understood sir.
A week had passed since their sisterhood began, and during that time, Kohaku had offered Maria a part-time job at the store—something to keep her occupied and help her earn a bit of money.
As Kohaku helped Maria restock ramen on the shelves, the bell above the door chimed, signaling a new customer. When Kohaku turned to look, she found none other than Senku stepping inside.
Senku, as usual, couldn’t resist making a comment the moment he saw Kohaku.
"Still playing shopkeeper, huh? Guess even a lioness has to settle for something tame once in a while."
Kohaku rolled her eyes, placing a few more ramen cups on the shelf. "And you’re still running on nothing but caffeine and stubbornness. What a shocker."
As they exchanged their usual banter, Senku suddenly felt a strange sensation—like someone was watching him. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled slightly, but he brushed it off. Probably just his overworked brain playing tricks on him.
Shaking off the feeling, he grabbed a few cans of energy drinks and a couple of ramen cups before making his way to the counter. Kohaku took them from his hands, scanning each item with practiced ease.
"Alright, you're all set. Now scram, I’ve got work to do," Kohaku said, waving Senku off as she stepped away from the register to help Maria restock.
Senku raised an eyebrow, watching her go before turning his attention to the unfamiliar face. "She new?" he asked casually.
Maria looked up from the shelves, flashing a friendly smile. "Musta! Yeah, just got here recently."
"Musta?"
Senku raised a brow, clearly unfamiliar with the word.
Maria chuckled, placing a cup of ramen on the shelf. "It means 'how are you?' in my language."
Senku gave a small nod, processing the information before responding in his usual deadpan tone. "Huh. Well, considering I’m running on caffeine and sheer willpower, I’d say I’m doing just fine."
Senku then turned his gaze to Kohaku, a smirk creeping onto his face before he looked back at Maria.
"Word of advice—be careful around her," he said, tilting his head toward Kohaku. "She’s a full-blown lioness when she gets mad. Might start throwing punches if you stack the ramen wrong."
Kohaku shot him a glare. "Oh, shut up, Dr. S. If anyone deserves a punch, it’s you."
Maria, trying to suppress a laugh, raised her hands in mock surrender. "Noted. I’ll make sure to keep the ramen perfectly aligned to avoid a lion attack."
Senku chuckled, grabbing his bag. "Smart move. Alright, I’ll leave you to your thrilling grocery-stocking duties."
As he turned to leave, Kohaku muttered, "Yeah, yeah, get lost already."
Maria leaned toward her. "So... you are a lioness, huh?" she teased with a grin.
Kohaku groaned. "Great, now you too?"
Maria chuckled, raising her hands in mock surrender. "Hehehe, don't worry, I won't call you that."
Kohaku sighed in relief. "Good, because if one more person calls me that, I might actually—"
"But," Maria interrupted with a playful smirk, "I might refer to you as the 'Guardian of the Ramen Aisle' from now on."
Kohaku groaned, rubbing her forehead. "Oh, for the love of—just stock the ramen, Maria."
Maria laughed, grabbing another pack. "Yes, ma’am. No sudden movements. Wouldn’t want to provoke the guardian."
With that, the two of them got back to work, falling into the usual rhythm of their day at the store.
Maria, still getting used to her new part-time job, made a dramatic show of carefully stacking the ramen packs on the shelves as if she were handling precious treasure. “Look at this form, Kohaku. Precision. Balance. This is the work of a true ramen-stocking professional,” she declared proudly, placing a final pack on top.
Kohaku rolled her eyes but smirked. “Yeah, yeah, true talent. You should get a trophy.”
Just as Maria was about to respond, a loud thud echoed through the store.
They turned to see an old man struggling to grab a heavy bag of rice from the bottom shelf. Kohaku quickly moved to help, lifting it with ease and carrying it to the counter.
Maria whistled. “Man, you just lifted that like it was a bag of cotton candy.”
Kohaku smirked, flexing her arm. “Strength runs in the family.”
Meanwhile, Maria turned back to organizing the shelves, only to knock over an entire row of snack packs in the process. They tumbled down, hitting her on the head one by one.
Kohaku burst out laughing. “Oh wow, precision and balance, huh?”
Maria rubbed her head, sighing dramatically. “I am but a humble worker, struck down by my own carelessness.”
As they continued their tasks—Maria working the register for practice while Kohaku supervised—Maria found herself awkwardly struggling with the buttons. A customer handed her money, and instead of inputting the price, she accidentally opened the receipt printer, which immediately started spitting out an endless stream of paper.
Kohaku facepalmed as Maria panicked. “Kohaku! Help! It won’t stop!”
Kohaku stifled a laugh before pressing a single button, making it stop instantly. She crossed her arms. “I thought you were a professional?”
Maria huffed. “I am. Just… in other areas.”
Despite the chaos, the day went by in a fun, lively manner. Between dealing with customers, Kohaku teasing Maria’s cash register struggles, and Maria’s over-the-top dramatics, the small store was filled with laughter and energy.
By closing time, Maria slumped against the counter. “I survived another day. Barely.”
Kohaku smirked, handing her a cold drink. “Not bad for a rookie. You might just survive the ‘Guardian of the Ramen Aisle’s’ rigorous training.”
Maria took the drink and grinned. “Oh, I’m making it my mission now. Just wait, I’ll be the ultimate part-time worker.”
Kohaku laughed. “Sure, sure. Just don’t break the register again.”
And with that, another day at the store came to an entertaining end.
That night
Ring Ring
click "Status Report"
"blending in well"
"Target?"
"he’s here"
"Looks like Xeno was right after all."
"Any other orders?"
"Keep an eye, find out what his doing"
"understood sir"
END OF CHAPTER