Gotoh Hitori [Too fast. I can't remember this.]
Gotoh Hitori gradually grew more and more nervous. She understood every single word Ijichi Nijika said, but when they were strung together in the introduction, the more she listened, the more tense she became, and the less she could remember.
Gotoh Hitori [I can only turn it into a song and memorize it with my body...]
Ijichi Nijika had originally wanted to comfort her and tell her not to be so nervous, but when she turned to look at Gotoh Hitori, the words she was about to say changed. "Where did you pull that guitar out from?"
Gotoh Hitori suddenly produced a guitar from somewhere and started playing. "Tequila, vodka, cocoa liqueur, sambuca, yeah!"
"It's good that you're trying hard to remember, but put the guitar down first!"
Ijichi Seika noticed something off. "Huh? Last time she played, she was pretty bad, wasn't she?"
(Is that so? Ijichi Seika still doesn't know about Gotoh's identity-level skills.)
"Hey, are you listening? You're definitely not listening! Hey!"
Ijichi Nijika shook Gotoh Hitori. "You're scaring me like this. Please come back, Hitori-chan, Hitori-chan."
Ijichi Seika [Nijika's only focused on stopping her and hasn't noticed?]
A flash of inspiration struck Ijichi Seika's mind, just like in Conan when a sudden realization hits the back of the head.
Ijichi Seika stepped forward and chopped her hand down on Ijichi Nijika's head. "Get back to work properly."
"Ow!"
Ijichi Nijika (*￣０￣): "Why did you hit me?"
Since she was back on duty, she resumed working.
(So that's it. She already figured it out? Just from one look, she noticed Gotoh's performance ability and her fatal flaw with cash?)
[Mm, not bad.]
Saiki took another bite of coffee jelly.
[One more, please.]
Ijichi Nijika: "Oh, sure..."
...
Ijichi Nijika handed the drink tickets to Gotoh Hitori. "For drinks, the server just needs to take the orders from customers and hand them the drinks."
Gotoh Hitori: "O-okay."
"Drinks aren't included in the ticket price, so it's an extra 500 yen per cup."
Gotoh Hitori [500 yen per cup... Why are drinks charged per cup?]
Ijichi Nijika looked at the still-pensive Gotoh Hitori. "That face of yours makes it look like you think we're ripping people off. Don't look like that."
(She saw right through me.)
Ijichi Nijika: "The performance hall is also classified as a restaurant. If it only provided performances, it would be hard to get a business license."
Gotoh Hitori's face flushed red, stars sparkling around her head. [Without realizing it, I've finally started working at a high-difficulty restaurant... I've grown.]
A field of roses bloomed across the prairie in Gotoh Hitori's heart.
(This isn't exactly a high-difficulty restaurant... Growth, huh... Good luck.)
Some customers had already arrived at the entrance.
Ijichi Nijika patted Gotoh Hitori. "While we were talking, some customers came in. Things are about to get busy, Bocchi-chan..."
(Then good luck. Let me see how much you've grown, Gotoh.)
The roses in Gotoh Hitori's heart instantly withered into a barren wasteland.
Gotoh Hitori [It's suddenly time to serve customers? What should I say? The weather is nice today, thank you all for coming despite the trouble... No, I should rehearse it once first.]
"Ah!"
After finishing her mental brainstorm, Gotoh Hitori's face turned pale. She pulled out a sign that read "Thank you for patronizing our store today" and held it in front of herself.
Ijichi Nijika: "We're closed for business now?"
(What happened to that inspiring self-encouragement speech from earlier?)
...
Two customers walked up to the counter.
"Excuse me, one cola please."
Ijichi Nijika put on her professional smile. "Sure. Bocchi-chan, one cola."
"O-okay."
Gotoh Hitori, without showing herself, reached from under the counter, pulled out a cola, and placed it on the table.
"I'll have a ginger ale."
"O-okay."
Before Ijichi Nijika could even speak, Gotoh Hitori had already pulled a ginger ale from under the counter and set it on the table.
Ijichi Nijika: …
Ijichi Nijika: "Bocchi-chan, that's really impolite to the customers!"
Gotoh Hitori: "S-s-sorry... I wasn't mentally prepared yet."
Saiki watched this calm scene unfold and took a sip of Yor milk.
(Yare yare. Aside from being too scared to show her face, her action speed is pretty impressive. That efficiency is high too—she can whip up a drink that fast.)
More and more customers kept coming in an endless stream.
"Excuse me, one coffee jelly please."
"I'll have one too—no! Make it two."
"Oh, okay!"
Ijichi Nijika: "Bocchi-chan, the front counter is yours again."
She went off to make the coffee jellies.
"Ah... ah!!!"
"Excuse me, one cola please."
Gotoh Hitori heard the customer's voice and slowly lifted her head, but her expression was gradually twisting. It looked like her eyes and mouth were about to fall off as she stiffly opened her mouth.
"O-okay... okay."
She then crouched down, quickly pulled out a cola, and stiffly spread a puppet-like smile. "Here... here you go."
"Thanks..."
The customer took the drink and gave Gotoh Hitori a strange look.
Gotoh Hitori [What do I do? What do I do? How did my smile just now look in the customer's eyes?]
(How is that even a smile? If you hadn't said anything, I would've thought it was a creepy puppet doll.)
[Hey! Gotoh, smile. Smile!]
Gotoh Hitori panted heavily. "I can't do it, Saiki. There's no way. As soon as I see people, I just..."
[Then give me a Yor.]
"Oh."
Gotoh Hitori turned, grabbed a cup of Wangzai, smiled as she handed it to Saiki, then immediately reverted to a crying face. "How am I supposed to do this? As soon as I see them, I just..."
[You were doing pretty well just now, weren't you?]
"No no no no no no no..."
Gotoh Hitori shook her head frantically. "That's because it's you, Saiki. You're not a stranger."
Saiki took a sip of Wangzai. [Then... what are you going to do for your next performance?]
Gotoh Hitori stopped, lowered her head.
"I don't know."
[If you don't make a change, your next performance will probably end up the same as last time.]
"I..."
Gotoh Hitori [I don't want to drag Nijika and Yamada down because of me. I don't want to disappoint Saiki either.]
[As long as you're willing to put in the effort and change, even if it's slow, it's fine. But Gotoh, if you don't even have the will to change, things will just keep going like this.]
Gotoh Hitori nodded. "I'll do my best."
[That's good. After all, you wouldn't want Yamada and Nijika to be disappointed in you, right?]
Gotoh Hitori imagined the disappointed expressions and attitudes of those two, slammed her hand on the table (╯°Д°)╯: "I absolutely won't let them down."
The corner of Saiki's mouth curved up slightly.
[Yare yare, is that so?]
Gotoh Hitori: "Yes. Definitely, positively, absolutely not."
The two customers who had ordered coffee jelly earlier came back. "Is it ready yet?"