Work Hoe
Yuuko felt conflicted. She realized deep down that her method of business was somewhat immoral, and she wouldn't have felt this way if she could have paid the right amount to the source of the burst in the income of the bookstore. This conflict arose from guilt. And she had stated before that she would make an honest living while having her new helper temporarily assist her.
But two reasons made her stop in her tracks today once again.
One, of course, money. It's simply the most rooted and base desire for Yuuko because of how tight things were financially after her husband passed away.
Two, her new hire himself.
Yuuko idly gazed at the dedicated youth and sighed.
A set of crimson armor with a pair of edged shoulder guards and padded abdominal region to create fake abs covered Nik alongside a well-crafted, spacious mask over the lower half of his face with fierce fangs sticking out the lower jaw of the oni-mask.
Money and honey. Her two vices. Everyone dreams of working toward a goal, but stores making ends meet felt less than satisfactory. But Yuuko isn't one to complain. Everyone does this, so how is she any extraordinary to expect anything better?
Her boredom had become so severe that she felt shockingly numb yesterday when Nik didn't check in for the job. Her customers were disappointed. Big whoop. Even SHE was disappointed.
How did that stop her from paying Nik?
He didn't have any roots. Amnesiac he might be, Nik did not possess any paperwork whatsoever. The fact that he still had a job and a roof spoke more about his luck than Yuuko and Souma Family, who provided those things to Nik. At least she could not pay Nik out of her accounts without employing him officially. And she cannot do that unless she has official records. But today is different. Yuuko and Nik have unearthed some liquid cash, so she felt relieved at the chance of paying Nik fairly.
Silently patting her stomach, feeling full from an early lunch, Yuuko suppressed the urge to take an afternoon nap. If Nik could have spoken the language well, she would have left the store in his care.
The afternoon didn't see any customers, so it attracted other free female store owners and occasionally the wives of male store owners instead. Yuuko couldn't drive them away, not only would that be rude, but also because these people cared for her when things were bleak after her husband's passing.
The two continued working silently. After a few seconds, Nik entered the store and cleaned the windows from the inside as Yuuko, too, snuffed her laziness and began restocking her shelves.
*Ting-ling*
The soft chime alerted the busy Yuuko and Nik about the new customer as their heads whipped in the direction of the entrance.
"Ah, welcome." As usual, Yuuko smiled and greeted even when it was a familiar face. Straight, raven hair, a set of red-rimmed spectacles over the bridge of her nose, and a pair of honey-gold eyes greeted the duo.
Nik couldn't help but recall the sheer awkwardness revealed by Souko and the other daughters this morning once they laid eyes on Mitsuko. He had expected Mitsuko's daughters to be the perverted kinds who owned up to their actions. Maybe they are. But the fact that he readily performed without anxiety also threw them off their game, if there was any.
But Mitsuko didn't faze at all. Scenes of last night and this morning resurfaced in Nik's and Mitsuko's minds. What started as an awkward and bitter recollection of the past concluded with a fulfilling session of pounding and a nap that made him ready for work at Yuuko's bookstore with more determination than ever. Nik reflexively took stock of the woman once their gazes met, letting her know how good she looked in her red-striped jacket and form-fitting black trousers.
"It's a good afternoon, Yuuko-san. I'd expected you to be resting instead of working," Mitsuko greeted with a smile. The two women were only acquainted because of one particular female baker that wasn't present here, but those weren't pretty times. Still, life happened. And living near each other, the two had plenty of interactions in the past.
"Me, too," Yuuko replied with a wry smile. "But I cannot depend on anyone else to restock the shelves."
"Ohh," Mitsuko nodded while setting her purse on the counter.
"By the way, what is the theme of Nik's costume today?" Mitsuko inquired while observing Nik. Her eyes lingered on his body, especially his hands, as he resumed the allotted task. It's not like he wouldn't see Mitsuko later tonight, so he chose work over… well, creepily staring at Mitsuko for no good reason.
"Today, I'm helping Hiro-san advertise her costumes for a commission," revealed Yuuko. "I asked for Nik's permission, and we decided to split the commission among ourselves."
