[Maid Cafe 5]

When he confirmed the story with the self-proclaimed saba saba girl, more facts were revealed. 

She mentioned several more loans from consumer credit companies. The amount of money she had borrowed had increased with the number of shops, to several million yen in total. Even if she worked honestly, it would take her years to pay off the debt. 

"But you're also borrowing from Town Finance, aren't you, young lady? ......:"

"You know them? "

"They're a money lender for an organisation that's in dispute with us over some land here."

The place was still the same, a rest area in the back yard of the maid café. Everyone is seated at a table for discussion. In addition to Nishino, Oyabun and Igarashi are sitting on chairs. Behind them can be seen the figure of Kotetsu, standing upright with his back straight. 

Nishino and Igarashi are sitting side by side, and Ohno is sitting in front of them. 

The owner of the restaurant, by the way, has retreated into the office space behind the partition. He watches animal videos on his office computer to soothe his worn-out mental health. His favourite is a capybara soaking in a hot spring. 

123

"...... That's a pain in the ass."

"Young master, the way they do things is very serious, isn't it? On the face of it, it's a legitimate finance company, but the only people they lend money to are young women and men with good looks. They have a lot of people behind them, like the dating business and so on, and this is how they get people to come in."

"Oh, that's what you're looking for?"

"That's right. The moneylender is just the entrance, and you find yourself immersed in it. It doesn't take long to fall into the trap of borrowing money from a moneylender."

"Scouting is now illegal." 

"We have to use our brains. there are a lot more people willing to sell themselves than there were a long time ago, so it's not that difficult to get a lot of people if you don't care about your face or body."

"The time has come for the yakuza to lend money in a straightforward manner......" 

"No, it's not just the yakuza we're dealing with. There are also some thugs working behind the scenes, but they are independent of each other, and the network of black money and scams is still growing here and there."

" I see. "

"That's why they don't mind using the police. We can't move as far as we want because of the scrutiny around us, but they can do whatever they want. If we make a move, they come flying at us, so it's really unbearable."

124

" That's because you guys are bad, so it can't be helped."

"...... If you say so, well, so be it! " 

The two main talkers are Nishino and Ohno. Igarashi listens, shrinking back. 

"In any case, I'll need to meet with them to discuss it." 

"Can you be there?"

"Do you know the boss of the other company? " 

"I know the guy who's in charge of this thing. But I have no idea where he stands in the organization."

He took out a business card from his pocket and placed it on the table for Nishino to see. On it, alongside the name of the shop, which was confirmed by the self-proclaimed saba saba girl, and the company name "Town Finance", was the name and contact details of the person who appeared to be the manager of the company. 

"Then let's start from here....."

He took one look at the card and stood up from his chair. He put his hands in the pockets of his pants and turned on his heel to get away from the others. The master, flustered by this, lifted his ass out of his chair and called out to him. 

125

"Um, can I get you a car?"

"No need. I'll find out who they are first." 

"Oh, I see, I see......." 

"Then we can get in. You guys stay put, okay?"

"I understand. Young master, please do not hesitate to help us."

The boss rose from his seat and bowed reverently. 

This was followed in a great hurry by Kotetsu. 

Watching them out of the corner of his eye, Nishino left the resting space. When he leaves the room, he's ready to impress the self-proclaimed saba saba girl. He is a virgin who is always ready to approach the opposite sex. 

"......"

And this, surprisingly, looked good in Igarashi's eyes. 

◇ ◆ ◇

After leaving the boss and the self-proclaimed saba saba girl, Nishino went on his way to the Marquis. 

126

They are trying to find out the identity of the person they have identified on the card. 

On the other hand, Rose and Gabriella are in a hurry to find out what happened to Nishino. Gabriella had told Rose that Nishino had received a phone call from a female employee at his place of work. 

It was just after school, when Igarashi contacted him. 

The girls are not at peace with the fact that he has been acting strangely friendly with them. 

In addition, when he visited their place of work even today when they were not working, they could not leave him alone. Naturally, the two girls chase after him. 

However, their arrival was just in time to catch up with Nishino and Oyabun. 

The man they are looking for is not at his part-time job. 

Their attention is drawn to a woman who is messing with him. 

There is an office space in the rear of the store. Rose and Gabriella are going through shelves of papers. They are looking for personal information about the self-proclaimed saba saba girl. More specifically, their current address and contact details. 

They wanted to get ahead of the game and scare her. 

It's the Yakuza way. 

127 

Fortunately, the owner returned to work in the kitchen after Nishino and Oyabun left. Thanks to the animal videos he had watched repeatedly, his work ethic seems to have returned. So now there is no one to be seen in the background. 

And so it was a while before anyone went through the shelves where the files were stored.

