"Then we'll head out first. See you tomorrow, and don't forget to show up for work on time!"
It was past ten in the evening. At the villa entrance, Kujou Maki was struggling to carry the dead-drunk Forelady out the door. Looking back inside, the Store Manager was clutching Chisa, both of them tipsy, while Iori and Kohei were flat-out wasted.
People who are usually somewhat reliable... why can't they get enough once they hit the alcohol? If none of them can wake up tomorrow, Dolphin might as well just stay closed!
"Be careful on the road. Should I drop you guys off first?"
"No need! No need! It's just a short walk. Yuu, you'd better deal with the people inside. Bye-bye!"
Watching the girl shoulder the Forelady and sprint away, Miyazawa Yuu confirmed her pace was steady and she wasn't drunk. Satisfied, he stepped back into the room to start cleaning up the aftermath.
First up was the honorable Store Manager. Whether it was because the shop got great promotion or she was just too happy that her daughter was willing to drink with her, she was completely passed out, hugging Chisa and refusing to let go. Her usually cool and ruthless sunglasses were hanging lopsidedly on the tip of her nose. Far from scary, she looked almost... cute?
Like mother, like daughter. Even the way they lose their composure when asleep is identical!
"Store Manager, Manager, wake up. We have to go home, or we'll be a bother to the lovely staff!"
"Mmh... okay."
Receiving a response, Miyazawa Yuu sighed in relief, glad his mother-in-law was at least communicative. This shouldn't be too hard to handle. With that thought, he naturally placed his hand on Kotegawa Sayaka's shoulder, intending to manually separate her from Chisa so he could carry her back to the rental.
However...
"Hiss! Hiss—!"
He yanked his hand back instantly. Yuu widened his eyes and dug at his ear, only then daring to confirm that the sound had indeed come from his mother-in-law beneath his hand.
This... this isn't right. Didn't we already agree to go home? Why the hissing?!
He paused for two seconds and reached out again...
"Hiss—!"
"Mother-in-law, stop playing around. We really have to leave. There are no bedrooms available here!"
"Mmhmm, leave..."
He reached out a third time...
"Hiss—!"
Sitting cross-legged on the floor with his head tilted, Miyazawa Yuu felt he was being toyed with. The evidence was complete, and he even had a control group! Could it be that his mother-in-law's passive trait when drunk was to agree to whatever people said?
"Mother-in-law, actually, Kohei and the others want two days off or something?"
"Give it!"
"A pay raise..."
"Raise it!"
After repeated experiments, Yuu stopped his phone recording, his eyes flashing with the light of wisdom—he had fully grasped his mother-in-law's attributes!
So now all he needed was— "In that case~ will you marry Nanaka-san to me?"
"Dream on! You little brat!"
Plan failed. Why was it that this specific point was absolutely off-limits? Human instinct is truly a mysterious thing...
He was slightly disappointed, but Yuu hadn't intended to gain approval this way anyway. Getting Kohei and the others two days off was a win; no point pushing his luck.
"Please try not to scratch me. I'm counting on this handsome face to bring customers to Grand Blue!"
"Mmh..."
"Truly a guarantee with zero legal force~"
He leaned his head back and exerted all his strength to pull the two hugging women apart. He locked Chisa and Nanaka-san into a bedroom, leaving only his mother-in-law on the sofa, humming and grumbling as she clung to him.
As for Iori, looking at the guy crumpled in a heap, Yuu still didn't trust his "safety factor," so...
Clap, clap!
He found some sturdy hemp rope and tied Iori up like a piece of art. He tossed the guy into the attic and locked it from the outside; he shouldn't be able to get out. Hope he doesn't need to use the bathroom tonight.
Finally, there was Aina, and Kohei, who was faking it.
"Quit faking! You definitely wouldn't be drunk on this small amount. You 'water-keeping ghost,' if you don't get up, I'm tossing you into the sea to feed the sharks, believe it?"
"...Yuu, do you believe in love?"
"I believe in the Light! Keep acting deep and I'm still tossing you to the sharks!"
He kicked Kohei in the side. Threatened by Yuu's "rest of my life" warnings, Imamura Kohei had no choice but to "return to life" and speak deeply. However, he was threatened again in the next second.
Please, Kohei is just a 2D-loving blonde. Does a guy who likes drinking naked even deserve to talk philosophy?
"If you like her, confess. If you don't, refuse her directly. Aina finally took the initiative; do you really want her to be the one to propose?!"
"...I understand!"
Glancing at Aina sleeping soundly with her belly exposed, Kohei's eyes suddenly filled with resolve. He walked to the table, picked up a bottle of 98% Spirytus, and downed the whole thing. Then he walked over to Iori, shouldered him, and headed toward a bedroom without looking back— "Pwah! I'll confess to Aina, but tonight, I'm sleeping with Iori!"
