My Love Simulation with Them-Chapter 207: Gourmet Captive

It wasn't until Takina Inoue tallied up the day's total revenue that Rio Futaba realized just how much money LycoReco Café had raked in (or rather, bled out of customers) during its open hours.

Over one million yen!

That neat stack of ten-thousand-yen bills—it was hard for Rio to take her eyes off it.

Coming from a well-off family, her monthly allowance far exceeded that of the average high school student. One million yen wasn't a fortune to her—it was just numbers on a bank card. But having that much cash stacked in front of her? That was another story. It was a bit shocking for someone her age.

"Has the restaurant industry in Tokyo... gotten this profitable?" Rio murmured, stepping closer in awe.

She vividly remembered how deserted LycoReco had looked when she first arrived—barely a soul in sight.

Yet when dinner hour hit, it was like some invisible force had summoned a flood of customers—they just poured in like waves, unstoppable.

Was the food industry really this lucrative now? It felt like they were just plucking cash straight from people's wallets.

Rio stared, astonished.

"That's probably just the Minami magic at work," Mizuki Nakahara said, pulling a cigarette pack from her pocket. But with so many minors around, she hesitated for a moment and slipped it back in. She winked at Rio, grinning. "As long as Minami's running the kitchen, we don't even need to think about the numbers. Calling it 'crazy profits' would be an understatement. Hehe... Say, Futaba-san, he roped you in too, huh? How's he at school?"

"Eh...?" The sudden shift to herself caught Rio off guard. "Minami?"

"Yeah. You two must get along pretty well, right? Otherwise you wouldn't be here helping out. How long have you known him?"

Mizuki looked playful and casual—hardly the image of a responsible adult—but as her gaze roamed over Rio's appearance, she was a little surprised.

Rio, with her refined looks and elegant air, could easily stand shoulder to shoulder with Chisato Nishikigi or Takina Inoue.

Under her gaze, Rio stammered slightly, her cheeks tinged red. "Not long... I've only known Minami for about two days."

"Huh?!"

Mizuki inhaled sharply.

Two days? Just two days and Minami had already managed to bring such a stunning girl into LycoReco to help out?

Even rockets didn't move that fast.

"That guy... he's really something else in every sense of the word," Mizuki muttered, half in awe, half envious. If she had even half of Minami's ability to connect with women, finding a decent man wouldn't be an issue.

But—oh well!

She shelved that thought for now and turned to her real concern.

"So, back to my question—what's Minami like at school?"

"Eh?"

"Oh come on, spill! That guy's been riding me hard lately—I can barely breathe! He even made me quit drinking recently," she groaned, shaking her tiny fist in faux frustration. "He's gotten way too cocky lately. I've been dying to find his weakness and knock him down a peg."

As she explained, Mizuki's tone brimmed with resentment.

Ever since Minami started working at LycoReco, her days of carefree drinking and slacking had plummeted. Not long ago, this younger man even outright forbade her from drinking.

She'd tried to resist, but now that Minami had the full backing of the manager, Chisato, and Takina—in other words, he'd reached "final form"—her attempts at rebellion were futile.

So she'd been hoping to dig up some dirt on him, to at least preserve some shred of adult dignity in front of him.

Rio hesitated for a bit, then finally responded. "Minami's always first in our grade... I guess you could say he's highly respected. At least among our peers and underclassmen, he's well known—pretty much no one dares mess with him."

"What? Always first? That guy?"

Mizuki gawked at her words, disbelief etched across her face.

She had always thought Minami—this faux-spiritualist—was just a charming playboy at school.

He often came to help at LycoReco, so Rio Futaba figured there was no way he could also manage his studies.

But when his academic performance came up and Rio casually mentioned it—

Mizuki Nakahara couldn't help rubbing her temples.

Top of the class.

That one phrase explained everything.

Top-tier cooking skills, perfect academic scores, plus that naturally refined appearance and demeanor...

"Is this guy even human?" Mizuki muttered, practically tearing her hair out trying to find Minami's weaknesses.

"Give it up, Mizuki," Kurumi said, glancing over from her handheld console, clearly enjoying the show. "You can't win against Minami."

"Excuse me?! Kurumi, you're one to talk! That guy banned you from playing games during work hours! Don't you feel even the slightest bit annoyed about that?"

Mizuki looked ready to explode.

"Well... annoyed? Sure, I'm a little annoyed..." Kurumi's expression faltered, but she quickly ducked back behind her handheld. "So? What do you want me to do about it?"

"What do I want to do? Fight back, of course! We need to show that kid Minami the power of LycoReco's veteran staff! We can't let him rule the roost like this!"

Mizuki was fired up, practically shaking with righteous fury.

