Chapter 57: Why Did the Convenience Store Close So Early?

Qingling Meirong felt she had made significant progress. Though she was still far from matching those two exquisite little cakes, she firmly believed that in time, given the chance, she, Qingling Meirong, would stand at the pinnacle of the culinary world!

With no one around, Lady Qingling stood with her hands on her small hips, tilting her chin upward. Her nose was smudged black, as if she’d just touched some soot, and her eyes sparkled with confidence and pride. Beside her sat two plates piled high with some unidentifiable, pitch-black food.

It all looked quite fitting.

Cooking? It’s a breeze! Tonight, she’d make sure Haruhi Harano ate to his heart’s content!

Excellent!

Qingling Meirong resolved herself, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a fair, delicate wrist.

She rolled up her sleeves, revealing two slender, lily-white arms, and set to scrubbing pots and washing vegetables, ready to prepare the third dish!

……

Late at night, the convenience store glowed brightly, its lights spilling onto the street and becoming one of Tokyo’s faint, twinkling veins.

It should have been business hours, yet for some reason, the door was locked, and a sign hung outside: “Temporarily Closed.”

“Huh? Why is the store closed so early? I wanted to buy a bottle of water,” complained a girl in a school uniform, pressing her face against the glass to peer inside.

The store’s lights were dazzlingly bright, with steaming oden on the counter, billowing clouds of vapor. But one shelf was askew, oddly out of place in the otherwise orderly environment.

The shop appeared empty—perhaps the proprietor was resting.

“Maybe something came up and they had to close. Don’t just press yourself against the door, Yoko—you’ll get mistaken for a thief and hauled away,” warned a girl in black-framed glasses, pulling Watanabe Yoko away from the glass.

“Ah, Junko, do you think the owner is a fat, middle-aged man who’ll tie me up and threaten me, and then…”

Watanabe Yoko strode along with exaggerated steps, speaking uncouthly.

“Yoko, that’s a dangerous way of thinking!” Junko followed behind, a bit exasperated.

“But that’s how it always happens in the comics…”

……

“I keep telling you to read less of those comics. Besides, this store is run by a beautiful, gentle lady… She’s really nice!”

“But you were the one who showed me those comics in the first place, Junko!”

“Yoko!”

Under the soft, yellow glow of the streetlights, the two girls bantered as they walked away together.

As soon as they left the convenience store entrance, the crooked shelf inside suddenly began to shake.

It was almost as if an earthquake had struck; bags of chips and loaves of bread tumbled to the floor, creating a chaotic mess.

Haruno Harano wiped the sweat from her forehead, then hiked up her emerald green dress to her waist, letting it fall again and revealing her flawless figure.

Uehara Yoshimi bit her lip hard, sweat soaking her hair and plastering it to her forehead; her cheeks blushed with an enchanting flush. She braced herself against the shelf, struggling to keep her body upright.

[Strength Pill: After use, the player gains double stamina, becoming faster, stronger, and more able to drink! Prove your manliness!]

[Uehara Yoshimi’s current status: hearts, hearts, hearts! (Like a lone boat adrift in the vast ocean, helpless and lost.)]

An hour later, Haruno Harano deftly unlocked the store’s front door, stepped out into the night air, and wished for a cigarette to complete the moment—too bad she didn’t smoke.

She took down the “Temporarily Closed” sign, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and returned inside.

Uehara Yoshimi was crouched on the floor, slowly tidying up the shelf.

Haruno Harano went over to help.

“Haruno-kun.”

“Hmm?” Haruno Harano, holding a box of devilishly spicy instant noodles, slotted it onto the empty space on the shelf, looking a bit puzzled.

Those spicy noodles were usually reserved for online challenges; most people ended up in the hospital if they dared eat them.

Crouching on the floor, Uehara Yoshimi hesitated, her cheeks still tinged with red, but she bit her lip and spoke softly,

“Haruno-kun, please don’t do that again… At the very least, not outside…”

Her voice trailed off, growing fainter, until even Yoshimi herself barely knew what she was saying, or how such words had left her lips.

Haruno Harano smiled helplessly and agreed with a nod. Things had indeed gotten a bit out of hand just now. Occasionally adding a bit of excitement was fine, but too much risked exposure. That was a consequence neither of them could bear at this stage.

“Madam, can I call you Sister Yoshimi? Just like I did earlier.”

The atmosphere was a little awkward; Haruno Harano tried to break the silence.

At the mention of what had just happened, the blush on Yoshimi’s fair cheeks crept down to her neck. Though shy, she nodded in agreement.

Despite the decade-plus age gap, the two chatted away. Yoshimi talked about the neighborhood gossip, while Haruno Harano spoke about school life.

Eventually, Yoshimi proposed that her daughter, Uehara Miko, who was starting junior high this year, should try for the National High School entrance exam next year.

The only problem was that Miko’s grades weren’t very good.

[Mission Triggered.]

[Who would have thought you’d one day become a tutor? But you know your own abilities best—teaching others might do more harm than good. Still, this is the first time Mrs. Uehara has asked you for help. How could you bear to let her down? So, you decide:]

[A. Refuse her request outright, and ask Mrs. Uehara for another round right now! (Mission reward: Yoshimi’s affection -10)]

[B. Look troubled and tactfully say your studies are keeping you busy, so you might not have much time. Unless… you trail off, sizing up Yoshimi’s figure, dropping a hint. (Mission reward: Mrs. Uehara’s original three-piece set!)]

[C. Agree, because you have a hunch that these home tutoring sessions won’t end so simply. This could be a great opportunity to get closer to Mrs. Uehara. (Mission reward: Unlock a new chapter of your story with Yoshimi Uehara.)]

“Hoo…”

The night wind brushed past as Haruno Harano shrank into herself, walking alone down the road, occasionally checking her updated mission panel.

The thought of Mrs. Uehara in that emerald green dress, clinging to her body with sweat, made Haruno recite the Heart-Cleansing Mantra in her mind to focus her thoughts elsewhere.