"Hiss... why do I feel like a mother trying to sell her daughter? Is it just me?"
Kohei's restraint made Yuu feel like a villain forcing a match, but whatever. As long as the guy listened to him. He finished cleaning up the leftovers, locked the villa door, and headed back to the rental with his mother-in-law to rest. It was late!
...
"Good morning, good morning?"
The next morning at 5:00 AM—a time that struck fear into many shop owners—Kujou Maki arrived at the villa early to wake everyone up and ensure the shop opened smoothly. Using her key to open the locked door, she followed her gut to the master bedroom first. Chisa and Nanaka are sisters; it's reasonable for them to share the big bed!
While she knew guys like Iori and Kohei wouldn't mind being seen asleep, as a girl, she didn't want to see anything that would give her styes.
"Not awake yet? Then I'm opening the door. Sorry..."
Halfway through her sentence, the door swung open. The room's layout came into view: beneath the owners' wedding photo was a pink bridal bed. And on that bed... Imamura Kohei's blonde hair was messy, and a large portion of his muscular body was exposed from under the white sheets. It actually looked somewhat aesthetic!
Looking further up, his arms were spread wide to the left and right, exposing his well-groomed armpits, while a blue-haired head lay nestled in the crook of his arm, sleeping quietly. The hemp rope had left large red welts on Iori's body, and added to the tears he hadn't wiped away in time...
"Ah? This... this is... the overbearing CEO and his delicate little wife?"
Her legs went weak instantly. Maki sat on the floor in a "duck sit," covering her face with her hands as steam frantically billowed from her mouth and nose. Her pupils shook—this, this was just too twisted! She loved it!
[BREAKING NEWS! Iori and Kohei are definitely a couple!] (Group Sent)
"What on earth?"
Inside Dolphin, the dark-skinned Forelady, who had long since sobered up, squinted at the message from Maki, unable to comprehend.
[Not only that, they also like playing Master/Slave games and BDSM!]
[STOP! This is getting more and more ridiculous, Maki! You definitely misunderstood something!]
"Eh???"
...
Ten minutes later at Dolphin, everyone had gathered. The moment Kitahara Iori entered, he angrily grabbed Miyazawa Yuu's collar to demand accountability.
"Hey! You've got some professional-grade knotting skills there, don't you?!"
"Thank you for the affirmation, dear customer. Your recognition is the greatest motivation for our progress."
Yuu tilted his head, showing zero remorse for the "Kikkou-style" Iori. He'd do it again!
"Don't reply with corporate slogans! Switch to manual! Look at me, you bastard!"
"By the way, Iori, the Store Manager agreed to give us a holiday last night. Any place you want to go?"
Yuu extended a finger and used a very clumsy distraction tactic. However, the fact that he dared use it meant he had absolute confidence. Sure enough, Iori's gaze instantly glazed over. The distraction was super effective on the idiot Iori!
"Really? To be honest, I kind of want to go to a water park. A tropical water park must be way different from a beach!"
"Ah~ your stance really isn't firm at all. But is it true, Manager?"
After mocking Iori, Yoshiwara Aina turned to Kotegawa Sayaka, who was currently a "corpse" on the guest sofa. Clearly, last night's drinking session was too hardcore for someone unaccustomed to high-intensity drinking.
Even so, hearing the word "holiday," Sayaka raised her arms with vampire-like energy and crossed her index fingers in an 'X'— "Sorry, I have absolutely no recollection of that!"
"Eh?"
"The Manager really said it. I even have a video recording. You also said you'd give us part-timers a raise."
"Ha? How could I give you a raise? You've barely done any work and you're asking for the moon..."
Flickering to his mother-in-law's side, Miyazawa Yuu played a video on his phone with a sinister smile. "Manager, you're not going to deny it? How regrettable~"
Watching herself on the screen hugging Chisa, cheek to cheek, Kotegawa Sayaka's pupils dilated to the maximum.
"In that case, I'll just have to post this video in the PaB group and let Uncle Toshio be the judge..."
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind hit the back of his head!
...
Five minutes later, having gathered all the part-timers, Kotegawa Sayaka stood with her back to Yuu—who had been knocked out and hung up in a Kikkou binding—and announced grandly: "Yoshi! As a reward for your hard work, I shall grant you all a day off!"
"Emmm... isn't this really just to keep us quiet?"
"The third person to take out Yuu has appeared. As expected, Auntie Sayaka is powerful!"
"So, everyone, let's go to the water park together!"
"OHH!" (X5)