"Seriously? You start with this kind of talk and if Minami hears about it, you're—"

Kurumi's tone showed hesitation—she was tempted, but at least she had some sense.

And then—

"What is it that I shouldn't hear about?"

Minami's voice came from behind them.

"N-nothing, we didn't say anything, Minami-sama."

"Yes, nothing at all, Minami-sama."

Kurumi immediately dropped her game console. Mizuki's furious energy vanished. Both of them, under Rio's bewildered gaze, sat upright in seiza—knees together, backs straight, hands on thighs—in a flash, eyes front.

Rio's jaw dropped.

Turning on a dime didn't even begin to describe this.

But—

"Hm?"

Minami glanced at them coolly.

Then—

"Mizuki-san, Kurumi. Your monthly allowance for cigarettes and gaming money? Reduced by 15%."

"EH?! Why?! Why are you slashing our allowances?! And by that much?!"

Both women were in shock.

"Because I think you were talking behind my back," Minami replied calmly, sipping his water.

"What? You think? That's it?! No way! Down with tyranny! You can't treat us like this—we're LycoReco's veterans! We've bled for this café!"

They were outraged.

Minami's response was simple.

"Keep going and I'll cut your free staff meals too."

"Ugh—"

It was like he'd struck their very lifeblood.

The rebellious energy instantly drained from them, and in front of Rio's astonished eyes, the two returned to their obedient kneeling, hands meekly folded in their laps, saying nothing.

They looked utterly pitiful.

Rio felt an odd wave of sympathy for them.

But Minami clearly didn't.

Mizuki was always drinking and flirting with guys during shifts. Kurumi wouldn't stop gaming—even making customers wait to place orders until she saved her game.

Neither of them were exactly model employees.

Pitying them was bad for his blood pressure.

And anyway, he'd only slashed their pocket money. No big deal.

"Did they say anything strange while I was gone?" Minami turned to Rio.

"Ah... um..."

Rio glanced over at Mizuki and Kurumi—both staring at her with pleading eyes.

Her heart softened.

"They didn't say anything."

"Really? Then I'll cut another 5%."

Minami blinked, speaking nonchalantly.

"What—?!"

Mizuki and Kurumi snapped, about to rise—

"Hm?"

Minami let out a long nasal hum.

Plop. The two sank back into proper kneeling like puppets on strings.

They looked so pitiful Rio couldn't help but try to defend them.

"Hey... Minami, didn't I just say they didn't do anything?"

"Oh? Then another 5%."

"Wait—Minami—"

"Another 5%."

"N-no, Min—"

"Please stop, Rio-onee-san!"

Kurumi was on the verge of tears. "Any more and we'll be broke!"

A quarter of their allowance was already gone.

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If Rio kept trying to help, she'd lose her entire gaming budget.

"Yeah, Rio-san, we beg you," Mizuki added, dropping all pretense of adult dignity.

Rio shut her mouth.

Seeing that, Minami just smiled and shook his head before disappearing into the kitchen to prepare the staff meals.

As soon as he left, the oppressive atmosphere lifted instantly.

"Damn it! If it weren't for wanting to eat that guy's cooking, I'd never bow down like that!" Kurumi grumbled, glaring after him.

"Exactly!" Mizuki fumed. "What's so great about him? So what if he's hot, gets good grades, and is a genius in the kitchen?!"

Their muttering stirred Rio's curiosity.

"Is Minami's cooking really that good?"

She vividly remembered how empty LycoReco had been when she first arrived. But once Minami fired up the stove, customers had swarmed in, even spilling outside under umbrellas and extra tables.

Could his food really be that amazing?

"Looks like Rio-san hasn't eaten his cooking yet," Mizuki said, clicking her tongue. "Picture the best thing you've ever tasted. Now multiply that by two. That's what Minami's cooking is like. In cooking, I gotta hand it to him."

She was completely serious.

Rio blinked.

"Is it really that over the top?"

She couldn't quite believe it.

As someone who dined at upscale restaurants, Rio had tasted plenty of gourmet cuisine.

Could Minami really top all that? Multiply it by two?

"Of course. You'll see. Words can't explain it."

Even Kurumi nodded confidently.

No matter their complaints, neither had a single doubt about his skills.

Minami... so even in the workplace, he was this respected?

Rio took in their conviction and couldn't help thinking—

She was more curious than ever about Minami.

Not the Minami from school—but the one outside of it.

As a friend, she wanted to know him more.

And just then—

"Dinner's ready!"

Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue appeared with trays, setting them down for everyone—including Rio.

And the moment the dark-red lacquered tray landed in front of her—

The aroma hit her.

A fragrant, irresistible scent, defying reason.

And with just that one breath—

Rio finally understood why Mizuki and Kurumi let Minami "bully" them.

Just one smell—

And you couldn't help but become a captive to this incredible food.