"Yeah, yeah, I get the logic. So what Chisa means is that because she's 'disfigured,' she can't appear on camera today, right?"
The next day at Dolphin, looking at the strange woman standing before him wearing sunglasses and a mask, bundled up even tighter than Auntie Sayaka, Miyazawa Yuu circled her twice. His eyes were filled with incomprehension. To be honest, if she hadn't spoken, he wouldn't have been able to tell that this "object" was Chisa!
Moreover, she wasn't even wearing her favorite hot pants. No matter how you looked at it, it was suspicious!
"Is there a problem?"
The voice under the mask was muffled. As the figure before her kept pacing, Kotegawa Chisa became increasingly irritable, the veins on her forehead multiplying until they covered her entire brow!
Is this guy watching a monkey show?! I already said it's inconvenient, does he still want to force me to greet customers!
"Ah~ it's nothing. In that case, Chisa-chan's spot will be swapped with Iori... Wait, where is Iori?"
"Um... if you mean that bastard, he probably won't be able to appear on camera today either."
"Eh?"
Seeing Chisa shudder and then slowly shift her gaze behind her sunglasses, Yuu's eyes sharpened. He felt as though he had missed quite a lot.
But the priority was finding Iori first. Even if he couldn't be on camera, that guy was a top-tier hand when it came to manual labor.
In the next second, footsteps accompanied by a familiar, half-dead voice came from behind him.
"Yuu, were you looking for me?"
"Iori, where did you run off to—Whoa! What happened? Who did this?!"
"Don't bring it up. If you bring it up again, I'll kill you..."
Walking into the shop with a face full of bloody scratches and palm prints, Iori met Yuu's shock with two lines of silent tears streaming from his eyes. He had the expression of someone whose past was too painful to recall.
In short, as Chisa had said, in this state, forget greeting customers—he'd likely scare a few timid ones to death just by showing his face!
In contrast, Kouhei's complexion looked quite good. Furthermore, the physical distance between him and Aina had shortened significantly, giving them a distinct... "married couple" vibe?
"Oya! Everyone is here! Good morning!"
"Good morning..."
"Ah~ your mental states seem... diverse, in a certain sense!"
Running out from the back, Kujo Maki—a true university student who was as energetic as she was "clear and foolish"—was already vibrant, starting the final checks before opening.
However, when she saw the bizarre collection of people from the PAB club, the question Are these guys here to sabotage the place? naturally arose in her mind.
"Then let's have a pep talk first! Today's theme is—"
Even if the quality of the employees was lacking, there was no room for complaints. She dragged out the small blackboard and used a felt-tip pen to write today's theme in front of everyone:
[CELEBRATION!! Dolphin is being interviewed by the TV station today ☆!]
"Handling the TV interview! I believe everyone has already received the notification, right?"
"Yeah, Yuu sent a message last night, but would a TV station really be willing to come interview us?"
Crossing his arms, Imamura Kouhei perked up at the topic. Last night around 10:00 PM, Yuu had sent a vague text to their rental house. It stated that a local station would be coming. While he had no obsession with being on screen, the idea of being filmed for TV was indeed exciting!
"Exactly! It seems our shop is attracting a lot of attention! It's also a great time to leave some beautiful memories!"
Yoshiwara Aina clenched her fists, her chest trembling slightly with excitement. In the past, her "youthful photo albums" were mostly filled with naked bodies and alcohol.
But things were different now. In front of the cameras, no matter how much Yuu and Kouhei let themselves go, they couldn't possibly do naked rock-paper-scissors, right? This was a godsent opportunity!
"Hm? There's no such thing as a free lunch."
"Eh?"
"Then why are they interviewing us?"
Chewing on a lollipop, Kotegawa Sayaka looked at the naive expressions of Kouhei and Aina and sighed as she revealed the cold truth: "Naturally, I used my connections to call them over. To help us with promotion..."
"Oh..."
"What a business mind!"
"So, everyone will be split into two groups: one for general chores and the other to handle the TV station!"
Sitting down and crossing her legs, Kotegawa Sayaka raised her arm, using her folder to shield her movements as she looked immediately at her second daughter.