"Sister, isn't this right ?" 

Gabu-chan seemed to have found something and shouted. 

In her hand, she held up a resume. 

"...... Looks like it." 

Rose took it and checked the residence of the person she was investigating. 

The address field was filled in exactly as it should be. 

Shortly afterwards, she heard footsteps clacking through the wall. The sound of the soles of the shoes hitting the floor must have belonged to a female staff member working at the restaurant. It seemed that she had come back to the rear yard from the hall for her break. 

The other person felt the presence of a person at the end of the wall and raised her voice. 

"Oh, is the owner here?"

A colleague murmurs casually, and Rose and Gabriella make their way to the break area. The self-proclaimed saba saba girl resume in their hands is copied onto Rose's phone as photo and then quickly placed back on the shelf where it belonged.  

"What, Rose and Gabriella?"

128

"What do you want from the owner?" 

When her colleague asked, Rose replied with an unconcerned look on her face. 

It was a part-time maid who, like the girls, appeared to be a student.

She is a girl with black hair, black eyes and no other distinguishing features. Her facial features were average. By the owner's standards, she was right on the edge of being hired. 

"It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I thought I'd take a break. Isn't it hard to feel at ease when the owner is around? He's a bit scary, isn't he? Oh, and by the way, between the two of you, ......"

Apparently, she is quite a talkative person. 

She began to talk to Rose and Gabriella about this and that. 

It was about their fight in the changing room yesterday. 

"The person who smeared mayonnaise on Gabriella-chan's clothes seems to be Igarashi, who also works there. Someone said they saw her in a hurry in the room just before they went into the changing room."

" Is that so ?"

"Well, I didn't see her in person, so I can't be sure." 

".......I see"

129

"Oh, and it's a secret that I told you both, okay?" 

She puts her index finger in front of her mouth and makes an action like that. 

To this, Gabu-chan thanked her honestly.  

"I understand. Thank you for telling me." 

"Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go."

Now that they had what they wanted, they didn't have to stay long. After saying goodbye to their colleague, who seemed to want to continue the conversation, Rose and Gabriella quickly left the place. 

The sky was already dark as they walked out the door, wondering if they should head to the house of the self-proclaimed saba saba girl. 

After some deliberation, they decided to return to the share house. 

It's important to punish a romantic rival. But spending time together with Nishino is even more important to the girls. For this reason alone, Rose is in charge of the daily meals. It is a time that they cannot live without. 

◇ ◆ ◇

The next day, after school, Nishino received a phone call from Marquis, who was waiting to hear from him. 

130

As he was getting ready to leave the classroom, he heard a buzzing noise on his phone. As usual, the Futsumen were excited to hear from Igarashi, but what appeared on the phone was a call from his employer. 

"...... Igarashi isn't there?" 

"That's right, Nishino-san. She has a shift today, but she hasn't come to the shop. I tried to call her several times, but she never answered, so I thought maybe she might know something."

Before long, the owner was always speaking respectfully to Nishino. 

There was a hint of trepidation in the tone of his voice as he answered. 

"No, I haven't been contacted about this." 

" Is that so ... "

He sits down in his seat, crosses his legs exaggeratedly and talks. 

His phone has been strangely lively of late. His classmates have taken notice of his appearance. In addition to this, there is a lot of attention from the middle to lower caste boys. They stare in annoyance, wondering if it's another call from a woman. 

It doesn't help that they can't help but overhear the pretentiousness of the conversation. 

As Christmas draws nearer and nearer, the outcry from the rest of the guys who don't have girlfriends is getting louder and louder. A few of them were inspired to confess their feelings to their classmates, only to be rejected and to stop going to school. Such a situation in the class also increased the jealousy of the boys. 

131

"If you hear from her, could you put her through to me?" 

"In that case, I'll pay her a visit." 

"What? Oh, you don't mind, do you? " 

"There's also the matter of the other day. I'm sure you're worried about a woman living alone."

In some cases, she may have gotten into trouble, or so Nishino thought. There was more than one place she could have borrowed money from. It was also possible that other organisations had contacted her. 

At the same time, it would be a good opportunity for him to see her home. It was the faint hope of a virgin that he might be invited to her room and treated to a cup of tea. In fact, Igarashi is positively considering inviting him to her home. 

"Well, in that case, um, thank you very much." 

"Do you mind if you send me the address?" 

" Is it okay to send to the address listed in her resume ? " 

"That's okay . "

"Please excuse the trouble."  

"Yeah, okay."

132

The owner ended the call with a message. 

The Futsumen tilts his head slightly and stares at the phone in his hand. He seems distressed by the situation. The fact that his classmates see his casual behaviour as a sign of pretentiousness makes it all the more difficult to deal with. 

