It Seems Like a Girl I Don’t Know Is Doing Housework at My Place. But She’s Cute, So I’m Watching Her.

An unexpected confession—or was it a confession?—came out of nowhere.

“──Sorry for the wait.”

Just at the right moment, the food we ordered arrived, giving me a perfect opportunity to steer the conversation towards a break. Honestly, it was impeccable timing. Even though I had brushed off the situation earlier, internally, I needed some time to process everything.

So, Kondo-san ordered a hot cocoa and a deluxe chocolate banana parfait, while I opted for coffee and maple syrup pancakes. We both took a moment to indulge.

“Yum! I’ve been waiting for this! It’s been a while since I had a parfait.”

“You seem pretty excited. Guess girls really do love sweet things, huh?”

“Well, it depends on the person, but I’m a huge fan!”

“Yeah, I figured.”

She casually mentioned wanting the Marine Snow baked cheesecake earlier. That cake takes quite a bit of effort, and its quality rivals that of specialty shops. Though, it does come with a hefty price tag.

“By the way, you’re indulging in something sweet yourself, Mizuki-san.”

“I do have a bit of a sweet tooth. I guess I still have a kid’s palate.”

“A sweets-loving guy, huh? That’s kinda cute.”

“I don’t feel good about that.”

Being called a “sweets-loving guy” and “cute” doesn’t sit well with me. Chiaki-san said something similar before, but being judged based on having a kid’s palate is something I find unsatisfactory.

“Well, putting that aside, I gotta say, I love the sophisticated flavor at our shop, but this cheap sweetness isn’t bad either.”

“Yeah, in a way, the appeal comes from its cheapness.”

“Though, it’s still expensive…”

For the record, Kondo-san’s deluxe chocolate banana parfait costs around 1,000 yen. My pancakes were about 800 yen, I think? Either way, it’s not exactly cheap. These prices don’t really match the “cheapness” she’s referring to.

“Ugh, I ordered it on a whim, but even if you’re treating, 1,000 yen for a parfait… I feel a little guilty.”

“You’re overthinking 1,000 yen.”

“No, 1,000 yen is a lot! It’s about the same as my hourly wage!”

“Wait, isn’t Marine Snow’s hourly rate… Oh, right. You’re in high school. It’s around 1,000 yen, right?”

“Exactly! I mean, it’s still higher than other places, and I have no complaints, but when I think about one hour of work disappearing into this parfait…”

“I see.”

“Wait, that’s all? Mizuki-san, your hourly wage can’t be that different from mine, can it?”

“My wage is 1,500 yen.”

“That much!? Wow, seriously!? Why such a big gap? That’s unfair!”

“Well, I’ve been working there for a long time, plus I can do almost every task. I work both the hall and the kitchen, handle ordering and register balancing, do clerical work, and when inventory comes around, I’m practically guaranteed to get roped into it. So yeah, my wage is higher, and it includes various allowances.”

It’s no wonder the manager considers me a semi-employee. He’s seriously encouraged me to join full-time, and I have to admit, I could immediately hit the ground running if I became an employee.

And with all that training, it’s only natural that my wage has increased. Honestly, if it hadn’t gone up, I would’ve quit long ago.

“I see… So basically, Mizuki-san makes way more money than I do.”

“Well, there’s a limit to how much you can earn just from a part-time job, especially when you have university and living expenses to consider.”

“Oh, really?”

“That’s how it goes. Though recently, I’ve had some income outside of my part-time job, so I’m not strapped for cash. At least, treating Kondo-san is no big deal, so don’t worry about it.”

“Other income? Are you working somewhere else too?”

“No, no. Recently, I’ve been dabbling in illustration as a hobby, and it turned out to be pretty popular. I tried registering on a crowdfunding site and promoting my work, and somehow I’ve been getting some pocket money out of it.”

“Wow…”

Honestly, the world is full of people with peculiar tastes. Who would’ve thought that a mere hobbyist illustrator would have people willing to support them financially?

“When you say illustrations, do you mean those anime-style drawings that often show up in timelines?”

“Yeah, exactly that.”

“That’s kind of surprising. I didn’t expect you to be into illustration. Are you into anime and stuff?”

“Well, I don’t dislike it, but I wouldn’t call myself an otaku. I only started doing illustrations because a relative gave me some old gear.”

“Oh, so it’s just a casual thing.”

“Yeah. I’ve always been into a lot of different hobbies.”

Though, most of them I’m not particularly good at. And despite being “multi-hobby,” the majority of my interests are indoors. Not that I’m incapable of physical activities, but they’re not my first choice.

“Still, making money from a hobby is pretty impressive. Can I follow your account?”

“Yeah, I don’t think so.”

It’s a bit too personal to share my hobby account with a co-worker I barely know. Actually, I wouldn’t even tell a close friend.

“Aww, come on. After all this, you have to share your account!”

“You’ll probably spread it around, so no.”

“What kind of person do you think I am!?”

“A gal?”

“…Okay, can’t really argue with that…”

It’s a bit of a stereotype, but I can’t help but think gal-types tend to have poor information literacy. Even if I overlook that, Kondo-san herself seems like the type to accidentally let something slip.

“Fine… At least give me a hint. Maybe the first letter of your account name or your follower count?”

“Hmm, follower count? Let’s see… What was it again?”

I quickly opened my account to check. Hmm, let’s see…

“Just over 100,000? Oh, I’ve passed 100,000.”

“Huh!? One hundred thousand!?”

What a surprise. I knew I was getting close, but I didn’t realize I had already passed that mark.

“Wait, Mizuki-san, are you actually some kind of famous person on social media?”

“No, not at all. I’m just a regular person who draws popular fan art and ended up gaining followers.”

“There’s no way that’s true…”

But it is.

“Hey, Mizuki-san, why don’t you date me? I don’t mind if it’s just a trial.”

“Let’s remember what you said earlier, okay?”

You were just talking about wanting a confession from the guy, weren’t you? But now, as soon as you find out my follower count, you suddenly propose dating? I gotta admit, there’s something refreshingly honest about it. I almost respect it.

“Again, I don’t want to get arrested for inappropriate conduct with a minor, so no.”

“Aww…”