasn’t that pretty boy supposed to be in the same grade as them? How could his answers be wrong? Could it be… impossible?

“Are you unable to figure it out?” Natsuha wanted to argue, hoping to save her ear.

Fuyumi grew even angrier, twisting their ears 360 degrees. “Idiots! This is a math problem! I’m not asking you to build a real bridge!”

“Ouch! It hurts!”

The twins had been busy gloating and mocking Kitahara Hideji for being a fool, but now they realized something was wrong. With tears in their eyes, they glared at Kitahara Hideji, blaming him for their predicament.

However, they decided to keep quiet, lowering their heads in defeat. They knew that Fuyumi hated laziness, and if they argued, the punishment would be even worse.

Kitahara Hideji smiled, put down his chopsticks, and lowered his head, saying, “Thank you for the meal. I’m full now.”

Fuyumi glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, and released her grip on her sisters’ ears. She lowered her head and discreetly rolled her eyes. With a courteous gesture, she said, “I apologize for the lack of hospitality. Please excuse me, go back to work!”

She knelt there, her little feet in snow-white socks cushioned under her buttocks, and her jet-black hair reached her eyebrows. At first glance, she appeared three parts charming and three parts adorable – if it weren’t for her eyebrows still showing some killing intent after her recent confrontation with her sisters, then it would be at least an eight-part adorable.

Kitahara Hideji was still somewhat surprised by her change, but she looked really cute in this manner of a little boss. He didn’t know what happened to make this little radish act strangely, so he responded politely, “I will work hard.”

After saying that, he nodded to the others and left the room. Natsuo and Natsuha stared angrily at his back and then exchanged a sneaky glance. Natsuo provocatively whispered, “Onee-sama, this guy used to bully you. Why are you being polite to him? Forget about dealing with things privately between you two; we never cared about fighting alone before! We’ll help you. Tonight, we can ambush him on the road together. The five of us against one, we’ll definitely get revenge for you!”

Natsuha nodded in agreement, “That’s right, we’ll help you!” Let these two annoying brats go fight. One is always aggressive and bossy, and the other is full of sinister intentions. Neither of them is a good person, and it would be best if both sides get hurt!

As Kitahara Hideji was about to close the door, Fuyumi immediately bounced up and grabbed Natsuo’s ear, scolding angrily, “What nonsense are you talking? Be honest, tolerant, and broad-minded. Don’t do anything despicable. Stop thinking about conspiracies all the time!”

Dad’s words still made sense. As the Onee-san, she must set a good example for her younger siblings. In the future, she should manage these guys more strictly and not just curse the pretty boy in front of them!

But hearing her say that, Natsuo with his aching ears, Yukari being punished to kneel, Haruna tidying up the dishes, and Natsuha preparing to escape, all looked at her in astonishment. Their gazes were filled with surprise – Did they hear it right? Were those words spoken by Onee-sama? Was this still the same Onee-sama? The one who used to set up ambushes on the road with a burlap sack and a club to beat people after getting hit once?

Fuyumi felt a bit embarrassed by her sisters’ stares and exploded in anger, “What are you looking at? Can’t I say such things? He’s working in our house and has already paid. Of course, we have to treat him well to ensure he works hard and earns his payback!”

“Then, Onee-sama really wants to resolve things with him alone?”

“Of course, I will make him kneel and beg for mercy one day, repenting for everything he has done to me! It will be fair and square, in a way that even my father can’t find fault with, openly defeating him!” Fuyumi pursed her lips, and her crescent-shaped eyes were filled with determination – he is her lifelong enemy, and even after thirty years, she will settle the old scores with him!

Revenge is one of life’s greatest pleasures; there is nothing more joyful than getting back at someone!

Haruna looked at her Onee-sama, who tightly pursed her lips, revealing two shallow dimples, and nodded silently: luckily, it was just a false alarm. She is still the sister who is narrow-minded and holds grudges.

Fuyumi looked around the room and found that, apart from her brother, her sisters were all nodding, especially Haruna, the obedient child, who seemed to be deep in thought, apparently grasping the spirit of their superior. Feeling satisfied, Fuyumi said, “In the future, all of you should learn from me – be upright, reasonable, and tolerant to others. Understood?”

