Chapter 5: Part-Time Job

"I'm back."

When I returned home, no one was there.

It was a familiar sight.

I was always alone when I came home.

Back then, being alone felt comfortable, but now that I've returned to the past, I felt a sense of loneliness.

Before I could sink into a gloomy mood, I looked around.

The familiar interior, furniture, and decor, all tailored to my parents' tastes.

The house wasn't big, but it had everything we needed.

It was the house we lived in for a long time before settling in London and leaving, so it held many memories.

Good ones, and not-so-good ones.

I grabbed a banana from the fruit basket and peeled it.

"Now it feels real that I'm back."

On the way to the main room, there were medals and trophies I had received, displayed proudly.

On the opposite side, there were articles from British and japnese newspapers, laminated and hung up.

["Japan's Super Prospect Has Arrived!"]

["Kai Arata, Joins Premier League's Top Club at Just 7 Years Old!"]

["Who is Kai Arata, Receiving Special Treatment at Arsenal?"]

"I never thought I'd see these again."

I read the articles, lost in memories, and scratched my chin.

The titles and content were a bit embarrassing, and I quickly lost the desire to read further.

Back then, I was full of pride, but as I grew older, I felt more and more embarrassed.

I quickly got up and headed to my room.

Looking around the room, I couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's still the same."

The desk and bed were practically attached, and the bookshelf was neatly filled with textbooks and books.

The room was also filled with countless trophies and awards.

I wasn't just good at soccer.

I was an excellent student, receiving scholarships for my academic achievements.

After my professional debut, I stopped focusing on academics, but I continued to study soccer-related subjects.

I had such a deep understanding of tactics that I could engage in tactical discussions with the coaching staff.

As I looked at the traces of my hard work, I turned around.

"Wow, the colors haven't faded."

On the back of the door hung a poster of Lionel Messi roaring and an Argentina national team jersey.

Since I had taken these with me when I left Europe and returned to Japan, they felt especially welcoming.

"Looking at this, it feels good."

Below the poster were sticky notes.

Waiting for the day we face each other.

Until the day I become the best player in the world! Work hard!

Premier League win, FA Cup win, League Cup win, Champions League win, and World Cup win.

I can do it!

I love Messi.

My bucket list: Hug Messi. Have a conversation with Messi. Exchange jerseys with Messi. Be mentioned by Messi in an interview.

"...This is embarrassing."

Lionel Messi was my idol.

His play always inspired me.

I tried to emulate his dribbling and skills in my own play.

Even though I was right-footed, I practiced using my left foot because I wanted to be like Messi.

Thanks to that, I became a player who could use both feet equally.

Of course, experts called me the "Japnese Zidane," but I liked that nickname too.

"Before my debut, I dreamed of playing on the same field as Messi."

Unfortunately, I only faced him twice.

It was during my debut season.

In the Champions League quarterfinals, we faced Barcelona, and despite my best efforts, we lost to Messi's brilliance.

I scored 3 goals and provided 2 assists in 2 games, but we couldn't overcome the wall that was Messi's Barcelona.

"But after the game, we exchanged jerseys."

Messi noticed me crying after the loss and comforted me, offering to exchange jerseys first, which was unusual for him.

That moment became a huge topic of discussion and etched my name, Kai Arata, into the minds of soccer fans worldwide.

Honestly, I don't even remember what we talked about.

Messi only spoke Spanish, and I only spoke English, so I couldn't recall the conversation.

"This time, I'll have to speak to him in Spanish first."

Since my last club was in the Spanish second division, I'm not fluent, but I can handle everyday conversations.

But first, I need to debut on the professional stage.

"Ah, it's already 4 o'clock."

I felt a sense of urgency.

Earlier, I had seen a sticky note on the living room table asking me to come to the store when I got home.

I put on a black cap, changed into outdoor clothes, and headed out.

Just a few steps outside, the sky turned cloudy, and a light rain began to fall.

London's weather was as unpredictable as ever.

I smiled at the familiar, frustrating weather and arrived at my parents' store.

The store was about a 10-minute walk from home, so it was quite close.

From the outside, I could see that the small store was packed with customers.

Most of them were British.

Some were even waiting in line outside, unable to get in.

Most customers were taking their orders to go.

"My dad really has a knack for business."

When we first came to London, my dad made a lot of money running a business catering to international students.

Thanks to that, we didn't have much trouble settling in London.

Then, during a family trip to Hawaii, he discovered a hot business idea.

It was poke.

Poke is a traditional Hawaiian dish made with fresh, raw seafood and vegetables mixed with a special sauce.

At the time, it was just starting to become popular in the U.S., but it hadn't caught on in Europe yet.

My dad became obsessed with poke, shut down his successful business, and opened a poke shop in London.

The result? It sold like crazy.

Word spread among international students and gradually reached the locals.

Within three months, it became a hotspot in Islington.

[Islington's Poke]

I looked at the simple yet bold sign and apologized to the customers as I made my way inside.

