When there were lots of customers, Kushida and the other girls even volunteered to help carry dishes.
When things slowed down, Tsukishima would slip into the kitchen to learn. The time passed pretty quickly.
"All right, that's enough for today. You can come in for about three hours a day, but you still need to focus on your studies."
The Boss Lady glanced at the sky and stretched.
Tsukishima packed up his things and smiled. "Boss Lady, looks like we were thinking the same thing. I had the same idea—not about studying, though. I want to draw manga."
The Boss Lady looked surprised. "Manga? What kind? Can I see it?"
"I haven't started yet. Right now I'm practicing my drawing and getting familiar with the tools. If you want to see it, you'll have to wait a while."
"In that case, your schedule..."
"No problem. I've already planned it out. We get out of school at five, then I study here for three hours until eight. I'll take a short break and start drawing around 8:30, then go to bed around ten. As for homework, I can get most of it done during breaks and lunch."
"Hmm, that does sound like a tight schedule. Can you really manage it? Won't you get exhausted?"
"It's not too bad. It's a lot easier than before. As you know, the competition at this school is pretty intense, so coming here was a chance for me to take it easy."
"I see..."
"By the way, Boss Lady, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"What is it?"
"It's about manga. The Manga Club wants to use your dessert shop to promote and distribute their manga and collect feedback. The club president is willing to pay some points for it, and they could also set up a stand outside the shop."
Tsukishima gave an objective summary of Yamada's request.
The Boss Lady stroked her chin, thinking it over. "But what would the dessert shop get out of it? And how would we work together? What about the shop's cleanliness, the manga's cleanliness, and making sure customers reading manga don't disturb other customers?"
So the school didn't prohibit student groups from doing business with shops on campus?
But if they cooperated too closely, how could they make sure clubs wouldn't sabotage one another over the better deals?
Tsukishima quickly understood. Clubs weren't companies. Their members were students, and they couldn't consistently produce high-quality products.
That meant they would always be at a disadvantage in business deals. Unless the Student Council required it or a student used their family connections to apply pressure, the shop owner would always have the upper hand.
Tsukishima began, "The school has a highly competitive atmosphere, so most students are under a lot of pressure. They need ways to unwind. There are various entertainment options on campus, like karaoke, but they can be expensive."
"So we could offer a Manga Afternoon Tea Set. Anyone who orders it could borrow a manga and read it here or take it home."
"Compared to karaoke, it would be cheaper and more convenient, making it a better fit for students who are short on points but still under a lot of pressure."
"As for hygiene... we could set up a Reading Area in a corner, slightly separated from the dining area. We could also put up a partition and provide placemats and hand sanitizer."
"The Manga Club could provide some copies sealed in plastic, and we could also supply wet wipes and alcohol for students to use."
"After closing each day, the Manga Club could take back any remaining manga to disinfect them, then bring them back the next day. We'd only have to handle lending, returns, and keeping a record."
"As for the impact on other customers, we could limit the reading area. If it's full, customers can take their manga to go, but they can't read in the regular dining area and disturb other customers."
"For the dessert shop, it would add a unique service and attract more customers."
"For the Manga Club, it would provide a way to promote their work and collect feedback."
"For students, it would give them another way to relax."
"For the school, it would count as a form of practical experience for the students."
After saying all that, Tsukishima stroked his chin and suddenly frowned. "I wonder if the school has a computer programming club or something. We could ask them to make a lending system. If not, should I make one myself?"
"We could keep a manual log at first, then switch to a lending system once I've learned how?"
The Boss Lady patted him on the head and said gently, "All right, you're getting carried away. Programming isn't that easy to learn. How many things have you taken on already?"
"Drawing manga, making desserts, and keeping up with your regular studies. If you add programming to the mix, it won't be long before we meet again in the school clinic."
"Besides, you're just the go-between here. Why are you thinking so hard about it? Why not leave my questions for the club president to figure out? Don't go volunteering yourself for extra work, understand?"
"Especially when there's nothing in it for you!"
"Now hurry home and practice your manga. I'm looking forward to seeing it."
Tsukishima nodded and moved his head out from under the Boss Lady's hand. Putting on a serious face, he said, "Boss Lady, you can't just pat a man on the head whenever you feel like it. Do it too much, and he'll stop growing!"
The Boss Lady covered her mouth and laughed. "Quit fooling around and get going."
Tsukishima laughed, waved, and disappeared into the night.
As soon as he reached the dormitory,
Tsukishima saw Hirata Yosuke waiting outside his room.
Tsukishima took out his key card and opened the door. "Come on in."
He set his bag on the desk and sat down. "What is it?"
Hirata Yosuke rubbed his hands together, looking troubled and hopeful. "Well, our class only has 50 Class Points this month, and each student only has 5,000 personal points. It's only the middle of the month, but a lot of our classmates have already spent all their points. I heard Tsukishima was working, so..."
Tsukishima answered without hesitation. "The pay is 800 points an hour. It's not much, but you get free desserts, which saves you from having to buy dinner. As for the conditions, you might have to apply to the Chairman."
"The document the Chairman gave me was a special authorization, and I'm not quite sure what it means. If you have any other questions, Hirata, you should ask the Chairman. You could also check with the Student Council while you're at it. I'm not sure whether the relevant rules have been updated."
He didn't dislike Hirata Superman. After all, he really was the sort of person who would burn himself out for the whole class.
Hirata immediately looked grateful. "I see. I didn't realize you'd even gone to the Chairman, Tsukishima. That's impressive. Thanks for sharing the information."
Tsukishima smiled. "It's nothing. I don't know exactly how this works, either. Anything else?"
Tsukishima was clearly trying to send him on his way.
Hirata hesitated before saying, "If you have any points to spare, Tsukishima, I hope you can help some of our classmates."
"If we score higher than Class C on this midterm, we'll get 100 Class Points, which means 10,000 personal points for each of us. Then we'll be able to pay you back."
Tsukishima didn't respond.
Hirata stood up and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for sharing information about the job, Tsukishima! I'm counting on you!"
Then, without another word, he turned and left.
Bzz—
Tsukishima's phone buzzed. He took it out.
[Kushida]: Tsukishima working.jpg
[Tsukishima]: You've got way too much free time. With that kind of energy, why don't you study harder? You could've gotten into Tokyo University by now.
Before you continue