"...... Let's pay her a visit, just in case." 

He continued to mutter to no one in particular. 

This again struck a nerve with everyone present. 

The students of Class 2A are the true believers in the saying, If you hate the boy, you hate the girl. Even the most casual gesture can be seen as cynical. So much so that these days, if you try to act a bit cool, you'll be told that you're just like Nishino. 

It's all Nishino's own fault. 

With the eyes of his classmates on him, the Futsumen left the classroom. 

◇ ◆ ◇

While Nishino left the classroom after being contacted by the owner, Rose and Gabriella, who had left the school earlier, followed the information on the resume they had obtained yesterday and arrived at the flat where the self-proclaimed saba saba girl would be living.

133 

"Is this the apartment ? " 

"The address on the resume is here."

Standing on the corner of a residential street, she lived in an old wooden house, probably over forty years old. It was a small, two-storey, eight-unit apartment building for single people. The exterior metal corridor was rusted down to the handrails and the exterior walls were cracked. 

The grounds are overgrown with weeds. In the corner, there is a wrecked bicycle that looks like it has been abandoned for several years. There are also some other things lying around, such as cans of unknown use, and what looks like waste. 

Most of the laundry on the balcony was done by a middle-aged man living alone. Even at a quick glance, I was not sure if this was a place for a woman of her age. In fact, half of the tenants are already retired, receiving pensions or welfare benefits. 

"You live in a very poor place, don't you?" 

"No wonder it's so easy to sneak in. You can wait here." 

Leaving Gabriella behind, Rose walked on alone. 

She went to room 103. 

With the front door in sight, she covers the peephole with a piece of plastic tape from her pocket. 

134

She reached for the doorknob and twisted it gently. 

It seems to be locked and does not turn properly. 

After a few moments of fumbling with the doorknob, she presses her ear to the door, her attention sharpened as if she were looking for signs of life in the room. She waited for a few seconds, but could not hear anything. 

She also rang the doorbell, but there was no response. 

"...... Nobody's there..." 

"What are you going to do?" 

"Stay there and see if anyone comes."

With Gabriella at one end, Rose reached into her pocket. 

She took out a set of tools that she uses for picking. 

She plunged it into the keyhole and began to jiggle it with both hands.

"What are you going to do in the room? " 

"Look for weaknesses." 

135

"You're still as dirty as ever, sister." 

"Just shut up and keep watch." 

This is the same Rose who has been doing all the hard work of espionage when she made up the story about Nishino's bullying and when she framed Kousaka for the club activities. This time, as in the past, she is determined to eliminate any woman who gets close to her beloved. The key to the front door is a pin cylinder, a key that looks as old as the flat itself. 

She was able to open the lock without much difficulty. The job took only a few minutes. 

"Let's go." 

"Oh, wait."

After checking once again that there was no one at the door, they walked inside. 

◇ ◆ ◇

The self-proclaimed saba saba girl flat was as old-fashioned inside as it was outside. The layout of the apartment is a single six-tatami room with a shared bathroom, and it is thought to be about 20 square meters in size. The living room was covered with tatami mats, while the kitchen, toilet and corridor had wooden floors. 

136

The room had a tea table and a silver rack for household items. In addition to the wardrobe, her clothes were hung on black plastic hangers that were given to her when she returned from the dry-cleaning service. 

In the corner of the room there was a set of bedding, neatly folded. 

"This is a room full of life."

"It reminds me of  Nishino's flat, and it's very annoying." 

"You've been to his room before? That's not fair." 

"Not anymore. There was a fire and the building burned down."

"...... I see." 

Standing in the middle of the Japanese-style room, they both take a look around the house. 

The room is small and looks very cramped with things everywhere, but there are no clothes strewn about or dirty dishes left unattended. The neatness and tidiness of the room suggests a meticulous personality.

"All the clothes hanging on these bars are cheap." 

"And they are beginning to show signs of wear and tear." 

"The collar is yellowed. It's dirty." 

"Not only the clothes, but all the furniture and everything in this room is cheap."

137

"Is this a weakness, isn't this a weakness?" 

"It's not enough to keep her away from him. In fact, it could get him in trouble, because he's attracted to weak women. Instead, look for signs of a past relationship, a history of working in a brothel, anything like that."

"......"

Rose, who replies nonchalantly, continues her ransacking with a serious expression. 

Gabu-chan is not happy about this. 

Then, for a while, they went around to check the room.

"Sister, only this dress seems to be brand new!" 

"Oh, yes." 

"Is it a piece of that woman's clothing?"

"By the way, there's a pair of branded shoes in the hallway too." 

"A great find."

The two of them exchanged rude words, taking advantage of the fact that she was not at home. 

