500 Pages: InuOkko

Chapter 4

Yuuta walked down the narrow stairwell, hoping the tiredness from his eyes would wear off before reaching the bottom. Inumaki hadn't set an exact time to wake up, but it wasn't like Yuuta had done much sleeping anyway. The bed was a plush mattress, which was actually delightful - the fault lay with the pillow and lack of a blanket.

"Wow, you look like shit this morning," Maki's voice cut through the thick island air.

Yuuta had pulled on a gray sweatshirt and a pair of joggers before leaving his room. It was too hot for them. The fact was, Yuuta hadn't bought clothes for the climate. The mainland was still somewhat cool in the mornings, especially in the shady cities.

"Good morning Ms. Zen - I mean Maki," Yuuta choked out.

"Damn right you mean Maki. I'm not a "miss" either. I am pretty sure you're older than me," Maki's sharp tongue was awake.

"I didn't know what time to get out of bed, so I just figured an hour before we opened would be a good bet," Yuuta said.

"Well, you're up before the head chef. He probably won't get out of bed until five minutes before opening," Maki explained.

Her hair was tied up, as it had been the day prior. Instead of a pantsuit, she was wearing a lacy charcoal top and some hip-hugging jeans. It took Yuuta more than a second to recognize her.

"What? Have you never seen a woman before?" Maki raised an eyebrow.

Yuuta waved his hands in front of his face, "Sorry! I wasn't trying to stare! I was just-"

She cut him off, "You were just up too late last night being fed like a starving puppy?"

Yuuta blushed, "Something like that."

"I know almost nothing about you. That's not an invitation to give me a synopsis of your life or anything. I just wanted to make that clear. As far as I am concerned, we are roommates," Maki said.

"Okay, cool. I guess," Yuuta ran his fingers through his greasy hair.

"You have to serve customers today. If you walk around looking half-dead, you're only going to mess up business. Go take a shower, and wear some clothes that won't make you melt," Maki said.

"I'll do the shower, but I don't exactly have outfits screaming summertime," Yuuta replied.

"Ugh, fine. Café business is my business because Inumaki pays my bills. I'll make extra coffee and give a call to Gojo. I'm sure he has something you can borrow," Maki shook her head.

"Really?" Yuuta smiled.

"Don't take this as a gesture for you. This is merely me trying to give this café a much-needed glow-up. Like it or not, having a single worker who doesn't speak to customers is a nose-turner. Some people don't mind accessibility in hospitality, but equally as many do. You're our golden goose this summer, so let's lay some eggs," Maki chanted.

"That's kind of messed up. I get it, I guess, but I didn't think it would matter that much," Yuuta said.

"You would be surprised what a Karen can say about a place. Part of the reason I told Inumaki about the register system is because we can set up codes per table; people can order on their phones and he wouldn't have to interface with them," Maki explained.

"I guess he's kind of stubborn then, huh?" Yuuta said.

"You don't know half of it. I worked here when his parents were still around; they were just as bad. People are gross. Anyway, go get cleaned up," Maki said.

Yuuta did as he was told. He marched back up the stairs and entered his room. The bed was still in disarray, but without a blanket, it didn't seem that bad. One of the bags Yuuta had packed was filled with random small souvenirs as well as his toothbrush and soaps.