Mitsuko giggled as Yuuko patted her hands over her generous body with a happy smirk.
"Must have been tough translating all of this."
"It... really was," Yuuko chuckled and shook her head, her shoulders slumped in defeat.
Even Nik held back his smile.
Yuuko asked him: Would you like to split bills in half for a piping red armor in you?
Good thing that it was on him, right?
Anyway, he would be forced to relocate soon enough. Then again, he accepted the terms when given another chance at life by Infinity, so there are no complaints from his side.
"Anyway, Souma-san, what brings you by?" The Store Owner inquired as Mitsuko patted her purse, "A little bit of grocery shopping before Kurumi returns. She seems to enjoy stopping by here, so I hoped to accompany her home after buying a few items."
"I see. Um… you wouldn't mind me asking if something happened between Kurumi-chan and Megumi, right? Megumi simply refuses to answer me," Yuuko inquired while walking behind the counter while Mitsuko looked confused.
"I don't know what to say either," Mitsuko shrugged. "But whatever it is, I think they are getting along just fine."
Even Nik didn't have to understand what Kurumi and Megumi spoke back then to realize that they seemed rather hostile towards each other, you know, passively.
The fact that the duo would run on the sidewalk only to collapse and roll down as if racing one another was a great indication of this matter. But Mitsuko seemed confident enough in her judgment. Yuuko could only accept the answer with a hesitant nod.
"Ah, by the way, does Hiro-san take custom orders, too?" Mitsuko questioned while glancing at Nik's armored derriere.
"Hmm, there is a selection for custom orders, but they are too expensive. Meanwhile, Hiro-san promotes the shows and manga she enjoys by creating these cosplays for others for a lower price. By the way, I peeked at the 'other' materials as well," Yuuko whispered.
"Other materials?" Mitsuko tilted her head.
"Uh... Hiro-san said that some of her customers commissioned uniform-type outfits, saying that their partners like it," Yuuko explained with a dusting of red on her mature face. "She showed some of those outfits, spats, and such."
Mitsuko's gaze brightened momentarily. The idea of such outfits outside festivals like Halloween assuredly appealed to someone like Mitsuko.
"Well, I should be taking my leave. I just dropped by out of impulse," Mitsuko replied. "And I will see what Hiro-san has on display."
It wasn't just an impulse, of course. She had something more planned in her mind. But...
'That outfit is too complicated to get out of quickly and...' She sighs wryly, hoping to get a little out of this visit than just chatting with Yuuko.
Seeing Nik hard at work, she just suppressed the idea of disrupting his job. She would have loved to fool around with Nik, but not at the expense of his employment. Concentration during a job is hard to come by, and even if there aren't actually many who would really be annoyed by what she had in mind, just the sight of the youth constantly wiping away at the window calmly strangely lit her up.
Which was strange because she wasn't really attracted to menial labor.
This only left her with one possible speculation that made her feel slightly amused but largely 'bubbly' within.
"Bye, Nik~!" Mitsuko called out sweetly as Yuuko's ears twitched. She sensed something strange. Mitsuko, too, stopped at the door as Nik turned and bowed casually with the rag still in his hand before working again.
"When did he learn that?" Mitsuko instantly inquired, delight in her eyes growing more expressive.
Diligent, respectful, and able to throw all of it away to treat her the way she deserves—just how she likes it.
"This morning," Yuuko smiled.
'It feels like I'm a fucking toddler... hehe. If only I could speak, fucking toddler... pfft,' Nik shook his head internally while delighting over his ill-mannered pun. Sometimes, silence truly is a golden virtue. Countless mind-breaking sessions in his past life failed to strip him of his best talent: Bad Puns.
As Mitsuko left after a searing gaze in his direction, the shop came to a striking silence with the soft whirring of the AC unit in the store warming the surroundings. Yuuko was a talkative person by nature, just like her daughter. But she could only lament that guy who managed to shake Yakima off of her temporarily just happened to be a case of amnesia. She couldn't even translate one of her few recollections—funny ones, fearing her humor would come across as broken without proper communication.
