The old man laughed then said to Ilaya
"What are you saying, can't we have both? I was a small restaurant owner at first, then as my years accumulated, I became a philosopher too. Call it wisdom young lady"
Ilaya nodded
'Yeah, that's right too. Knowledge and wisdom are separate things. Knowledge is the need or want to know and wisdom is life experience'
"Well alright then, so I just need to have a goal then act to achieve it. But before I can act on it, I'll need to be alive first so I need money. Old man..No, owner. Do you need a helper in your restaurant? I can apply for one"
The owner looked at her doubtfully then said
"Don't you have a home young lady? What will you need for money for you to be alive? Aren't you still studying? Don't you have your parents?"
Ilaya looked at the old man and hesitated if she's going to tell him her circumstances. She was the type of person who believes in the kindness of people, but she also knows the cruelty and evilness of people. She's not sure that if she asks for help from this man, her life is going to be troublesome and dangerous. Like, for example, if she tells him that she had an amnesia, the man will help her by turning her in to the police, to help her find someone related to her. He did it to help her, but the result is the worst case scenario. So…
"Of course I have a home, but it's in the countryside where my parents lived. So I take my chances here in the city, maybe I'll make it in life you know. But starting my life here in the city is hard, so I'll need to find a job here to feed myself. I quit studying because I need work to help my family in the countryside"
I lied without batting an eyelid. I even make my expression as pitiful as possible to gain his sympathy. What? Should I be ashamed? No no, I just need a job and the pay he'll be giving me is my hard work anyway, so it's a win win
"Is that so? Why do I feel that you're lying? Well.. not that it mattered to me. So you want to work at my restaurant young lady? I'm strict though, can you even endure here?"
"That's what I'm hoping for, and call me Ilaya, that's my name. So, when do I start working?"
The owner thought for a bit and said
"Come to my store in two days at 12:30pm. I'll let you familiarize yourself with the place and your colleague first.
Ilaya's eyes sparkled from joy. She has a job now and will not worry about money for a bit.
"Alright owner, I'll be here at the exact time. Thank you"
The owner then nodded at her, he seemed happy that he helped someone. Then he said
"You'd better be on time or I'll kick you out. By the way, where are you going now?"
Ahh! Right! I need to shop for my necessities. And I'm going to that address too. I'll better go now
"Right, I'm going to buy things, so I'd better get going now. Thank you for the advice and for hiring me owner"
"Alright, get going now young lady. Be careful in the alleyways, the streets these days is chaotic thanks to those thugs"
Ilaya waved her hand and continued her walk. She couldn't help but remember that the people last night were also talking about the gangs"
"Tsk, these gangs are really a pain. Always involving passersby in their disputes. How annoying"
As she walked, she remembered that she didn't get the name of the takoyaki owner.
'I'll just ask him when I return there'
She turned her head from side to side looking for a Uniqlo. She searched for about 10 minutes before finding one and entered. Ilaya searched for clothes that are budget free and she found them. She bought 6 shirts, 3 shorts, 3 jeans, one jacket and undergarments.
After she bought her clothes, she looked for a cheap watch since not knowing the time is unbearable, so it's one of her priorities. She found a store that sells watches so she bought a cheap one. Then, she bought all the things she needs and head to the hotel right away
As soon as she entered her room, she sat at the chair and calculated the money that she spent and the remaining money.
"Sigh… almost half of my money got wipeout. Good thing I managed to find a job or I'll definitely going to be a homeless in this city. I'll need to save my money until I started working at that restaurant"
She packed her things into her newly bought backpack, then changed her clothes.
'Ahh, dressing up with new clothes really feels the best!"
Then, she turned her attention to the address that is written in the paper that she got from her wallet.
'Hmm... it's 2pm now so I'll probably need to check this address now. I can't possibly sneak around at night since I need to be inconspicuous. I'll need to blend to the surrounding first'
She got up and picked up her backpack and got out of her room. She headed downstairs to pay the receptionist for another stay then left the hotel. Since she's going to check that address first, she needed a place where she can rest until she found out if that address is a safe place
She called a cab and show her address to the driver
"Please drive me to this place"
The driver looked at the paper that she handed him, and then turned to look at her. Ilaya frowned at him then ask
"What is it?"
"No.. it's just. This address that you gave me is near to the base of one of the yakuza that's involved in the chaos that's happening in the city"
Shit! it seems that my search is going to be troublesome.
"No matter, just drive me there"
The driver nodded, then the car drove off