Chapter 533: LWH Chapter 528: The Snake House

"It’s a bit sudden, but Boss-kun, are you interested in learning guitar from me?"

Momoka asked Asakura while wiping a glass behind the bar. Her movements and demeanor carried the mature aura of a "big sister" bar owner, making it difficult to associate her with a cute, dessert-style shop.

"It really is sudden," Asakura choked slightly while eating a snack. "Why ask all of a sudden?"

Because Boss-kun, you look like a natural-born rock star!

"Because Boss-kun, you look like you were born with a talent for playing with girls’ hearts."

"You swapped what you were thinking with what you actually said."

"...Since that’s the case, I won’t pretend anymore. Boss-kun, are you really not going to capsize while ’nine-timing’ like this?" Momoka asked, throwing caution to the wind.

Asakura looked speechless. "Where are you getting ’nine-timing’ from..."

Yukino, Mochi, Chihaya x2, and Yanami—there were only a few regulars in the Magic Club. Even counting the middle schoolers Ruri and Kaju, that was only seven people.

"While I’m not entirely sure, Boss-kun, you probably have something going on with that Bocchi kid too, right? Plus, Kita has been looking at you strangely the past couple of days. Doesn’t that make nine?" Momoka set down her glass and counted on her fingers with a mischievous grin.

"Your bonus is gone." Asakura utilized the innate skill of a capitalist.

"I’ll stop talking." Momoka made a zipping motion over her light pink, unlipsticked lips, following her heart (and her wallet).

"Besides, I have no interest in the guitar. Though you might not know it, I actually do play an instrument." Asakura had no interest in the "wails of a loser." He knew she wasn’t just admitting she was wrong; she just realized she wouldn’t be able to afford the Dassai sake she had been eyeing this month.

"Eh? Boss-kun, you actually play an instrument?" Despite mourning her bonus, Momoka was drawn in by the revelation. "What is it? The bass? I remember you saying you wanted to buy Kita’s bass before..."

"No, it’s the Erhu."

"..." Momoka wore an expression that screamed, ’What on earth is that?’ Her pride as a (former) musician prevented her from asking, so she could only offer an awkward smile.

Asakura admired her awkwardness for a moment before setting down his fork—he had finished the leftover snacks on the plate.

"I’m heading home. You can close up in a little while."

"But aren’t there still quite a few desserts left?" Momoka followed Asakura’s lead in changing the subject, feeling like she’d been granted a pardon. "It’s not that late yet. Wouldn’t it be fine to stay open a bit longer?"

"No," Asakura said decisively. "There’s no need. The Rabbit Dango is already sold out anyway. The chefs probably had a communication breakdown today; in short, it was a lapse in judgment. The desserts they made overlap too much—they’re all the high-sugar variety."

"Can that even be called a mistake?" Momoka looked at the exquisite pastries in the display case, the kind that usually only appeared in cooking videos, and doubted Asakura’s definition of a "lapse." "They all look delicious!" She suspected Asakura just had a sugar craving and wanted to pack them all up to take home.

"High-sugar snacks need to be paired with drinks." Asakura stood up, looking down at Momoka. "Usually coffee or black tea... Do I need to continue?"

"No need." Momoka shrunk back, completely losing the high-spirited aura she had when playing guitar. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Summer break is starting soon, so Kita and Ruri will have more time to work here... but unfortunately, due to personal reasons, neither of them are the type to put too much energy into a part-time job." Asakura sighed. "The best-case scenario is that their schedules alternate, one day each. But I doubt that’s likely. There will definitely be gaps, and during those times, I’ll need you to step up, Miss Momoka."

"Boss-kun, you should have said that part sooner! After the first half, I thought you were going to say ’You’re not needed anymore’ or ’Momoka? I don’t know a kid by that name.’ I was already mentally prepared to be back on the streets." Momoka breathed a sigh of relief.

"I’m not firing you for now. After all, Kita came here for you."

"Boss-kun, that sentence makes me feel like ’As soon as I find a replacement for Kita, I can kick you out.’ Is that just my imagination?"

"...Hahaha."

"Please, quickly say it’s just my imagination!"

"Anyway, remember to clean the shop thoroughly after closing. In a food shop, if you aren’t diligent, cockroaches and rats will appear," Asakura said.

"I feel like Boss-kun just skillfully (?) brushed me off..." Momoka muttered. Then, she added with a strangely proud tone, "Though it might sound unbelievable, I don’t think we need to worry about rats."

"How so?" Asakura looked at her, puzzled.

"For some reason, rats seem terrified of our shop," Momoka explained. "A couple of days ago, a rat was found in the mochi shop, Tamaya. The owner and his daughter, Tamako, chased it through the shopping district for ages. The rat probably got so stressed it turned around and bolted straight toward Rabbit House. I was just watching for the spectacle and got scared half to death thinking it would run inside, but as soon as it hit our doorstep, it froze, like it was paralyzed by something. It didn’t dare come in."

Momoka made a home-run swinging gesture. "In the end, the owner of the mochi shop took it out with a broom—wham."

Seeing Asakura’s unbothered expression, she felt confused. "Boss-kun, don’t you find that strange?"

"I think it’s 80% likely the smell of your coffee scared it off. They say a rat’s sense of smell is sharper than a dog’s. To a rat, your ’sludge’ coffee probably smells like the ’All the World’s Evil,’" Asakura bullshitted with a straight face.

He, of course, knew the real reason. Rabbit House was one of the exits of his base; it needed proper protection. The number of snakes in the building had already reached four digits. It was essentially a "Snake House" wearing the skin of a dessert shop. Facing that many natural predators (some of which were magically modified to suppress rodents), no rat—no matter how brave—would enter. How was that different from jumping straight into a snake’s mouth?