Chapter 36: Hayami Rina Quit Her Job

He wrote until nearly noon. After finishing the scene describing the dark lake, Kitahara felt hungry and decided to go out to find food.

He stretched his back and glanced at the time. He had been sitting in front of the computer for several hours without realizing it.

Writing really made time pass quickly.

He put on his clothes, left the apartment, and wandered around nearby.

He soon found a tempura set meal restaurant. It cost 2,800 yen per person, with sashimi, tempura fried prawns, eel rice, miso soup, and so on.

Although the price wasn’t exactly cheap, Kitahara didn’t care about it anymore.

After all, he had plenty of money now.

He ordered a set and ate quite contentedly.

The ingredients were fresh, the tempura was crispy on the outside and tender inside, and the eel rice was especially satisfying.

Thinking that Hayami Rina probably hadn’t had lunch at the convenience store either, she’d likely have to eat a discounted bento again.

Kitahara couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her.

He had already eaten such a satisfying meal himself, so naturally he couldn’t just let Rina eat some cheap discounted bento. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Kitahara called the waiter over and had the restaurant owner pack one to go.

At present, although his relationship with Hayami Rina was progressing smoothly, reaching full affection from her was still a long way off.

From last night to today, Hayami Rina had only gained one point of affection.

It was clear that increasing affection was getting harder and harder.

Mm, even though she was so satisfied...

Kitahara thought about it for a moment.

Perhaps the things that had impressed her at the beginning were no longer enough.

As their relationship became closer, the details naturally became more important.

So Kitahara needed to put effort into those details, seizing every opportunity to show her care and make her affection increase.

He didn’t ask for full marks.

Just reaching 95 points as soon as possible would be enough.

Because reaching 95 points would earn him another "special reward."

Thinking about that reward, Kitahara became even more motivated.

He felt he still had deficiencies, that he wasn’t perfect enough.

That’s how people are.

They never truly reach satisfaction.

Desire seems endless.

Once the wish originally dreamed of comes true, new cravings and demands immediately sprout in the heart.

It’s like a bottomless pit.

No matter how much you put into it, it can never truly be filled.

This endless desire traps people deeply, making it difficult for them to escape.

But at the same time, desire is also what drives society’s progress and development.

If everyone were satisfied with what they already had, perhaps there would be no reason to keep moving forward.

Thinking of this, Kitahara suddenly remembered something else.

"Oh right, boss, add one more. Same thing, pack it to go too!"

Kitahara remembered that Hayami Rina had a fairly close coworker, so he got one for her as well.

Perhaps it was love for the house extending to its crow.

He rather liked that chubby girl.

Plump and soft, definitely wouldn’t be bony to hug!

Of course, that was only a random thought.

Kitahara didn’t think too much about it.

After the food was packed, Kitahara carried the bags and headed toward the convenience store.

On the way, he opened the live stream to check on Hayami Rina’s situation.

He quickly found her.

At this moment, Hayami Rina and her coworker were standing inside the store, discussing which flavor of bento to eat.

The two of them seemed unable to make up their minds.

"This one looks pretty good."

"But that one is discounted."

"Then maybe we should get this one?"

"Wait, this one is cheaper."

Kitahara watched them through the screen and couldn’t help laughing.

Women really could spend a long time deciding what to eat.

He quickened his pace, arriving at the store before the two could reach a conclusion.

Mm, the restaurant where he ate was quite close anyway.

The timing was perfect.

He pushed open the door and immediately saw the two women.

"Rina-nee, I bought you lunch. Don’t eat bento. And this young lady, there’s a portion for you too."

Kitahara waved the food in his hands and spoke to the two women.

Seeing this, Hayami Rina was very pleasantly surprised.

A sweet smile immediately appeared on her face.

She hadn’t expected Kitahara to be so thoughtful as to bring her lunch.

Her heart rippled like waves, an inexplicable happiness filling her entire being.

"Kitahara-kun, you’re so good to me! You really didn’t need to go through the trouble!"

Her voice was like honey, gently echoing in the air.

"It’s no trouble. I just wanted Rina-nee to eat something better. Hurry and eat. It won’t taste good if it gets cold!"

Kitahara smiled warmly at Hayami Rina.

He placed the food on the counter, opened the containers, and invited the two women to enjoy the meal.

After the containers were opened, the freshly fried tempura gave off an enticing aroma.

The golden color made mouths water.

The sashimi looked fresh, while the eel rice still gave off a faint warmth.

The two women, already starving, immediately swallowed their saliva.

After thanking him in unison, they began to eat.

...

Sachiko ate the delicious food while occasionally glancing at Kitahara Chiki, who was intimately chatting with Hayami Rina nearby.

The tempura was delicious.

The ingredients were clearly good, and the frying was done with excellent heat control.

One look and you could tell it was expensive.

But Sachiko ate somewhat absent-mindedly.

Because Kitahara-kun was too good.

Too thoughtful.

And Hayami Rina was too happy.

Every time she looked at the two of them, Sachiko felt an indescribable feeling in her heart.

Fearing a coworker’s hardship, yet also fearing a coworker driving a Land Rover.

That was exactly how she felt right now.

The thought that she was going to work at a brothel, serving men much older than her and particularly disgusting, made her mood sink even further.

While Rina-nee enjoyed Kitahara-kun’s care, her heart suddenly ached.

Their situations had originally been the same.

Both of them had ordinary backgrounds and had to work hard just to make a living.

So how had they suddenly become as different as cloud and mud?

Was this fate?

Sachiko lowered her head and quietly ate another piece of tempura.

She had originally thought about trying to talk to Kitahara Chiki, perhaps asking him to patronize her business.

After all, if someone like him was willing to help, it could make things much easier for her.

But seeing how inseparable the two were, she gave up the idea.

The two had just started dating.

Kitahara-kun was surely immersed in Hayami Rina’s tender embrace.

He probably wouldn’t be interested in her proposal.

He might even feel disgusted by it.

Better to bring it up later when there was a chance.

At least she still had Rina-nee.

If she could somehow get closer to Kitahara-kun through Rina, perhaps things would become easier.

Thinking this, Sachiko secretly glanced at him again.

For some reason, she suddenly felt that Kitahara-kun was even more impressive than she had imagined.

...

After delivering lunch, Kitahara didn’t stay long.

After being lovey-dovey with Hayami Rina for a while, he went home.

He took a short nap, then continued writing after waking up.

The afternoon passed quickly.

Before he realized it, several more pages had been completed.

Kitahara felt quite satisfied with his progress today.

In the evening, Hayami Rina happily told Kitahara that she had completed her resignation procedures.

Starting tomorrow, she wouldn’t need to go to work anymore.

Her wages had also been settled.

Hearing this, Kitahara was very satisfied.

The biggest obstacle between them had finally been removed.

From tomorrow onward, Hayami Rina would have much more free time.

And that meant the two of them would have plenty of time to spend together!

Thinking about this, Kitahara couldn’t help smiling.

Perhaps his affection points would start increasing faster now.

After all, there would be many more opportunities to show his care.

As for Sachiko’s thoughts, Kitahara naturally knew nothing about them.

At this moment, all he was thinking about was how to spend more time with Rina-nee and continue working toward that 95-point affection reward.