Chapter 83
To be honest, Mineo himself hadn't expected that a single type of ingredient could lure Kobayashi Rindo all the way from her hometown to his doorstep.
Now that she was actually here, there was no way he could just kick her out the moment she finished her meal!
Mineo felt a slight headache coming on. After thinking for a moment, he turned to Rindo and said:
"Fine, fine, fine. Since you called me 'Daddy' so many times earlier and it put me in a pretty good mood, I'll be generous. I'll give you the rest of that Elephant Kong meat."
"Since you've already made the trip to my restaurant, don't be in such a hurry to leave. It's fine to hang out for a few days. There are guest rooms upstairs; just pick whichever one you like and make yourself at home."
"Now, that's more like it!"
Rindo skipped over to Mineo's side, flashed her signature grin—showing off those cute little fangs—and reached out to pat him on the shoulder.
"We've been good friends for years, after all! If you didn't treat me well, I'd be heartbroken!"
"Say, Mineo-kun, let's talk about one more thing, shall we?"
"Besides the Elephant Kong meat, how about letting me use some of the other ingredients in your pantry? In exchange, what if I handle the cleaning around here for the next few days?"
"Damn, Rindo, you're way too ruthless! You want to swindle my precious ingredients just by helping clean for a couple of days? Do I look that easy to fool?"
"I think Mineo-kun will definitely agree! After all, we're friends, right...?"
Rindo's beautiful eyes flickered, as if she were sending out an electric, alluring charm. This girl—since the direct approach didn't work, she knew exactly how to play the "soft" card. Impressive, Rindo!
Truth be told, the rare ingredients Rindo was so desperate for were nothing special in Mineo's eyes, but giving them away for free felt like a losing deal.
There's an old saying that if you don't take an advantage when it's offered, you're a fool. So, Mineo began to wonder: what kind of "payment" from Rindo would actually be worth it?
"Wait here, Rindo. I'm going to go grab something!"
"Grab something? Like what?"
"You'll see in a second. Just stay put."
Under Rindo's curious gaze, Mineo headed straight upstairs. A moment later, he returned carrying a set of clothes.
"Rindo, you want the ingredients I have, right? Then let's make a real trade!"
"Just cleaning the restaurant is boring, and I'd be losing out. Let's change the terms."
"How about being a Maid here for a few days? Besides cleaning, you'll need to handle things like serving tea and pouring water. If you agree, change into this Maid Uniform and let me enjoy the view for a while."
"Takamine Mineo, you...!"
Rindo suddenly had the urge to find a baseball bat and start swinging. Even if my personality is bold, you can't just bully people like this! I'm still a girl, you know? You're seriously telling me to be a maid in your house?
Rindo gritted her teeth, her glare looking sharp enough to swallow Mineo alive.
"I'm telling you, Mineo-kun, we're friends. Friends... friends shouldn't need to be so formal with each other..."
"Sure, we're friends, but who told you to keep saying I was bragging? I'm just giving you a profound lesson. Look, even if you work as a Maid for a few days, you're still coming out ahead. Do you have any idea how much these ingredients of mine are worth? You tasted a bit earlier. If these were sold on the open market, believe me, people would be fighting to buy them for millions of dollars. Working as a Maid for a few days to get your hands on wild ingredients that millions can't buy... aren't you the one getting the bargain here?"
Clever as Rindo was, she found herself completely cornered by Mineo's logic. She had already tasted the food, and she could feel its true value.
Wealthy people would indeed drop a fortune just to experience a legendary dish. When put that way, working as a maid for a few days for those ingredients actually seemed like a steal!
It was just... it was just that her... a girl with her personality... how could she possibly stand wearing a Maid Uniform!
Rindo looked at the outfit in Mineo's hands. Usually bold and carefree, her face unexpectedly flushed a deep red.
Under normal circumstances, if someone said to her, "Hey, Kobayashi, try on this Maid Uniform!" Rindo guaranteed she would have cracked their skull open.
But right now, there were so many rare ingredients making her heart race that she really didn't want to say "no"!
Despite the overwhelming urge to throw the uniform into Mineo's face, Rindo ultimately chose the path of practical gain.
"You really are cruel!"
"Takamine Mineo, I finally realize it now! You planned this trap for me on purpose!"
"Fine! A Maid, right? I'll do it!"
"But besides those ingredients, you have to let me have one kitchen all to myself."
"A kitchen to use? That's no problem. But Rindo, I have to tell you, I'm not giving you everything. You can only have a third of each ingredient! It wasn't easy to get these things, you know. Can you live with that?"
"Only a third?"
Rindo frowned slightly, but she quickly calmed down. She had never even heard of these mysterious foods in her entire life; they must be incredibly difficult to source.
The fact that he was willing to give her a third suggested that deep down, Mineo-kun really did consider her a close friend. Thinking this way, her opinion of Mineo shot up quite a bit. If only the guy wasn't so annoying with his words, she might actually like him more.
Rindo stared at Mineo's handsome face, but no matter how she looked at it, his smile felt a little irritating.
That look in his eyes... was he already impatient to enjoy the sight of her in a Maid Uniform? Rindo gritted her teeth and snatched the clothes from Mineo's hands! After finding a changing room, it took a full five minutes...
Finally, Rindo emerged from the room wearing the black-and-white Maid Uniform. Her movements were shy, and her entire body felt awkward!
"Takamine Mineo, I didn't expect a restaurant you run by yourself to actually have something like a Maid Uniform lying around!"
"Have you been planning to turn this place into a Maid Cafe for a long time?"
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