Great!
Success!
Kiyono let out a heavy sigh of relief, showing a genuinely heartfelt smile on his face as he eagerly took the papers.
Seeing his expression, the older sister also smiled. She certainly knew that Kiyono had quite a story, but this young man was very much to her taste, and they really were desperately short-staffed right now, so some small details could be overlooked.
Of course, although this was essentially emergency hiring for temporary work, any proper establishment still had to go through the formal procedures.
She guided him attentively from the side: "Sign here, and for the home address, you can write your hometown."
The interview proceeded smoothly. Kiyono wrote and signed according to her instructions. While signing, he glanced at the work terms, which contained many safety precautions, tardiness policies, contact methods for absences, etc... Because it was troublesome to read, he simply ignored it all.
"Can I ask if you have any previous experience with similar customer service work?" the older sister asked.
"No, this is my first time working at this kind of establishment," Kiyono answered frankly.
"Oh, then I'll teach you some tricks later." After he finished signing, the older sister handed him a work card. "Write your name and then go punch in over there."
"Thank you!" Kiyono straightened up, bowed his head slightly, and sincerely thanked the mature woman in front of him. "I can start working immediately right now!"
"Not bad, so enthusiastic on your first day. Then I'll trouble you to work until evening?" The older sister winked at him.
"I'd be delighted." Kiyono gave a thumbs up.
"But before that, you need to change into our work uniform." The older sister led the way. "Follow me, I'll take you to the changing room."
[The older sister prepared clothes for you.]
[After you changed into the uniform, she stood in front of you, her eyes lighting up as she praised: "You look great! How are the sleeves and collar? Not too tight?"]
[You smiled and replied that it fit perfectly. Then she showed you around the shop—kitchen, register, dining room... and introduced you to the other staff. The seniors were all friendly to you, and the older female employees especially liked you.]
[During this time, the older sister also continuously guided you on work essentials. Your job wasn't complicated—just ordinary server duties like taking orders, carrying plates, washing dishes, and helping in the kitchen when busy.]
[Time came to seven o'clock in the evening. This was already peak dining time, and you began to get busy. Being your first time, you inevitably felt flustered, but the older sister timely helped you resolve these small problems.]
[Then the clock turned to nine-thirty. Amid many relaxed sighs, you finally finished today's part-time work. After punching out on your work card, you felt relieved and decided to buy a meal to celebrate.]
[But the older sister stopped you. She gently patted your back with a warm smile: "To celebrate your first day on the job, eat at the shop tonight. Though it's just leftovers made from surplus ingredients."]
["There's such a good thing?" You were delighted to save on dinner money, not to mention enjoying delicious food.]
[You sat around the dining table with the other staff, waiting for dinner. Honestly, your first feeling at this moment was fatigue—your whole body was tired. Although the work hours weren't long, you hadn't eaten properly for days. The high-intensity consumption of mental and physical energy had brought you almost to your limit.]
[However, despite physical exhaustion, your heart felt incredibly fulfilled, because you had earned money and dignity with your own hands—not through begging, not through pity, but through honest reliance on yourself.]
[But you hadn't forgotten in your heart that it was Yukinoshita who helped you take this step.]
[You ate this dinner with great satisfaction.]
[After eating and drinking your fill, you left the shop and returned to the hotel. Originally you had planned to go to an internet cafe to plan your novel, but exhausted as you were, you gave up this idea, took a simple bath, and practically fell asleep the moment your head hit the pillow.]
[You have a job that can support you, and you treasure it greatly. From then on, you work conscientiously every day, arriving earliest and leaving latest, always showing the brightest smile. With that hardworking attitude, you quickly gained genuine recognition and trust from others, and even began having customers who came specifically for you.]
[At the same time, you invested almost all your free time into your novel. Days passed one by one, and you finally saved up a little money, which gave you some peace of mind.]
At this moment, Kiyono couldn't help but speak up: "System, can you transfer this money to reality?"
"...No."
"Dad."
"You can't... I have no way either."
The simulation continued.
[Part-time work, planning.]
[Planning, part-time work.]
[You began to get a sense of the light novel industry and the novel you wanted to write.]
Time seemed to be sped up by the gods.
Perhaps because of the simulator, Kiyono often felt time flying by, like when playing games and pressing the plot skip button, so time also skipped along.
But Kiyono still retained the related memories. He remembered the sweat he shed while working part-time, the joy when thinking of novel plots, the emotion when receiving his wages.
"Now I can probably start writing."
Inside the family restaurant.
The young man wore a server's uniform, moving among customers while pondering. Just thinking about his future success automatically played the BGM of "My Future Is Not a Dream" in his brain.
But then—
Ring, ring ring, the service bell chimed softly.
"Waiter, I'd like to order!"
A voice as crisp as wind chimes singing rang in his ears.
Kiyono looked up with some feeling and saw a brilliant blue.
It was a girl with blue hair like a summer sky.
[You encountered a special girl.]
[Her name is Yanami Anna—]