“Ding! Ding!”
Hearing the Serving Bell ring, Kaoru Hoshitani, who was briskly cleaning tables in the Dining Hall, immediately folded the cloth in his hand and placed it on the Cleaning Cart, then turned to lift the Curtain that separated the front and back areas, stepping into the Kitchen, ready to bring the freshly made food to the waiting customer.
Currently, there were four people working at the Kawasaki Family Izakaya. Mrs. Kawasaki and Rika Kawasaki were responsible for preparing food in the Kitchen, while Mr. Kawasaki and Kaoru Hoshitani took care of the Dining Hall.
Because several stoves and boilers were running at the same time in the Kitchen, the heat made this space feel like a giant steamer, the temperature noticeably several degrees higher than in the Dining Hall.
As Kaoru Hoshitani walked into the Kitchen, his gaze instinctively sought out the completed dishes on the Serving Counter, but he happened to catch a glimpse of Rika Kawasaki busy in front of the Grill.
She was already drenched in sweat, with beads forming on her forehead, temples, and even her neck, and a few strands of hair, dampened by sweat, clung to her skin.
The cotton tank top she wore, originally pure white, had been soaked through with sweat and now stuck tightly to her skin, turning darker in places and revealing, through the now semi-transparent fabric, the faint outline and edges of the black, supportive undergarment beneath.
Since Rika Kawasaki had grown up with her grandparents and often stayed at the shop, it wasn’t at all strange that she knew how to make the dishes served here.
Both her hands were holding Skewers as she worked in front of the Grill, constantly flipping and moving them. From time to time, she would grab the towel hanging around her neck to wipe the sweat from her face.
Thanks to her constant effort and the high temperature, the well-defined muscles on her arms stood out clearly, radiating a sense of strength.
Kaoru Hoshitani’s gaze quickly swept over her, not daring to linger, as if the rising heat and her sweat-soaked figure carried a scorching intensity.
He hurriedly lowered his head, walked quickly to the Serving Counter, picked up the tray loaded with freshly made Grilled Fish and Stewed Dish, turned, lifted the Curtain, and returned to the relatively cooler Dining Hall.
After properly serving the dishes to the customer and handling several more scattered orders, it was already quietly half past ten at night.
The evening rush at the izakaya had finally passed. No more customers pressed the Call Bell or raised their hands to order.
After two or three hours of nonstop work, everyone could finally take advantage of this short lull to rest and catch their breath.
Perhaps from lack of exercise, Kaoru Hoshitani now felt a dull ache in his calves, the muscles trembling slightly in protest.
He gently massaged his sore lower back and, finding a sturdy-looking Round Stool near the corner of the Bar Counter where there were few customers, sat down with a quiet sigh of relief.
Kaoru Hoshitani tilted his head back, his weary gaze landing on the old, round Clock on the wall, noticing that there was only half an hour left until closing time.
Unconsciously, he began to wonder when his girlfriend, Aina Saiten, would come to pick him up tonight.
From the very start, he had told his girlfriend clearly that since he didn’t get off work too late, he could make it Home safely on his own and she didn’t need to go out of her way to fetch him.
Yet for the past few nights, Aina had stubbornly appeared anyway, waiting outside the shop or at the nearby Street Corner.
Kaoru Hoshitani felt a helpless warmth at this, though his heart rippled with a subtle emotion.
After all, his girlfriend still regarded him as someone who needed to be picked up, and behind her insistence on coming to meet him after work, there was most likely a hidden unease—especially toward the other women in the shop, and most of all… the one who’d just been in the Kitchen.
As Kaoru Hoshitani was staring off into space, lost in his thoughts, the Curtain in the Kitchen was suddenly lifted again, and Rika Kawasaki strode out.
She seemed eager to cool off, using her already soaked towel to lift the hem of her sweat-clinging tank top and wipe the sparkling sweat from her waist and stomach as she walked straight toward the old Fridge placed against the wall.
She opened the Fridge door, reached in and skillfully pulled out a bottle of chilled Oolong Tea, twisted off the tight cap with one hand without even looking.
Then, without pausing, she tilted her head back and gulped down the cold tea in big mouthfuls, making a clear “gulp, gulp” sound.
In no time at all, the bottle of Oolong Tea, full just moments before, was completely drained in a single go.
When she tossed the empty bottle into the trash, her gaze shifted and she finally noticed the man sitting not far away, lost in his own world.
He sat quietly, his profile soft in the dim light, his dazed and defenseless look falling into Rika Kawasaki’s eyes.
For some reason, it seemed to gently scratch at her heart.
She thought for a moment, then grabbed another bottle of Oolong Tea from the Fridge, and strode over toward where Kaoru Hoshitani was sitting.
“For you.”
She stood in front of him, arm outstretched, holding the cold bottle of tea right where his downcast eyes could see.
“Tha…”
Kaoru Hoshitani was startled from his reverie by the sudden appearance of the Oolong Tea and the sound of her voice, and just as he was about to look up and thank her—
As he fully turned toward her and looked up at Rika Kawasaki, a heavy, salty-sour scent—like sun-dried grass and leather—hit him all at once, flooding his senses with the lingering heat radiating from her.
The scent was so strong that his breath caught for a moment.
“Tha… thank you…”
Kaoru Hoshitani lowered his lashes, quickly hiding the brief moment of surprise, ultimately making no gesture of distaste or covering his nose.
He murmured his thanks, then reached out and took the Oolong Tea Rika Kawasaki handed over.
He twisted open the cap with some effort, lowered his head, and took a small sip.
The chilled liquid slid down his throat, dispelling a little of the heat around him and easing the subtle discomfort in his heart.
But what Kaoru Hoshitani didn’t expect was that after giving him the Oolong Tea, Rika Kawasaki didn’t leave right away.
She casually tossed her sweat towel over her shoulder, then leaned naturally against the edge of the Bar Counter beside him—so close he could almost feel the warmth radiating from her.
Then she pulled her phone out of her pocket and idly scrolled on the screen, apparently planning to spend her break right there.
[So fragrant…]
Yet, though she seemed to be focused on her phone, Rika Kawasaki’s thoughts were far from the small glowing screen.
Her nose twitched slightly as she silently marveled to herself.
That faint, elusive scent—she’d actually caught a whiff of it earlier, when Kaoru Hoshitani brushed past her outside the dim storage room.