Chapter 8: Overcoming the Crisis of a Failing Business – Part 1

Anii’s family ran a small set-meal restaurant.

It was only a minute or two’s walk from my own home, and I’d eaten there several times before.

Originally, Anii’s parents had managed the place, but nowadays, her older sister had taken over as the proprietress.

The restaurant had a decent number of regular customers, and during lunchtime, it used to be bustling enough to form a line outside… or at least, it had been.

“…Are they even open?”

Just past noon, I stood in front of Anii’s restaurant, tilting my head in confusion. Normally, this hour would still be busy, yet the place was eerily silent. Not a single sound came from inside.

By contrast…

“When did a rival open up across the street?”

Almost directly opposite Anii’s restaurant, a new eatery had opened. It seemed to be in the same business—serving food—but there was something immediately noticeable about it.

Even though lunchtime was nearly over, a long line still stretched out the door. Strangely, the line was composed entirely of men.

“Next customer, please~”

A female employee poked her head out from the store. That alone sent the men in line into cheers of “Ooooh!”

She was stunningly beautiful. Her figure was perfect, and she wore an outfit that no one would normally expect a restaurant worker to wear. Her skirt was scandalously short, revealing her thighs without a hint of shame, and the top was cut wide open, showing her cleavage boldly.

Looking closer, I could see that inside, several women dressed in the same provocative manner were working.

Clearly, the men were drawn not by the food, but by the women themselves.

“You there… haven’t had lunch yet? Would you like to come in? You might have to wait a bit, but… I’d really, really like you to eat here, okay?”

I had been standing there, staring blankly—definitely not ogling—and was suddenly addressed in that teasing, sultry tone. The woman leaned slightly forward, her eyes tilted upward, whispering as if tempting me.

No way—I’m not lining up for that.

“I—I already ate!” I blurted, flustered.

“Oh, what a shame! Come back soon, okay?”

I forced my gaze away from her chest and bolted toward Anii’s restaurant. Inside, the place was deserted. The sound of a lone bird crying in the distance might have been less lonely than this. It seemed that all the customers had been drawn away by that other restaurant.

“Hey, stop it, Oneesan!”

“Don’t stop me, Anii! This is the only way left! If we don’t do something, the restaurant Mom and Dad left us will be finished!”

“Even Mom and Dad wouldn’t want you to go this far!”

Voices argued from the back of the shop. Curious, I followed the sounds and soon saw Anii’s older sister—Alicia—appear.

“W-welcome, cu-u-u-stomers~♡”

She was practically naked. The only thing covering her was a pink, frilly apron that did little to hide her form.

Yes, Alicia had chosen to greet me dressed in nothing but an apron. And she was using an unbearably high-pitched, cutesy voice while doing it.

“…Ah, it’s you, Geo.”

“Ah, y-yes, sorry…” I mumbled, caught off guard.

“Wait, what’s with that outfit?”

“This? Hehe… what do you think? Exciting, isn’t it?”

Alicia ran her fingers through her hair and swayed her hips provocatively.

Uh… even when forced upon someone like that, it’s more off-putting than alluring. I froze, unsure how to respond. Just then, Anii arrived, slightly out of breath.

“Oneesan, seriously, stop! This is embarrassing! Oh, Geo—you came.”

“What’s going on here?”

“You saw it too, right? That new rival across the street. They put their pretty women in sexy outfits and stole all the customers, so Oneesan thought she’d fight back the same way.”

Ah… so that’s why the apron.

Alicia bellowed in frustration.

“Because of that place, we’ve been running a deficit for months! If we want to fight back, we have to wear even more revealing clothes!”

“Oneesan… that plan has a fatal flaw,” Anii said calmly.

“Wh-what are you talking about…?”

Anii jabbed a finger firmly at her sister’s chest.

“It’s because you’re flat-chested! That won’t tempt any men!”

“Gyaaahhh!”

Yeah… I hate to say it, but Alicia really didn’t have much up top.

Anii, on the other hand, was well-developed. Unfortunately, she wasn’t interested in romance at all, but even through her clothes, it was obvious she had a full chest.

“Then fine, Anii! You’re the one wearing this outfit!”

“W-what? No way! Absolutely not!”

“Please! Think of it as helping your Oneesan!”

“No! I’m an adventurer, for crying out loud!”

The sisters argued loudly, a familiar scene of chaotic affection I couldn’t tell was love or annoyance.

“Um… Anii, you wanted to ask me something, right?”

“Oh, right. I want to use the meat and vegetables you grow at your place in our dishes.”

“Wait, Anii, what does that mean?”

Alicia cut in.

“Oneesan, this guy’s got some… outrageous garden at home.”

“It’s a home garden,” I corrected.

“A home garden?”

“The meat and vegetables he grows there are amazing! We should definitely use them! If we make dishes with that, customers will come back for sure! That’s way better than some failed sexy-girl gimmick that no one wants!”

“Failed…?”

Hearing her little sister say it outright, Alicia collapsed dramatically to the floor.