As Gabriella points out, the clothes in question are the self-proclaimed saba saba girl entire wardrobe, the only set of clothes she owns. These days she uses them to appeal to Nishino when he visits her part-time job. 

138

However, these efforts had no effect on Nishino, the object of his fascination. He is a man who does not understand women's clothing. She is a self-proclaimed saba saba girl who has wasted her time wearing out the soles of her expensive shoes. 

"Is there anything in the pockets?"

"I don't think there's anything in there..." 

" It would be nice to find a host's business card." 

"Oh, there's a rolled-up tissue. It's filthy."

Also, as maid's clothes were the norm in the shop, the clothes rarely caught the attention of Rose and Gabriella. The one exception was the shoes. The pair that Rose found in the doorway were the same pair that the master had pointed out to her the other day. 

"Sister, I found an IOU on the shelf." 

"An IOU?" 

"But it's in the wrong name, it's from a loan business." 

In Gabriella's hands were several documents. 

Each with a small letter printed. The amount of money on them was quite large. If Nishino had been there, he might have noticed that it was close to the sum of all the money she had borrowed from the loan sharks. 

139

"...... If it has the same surname, does it belong to the family?" 

"Why is it here ? " 

"That's none of our business. " 

"That's right. "

They returned the IOU in their hands to its original place and continued their search. 

From then on, the girls investigated every inch of Igarashi's home, checking in wardrobes and going out on balconies. After a while of searching through the flat, Gabriella noticed something else. 

"Ah ... " 

"What now?" 

Rose's attention was drawn to a voice that had been raised unexpectedly. Gabu-chan gaze was fixed on the laptop on the tea table. 

"This computer has been left in a logged on state"

She didn't even have to type in her password to bring up her desktop. 

"She's a careless woman." 

"What's left on the screen is a map of the lawyer's office."

140

As Rose had said, there was a map on the computer display. There were signs of a route search. The starting point was the flat they were in and the destination was a lawyer's office in Tokyo. 

"Is this where she's headed?" 

"How can she afford a lawyer in this state?" 

Their attention was drawn back to the apartment. 

Her financial situation was not good enough to hire a lawyer. 

"Is there any interesting data left?" 

"The mailbox is open in a new tab."

There were messages sent and received in her name. Among them was the name of a firm of lawyers shown on the map. 

"...... You've received an invitation to a free consultation at a law firm."

"She's got a lot of debts, doesn't she?" 

"Could she be on her way to this office ?"

"It's very possible."

"Latest email received was this morning."

They checked the emails left in the mailbox one by one. 

141

What was obtained was the entire correspondence with the law firm. This information was identical to that which Nishino had. Igarashi had been taken to the lawyer's office after consulting with the lawyer about the fact that she had borrowed money from a number of loan sharks and was unable to keep her head above water. 

"As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing else left....." 

"What are you going to do?" 

"Let's go to this law firm ." 

"What's the point in going?" 

"If we can catch her coming out of the office, we can start a conversation. She's borrowing money from loan sharks, so I'm sure she'll be able to provide us with an interesting piece of information or two."

"I think it's very creepy."

"Then you should go home. "

"It's boring to stay at home alone. I'll go with you."

"Then shut up and come with me." 

"Oh, wait a minute before that." 

Rose turned on her heel to leave the room. She was met by Gabriella who asked her to wait. When Rose turned to her, asking what she was going to do, Gabriella held up a diminishing container of mayonnaise.

142

Rose was familiar with the item. Just last night she had been using the same manufacturer's products for cooking. 

"Where did you get that?" 

"I borrowed it from the kitchen at home . " 

"I'd rather you didn't bring it here." 

Gabriella popped the cap in front of Rose, who scowled at her. Her nose was tickled by a soft, distinctive scent. It was a relatively expensive product that had been chosen for Nishino, and the aroma was rich. 

Gabu-chan attention then turned to the array of clothes hanging in the room. 

"Are you trying to get revenge for the other day?" 

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, mayonnaise for mayonnaise."

143

"What do you do by leaving a trace of invasion yourself?"

"It's not evidence, of course. It's just like my uniform."

144

"You have no right to say what you think of me." 

"I am not like you sister. Why, this is a just retribution. Isn't it very natural that we should repay what has been done to us? This is the way the world has been ordered since time immemorial. This should be a good opportunity for her to reflect on herself."

" ...... Suit yourself."

"However, after looking at this life of poverty, I feel reluctant to stain her clothes."

In a strange way, Gabu-chan is very polite. 

Igarashi, however, has no intention of wearing the shirt for the next year. 

After a busy day's work, the two of them left Igarashi's house, locked up and settled down as before. They then took a taxi to a lawyer's office in Tokyo, where she was supposed to have gone.

145