……………..

Around 7:00 in the evening, the izakaya suddenly became lively as groups of office workers gathered, sitting down to drink and chat. Some people also took the opportunity to have dinner.

Kitahara Hideji assisted Fukuzawa Naotaka, following his instructions to prepare ingredients, cut vegetables, and help with food preparation. He also stood by the stove, quickly breaking a sweat.

Fukuzawa Naotaka, while stirring the pot, glanced at Kitahara Hideji and smiled, “Don’t push yourself too hard at the beginning, Kitahara-kun. You can take a break if you get tired.”

Kitahara Hideji smiled and replied, “I’m fine. Please, the tempura is ready.”

Fukuzawa Naotaka took the shrimp and put it into the hot oil. He observed Kitahara Hideji, expressing his appreciation. He could already see enough from Kitahara’s actions and demeanor. This young man worked efficiently, and in his speech, he lacked the typical arrogance often found in young people. He gave a solid and reliable impression, which was quite impressive.

Moreover, he had a smile on his face while working, showing the sense of satisfaction that came from being seriously engaged in his job. Fukuzawa Naotaka felt that he had not misjudged him. This was a very outstanding young man, quite rare in this superficial society.

He truly hoped that his eldest daughter could befriend such a young man and not waste all his hard work.

On the other hand, Kitahara Hideji also had a positive impression of this middle-aged man. He seemed broad-minded, devoid of the annoying attitude of “I’m older, so I have the right to lecture you.” The boss was quite good, and on top of earning money from working, there was an unexpected gain, which was great.

He meticulously followed the thought imprint of the “Family-style Cooking” skill, peeling the shrimp, removing fish bones, and skewering the meat, all while feeling a sense of joy as the skill experience gradually increased. He estimated that this time he might be able to add some intelligence points. After increasing intelligence, he would observe the effects. If it worked well, he would find some more skills to raise his intelligence further. Studying while honing his skills was a win-win.

This was Kitahara Hideji’s first day on the job, and Haruna, who was worried, was also helping on the side, but she found herself with relatively little work to do. Kitahara Hideji eagerly did everything himself, afraid that he might miss out on some experience points.

The hardworking attitude of Kitahara Hideji earned him some admiration from Haruna, but she couldn’t help but feel puzzled by the faint smile on his face. To her, work wasn’t something to be happy about. As a fourteen-year-old, she couldn’t understand his reaction and asked, “What are you smiling about?”

Kitahara Hideji was surprised and took a moment before chuckling, “Was I smiling?” He hadn’t realized it himself.

Haruna nodded gently, and Kitahara Hideji felt a bit embarrassed. It must have been because he was enjoying gaining experience points from his skill. It wasn’t easy to explain, so he casually said, “I’m usually like this,” and quickly changed the subject, smiling as he asked, “Didn’t you say that they could take a break tonight?”

Over at the sink, Natsuo and Natsuha were washing dishes and cups with dejected looks. Haruna took a glance and whispered, “They made some mistakes in their homework, and Onee-sama got angry and canceled their day off, giving it to me instead… But I’m not busy right now, so I came to help.”

“Oh, I see,” Kitahara Hideji smiled and looked at the two unfortunate ones – they deserved it for being lazy and deceitful without using their brains.

His gaze then shifted to the dining area, where Fuyumi and Yukari were acting as servers. Fuyumi was handling orders, billing, and checkout, while Yukari was welcoming guests with a smile, serving dishes and drinks, and tidying up tables.

Just as he focused on Fuyumi, she rushed over and said, “Table three wants an extra serving of boiled peanuts and salted edamame. Bring a bottle of chilled sake too.” Then, she shouted, “Yukari, add two more glasses of draft beer for table six!”

She was busy and didn’t even raise her head while talking, writing down the orders in a small notebook hanging at her waist to avoid making any mistakes and facing losses later.

