Chapter 67

On Friday, Shuichi Chiba opened his eyes and saw the sky outside the balcony, overcast with dark clouds, as if it were about to rain.

Such weather made him feel a little lazy, and he didn't really want to get out of bed.

He turned his gaze to the side of the bed, where Tsuki Akiyama was kneeling upright. He then lifted the blanket. "Come in and let me hold you for a bit."

"???" Tsuki Akiyama froze for a moment, then a mix of anticipation and wariness appeared on her face. "Has the perverted young master finally caved in and wants the little maid to serve him in the morning?"

"Stop talking nonsense, just get in," Shuichi Chiba said, not wanting to say much, lazily urging her.

At his words, Tsuki Akiyama obediently got up and climbed into the bed.

Shuichi Chiba pulled her into his arms, inhaling the sweet fragrance of the girl's hair, finding a comfortable position, then closed his eyes again.

Tsuki Akiyama waited for a long time, but he didn't do anything. She puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

If Shuichi Chiba had seen her, he would have realized that the action was exactly the same as her sister's.

Feeling the breath of Shuichi Chiba behind her gradually slow, it was obvious that he was about to fall asleep again. Tsuki Akiyama became a bit anxious. If she didn't get up soon, it would be too late to eat, and she'd be late for school…

Hmm?

So, this is the way it works? The usually diligent student council president suddenly was late, simply because she had been privately coerced by her little sister to go to a male classmate's house and provide a wake-up service.

And then she ended up being used as a full-body pillow, which caused the delay…

Hmm…

"This scene is pretty good. Chiba-kun is as skilled as ever!"

Overcome with excitement, her body trembled.

Her restless movement left Shuichi Chiba unable to continue sleeping.

Annoyed, he slapped Tsuki Akiyama on her ass. "Why are you squirming around? How am I supposed to get back to sleep like this?"

"Ah..."

Tsuki Akiyama trembled even more.

Shuichi Chiba sighed and shooed her out of the bed. "Go prepare toothpaste, water, and a wet towel for me."

The little maid, clearly disdained, reluctantly got off the bed to do as he asked.

A few minutes later, she picked up her small leather shoes from the balcony and followed Shuichi Chiba downstairs.

When they returned to the ramen shop, they saw An Akiyama rubbing her sleepy eyes as she came downstairs. Despite having already freshened up, she still looked groggy and dazed.

Like a little puppy, she sniffed at the aroma of the food before glancing suspiciously at the two standing by the door. "Sis, why are you coming back from outside? I don't recall seeing you go downstairs?"

Tsuki Akiyama froze in shock. How could she have forgotten about that? She did the same thing yesterday and hadn't noticed this glaring flaw!

"This..."

"Breakfast is ready~ An-chan, hurry up and eat, or you'll be late for school." At the critical moment, Mrs. Akiyama brought out breakfast, interrupting her younger daughter's train of thought.

"Wow~ Time to dig in~" An Akiyama immediately forgot all about her sister's odd behavior, scrambled onto the barstool, and began eating enthusiastically.

"..." Tsuki Akiyama let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, her forgetful little sister was easily distracted.

Shuichi Chiba stealthily pinched her on ass. "Let's eat first."

After sitting down, he thanked Mrs. An Akiyamad then asked, "Are there any unresolved issues with the ramen shop? If there are, feel free to tell me anytime, and I'll do my best to help."

Ever since the ramen shop opened, the more he thought about it, the more he realized he might have misunderstood the system.

The system originally mentioned being an excellent shop owner. It never explicitly emphasized a female owner, so maybe a handsome male owner could qualify as well.

It's just that he hadn't encountered one yet.

Although... hmm, even if he did, he probably wouldn't want to recruit them. It just feels... weird somehow.

But if male shop owners are also eligible, then perhaps it's not just about being exceptionally good-looking—having outstanding abilities might also meet the criteria?

If that's the case, then fostering a sense of belonging in the shopping district seems like a more universal strategy—namely, using the 100,000-yen all-purpose manager to help excellent shop owners resolve their issues.

His approach toward the two Mrs. Ogawas, however, was... uh, somewhat unconventional.

After reflecting on himself, Shuichi Chiba concluded the root of the problem lay with the system. Couldn't it have explained things more clearly? Did it have to mislead people like this?

Exceptionally good-looking male shop owners, and shop owners with exceptional talents, are clearly harder to come by. Was this pure intentional misdirection?

Mrs. Akiyama tilted her head, thinking for a moment, and then sighed softly. "If I have to name one big issue, there is one."

"What's the issue?" Shuichi Chiba immediately perked up. This was a great chance to test his theory.

"The business is just too good. We have so many more customers than before... It's exhausting." Mrs. Akiyama said, her face drooping as she rubbed her sore arms.

"..." Shuichi Chiba was momentarily speechless. Complaining about having too much business?

Fair enough—it was indeed a bit of a problem. After all, during the day, Mrs. Akiyama was usually the only one handling the shop. The class rep and the president could only help out after school.

"This kind of thing…" Before Shuichi Chiba could speak, Tsuki Akiyama had already turned to her mother with a serious expression.

Mrs. Akiyama shuddered at her daughter's stern gaze. "Alright, alright! I'll stop complaining, okay? Tsuki-chan, don't nag like Grandma, please?"

"..." Tsuki Akiyama rolled her eyes at her. "What I mean is, if you really find it too tiring, why not just limit the number of servings per day?"

Shuichi Chiba was even more speechless. He pinched her thigh in frustration. Can't you let me speak first? I was just about to test my theory!

"Ah…" Tsuki Akiyama immediately softened, lowered her head, and covered her mouth, falling silent.

Taking back control of the conversation, Shuichi Chiba said with an air of authority, "Why not estimate how many servings you can manage daily without overworking yourself, and then stop when they're sold out?

"Additionally, you could consider purchasing pre-made ramen or using a ramen machine. That way, all you'd need to prepare each day is the broth."

Mrs. Akiyama shrank back at the suggestion, looking furtive. "If Grandma found out I dared to use a ramen machine, she'd kill me!"

"But if the taste doesn't change, she wouldn't have any grounds to complain, right?" Shuichi Chiba replied with a sly smile.

Mrs. Akiyama seemed visibly tempted, but after much hesitation, she shook her head. "Never mind, never mind. Being a little tired is better than getting scolded by Grandma."

"And limiting the portions doesn't seem ideal either. Expenses will likely increase in the coming years..."

Shuichi Chiba pondered for a moment before proposing, "Then how about... limiting handmade ramen but offering machine-made ramen without restriction? As for the broth, the workload should be about the same no matter how many servings you make, right?"

"Huh? That's a great idea!" Mrs. Akiyama's eyes lit up instantly, feeling like her burden might lighten.

"That could work," Tsuki Akiyama added thoughtfully. "It even creates a nice selling point—limit 100 servings of handmade ramen, split between lunch and dinner, first-come, first-served. As for machine ramen, instead of investing in a ramen machine, it might be more cost-effective for a small shop like ours to purchase pre-made noodles from a supplier. But those noodles would need to be reasonably priced."

Having recovered her composure, she began analyzing earnestly again, prompting Shuichi Chiba to give her a sharp pinch on her ass

"Even 100 servings would still be exhausting..." Mrs. Akiyama muttered softly.

"This shop is small. Fifty servings should be plenty," Shuichi Chiba suggested.

"That's too much of a stretch! Even the best ramen shop in Shibuya, one of the top 100 ramen places, only limits their servings to sixty a day," Tsuki Akiyama countered, bouncing back once more.

Shuichi Chiba: "..."

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