The store was a battlefield.

Employees were frantically delivering orders, and the kitchen was filled with the sound of sharp knife cuts.

A blonde woman with freckles, Lionella, noticed me and greeted me warmly.

It was nice to see her after so long.

"Kai!"

"Lionella, I'm here to help."

"Great! Come on in."

I entered the kitchen.

My parents were moving nonstop inside.

My dad, who was quickly chopping lettuce, noticed me and gave me a welcoming nod.

His eyes were on the box of lettuce.

I pointed to the box and asked, "Should I start with the lettuce?"

"Please."

"Got it."

My dad was very particular when working, so I didn't argue and put on an apron, rolling up my sleeves.

The lettuce was incredibly fresh, as if it had just been picked from the farm.

I removed the outer leaves, cut off the stems, and washed them under running water.

Tetsu Arata glanced at me working and smiled with satisfaction.

"When you're done with that, can you handle the carrots too?"

"Sure."

"Honey! How much shrimp do we have left?"

"Let me check. We have one box left! Kai, you're early today."

I nodded, smiling at my mom's warm welcome.

"Training ended early today since it was the first day."

"Really? How was training? Could you keep up?"

"It wasn't bad."

"How about the new friends you met?"

I naturally thought of frimpong and almost got annoyed.

Why did I think of him?

I shook my head quickly.

"They treated me well. It's only the first day, so we'll see."

"Soccer is great, but make sure to get along with your friends. And don't fight."

"I won't."

"Good, I trust you."

My dad, who had finished chopping, said as he packed the containers, "Enough chit-chat. Let's save the personal talk for after work."

"Don't you care what our son did today?"

"Of course I do. But we're busy. It's been even busier since one of the employees quit a few days ago."

"Oh, right. Mr. Dan."

"He's taking a break because of a car accident."

Lionella poked her head into the kitchen and shouted, "We have an order for two shrimp poke and one salmon poke to go!"

"Here's three salmon poke to go."

"Boss, it's really busy today!"

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Of course! Is this ready to go?"

"Yes."

As Lionella took the packaged food out, my mom, Arata Miya, sighed and said, "It's a blessing, but business is too good. It's exhausting."

"Why don't you hire someone to work in the kitchen?"

My dad nodded.

"That's the plan. We can't keep relying on our son."

"Five salmon poke orders!"

"Again? This is insane. Lionella, how many teams are left?"

"About forty?"

My dad smiled helplessly, looking like he couldn't believe it.

"I knew it would do well, but not this well."

"Your store is trending on SNS these days. Look, most of the customers are young people."

"That's amazing."

My dad glanced at the dining area and casually suggested to Lionella, "Lionella, have you thought about working in the kitchen? I'll pay you more."

"Hehe. No, thanks. I like serving."

"I'll double your hourly wage."

"I'm not in it for the money."

My dad couldn't hide his disappointment at her blunt refusal.

"Lionella is really good at her job."

"Honey, what are you doing? We're falling behind on orders."

"Give me a second. Kai, are you done with the lettuce?"

"Done. I'm working on the carrots now."

"Can you boil some eggs too?"

"Of course!"

I answered confidently and skillfully peeled the carrots.

My mom, watching me work, tilted her head in confusion.

"Has our son ever prepared carrots before?"

"Huh? Never?"

"Yesterday was the first time."

"Oh, right."

Hearing the conversation, I smiled awkwardly and scratched my head.

"I just followed what I saw you guys doing."

"For someone who's just following, you're really good."

Before things got any weirder, I set the prepared carrots aside and shouted, "Dad! I'm done with the carrots! I'll boil the eggs now!"

"Yeah, go ahead."

As I was about to focus again, Lionella rushed into the kitchen with a panicked look.

"Boss! Emergency! Emergency!"

"What is it?"

"A bulk order for takeout!"

"How many servings?"

"Fifty servings!"

My dad was speechless for a moment before regaining his composure and asking, "If we say we don't have enough ingredients, will they cancel?"

"It's from Arsenal."

"What? Really?"

"Yes! They said they'll pick it up between 6 and 6:30 PM."

He looked at me and then nodded, having made up his mind.

"We'll do it. Of course, we'll do it!"

"I'll help too this time!"

"Really?"

"Of course!"

"Thank you."

Lionella came into the kitchen, put on an apron, and said, "I'm a Gunner too. If the staff is working late, they deserve some good food. Oh, and boss, you know about the hourly wage, right?"

"Of course! Triple pay."

"Yes!"

My dad looked at me.

"Kai, don't overwork yourself."

"There's no training tomorrow. I'll be fine."

"Still."

"It's just one day. I'll handle it."

"Huh? You know how to prepare salmon too?"

"I just watched some videos."

Since cooking was a hobby of mine, preparing fish was basic.

My mom, watching me skillfully handle the salmon, couldn't hide her surprise.

"Should we have made our son study cooking instead of soccer?"