Chapter 50: Another Guest
Around three in the afternoon, the family restaurant's door was pushed open, and a swaying figure walked in.
"Minori~~~~"
Wearing a one-piece dress, the petite Oosaka Taiga entered and immediately sought out Kushieda Minori, who was wiping down an empty dining table.
"Taiga? Why are you here?"
Kushieda Minori also looked at Oosaka Taiga, who had arrived, with surprise, and then saw her lean against her.
"I'm hungry..."
"Eh?"
"I slept until the afternoon, and there's no food at home..."
"No food is not good! What do you want to eat? I'll go prepare it for you!"
"Cake!!!"
"No, Taiga, you need to eat some main course. Is pasta okay?"
"Ugh... as long as it's food."
Oosaka Taiga just sat down directly in a nearby booth, softly slumping down, looking as if she had no energy.
There weren't many people in the store at this time, and their interaction was seen by Kaede and the others, who were not far away on the other side of the restaurant.
Usami Mizuki stretched her neck and said curiously, "That's Kushieda-san's classmate, Oosaka Taiga, right? She's so petite, like a doll."
Uchimaki Subaru also nodded in agreement. Although he wasn't interested in 3D girls, a girl like Oosaka Taiga, with such a small physique yet being their age, was quite rare.
Noticing Uchimaki Subaru's observation, Usami Mizuki immediately warned, "Uchimaki-san, you absolutely must not do anything inappropriate to Oosaka-san!"
"Uh... what kind of person do you take me for?" Uchimaki Subaru looked helplessly at Usami, who was glaring at him, and explained, "I was just a bit surprised by her height."
Kaede, however, smiled and said, "I think Usami's concern isn't unfounded. Naijuan, the characters you usually draw, aren't they all petite? Let's be clear, drawing is one thing, but don't bring your preferences into the real world. That would be a crime."
"No way!"
Uchimaki Subaru loudly retorted, then launched into a series of explanations, like, "I just happen to like characters like that," and "I'm not a lolicon." His words left Takasu Ryuji and Kitamura Yusaku, who were standing nearby, completely bewildered.
The two of them didn't understand Uchimaki Subaru's hobbies, and Kaede hadn't bothered to explain much. It was only now that they realized this seemingly straightforward and oblivious classmate was actually a hardcore otaku, so much so that he wasn't even interested in 3D girls.
Impressive, truly impressive.
After much effort, he finally finished explaining, but Usami Mizuki still added, "Even though you tried so hard to explain, you're still a suspect. Please try to control yourself in the future."
"..."
Uchimaki Subaru immediately felt exhausted and could only lower his head to continue studying.
On the other side, Kushieda Minori quickly brought over the drinks, pasta, and grilled chicken wings, placing them in front of Oosaka Taiga.
"Taiga, eat up!"
"Thank you, Minori!"
Seeing the food, Oosaka Taiga happily picked up her fork and started eating the pasta.
After a couple of bites, she looked at her friend beside her and asked, "Minori, what time do you finish work today?"
"Me? 4 PM, so a little over an hour left."
"Then I'll wait for you to get off work. Can I go to your house today?"
"You can!"
"That's great!"
Kushieda Minori also affectionately patted Oosaka Taiga's head, then stood up from her seat and said, "Alright, Taiga, you eat first. I'll go back to work. Oh, and if you're bored, some classmates came here to study today. Kitamura, who is in my club, is also here. You can go play over there; their study session is almost over."
"Minori, your club mates?"
Swallowing the pasta in her mouth, Oosaka Taiga thought for a moment, recalling Kitamura Yusaku's appearance. "That guy with glasses who's always smiling? Hmm... I don't know him very well. I won't bother them. I'll just play on my phone here and wait for you."
"Alright then."
Kushieda Minori didn't insist and went back to work.
Soon, it was 4 PM, and Kushieda Minori's shift ended.
After changing back into her casual clothes, she brought Oosaka Taiga over to Kaede and their group and said, "Kitamura, and everyone, I'm off work, so I'm leaving now!"
Kitamura Yusaku pushed up his glasses and said with a smile, "Good work, Kushieda-san. Thank you for taking care of us today."
Today, they came here for a study session, and Kushieda Minori had taken good care of them in between her work, even giving them extra fries.
"Hehehe~"
Kushieda Minori said with a smile, "If you're grateful, then come and spend more at this store in the future! Well, I'm off. Taiga, say goodbye to everyone too."
Oosaka Taiga seemed a bit shy and hadn't interacted since she arrived. After Kushieda Minori prompted her, she thought that everyone knew her friend. After some hesitation, she said, "Goodbye, everyone."
After watching the two leave, Eriri whispered, "I always feel like Oosaka-san is like Kushieda-san's pet."
Kaede heard her and said with a smile, "Try saying that to her face?"
Recalling previous incidents, Eriri immediately shook her head and said, "No thanks. Oosaka-san has clearly trained. Even though she acts suddenly, even the Kendo Club seniors were knocked down by her in an instant. That nickname 'Tiger' isn't for nothing. I guess only Kushieda-san can make her so docile."
Listening to Eriri's assessment, everyone nodded in agreement.
In this world, the relationships between some people are just that strange. People who usually seem unapproachable can become like a little Cat in front of specific individuals.
Glancing at Takasu Ryuji, who looked a bit dejected after Kushieda Minori left, Kaede clapped his hands and said, "Today's study session is pretty much done. Once we finish the remaining few problems, let's leave. We can head to where we're having dinner tonight."
At 4:30 PM, everyone tidied up their things, officially ending today's study session, and headed to the reserved yakiniku restaurant.
Sitting on the edge of the group, Eriri tugged at Kaede's sleeve and quietly asked, "Why aren't we going to Jojoen?"
Kaede leaned towards Eriri and whispered, "Did you forget? Takasu's family situation isn't that great. He can't afford Jojoen's prices. And don't worry, the place we're going today is cheaper, but the quality of the meat is absolutely guaranteed. I've been there many times before. If you want to go to Jojoen, we can find time to go later."
Eriri then realized, sticking out her tongue apologetically.