Their eyes met. To her surprise, amidst the excited discussion of the group, Chisa's eyes also seemed glued to her.
Her lips parted, about to say something like "useless" or "dropping the ball at the critical moment," but she keenly captured the moment Chisa—like a startled rabbit—turned away to join Yuu's discussion.
"..."
Her expression fell slightly. Recalling her drunken state last night, Kotegawa Sayaka closed her eyes in conflict for two seconds before looking at her trusted lead girl.
"As for the grouping, even if you like reporting to Yuu, I'm still leaving it to the lead! Any problems, Lead?"
"Understood. I have a plan."
"Sigh~ I actually reflexively thought about reporting to Yuu. Adaptability is a terrifying thing!"
Realizing it late, Kotegawa Chisa and Kitahara Iori finally remembered they weren't at Grand Blue. Reporting to Yuu was useless here, so they sought out the dark-skinned lead girl again.
Taking advantage of the gap while those two left, Miyazawa Yuu smiled and took two steps back, bumping into a soft embrace.
"What's up with those two bickering lovers again? Chisa isn't actually disfigured, is she?"
"Well~ there seems to be a slight injury on her lip."
Lightly tapping her own lip, Kotegawa Nanaka, acting as the big sister, naturally reached out to ruffle the young man's head while continuing her vague explanation.
"Before the shift ended yesterday, Iori and Chisa went to clean the changing rooms. When they reappeared, they were like this. But Chisa's face was very red at the time!"
"Is that so?"
Key clue obtained: The changing room!
Like playing a detective game, Miyazawa Yuu obtained key evidence from the "villain" Nanaka by selling out his face and body!
Seeing the lead girl still busy with the groups, he quietly slipped to the changing rooms, pulled back a curtain, and looked around. He found no signs of cleaning. But in the first stall...
He picked up two smooth silicone objects from the floor. Judging by the footprints on them, an accident had occurred here, and the culprit was clearly these breast pads!
"Lead... Lead! (Whispering)"
Meanwhile, Miyazawa Yuu wasn't the only one moving. Kotegawa Sayaka also had her own little scheme.
After two soft calls went unanswered, she had to stand up, walk behind her lead girl, and tug at the hem of her shirt. "Ahem! Lead! (Quietly)"
"Hmm? What is it, Manager Sayaka?"
This time there was a response. The lead girl felt the tug and heard the unfamiliar tone, turning her head in confusion. However, the sight that met her eyes nearly scared the honorifics right out of her.
Truthfully, this was the first time she had heard the Manager speak in this voice. The contrast, much like yesterday's "smiling mask," was so great it was terrifying!
Especially that awkward face-covering gesture—it didn't look like something the cool and collected Manager would ever do!
"Um... is there anything I can help you with?"
Fortunately, her professional training allowed her to maintain a poker face. Looking at the seemingly normal lead girl, Kotegawa Sayaka finally voiced her inner thought: "Don't put me in the reception group. I want to go to the chores group..."
"Eh...?"
Even with professional training, the lead girl let out a sound of hesitation.
Sayaka knew her request was a bit much. As the Manager, how could she desert the front lines during the opening?
But more than running the shop, Kotegawa Sayaka wanted to talk to Chisa properly—at least to ask if she was feeling unwell and fulfill her duty as a mother!
"Please. I'll leave the reception work to you. I'll give you a raise after we open!"
"Ehhh???! N-no problem!"
She hadn't even said anything yet, and the Manager had already "self-destructed" with a raise. The lead girl's beautiful eyes widened; she was floored!
Since a raise was on the table, she naturally didn't care what the Manager was thinking and agreed instantly!
Having achieved her desired result, Kotegawa Sayaka breathed a sigh of relief and walked back to a dark corner to organize her words, completely failing to notice her lead girl quietly pushing the duty roster on the table further into the shadows.
In fact, in the lead girl's arrangement, the Manager was already supposed to be in the chores group. After all, a "Cold-Faced Demon Queen" was hardly conducive to shop promotion...
"Everyone! The groups are set. Ah, Yuu, where did you go just now?"
"Nothing much. Just found something interesting..."