Speaking of her phone, Yuuko switched it on and began watching cooking channels. Now that she had another guest on the table, Yuuko felt like trying to at least communicate using their meals.
'He will notice all the hard work, though. Right?' She pondered while watching the video of some Indian Curry.
Time gradually passed, and customers began filtering in. Even though Nik hadn't stopped wearing the costume, Yuuko did make him stop handing out hugs from today onwards.
"I'm back!" Megumi sounded especially pleased, her voice louder than usual.
"-ey! W- wait, I said!"
A gasp attracted Nik's attention, and he saw Kurumi being dragged away by Mitsuko, not even being allowed to enter the store: the source of Megumi's pleasant evening. Yuuko was attending to a customer, so she didn't let herself be distracted.
Closing the door to the store, Megumi looked around in surprise.
"Ah, no hugs today?"
"Megumi, behave yourself," Yuuko retorted with a sigh as the girl with slightly disheveled hair nodded quickly, her gaze landing on Nik momentarily, wrapped in a demon-like crimson armor with nothing but the top portion of his face visible.
"Yes, yes, sorry!" Sticking her tongue out, Megumi entered their home as Yuuko shook her head.
"Um... are you not giving anybody hugs?"
Meanwhile, a girl approached Nik. Since most customers know what they want in a bookstore, his current task was to keep an eye out. Sometimes he would set the books in their original place once the customer left, but this was a rare scenario. This meant he was free as he looked at the girl.
She was young, not even a teenager from the looks of it, and had her short hair tied up like a small fountain. Compared to her, Nik was almost towering and came across as relatively intimidating in his somewhat malevolent cosplay.
Seeing that Yuuko was changing the bills under the counter, he shook his head and knelt on a knee. Pulling down the mask, he couldn't help but smile and whisper.
"Sorry, not today. But if you keep coming to the store, you might get a hug."
It wasn't below him to manipulate someone much younger than him for the benefit of the store since it benefitted him, too. How else would he bag the title of the Employee of the Week? He needed to develop a fanbase of diehard hug connoisseurs.
"O-ok, Big Brother," The girl nodded earnestly as Nik covered his face again.
'Hah... to speak is really a luxury here,' he sighed internally. But he also couldn't help but think of his own situation. He would be leaving this world location temporarily tomorrow.
He had almost collected one AP again. But what about the new place he is supposed to be sent to by his immediate superior—The Transmigration Paradise?
This world already had many things he didn't understand completely: From tiny objects such as mobile phones to larger carriages driven without steam and more streamlined bodies and even more humongous transportation vehicles such as a Train. If he were to be grateful for anything, it would be similar humans around him and not some four-armed red-skinned beast!
He was overly nervous about what he had to do in the next world but also the slightest bit excited.
And he felt the sinking feeling that he was missing out on something.
Nik silently glanced through the various books, now able to read their titles—he walked around the self-help section as it truly helped him realize what he had been missing.
'Goals.'
Nik finally realized that whatever happened around him turned out to be set without his own thoughts truly.
He was pulled from the street and made to whore out because of Esta's will.
He showed initiative by trying to escape, ending with a fatality.
He was brought back from the dead and sent here, once again, out of his free will. Well, the Infinity gave him a 'choice,' but what was he expected to choose between life and death? Just die?
His position in this world, too, stems from others' will. He'd been lucky with Genta since the man was far more considerate than any other should be in his situation.
All he seemed to be doing was living with the two choices. Either agree or disagree.
But what about himself?
Infinity wanted things and rewarded him with AP: a currency to help him rise through this extraterrestrial organization.
Transmigration Paradise wanted to send him to various other worlds for its own objectives, when completed, would reward him, too.
Even those around him knew what they wanted.
Megumi arduously trained every evening with that wooden stick because of some competition she talked about.
Yuuko wanted her store to do well.
Mitsuko wanted to do him, and her daughters wanted to see it.
'I became a work hoe without realizing once again...'
Nik's gaze flickered. He didn't reach out to self-help books and spent the greater part of the evening just bowing at the leaving customers and thinking about what he wanted from himself.
