After parting with Kanazawa-sensei, I finished my other classes that day before going to my part-time job.
On the horizon, the sun had sunk towards the west, bathing the world with its ethereal crimson-orange color, which was so mesmerizing.
Passing through the busy streets in the Tokyo area, I zig-zagged against the crowd, because my work started any time soon.
After walking for several minutes, I saw a ramen shop, the place was already packed, with a line of people waiting outside.
I took the narrow alley path to enter the small restaurant through the back door.
The moment I entered, the atmosphere around me turned thick, causing my muscles to stiffen.
Before my brain could process everything, my body walked into the locker room and changed my clothes, wearing a black t-shirt and a white apron.
‘Huff, let’s do this.’
Unlike my body which had entered work mode, my heart was the opposite. My chest felt tight as if something was pressing it.
No wonder though, because this was my first time entering the working world.
All kinds of thoughts popped into my mind, mostly skepticism, as well as negativity that lowered my mood even further.
I sighed, standing in front of the door which became my last barrier before entering the restaurant.
‘I want to go home.’
That sentence resounded in my head, even though my heart felt reluctant, my head kept whispering that this was all necessary for living expenses.
From behind the door, I could hear the sound of boiling water popping out bubbles. The smell of broth and shoyu mixing in the air made my still-empty stomach rumble in protest.
From there I remembered, this part-time job didn't only give me money to live, but also as a means for me to get a free dinner.
With an empty stomach, desperation started looming in my head. I gritted my teeth and turned the doorknob, then entered my first battle.
“Sorry I'm late!” I said in a high-pitched voice.
“Ah, Kanzaki-chan, welcome, can you deliver this to table 4?”
An old woman named Shirasaki Shiori welcomed me with a smile. In her hands, she carried two large bowls of ramen still emitting steam.
“O-Okay?”
My mouth automatically answered the call, as she was one of the owners of this small restaurant.
I didn't want to look stiff, so I let my body be carried away by the instincts Kanzaki honed in this place.
I carried the bowls, then delivered them to table number four which contained two middle-aged men, both were salarymen.
“This, please enjoy your meal.”
When I placed the two bowls on the table, the men didn't glance at me at all and immediately took the disposable chopsticks on the side and ate right away.
‘Damn.’
I cursed in my heart, watching the workers eat ravenously, slurping the noodles and making my stomach tremble.
“Kanzaki-chan, please deliver this to...”
Evening hours like this were indeed the peak of this restaurant's operation.
I put aside all unnecessary thoughts in mind, and single-mindedly focused on work, delivering orders, taking leftover bowls, wiping tables, and so on.
***
Time passed, the restaurant which previously looked like a battlefield was now calm. The guests who came, mostly were regular customers, or people a little tipsy after stopping by from an izakaya.
Outside, I didn't see any lines anymore; after all, the day had turned dark. The hours of constant grind made me forget the passage of time.
‘Haaah, crazy. I didn't know that working was quite hard.’
Some people complained, especially those still in school wanting to grow up fast so they can earn money, but believe me, working was more exhausting than school.
Wait, was it harder? Whatever.
I sat limply in the small room at the back, a place for employees like me to rest.
The door in the room creaked open, revealing Shiori-san bringing a bowl of warm ramen to my table.
“Here, thank you for your hard work, Kanzaki-chan. Please enjoy.”
It was a large bowl for a girl's size, but I didn’t care. I saw medium-sized noodles with egg topping, charsiu, and also nori arranged neatly on the edge.
From its brown-colored broth, I could see a fat floating around, glittering under the light like a pearl made my mouth water.
Without further ado, I took the disposable chopsticks and clapped my hands, saying.
“Thank you, ma'am. I will eat it.”
Shiori-san replied with a smile, before returning to the restaurant again.
After going through a long day — from the harassment in the morning and exercising on the campus infirmary bed, to studying for several hours and working — it was certain that this body needed a large calorie intake.
