Tokyo: Becoming the Perfect Male God Starting with a Rented Boyfriend

Chapter 33 The Saintess, Coffee and Pancakes

Outside the school, inside a family-run restaurant.

Miyazawa Itsuki spotted Tsukimi Sakuna in one of the corners.

After confirming that there were no people in Sakura Ryougi's uniform around, Miyazawa Itsuki went to her table.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Tsukimi-san."

Tsukimi Sakura looked up and saw Miyazawa Itsuki's arrival, a gentle smile blooming on her face.

"I just got here too. But Miyazawa-kun, you rushed here right after school. Is it because there are no club activities today?"

"No, I've never joined any clubs," Miyazawa Itsuki said. "And I don't have any friends to hang out with after school either."

Tsukimi Sakura was quite surprised.

"Miyazawa-kun... are you alone at school?"

"Yeah, that's about it."

As Miyazawa Itsuki said this, for some reason, the face of Asahina Naomi flashed through his mind for a moment.

He saw Tsukimi Sakuna casting a sympathetic glance at him.

"Miyazawa-kun... works really hard at school too..."

No, please don't imagine that I was ostracized; that's not true.

Miyazawa Itsuki was ready to move on from this topic.

"I haven't had a chance to say thank you for the bento, Tsukimi-kun. The food was delicious; it's the best bento I've ever had in my life."

"...That's an exaggeration, it's just ordinary food."

Sakura Tsukimi was a little shy.

"...If Miyazawa-kun doesn't mind, I can continue to make it for you."

"……what?"

Miyazawa Itsuki was surprised; could such a good thing really exist?

"No need, because that would be too much trouble for Tsukimi-kun, and I would feel really bad about it."

Miyazawa Itsuki resisted the urge to agree and declined with some regret.

"It's just a matter of preparing a little more food. It's not a big deal."

Seeing the regretful expression on Miyazawa Itsuki's face, Tsukimi Sakuna gave him an understanding smile.

"If Miyazawa-kun feels indebted, he can repay the debt by running errands."

"Running errands...does that mean buying groceries?"

"Yes. Because of my part-time job, I can only buy groceries at night, and my mother is always worried about it."

Miyazawa Itsuki suddenly had an idea.

"I have no problem with that. And it's not just about running errands; let me cover all the food costs as well."

"No... Miyazawa-kun, you don't need to do that?"

"Please let me pay. That way I'll feel more at ease eating here."

Miyazawa Itsuki said sincerely.

Japanese ingredients are not cheap.

For families like Tsukimi Sakura's, even though it's just one more person, it adds up to a considerable expense over time.

Miyazawa Itsuki felt that he might have to rely on Tsukimi Sakuna until the day he graduated from high school.

It would be inhumane to make people work so hard for so long and not even pay for the ingredients.

In addition, Ms. Yuko rarely eats at home, and Tsukimi Sakura's appetite is also very small.

Therefore, it was perfectly reasonable for Miyazawa Itsuki to take care of most of the food expenses and pay for the ingredients.

Tsukimi Sakura looked somewhat troubled, but finally nodded.

"...Let's talk about the cost of ingredients later, Miyazawa-kun. Are we heading to our part-time job now?"

"Well, normally I could go back and change into my uniform first, but today I might have an interview, so I might as well just go straight there."

Miyazawa Itsuki led Tsukimi Sakuna away from the family restaurant.

The two tried to avoid crowded main roads to reduce the risk of being seen by fellow students.

I took the tram, traveling from one stop to another.

Feeling the unusually high number of people turning their heads to look at him on the street, Miyazawa Itsuki clearly realized just how charming Tsukimi Sakura was.

Even when she was renting a boyfriend, she had never received so much attention.

Do not……

Perhaps part of the reason lies with myself.

When Miyazawa Itsuki wears glasses, he appears to others as an ordinary boy, nothing special.

This ordinary high school boy is accompanied by a stunningly beautiful girl who could make everything else pale in comparison.

This mismatched combination is what makes people more curious.

……

Mori-suke Cafe.

Pushing open the door, accompanied by the sound of wind chimes, the two entered the coffee shop.

There weren't many customers in the café at the moment. A few regulars nodded slightly when they saw Miyazawa Itsuki arrive.

When they noticed Tsukimi Sakura cautiously behind Miyazawa Itsuki, their faces showed surprise.

After greeting several regular customers, Miyazawa Itsuki went backstage.

Mr. Mori was indeed inside, standing on a chair, counting the coffee bean inventory.

"Manager, I've brought the job applicant with me."

Last night, Miyazawa Itsuki used LINE to explain to Mr. Morizumi that he had introduced Princess Saint to apply for the store clerk position.

