"So you're the manager, nice to meet you. I'm Kouta Kazuraba." Kouta was surprised to see that Raven was the manager of such a large café at such a young age. Still, he introduced himself politely.
"You're here looking for a part-time job? But I don't recall putting up any hiring advertisements... How did you know?" Raven asked curiously.
"Oh, well, it's like this: I saw that your café just opened and it doesn't seem to have many staff yet, so I guessed you must be short-handed and volunteered myself," Kouta said with a laugh while scratching his head.
However, his eyes betrayed his nervousness; he was afraid of being rejected again. He had been failing interviews and couldn't find a suitable part-time job recently. Relying solely on his older sister's meager salary was barely enough to keep their household afloat.
"I see." Raven rubbed his chin, pretending to be deep in thought.
This made Kouta Kazuraba even more anxious.
"Alright, you're hired." Raven quickly agreed.
"R-really?" Kouta couldn't quite believe it himself. Having been constantly rejected while job hunting these past few days, he was already used to the setback and hadn't held much hope this time.
"Of course. You can sign the contract with us right now," Raven said, nodding.
Truthfully, after walking around Zawame City, he realized there were quite a few cafés, and the competition must be fierce. Since his café was quite large, he could definitely expand the business. The business he planned to expand into was Western-style desserts.
Although he didn't know how to make them yet, he figured he could master it just by watching a few TV demonstrations.
"Thank you so much, Manager!" Kouta exclaimed, excited.
He quickly signed a part-time contract with Raven and could officially start work the next day.
Meanwhile, Raven was making big preparations to upgrade the shop. He bought equipment for making cakes and desserts from the market. That very evening, Raven began studying how to make desserts. After reviewing some specific recipes and techniques, he successfully advanced to the level of a Master Pastry Chef. This was the 'bug' inherent in his Max-Level Learning Ability.
Raven planned for these desserts to be served on a limited, high-end basis daily.
At the same time, at the Kazuraba home, Kouta rushed in and couldn't help but tell his sister: "I found a part-time job, neechan!"
"Did you? That's great, congratulations, Kouta," Akira Kazuraba, who was cooking in the kitchen, said with a smile.
Her figure was quite striking; even wearing an apron couldn't completely conceal the impressive peaks of her body. She also possessed a wonderfully mature and beautiful, almost angelic face. She was one of the fan-favorite sisters among many Rider fans.
"I really owe you an apology, Kouta. It's my fault that you've been working so hard lately." After placing the finished meal on the table, Akira couldn't help but blame herself. The recent economic downturn meant her commission as a sales associate had dropped significantly, putting such immense pressure on her younger brother.
"It's nothing, neechan. I'm an adult now; this is what I should be doing," Kouta said sheepishly. He hadn't been able to truly appreciate his sister's hard work before, raising him alone, especially since he had been quite rebellious for a time.
"Which shop are you working at this time? I'll go by myself another day and personally thank the manager," Akira said.
"Oh, it's a new café that just opened. The manager said they plan to expand the business to include desserts, so they need me to hand out flyers and do a lot of promotion," Kouta explained.
"Desserts? Wow... that sounds wonderful! I love eating desserts." Akira immediately looked excited. After all, there were only a few dessert shops in Zawame City, and they were all quite expensive.
....
The next day, Raven, Yuka, and Saya had worked through the night to prepare everything. They placed the desserts and cakes in the glass display case.
Kouta, who arrived bright and early, received a large stack of flyers and coupons from Raven. He began handing them out to pedestrians around the neighborhood.
A few days later, thanks to Kouta's efforts, the Amazon Café finally saw a surge in customer traffic. These customers were mostly drawn in by the desserts. Raven's desserts were top-tier, both in taste and appearance. Every customer who tried them once became a returning patron, and word spread rapidly.
Gradually, the business became incredibly popular.
"This is too delicious. I think the desserts here are way better than Charmant's," someone couldn't help but exclaim.
"Keep your voice down! It'd be bad luck if that weird old man heard you." A few young people eating desserts they had just bought from Raven's shop said to each other as they walked down the street.
The Charmant they spoke of was the Western-style dessert shop opened by the famous 'Durian-nee' of Kamen Rider Gaim. This shop was one of the most popular in all of Zawame City. The owner, Oren Pierre Alfonzo, was a master pastry chef who had studied in France for ten years and won high honors. However, Oren himself was a muscled man with effeminate mannerisms, and his temper was even stranger than his appearance.
Soon, through word of mouth, the reputation of the Amazon Café dessert shop was established in Zawame City.
Raven was in a great mood seeing how booming the business was. Earning money with his own hands always brought such a fulfilling feeling.
When it was almost time to close the shop that evening, he generously rewarded the indispensable Kouta Kazuraba with a significant raise and even gave him an early bonus.
"Manager, thank you so, so much." Kouta, who received the early bonus, felt his eyes welling up. He hadn't expected Raven to be so kind.
"I heard you have an older sister at home. Take this to her to try," Raven said, carefully packing a dessert and handing it to Kouta.
"Oh, I can't accept this, Manager, I couldn't..." Having handed out flyers for several days, Kouta naturally knew the prices of these desserts. Even at half price with a coupon, they were something his family couldn't afford.
"Just take it; I'm telling you to give it to your sister," Raven insisted, deliberately putting on a serious expression.
"I understand. Thank you so much again," Kouta replied, expressing his gratitude once more. He then waved goodbye and happily headed off alone.
Wait, Kouta thought suddenly, halfway down the street. How did the manager know I have an older sister?
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