There had been others these past few days who had offered to pay more to "pre-order" or to buy in larger quantities, but Ryohei had refused them all. He had his pride to maintain in front of the large crowds, even if the extra money was tempting.

"I can provide you with some Tonjiru outside of my normal business hours," Ryohei said to Yoshimura after some thought.

He had no interest in exclusively serving Ghouls, but he didn't mind helping out the Ghouls from Anteiku where he could. He could think of it as just another way to earn money, while also making a small, insignificant contribution to the peaceful coexistence of humans and Ghouls. Besides, making a large batch of Tonjiru wasn't much effort. With a couple of massive stockpots and a few large containers, and with Jashin-chan handling the vegetable prep, he could easily cook up several hundred portions in a short amount of time.

Yoshimura finally heard some good news, and a look of joy appeared on his face. "That would be… I'm incredibly grateful!" If Yurine wasn't standing right there with her weapon, he would have rushed forward to shake Ryohei's hand.

"Don't get too excited," Ryohei said, sensing the old Ghoul might be getting his hopes up too high. "The Tonjiru will be 3,000 yen per portion. I can only provide 700 portions a week, and you'll have to pick it up yourselves." He planned to cook two large batches a week, 350 portions each. He didn't want to do it every day; what would be the difference between that and a regular job? Ryohei was still determined to have his weekends off. He wanted to go out with Yurine and Jashin-chan, or even just stay home and read light novels, flip through manga, and play games. He didn't get isekai'd just to become a workhorse again.

Ryohei's conditions were like a bucket of cold water, but after the initial shock, Yoshimura was pleasantly surprised. The price was lower than he'd expected, and the quantity was much higher. Seven hundred portions a week averaged out to one hundred portions a day. While that wasn't enough to feed everyone, they could still supplement it by waiting in line at his stall. And Yoshimura was sure that he, his staff, and his other associates would be willing to do so. After all, they could buy Ryohei's other delicious creations at the stall.

Yoshimura couldn't change the entire situation between humans and Ghouls, but for Anteiku and others who shared his philosophy, perhaps this was a real solution.

A smile returned to his face. "The price is no problem," he said eagerly. "When can you start providing the food?"

3,000 yen a portion, 700 portions… that's 2,100,000 yen a week!? Jashin-chan's eyes went wide. Is this old Ghoul that rich? She was shocked, but then she remembered his introduction. He was the "manager" of something. It made sense that a "boss" would have some money.

Yurine had no objections to Ryohei's deal with the Ghoul. As long as it didn't harm them, it was fine. In fact, feeding the Ghouls might even reduce the number of human victims. It could be considered a good deed.

"It'll be a little while before I can start," Ryohei said. "I'll need to prepare two very large pots, and some large containers…" As he spoke, an idea sparked in his mind. He could just open his shop now. He held up four fingers to Yoshimura. "I'll need a four-month advance on the payment."

"Making small batches in my home kitchen is fine, but for bulk production, I'll need a proper professional kitchen."

Yoshimura understood immediately. He nodded and agreed without hesitation. "Of course. Will a four-month advance be enough? If not, you can ask for more." Money was not as important to him as building a good relationship with Ryohei.

"That will be more than enough," Ryohei said with a smile. A four-month advance was enough to get a shop, renovate it, and completely furnish their new house.

The rest of the conversation was quite harmonious. Ryohei and Yoshimura exchanged contact information, and the money was transferred to Yurine's bank account. Ryohei still hadn't had a chance to open his own account yet, but he planned to do so soon.

"If there's anything you ever need our help with, please don't hesitate to ask," Yoshimura said with a meaningful tone as they parted ways.

Ryohei paused for a moment, then nodded. "If I need help, I won't be shy."

"Whew, a lot happened today," Yurine said as they arrived back at the apartment. A wave of exhaustion washed over her, and her voice was tinged with weariness.

"Yeah. You both worked hard," Ryohei said, handing her and Jashin-chan each 10,000 yen. The other half of their bonus would go toward paying him back for their share of the rent deposit. They had already agreed to this, so neither of them said anything.

"I'm going to go run a bath," Yurine said. After a long day, she was looking forward to a relaxing soak. Like most people in Japan, she loved taking baths, and it really did help to relieve fatigue.

Jashin-chan was about to grab the tablet from the closet.

"Wait a second, there's something I want to discuss," Ryohei called out, stopping them both. He waited for them to look at him, then cleared his throat. "I'm planning to open a restaurant, and I'd like you both to continue helping me. Of course, I'll make it worth your while."

"Okay," Yurine said with a smile, her hands on her hips. "But you know I have school, Ryohei-kun." She had been waiting for this invitation for the past fifteen minutes.

"As long as you pay me a high salary," Jashin-chan said, making a "money talks" gesture.

"500,000 yen a month," Ryohei said to her without hesitation.

"I'm in!" Jashin-chan immediately declared, pumping her fist.

Ryohei smiled, then turned to Yurine. "Since you'll be part-time, your salary will be 300,000 yen a month. Weekends off. We'll be open from six to nine in the evening. After we close, we just have to clean up the shop, and then we can go home. And, I might occasionally need your help with some small errands…"

"Yurine, you're only getting 300,000 yen!" Jashin-chan couldn't resist sidling up to her with a smug grin. "I'm making almost twice as much as you!"

"My working hours are shorter," Yurine replied, dismissively moving away from her.

"So what? I'm earning more!"

"My job is easier."

"B-But I'm earning more!"

"My job is easier."

"..."

Jashin-chan was utterly defeated. Still, Ryohei noted with some relief, she didn't get punched tonight, which was a cause for celebration.

Half an hour later.

"I'm done with my shower," Yurine said, emerging from the washroom. She was wearing a cute set of pajamas with lots of frills, her hair down in a cascade over her shoulders. Her skin was rosy and looked incredibly soft. "By the way, Ryohei-kun, what were the 'small errands' you might need my help with?" she asked, her big, clear eyes looking at him curiously.

Ryohei, who had been researching the requirements for opening a restaurant in Japan, nodded. "Yeah. For example, could you contact Mr. Suzuki and ask him if he knows of any commercial properties for rent in our area? Preferably one that was already a restaurant."

"That's not exactly a 'small errand'!" Yurine said, taken aback for a moment. But she just sighed, went to her room, and came back with her phone.

"What are the specific requirements?"

Secretary Yurine was now online.