Upon hearing that the person was a reliable acquaintance introduced by Miyazawa Itsuki, the latter was very welcoming and hoped to have the person come for an interview as soon as possible.

Upon hearing Miyazawa Itsuki's words, Mr. Morizumi quickly turned his head, revealing a hearty smile:

"Oh, it's Ashu! You're so quick. I'm coming right now."

He got off the chair, straightened his collar, and made himself look more like a store manager.

At the same time, he forced a polite smile and walked out from backstage:

"Are you the job applicant? I'm the store manager, Morizumi... Hmm?!"

When Mr. Mori saw Tsukimi Sakuna's face, he was immediately speechless.

She had beautiful, lustrous light chestnut hair, dignified and delicate features, and wore a well-fitting and exquisite uniform.

She doesn't have a flamboyant appearance, but she possesses a captivating beauty. It's as if God's favor has been concentrated on her alone.

"Ah... Ashu, what's going on?"

Mr. Morizumi's voice trembled slightly.

It's just a job opening for a shop assistant, why would a beautiful girl of this caliber come to visit?

Just standing here, the shop manager felt that even the aroma of coffee in the air was tasteless.

Tsukimi Sakuna bowed slightly, revealing a standard, saintly smile:

"Nice to meet you, I am Tsukimi Sakuna, and I am currently a second-year student at the same high school as Miyazawa-kun."

Although I have no prior experience in coffee shops, I have done similar work in restaurants. I hope I can handle this job well. Please feel free to offer your guidance.

Mr. Morizumi seemed to have lost his mind, and it took him a long time to react.

"Oh...oh, you applied for a job, right? You passed, Tsukimi-kun. Let's sign the contract."

"?"

Sakura Tsukimi was stunned.

Miyazawa Itsuki covered his face: "Manager, that's so lame. At least go through the motions."

"Enough with all the formalities. With looks like that, why bother with all the formalities? You have to become a member of the café as soon as possible. That's the best signboard and your boyfriend, Asuka."

Mr. Morizumi said excitedly.

Seeing that Tsukimi Sakuna was somewhat frightened, Miyazawa Itsuki said apologetically:

"Sorry, Tsukimi-kun, the shop manager is like that sometimes, he's not a bad person."

"He'll be very enthusiastic about anything that can promote coffee. But don't worry, I won't let him use Tsukimi-kun as a promotional item for the shop."

"Is...is that so?"

Tsukimi Sakura's smile seemed somewhat forced.

Miyazawa Itsuki forcibly pulled Morizumi-san backstage and launched into a long speech.

A few minutes later, the two walked out.

Mr. Morizumi regained his composure and said to Tsukimi Sakuna with remorse:

"I'm sorry, Tsukimi-san, I was a bit out of line just now."

"It's okay, it's alright."

"Tsukimi-kun, you can work here without worry. I won't tell anyone." Mr. Morizumi said with a serious expression.

Tsukimi Sakuna was confused by the change in the other party's attitude.

"I explained Tsukimi's situation to the store manager a little bit," Miyazawa Itsuki added from the side.

Tsukimi Sakuna nodded blankly and signed a part-time contract with his help. Then, in a daze, she received a uniform from the store.

After changing into his uniform in the changing room, Miyazawa Itsuki walked out.

Meanwhile, Tsukimi Sakuna changed her clothes and officially became an employee of Morizumi Cafe.

"Tsukimi-kun should just take care of the reception and cashier work like me. I might ask Tsukimi-kun to take on more work when I'm too busy with desserts."

Tsukimi Sakuna exclaimed as if she had discovered a new continent: "Miyazawa-kun... can you make desserts?"

"Um... I studied it a little bit," Miyazawa Itsuki vaguely admitted.

Tsukimi Sakuna slightly widened her eyes, hesitated for a moment, and a peculiar expression appeared on her face:

"...Um, I'd like to give it a try."

"What?"

"I want to know what kind of dessert Miyazawa-kun made... I... I'll pay for it!"

"No, how could I possibly take your money? The store manager wouldn't charge these fees either."

Mr. Morizumi is a conscientious employer who lets Miyazawa Itsuki take the desserts to his hospitalized sister for free, saying it's just food waste.

Even when Miyazawa Itsuki wanted to deduct this fee from his salary, Morizumi refused.

Miyazawa Itsuki handed her the menu: "Tsukimi-san, which dessert would you like to try?"

"What does Miyazawa-kun do?"

"I'll make anything on the menu."

"That's amazing."

Looking into Tsukimi Sakuna's shining eyes, Miyazawa Itsuki felt a rare bit embarrassed.

The practice in honing my skills paid off. It feels pretty good to be recognized.

Especially since the other party is a beautiful girl like Tsukimi Sakuna.