Using a spoon, I scooped the broth and tasted it. My expression then lit up, when the savory taste filled my mouth that craved for a meal.
My chopsticks immediately grabbed the noodles, then brought them to my mouth without blowing them first.
‘Mmm, delish!’
I savored the meal, each bite I took sent a blast of flavor exploding in my mouth, causing my hand to keep moving and couldn’t stop.
A while later, all that was left was just its soup. To top it off, I slurped the remaining broth and burped.
‘Buurp, man, that was amazing.’
While patting my stomach, I leaned against the chair and let out a sigh of relief.
After filling my stomach, my head started to think about my plans from now on. Days like this would probably continue every day, especially the studying and part-time job.
I also wanted to figure out my new ability—how to use it, and what would happen to the people who became my victims.
There's also the promise I had to keep with Kanazawa-sensei, then, the matter regarding Nanami too; maybe if I ask her, she would let me do her albeit reluctantly.
Thinking about that, made my head turn to my crotch; one of my three desires started to awaken from its slumber.
However, who should I penetrate tonight? A random stranger?
I fell silent for a moment, trying to find other alternatives that could satisfy my lust.
‘Yeah, that's the only choice.’
With the mind manipulation power, I will hypnotize the girl, then... but, there was a catch.
I remembered that the ability would only last for fifty seconds at best. Not to mention if I use it to brainwash, it drains my soul power fast.
Then, if I brainwashed a girl to be attracted to me, it carried a certain risk.
There was a chance I could manipulate a possessive girl. The thought made my body shudder.
I didn’t want to get stabbed this early, just days after waking up in my second life.
‘...I'm scared of that. …Anyway, should I just call Nanami to accompany me?’
However, I didn’t have her phone number. That was a fatal mistake, I should have saved it earlier when she was unconscious.
‘Bam!
The sound of a loud thud pulled me from my daze, I turned to the door and heard someone shouting in the restaurant.
I tried hard to keep my eyes from rolling backwards, then stood up and walked out of my break room.
‘My god, can I have some peace even for a moment? Damn it!’
The moment I opened the door, I was greeted by two men in a tense situation.
“Bastard! I dare you say that again, huh!”
A man in his forties with glasses, his sunken eyes reflecting his dark personality, was grabbing another calm man, also in his forties.
“Hmh, yeah, I’ll fuck that wife of yours in front of you!”
“You son of a-!”
‘Woah, is it a scandal?’
Shiori-san tried to calm the two, but it was too late because both immediately stood up to throw punches at each other.
Perhaps, because they were drunk, their movements were wobbly, and their attacks only swung in the air without hitting anything.
I shook my head, even a little kid could fight better than those two men.
Not wanting to be bothered, as well as wanting to try something, I walked closer and made the owner lady's face turn pale, she then pulled my shirt.
“Kanzaki-chan, don't, it's dangerous, dear.”
The woman was about to call her husband who was in the back kitchen, preparing ingredients for tomorrow.
Slowly, I grasped the old lady's hand, smiled softly and said.
“Don't worry, Shiori-san. I'll handle this.”
I turned around, and stood in front of the two men who were still fighting. I caught each of their hands and saw a purple panel appear on the edge of my vision.
[Physical contact established. Sucking can be used.]
My face wrinkled, witnessing the system notification texts.
‘Hey, bro, learn what the meaning of creativity is!’
I felt the stares from the men who were still dazed, and without further ado, I used my power.
The hot sensation below my stomach churned, sending a warm sensation flowing to both my hands. But, instead of seeping out, the power started to pull something from inside the men.
Their faces hardened, the glimmering light in those two men's eyes was dimmed, devoid of any emotion or any shred of intellect.
[You sucked someone else’s life force. Gained +1 BP]
[Gained +1BP]
[Gained +1BP]
...
Seeing the barrage of incoming messages made me grit my teeth, careful so my cunning smirk didn't come out.
‘Nice!’