Chapter 7

Ryūji Kuroki still remembered when he saw Mr. Yoshida before, sometimes he would appear with what seemed to be injuries on his arms or legs. Back then, Kuroki thought Mr. Yoshida must have been chased by a yakuza organization or something else.

However, due to the politeness between strangers, directly asking about such matters would be very impolite, so Kuroki did not interfere with Mr. Yoshida's affairs. After all, although Kuroki's izakaya had a special opening time, this was Tokyo, and the customer flow was still quite significant.

Kuroki could only remember some regular customers; he did not remember the names of other customers, as he did not have a photographic memory.

It wasn't until Mr. Yoshida started coming frequently that Kuroki gradually became more familiar with him. It was from Mr. Yoshida that Kuroki learned a new term: "oni-nyū" (鬼嫁).

"oni-nyū" does not mean a ghost marrying you, but rather a wife who has two different faces before and after marriage. Before marriage, she might be completely obedient, fulfilling all a man's expectations, but after marriage, she might resort to violence, insults, and various forms of mental torture.

Kuroki was completely stunned at the time. Before his穿越 (穿越 means "穿越" in Chinese, but in this context, it refers to a time travel or a sudden change in his life), Kuroki thought Japanese wives should be gentle, obedient, and considerate. However, he never expected that "oni-nyū" wives were not uncommon in reality.

Kuroki later looked it up and found that a TV program had specifically discussed this issue. According to a survey, over 90% of married men expressed fear of their wives.

One of the significant factors leading to men wanting a divorce was the torment from "oni-nyū" wives.

This realization left Kuroki somewhat bewildered. It seemed that the gap between ideals and reality was not just a casual saying.

This was even more terrifying than marrying a monster. At least, among the majority of the monsters Kuroki had encountered so far, there were no such types.

"Probably another reason for fear of marriage," Kuroki shrugged, then glanced at Mr. Yoshida, who was drinking the King of Ghosts sake. He then fished out a piece of pork cutlet and placed it in a bento box. This was Kuroki's habit; he would always process ingredients that were about to expire, as they would be practically worthless after the expiration date.

"Hmm, almost done." Kuroki wiped his hands with a towel and then labeled the various bento boxes before placing them in the warming box.

"Boss... are you making bento again?" Mr. Yoshida, who was already a bit tipsy, asked Kuroki.

"Yes, since the ingredients are about to expire, it would be a waste to throw them away, so I'm selling them at half price." Kuroki nodded and then placed a sign at the entrance of the izakaya.

"Boss, your skills are really amazing! Even if the ingredients are about to expire, I think they are still worth eating!" Yoshida gave Kuroki a thumbs up and took another sip of the King of Ghosts sake.

Kuroki smiled without concern. It was almost time for students to have their lunch break, and office workers were also starting to take their breaks for meals, so this was usually a very busy time for Kuroki.

"Boss, one eel bento..." Soon, a crowd of people came in, and some customers were there to drink, but they were in the minority. As Kuroki took the sign back inside, the customer flow quickly returned to normal.

"Hey~ Senpai, do you still have bento?" A high school girl in a uniform happily jumped in. Her voice was pleasant, but Kuroki couldn't help but sigh.

"Ah, Sakurajima Mutsuki, how long has it been since I graduated? Why do you still call me senpai?" Kuroki rolled his eyes internally but still took a bento box from the warming box and handed it to the girl, who was bouncing around.

"Hehe, because senpai is senpai! Without senpai's bento, I might starve to death!" Sakurajima Mutsuki scratched her head and then took out 1,000 yen from her small bag, handing it to Kuroki.

"Thank you, senpai~" Then Sakurajima Mutsuki ran out again, just as energetically as when she came in.

Kuroki glanced at the bento box still on the counter, said nothing, and silently counted in his head.

Three... two... one.

"Ah! I almost forgot!" Sure enough, just three seconds later, Sakurajima Mutsuki rushed back in, picked up the bento box from the counter, gave Kuroki an awkward smile, and ran out again.

Kuroki's lips twitched. Sakurajima Mutsuki was still as careless and boisterous as she was in junior high. Kuroki had often wondered how she managed to grow up with such a careless personality, especially since she managed to get into a good school, which was a miracle.

Kuroki remembered the rumor that she once handed in a love letter someone gave her as homework.

"Boss, here's the money." Mr. Yoshida stood up, having had one cup of King of Ghosts sake and one beer, just enough to be slightly tipsy without affecting his afternoon work.

"Sure, hope to see you again." Kuroki nodded and then collected the dishes Mr. Yoshida left behind. There were no waiters, so he had to handle everything himself.

Mr. Yoshida did not rush out but stood by the entrance of the izakaya, took out a mirror, and tidied his clothes. He then took a breath mint from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and walked out leisurely.

"Boss! One plate of edamame and one skewer of chicken, please!" Another customer was sitting in the corner of the izakaya.

"Sure thing." Kuroki responded and started preparing the items the customer requested.

Although there were more customers during the day, and some drunkards liked to cause trouble, Kuroki did not mind this. Those guys were probably not a match for Kuroki with one hand, but these customers were an important source of income for him. After all, while some monsters did pay, they were in the minority.

"Boss, another cup of sake for me!" Another new customer came in.

Kuroki wiped the sweat from his forehead, responded, and thought about when he could hire a decent waiter. At least this way, he would have fewer tasks, as pouring drinks and grilling skewers were quite troublesome.