The fact he would choose life over death meant that deep down, he wanted good things to happen for himself. Now, he just had to look even deeper to realize WHAT good things he wanted besides casual amenities.
As usual, with Yuuko being busy till the later part of the evening, Megumi left to buy groceries for dinner once she finished her training.
When it became even darker, Nik finally helped Yuuko pack up the entrance and then ate a hearty meal until she asked to converse with him near the counter.
"What do you mean you don't want it?" Yuuko frowned slightly as she placed a bundle of 30000 yen on the counter. Nik had already changed out of the armor with much difficulty and looked positively exhausted.
Over these few short days, he had already realized that if the police system of this world was anything like the one in his world, then even the brief leave of seven days would be noted. It would be troublesome for him in the short and long term since Nik's 'leave' should be a monthly task. Right now, he wanted Yuuko to ensure his back for as long as she could.
But Nik didn't think for even a second to expose that he knew Japanese. He may claim that he recalled something, but not the fact that he could speak the language yet.
So that's what he did.
It was easy to translate short speeches into translated texts.
"You remembered something?" Yuuko gasped, "We should immediately tell Asagi-san."
'No, we shouldn't,' he resisted the urge to groan and shook his head hurriedly.
"It's not something... I want others to know."
"Why?" Yuuko continued.
"Because it is dangerous."
"Then it is more likely that we should ask the police for assistance."
Nik's lips twitched. Anyway, he had to do this not only because of having Yuuko as an 'accomplice' but also because she hadn't been unkind to him. This was a simple arrangement, and even Nik realized it. Nothing more, nothing less. But this didn't stop a living being to come across as caring. Yuuko paid a great deal of attention to him, and he was thankful enough for that.
"It's because whoever threw me here doesn't fear the police. Please, I'm only asking for seven days." He tried speaking as brokenly as possible, sometimes using his native language in frustration to sell the act. "If I don't return till then, you can report me missing," Nik confirmed that the text he translated on the small device did not deviate from his intention in fear of misunderstanding that could potentially cause him issues in this world.
Yuuko frowned as Nik suddenly held Yuuko's hand. Her body stiffened, but she soon relaxed as Nik stuffed the bundle of cash in her hand.
"This is the pay cut for my leave. Help me out this time. I promise to come clean seven days later." He lied. There may never be a way to explain this situation. Even if he did, would Yuuko even believe him?
Yuuko pursed her lips and set the money on the counter once again. Thinking for a moment, she inquired.
"Is it far?"
"It is," Nik nodded. His trip was planned on a completely different planet, supposedly.
Yuuko retrieved another stack of bills no thinner than the one on the counter from the drawer and smiled, "Seven days, alright? I will try covering for you for only seven days, but if I find out you're doing something illegal, I will go to Asagi-san."
He glanced at the translated texts and nodded.
Yuuko then stuffed the money in his hands, "For your journey. Be careful."
Nik gazed at the cash in his hands with a bit of hesitation.
"Keep it," Yuuko smiled caringly as Nik nodded. He wouldn't suggest Yuuko be this kind to others, much less him, but he did not intend to waste her belief in him.
Souko didn't pick him up, but it didn't matter since he'd memorized his way back to Misuko's home. Nik didn't see any shadow close to the street lamp, but he took the longer route still. It wasn't fear of the unknown only that led Nik to take the longer path, but he also had the chance to do community service.
Cleaning up the trash.
He had also tried devouring one bill of 5000 yen, but it was barely better than an empty can, so Nik 'stored' it away like a few unpaid outfits. Just like that, doing community service, Nik once again had a single point in his arsenal of AP.
***
Alternate Title: Idle Yuuko Cosplay Manager; Hiro-San Got DA Good Stuff; Mitsuko Came Looking For the Hidden Treasure; Dragged Kurumi; Mistuko's Mind Goes to the Gutter; A Hot Man is a Diligent Man; First Step in Creating a Fanbase of Hug Lovers; Liquid Payment; Hazy Goals; A Work-Class Hoe; Mysterious Week-Long Break; Rolling Nat 20 in Persuasion; Yuuko's Kindness; Another Point of AP; Community Service Pays Well