Chapter 56 - Help

Jay-Jay's Pov

Honestly? They were just trying to get their hands on food, so they thought they could get some. I followed in Yuri's car. The same went for Ci-N and Eren.

David had his own car, just like Keifer. I wasn't even sure who the others were. We arrived at Eman's restaurant. The theme was big and beautiful—Comics/Superheroes. Superman knocked on the door. A Superman sticker was on the glass door.

"Is it open?" I asked.

There was no open or closed sign. I tried to see inside, but the Superman sticker was too big. Yuri grabbed the door and pushed it.

"Tomorrow!!"

"It's open, eh!" Ci-N said. We walked in, and three crew members greeted us.

"Welcome!" they said.

They had just opened and weren't ready. One of them even broke a table.

"Are you guys open?" David asked one of the crew members.

"Yes… Table for—how many of you?"

"How many are we?" Eren asked and started counting.

Maybe we wouldn't eat here. "Um... Is Eman here?" I asked.

I was looking for what we needed, maybe hoping to get some of it without paying.

"He's inside… Do you need anything from him?"

"Tell him his classmates are here. We're going out; we don't want to wait. Keifer's orders," I said.

One of the crew members immediately went to get him, clearly terrified of Keifer's appearance.

While waiting, I observed my surroundings. The walls were decorated with comic scenes. The tables and benches were made of wood. There were also superhero heads and hands designed to look like they were bursting through the walls. Captain America's shield was displayed, and the Avengers symbol was on the kitchen door. The counter was styled like a control room. So cool!

One of the crew members came out through the Avengers-symbol door, followed by Eman.

"You guys need something?" he asked.

"It's fruit," Calix answered while holding the menu.

"Then you'll take us," Ci-N added.

"That's why you came?" Eman asked.

"H-No… I just wanted to ask about the room. Maybe we could borrow it," I said.

"Use it. It's up to you. I won't stop you," Eman replied.

"Really? No restrictions?" I asked, surprised.

"You see… Our restaurant needs me. Only three crew members are left," he said.

It felt like the crew was running the big restaurant alone.

"What happened?" Keifer asked.

"You know my father was in an accident. He's still recovering. My mom spent most of our savings on her jewelry. I had to cut salaries because I couldn't afford the rent," Eman explained.

The phone rang, and one of the crew members answered, but Eman's attention remained on us.

"You're managing everything?" I asked.

He nodded. "My mom doesn't know anything about this. My father taught me before."

"Isn't your dad the chef here? Who's cooking now?" Calix asked.

"Mr. Chen would have been, but he left to find another job. So now, it's just me," Eman answered.

I looked at Keifer. It was obvious he was thinking about something. I felt sorry for Eman. He had no prior experience managing a restaurant. He was smart, but that alone wasn't enough.

Just then, four people walked in. One of the crew members immediately attended to them.

"I'm going back inside. There's a customer," Eman said, heading toward the kitchen.

Keifer immediately followed him.

"Hey! Keifer!" I called, but he ignored me.

We were about to go inside too, but one of the crew members blocked us. Suddenly, Keifer came out of the kitchen.

"I'm not done talking to you," Keifer said. Eman was clearly upset with him.

"Can you? I have work to do."

"What's your plan?"

"Right now? I have none."

Their conversation was serious, but then another customer walked in. The crew members hesitated, unsure of who should assist them first.

Keifer still wouldn't let Eman go.

Here we go again!

I handed my bag to Ci-N and grabbed a menu from the counter. I started taking care of customers who hadn't been served yet.

I wasn't supposed to get involved. But... ugh!

"Here's the menu," I said, approaching the new customers.

"Miss, what are you doing?" one of the crew members asked.

"Helping. Sir Eman might get mad."

"That's not it. I'll take care of it," the crew member said, but ultimately let me continue.

After handing out menus, I returned to Eman.

"We're going to help here," I announced.

"What?!" they all asked at the same time.

"We'll help out until you recover and can hire more crew members," I explained.

"Who's 'we'?" Keifer asked.

"Me and Calix!" Mica said, raising her hand. As usual, Calix had no choice but to agree.

"Fine, under your command now," he muttered.

"I'll help too," David said, heading straight into the kitchen.

Eman tried to stop him, but he couldn't.

"We're in too!" Eren and Ci-N shouted. They went to the counter and talked to the crew.

"Give us food," Denzel said before following the others into the kitchen.

The rest of the group joined in. Only Yuri and I remained outside.

"You can't help it, right?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Helping others... You just can't ignore it," he said.

I froze.

Why can't I ignore it? I wasn't always like this.

"Obviously, I can't stop you," Eman said, turning to one of the crew members.

"Guide them. Make sure they don't mess up."

Nice! I rushed into the kitchen. Almost everyone was here now.

We were given black aprons, like real waiters and waitresses. Some even dressed like chefs.

"Hurry up! We have a lot of customers," one of the crew members instructed.

We headed back outside to serve. Ci-N, Yuri, Mica, Calix, Rory, Eren, and Felix wore aprons, while the remaining two stayed to help Eman. Our job was to serve menus and water. Yuri, Mica, and Calix handled the water.

"You're so handsome!" a woman said to Ci-N.

The girls giggled excitedly, clearly admiring him.

I walked over to pick up a menu near them. Before I passed Ci-N, I whispered,

"I'll take you to Rakki."

And just like that, his smile disappeared.

I focused on handing out menus and taking orders. Eren and Rory were doing the same. Felix prepared the orders.

I realized something was missing—we weren't smiling like the other crew members. Sure, Ci-N was naturally charming, but Yuri's serious expression was scaring people off.

"Hey... Smile at them," I whispered.

"Huh?"

"Smile!" I ordered.

Yuri forced a smile, though it looked a little awkward. Still, the women were drawn to him. What a different class!

I noticed a table with only one person sitting there. No menu, no order—just a glass of water in front of him. I walked over, smiling. Not just because he was a customer but because...

"How's it going?" I asked.

"Sitting," Keifer answered flatly.

"I thought you were going to help?"

"I never said that."

Just then, a group of women entered, and Yuri smiled at them.

"Oh my! Yuri's going to kill you," I teased.

Something seemed to click in Keifer's head. He stood up, threw his apron on the counter, and grabbed a menu.

Hey, what's he up to now?

He walked straight to a table full of women. The atmosphere changed instantly. Other customers turned to watch.

"He's so handsome!!" a customer shouted.

I turned to Yuri.

"What happened?" I asked.

"They were practically drooling over him," he replied.

Looks like appearance is a real investment here.

Felix was the only one taking orders. I helped too. I went into the kitchen and saw what the others were doing. Some were cutting, some were mixing ingredients, and some were handling trays. Eman watched over them.

"Order for table No. 16!" Kit shouted before ringing the bell.

There was a small tray in front of me, so I grabbed it. We looked like real crew members. When I stepped out of the kitchen, Felix grabbed the tray from my hands.

"I'll take it."

I couldn't argue.

His tone sounded irritated. I really should have talked to him. I didn't understand where his anger was coming from.