Tsukimi Sakuna carefully read the menu before tentatively asking:

"Miyazawa-kun, may I try this?"

Following her finger, Miyazawa saw a milky yellow circle.

Pancakes.

It's a common dessert, but making it well requires a lot of skill.

Miyazawa Itsuki said confidently, "No problem, please wait a moment, Tsukimi-kun."

After greeting the manager, Miyazawa Itsuki went into the kitchen.

Since it's not yet official working hours and there are very few customers, Miyazawa usually finishes the pre-processing of desserts at this time.

Today, we're simply creating a finished product based on the pre-processing.

Yogurt, eggs, baking powder, cake flour...

After processing the pancake ingredients in order and pouring them into an oiled frying pan, Miyazawa Itsuki began to fry the pancakes.

Soon, a honey-colored pancake was ready.

"Please enjoy your meal, Tsukimi-kun."

Miyazawa Itsuki handed the plate containing waffles to Tsukimi Sakuna.

"Thanks."

Tsukimi Sakura gave a polite, slight smile, took the fork, and paused her gaze on the waffle.

...So beautiful.

Although we don't know what it tastes like yet, Miyazawa-kun must have put in a lot of hard work to make the pancakes so perfectly.

He can't cook, but he's really good at making desserts. Who knew he had this side to him?

Tsukimi Sakuna felt like she had met a new Miyazawa Itsuki.

She carefully put the waffle into her mouth and savored it slowly.

...!

Tsukimi Sakura's pupils suddenly wavered.

"How is it?"

Miyazawa Itsuki asked.

Besides crème brûlée, waffles are the dessert that Miyazawa Itsuki has practiced making the most.

Although I'm confident the taste won't be too bad, whether it will catch the eye of Her Highness the Saintess is another matter.

After all, she is a saintess who can make such outstanding dishes, so it is only natural that she has high standards.

"...It's delicious."

Tsukimi Sakura's voice trembled slightly.

Is that a crying voice?

Miyazawa Itsuki thought he might have misheard, because Tsukimi Sakuna quickly returned to her normal self.

It shouldn't be that bad; it's just a waffle.

Unless he has reached the level of an elite or even a master, he wouldn't be confident that he could make people's eyes well up with tears.

Ah, speaking of which, with legendary-level culinary skills, one might be able to create dishes that glow?

"I'm glad you're satisfied, Tsukimi-kun. In the future, I can do other things for you."

For example, caramel pudding or something; Miyazawa Itsuki is also very confident about that.

"...Yes, thank you, Miyazawa-kun."

Tsukimi Sakura took small bites of the waffle, her eyes revealing tenderness.

……

After finishing their work, Miyazawa and his companion changed out of their work clothes and walked home.

During peak hours at work, Tsukimi Sakuna displayed near-perfect qualities, calmly receiving guests.

Not only were her movements fluent in clearing away the tableware, but she also quickly became familiar with the prices of coffee, as if she had been working there for a long time.

In her own words, she "didn't want to disappoint Miyazawa-kun, who introduced her."

These words were so sensible that they brought tears to my eyes.

There was a little incident during this time. The store manager pulled Miyazawa Itsuki to the backstage and secretly asked him about their relationship.

When asked if they were dating, Miyazawa Itsuki dodged the question.

"Does the store manager think a guy like me could get a girlfriend like Tsukimi?"

"That's true."

How rude of you, manager.

I hope you can at least pretend to be something you're not.

Mr. Morizumi then added: "[But I think Asuka is also excellent in ways other than her appearance. With some effort, she might have a chance.]"

[At least she's willing to listen to your introduction and doesn't mind working in the same place as you, so she probably considers you someone she can trust.]

The store manager is more like an elder to Miyazawa Itsuki than an employer, always showing concern for some inexplicable things.

Mrs. Morizumi is even more of a gossip, but she's not in Japan right now, otherwise she would definitely be facing even more difficult questions.

……

On the way back to the apartment, Miyazawa Itsuki accompanied Tsukimi Sakura to the supermarket to buy dinner and groceries for the next few days.

Then they arrived at Tsukimi's house.

Tonight's dinner is hamburger steak. It's a common dish in Japanese family restaurants.

In Tsukimi Sakura's hands, the taste was equally impeccable.

Miyazawa Itsuki resolved the matter swiftly and decisively.

While most people might consider maintaining their image in front of a super beautiful girl like Her Highness the Saint.

But that's something only someone with lingering feelings would care about. Miyazawa Itsuki was too hungry, and Tsukimi Sakura's cooking was too delicious, which was also a sin.

He was thankful that he hadn't crossed any lines with Tsukimi Sakuna, otherwise he certainly wouldn't have been able to taste such a dish again. The basis of their agreement was no longer valid.