Did I forget something?
When Marisa woke up groggily, a strange sense of doubt crept into her heart.
But before she could think further, a sharp pain from her waist, shoulders, and neck suddenly flooded her mind.
"Eek—eek!"
"A stiff neck... no, it feels like someone kicked me!"
As Marisa writhed in pain on the floor, Rin, still asleep in the distance, silently pulled the blanket over his head.
Noticing the movement from his side, Marisa scratched her face in confusion and gradually came to her senses.
Oh right, she still had to go to work for her "reform through labor" today...
Wait! She seemed to have forgotten something!
As she pondered, Marisa scratched her messy bedhead and headed to the bathroom.
But every time she tried to remember, her brain seemed to freeze, stopping all thought.
What followed was the terrifying memory of yesterday's continuous "absolute ○" flooding her mind, causing her body to reflexively go weak.
Just hang in there, six more days, and she'll be free!
Shaking her head, she forcefully pushed all distracting thoughts away, yawned, and continued with her morning routine.
Once everything was in order, Marisa stretched comfortably, her energetic smile returning.
The moment she returned to the living room, she immediately started tugging at Rin's blanket.
"Boss, boss! What about breakfast?"
"It's almost time to open the shop, what are we eating for breakfast?"
Rin, being pushed and pulled, curled up further into the blanket, only pointing toward the grocery store after a long while—
"Just grab something from the store... don't bother me until the afternoon."
With that, his pointing hand drooped down, as if declaring his intention to stay in bed all day.
But Marisa didn't leave immediately. Instead, she looked nervous.
Just grab something?
What does that mean? Are you testing your employees?!
What employee can withstand such a test!
This is definitely entrapment! He's waiting for me to let my guard down, then he'll jump out and use some weird, evil ability!
After a moment of hesitation, Marisa resolutely walked toward the grocery store at the front.
She had already learned her lesson yesterday. Today, she absolutely wouldn't make the same mistake again. No temptation could shake her resolve!
She wouldn't even eat breakfast!
After tidying up the store, Marisa opened the doors and windows, ready to start the day's business.
She sat obediently at the counter, doing her best to keep her attention from wandering to the goods on display.
However, her willpower lasted only three minutes—
"What's this? Looks weird, let's try a bite."
"Mmp Hmm mmm.."
"Oh ho, this tofu smells amazing, let's try a bite."
"Yeah mhp mmm..."
"With so many flavors mixed together, won't it taste weird? Let's try a bite."
"Hmm mph mmm..."
As she stuffed various snacks into her mouth, Marisa was having a blast.
When she choked, she didn't forget to grab a drink and take a big gulp, letting out a satisfied burp.
Looking at the pile of wrappers on the table, Marisa felt a slight unease, but was quickly overwhelmed by the deliciousness of the snacks.
She'd already eaten them, so even if she got punished again, she'd accept it!
"Burp~"
After letting out a satisfied sigh, Marisa even lay down on Rin's rocking chair, looking utterly content.
Aside from the terrifying punishment, being an employee here wasn't so bad. The perks of free snacks and meals were pretty great!
Marisa smacked her lips, about to grab some duck tongue as a snack, when Yukari Yakumo appeared at the door.
"Ara~ I don't see Boss Rin. Is he still asleep?" Yukari waved at Marisa with a smile.
Her eyes sharpened as they landed on the pile of snack wrappers on the counter.
Perfect timing! Breakfast is served!
"The boss is dead asleep. Do you want me to wake him up?"
"No need! Let him sleep more. It's good for his health."
Yukari quickly replied. While he's asleep, she could grab some breakfast.
When he wakes up at noon, she'll drop Chen off and casually stick around for lunch.
'Since I was already here by evening, I might as well stay for dinner. That way, I got all my meals covered for the day!' Thinking this, Yukari's smile grew even brighter.
"I mentioned before that I wanted to leave the kid here for a few days, so I brought her over early."
"Come on, Chen, say hello to Marisa."
As Yukari poked behind her with a folding fan, a small head with fluffy cat ears popped out.
Seemingly nervous, the cat ears flattened, and the youthful face tensed up.
"Hello, sister."
"Hehe, it feels weird being called 'sister' all of a sudden."
Marisa chuckled and scratched her head, but she still walked over and handed Chen a lollipop.
"Strawberry flavor, want it?"
"Thank you."
Yukari thanked Marisa on Chen's behalf, then took the lollipop and popped it into her own mouth.
Marisa: ?
You're stealing candy from a kid?!
Facing Marisa's bewildered gaze, Yukari explained with a straight face—
"Kids shouldn't eat candy in the morning, it's bad for their teeth. I'm different, I'm seventeen, so it's just right."
Marisa: ???
"Seventeen? You look way older than me— Mmm!!! Ugh—"
Before Marisa could finish, Yukari shoved a marinated egg into her mouth, effectively silencing her.
"Ara, Marisa, don't say strange things. Everyone in the Yakumo family is actually very young~"
Are you kidding me?!
Marisa's eyes widened, but as she tasted the delicious marinated egg, she decided not to complain.
Whatever makes you happy!
After shutting Marisa up, Yukari happily took Chen's hand and started browsing the store.
"Chen, anything you want to eat? Just pick."
"Ah, there's pickled cabbage fish-flavored instant noodles? Never seen that before, want to try it?"
"Oh~ and there's fried tofu. I can bring some back for Ran, so she won't nag me anymore."
As Yukari picked out items, Chen's nervousness faded a bit, and her two fluffy cat tails wagged excitedly.
Meanwhile, Marisa, watching the two pick out more and more items, seemed to realize something and quickly grabbed a pen and notebook from the counter to start recording.
If the boss checks the accounts later, she can't let these missing items be blamed on her!