“OK, boiled peanuts and salted edamame. Here’s the chilled sake, take it.” Kitahara Hideji repeated the order – these pre-prepared side dishes were his responsibility. He then turned and fetched the chilled sake from the refrigerator, handing it to her.

Fuyumi took it and carried it gracefully to the customers, placing it on their table with a smiling “Enjoy your meal!” She mentally calculated how much profit they could make from these customers and smiled happily before hurrying off to another table.

As Kitahara Hideji prepared more dishes, he observed Fuyumi rushing around. He noticed her face had a faint blush, her hair was slightly damp under her headscarf, her sleeves were rolled up, and her apron was tightly tied around her waist, accentuating her curvy hips, forming a beautiful heart shape – unexpected, for a small girl like her to have a shapely rear end.

“Are you… looking at my sister’s rear end?” Haruna asked sharply, locking eyes with Kitahara Hideji. Instinctively, he responded, “No, I was just surprised by how busy the restaurant is.” He felt a bit uneasy – was this considered workplace harassment?

Haruna still seemed somewhat suspicious, but she couldn’t find any evidence. She replied, “It’s because there are more people getting off work during this time, and most Izakayas are packed. After 9:30 PM, it usually slows down. But it’s okay; the current business is good, and it’s better not to stay open too late.”

“Why is that?” Kitahara Hideji inquired.

“During this time, there are many customers looking for a place to drink after work. But later in the evening, people prefer to go to other Izakayas for their second or third rounds. It’s not a problem, though; the current situation is fine, and it saves us from staying open too late,” Haruna explained.

Kitahara Hideji nodded as he glanced around the restaurant, which was still not completely full despite the peak hours. He smiled and said, “I see.”

Perhaps this Izakaya lacked some unique features, and the appetizers and drinks were just average. They could only attract customers who missed a spot at other Izakayas.

However, that wasn’t his concern. He was just a part-time worker; it was the owner’s responsibility to attract customers. Kitahara Hideji looked as Yukari rushed over and quickly placed the boiled peanuts and salted edamame on the counter, saying, “For table three!”

Yukari happily went off again.

…………..

The busy time flew by quickly, and it was almost 10 o’clock. As Haruna had predicted, more customers had left the Izakaya than those coming in. Only a few tables were occupied by drunken patrons who didn’t want to leave.

Even Fukuzawa Naotaka had started drinking. He took out a flat wine flask from somewhere and sipped slowly from it. Wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel, he spoke weakly, saying, “You’ve worked hard, Kitahara-kun.”

“You’ve worked hard too!” Kitahara Hideji replied, going along with the local custom and being polite. Haruna wasn’t around him anymore, probably feeling that one person was enough to help in the kitchen – she seemed tired, and most likely went to bed early.

Natsuo and Natsuha were also gone. Fuyumi had sent them back to their room to sleep with Akitaro. They ran off quickly, obviously not interested in helping with household chores.

Hearing Fukuzawa Naotaka’s voice not sounding right, Kitahara Hideji looked closely at his complexion. He noticed that the pallor had worsened, and with concern, he asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

“It’s nothing, just an old problem. Want to have a sip? It’s a low-alcohol rice sake,” Fukuzawa Naotaka shook his head, smiling as he offered the flask.

“Oh, no, thank you!” Kitahara Hideji politely declined, hesitating for a moment. Seeing that Fukuzawa Naotaka didn’t want to talk about his health, he asked, “Fukuzawa-san, what time should I work until?”

Fukuzawa Naotaka sipped his drink leisurely and casually said, “Anytime is fine. The last train from the nearby station is at 11:05 PM. If you live far, you can finish work by that time. Otherwise, you can wait until the closing time to leave.”

Kitahara Hideji thanked him and felt that this might be the best boss to talk to he had encountered in his working life. He looked around and noticed that the kitchen was a bit messy – he couldn’t stand disorderliness, almost like having obsessive-compulsive tendencies. So, he rolled up his sleeves and started tidying up.

Fukuzawa Naotaka cleared his throat, took another sip of his drink, and leaned against the kitchen counter without moving. His gaze paused on Kitahara Hideji for a moment before turning to his daughter.

He hoped things would turn out for the better..