The best neet gets a regular job

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We decided to end the night after that since it kind of soured the mood. As I stepped out of the bar, I noticed it had begun to rain, though the forecast didn't foresee any rain.

Natsu stepped next to me and started to light his cigarette before he said something that stuck with me for the rest of the night.

“Hey Kazu, whatever happened when we were kids, look. I guess I’m not good at saying things like this, or... well, what I’m trying to say is, I’m sorry for how I acted.”

I was taken aback at first by what he said; I wasn’t expecting that from Natsu. But it made me think for a while about everything I’d been holding onto that made me this way from the beginning. Maybe it was time to let go of the past.

“Don’t worry about it, Natsu. That was years ago, and I accept your apology.”

“I do have another thing to say though. I’m sure you know, but this world is harsh, man, and if you keep playing peacemaker, you won’t get anywhere. People will try to walk all over you, and I’d hate to see that happen. It’s why I picked on you so much back then, haha.”

Now that I recall, back then, I used to always avoid any type of confrontation and didn’t have the courage to stand up for anything I wanted. I was very shy, quiet, and scared of the world, so I just tried to make myself as invisible as possible, which only made things worse, I guess.

“Thanks for the advice, I guess. It can be a little difficult since I’m still kind of shy.”

“Shyness is a nice way of saying socially anxious NEET, isn’t it?”

“Oh, here, by the way Kazu , let’s exchange contact information. Maybe we can hang out again sometime, go out for some drinks, and have a bros’ night.”

“Sure Natsu , that would be nice.”

After exchanging contact information, I walked over to Maiko and Lulu, and we decided to head back home. Oh yeah, I kinda forgot, she lives right in front of me. That’s kinda crazy. I guess it’s not so bad; maybe when she cooks or something, I can get some of her food. I thought to myself as I started drooling over a delicious home cooked meal made by Maiko.

“Kazu, why do you have a dirty look on your face? Pay attention to where you’re going.”

“Maiko, you always have to sour my mood.”

“Shut up, Kazu. Then why don’t you hang out with your new boyfriend? Honestly, you seemed all buddy-buddy with them. What happened to getting revenge?”

“Getting revenge? What is this, some Shonen Jump series?”

“Well, at least you completed your task, Kazu, so I can’t be too mad at you. And you also went to a social gathering at an izakaya full of people. Not only that, but you were part of a big commotion that made our table the center of attention and also were able to de-escalate the situation. Not only that, but you got an old friend's contact information, so for your start of leaving your NEET life behind, I’m extremely proud of you. Great job.”

“Nice try, Maiko; you’re not getting out of this one so easily. First off, you caused that commotion by stepping on top of the table and yelling like that, and I had to calm everyone down. And that’s not an old friend; that’s my former bully.”

“Well, I was just trying to…”

“But nonetheless, Maiko, thank you. Because of today, I was able to let go of a lot of things from the past, and that’s thanks to you pushing me out of my comfort zone.”

Maiko’s eyes lit up, and she started to blush, followed by a sense of smugness before she started to act all high and mighty. Although I guess I’ll let her have this one.

“So you’re saying Maiko’s NEET rehabilitation is a success? Huh, Kazu, huh, Kazu?” Maiko kept saying while tapping me with her shoulder before I give in.

“I guess your rehabilitation program is a success after all, for now.”

Maiko’s eyes lit up, and she jumped in the air before jumping on top of me to hug me in the middle of the street at night and making me trip and fall.

“Thank you, Kazu; you’re the best. I knew you had it in you to be nice.”

“Maiko, get off of me; I’m on the ground.”

“Woof, woof.”

“Lulu, help me out here, dude; don’t just bark.”

As we headed back home, I started to wonder and get more curious about Maiko. It’s pretty odd; she’s been living there for such a long time without saying anything, and I never even noticed her coming out of her home. I mean, I guess I also always stayed inside, so it makes sense. I should probably question her a bit more. Can I really trust Maiko?

“What’s wrong, Kazu? You got a serious face on right now. What are you thinking so hard about?”

“Nothing, Maiko; I’m just wondering how come I never saw you coming out of your home at all or even noticed you lived there?”

“Well, idiot, you never left your house. Also, maybe we just never saw each other at the times I was leaving since you left very rarely. It’s possible we missed each other when I left.”

“Well, I guess. I don’t know; I just feel like I should’ve seen you at least once, you know?”

“Well, you didn’t, Kazu; maybe next time come out more. Also, what an odd thing to bring up on the way back. What’s wrong, Kazu? Don’t tell me you’re starting to think I’m out to get you, hahaha.”

“No, even if you were, I wouldn’t be worried about it. There’s not much you could do anyway.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? How dare you at least not show a little fear or concern. I’d like you to know I can be very dangerous.”

“Woof, woof.”

“You stay out of this, Lulu.”

“Yeah, yeah; I bet you’re so scary and dangerous, blah, blah, blah.”

“I am, but that’s your problem if you don’t want to believe me. Anyways, let’s get home; we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

“Long day ahead of us? What are you talking about? Don’t tell me you really think I’m going out on another one of your adventures tomorrow?”

“Going to an izakaya is an adventure to you? Man, we’re down bad, aren’t we?”

“You can’t just make plans with me in them without even asking me anything about it.”

“Well, if I asked you about it, then you’ll probably just say no.”

“Well, then what are we doing tomorrow?”

“We’re finding you a job.”

“A job?”

"Yeah, you bum a job, what do you think? The NEET rehabilitation is my specialized program designed to turn from a loser jobless bum to an upstanding member of society."

"You know you're not so upstanding yourself, so how are you going to make me upstanding?"

"You're an idiot. Tomorrow we're going to some interviews in Akihabara."

"Well, at least the place isn't bad; I'll give you that much."

"Woof."

"Sorry, Luffy, for this one, you're gonna have to stay with me tomorrow because Kazu has to go into the interviews alone."

"Hey, how come he can't come, and you just keep him with you? I mean, you're not going to go into the interview with me?"

"Mmm, I guess I can do that; you're right, I can't go in with you."

"SO YOU WERE PLANNING ON COMING IN WITH ME?"

"Haha, well, maybe."

"Of course, you were."

"Well, we're home. Thanks for everything today again, Maiko."

"Well, well, Kazu, what's going on here? We're being very thankful, huh?"

"Well, you just did a lot for me, and I'm glad I met you."

"Well, thanks." *nervously hiding*

"Hey, are you blushing, Maiko?"

"Shut up, Kazu."

As I started laughing, Maiko ran away and shut her apartment door all embarrassed. It was extremely funny seeing how embarrassed she got after I thanked her.

"Anyways, I'm finally glad to be home," I said to myself as I started to open my door.

"That's right, I almost forgot I didn't ask her where I was going to interview tomorrow."

I decided to go knock on Maiko's door to find out where I was going to be at least prepared for tomorrow.

After three knocks, I got no response, and then I started to leave before I heard Maiko's annoying little voice in the background.

"What, Kazu? Go to bed; you got a long day tomorrow."

"Hey there, Miss Embarrassed 'cause I thanked her and started blushing, you forgot to tell me where we're going tomorrow, idiot."

As soon as I finished my sentence, Maiko stepped out of her door with a big T-shirt and green stuff all over her face, kinda resembling an alien.

"Whoa, did an alien shit all over your face?"

"This is a face mask, you idiot; it's so I can stay looking beautiful, something you would understand nothing about, and as for tomorrow, just make sure you dress nice."

"Alright, whatever then why can't you ju—"

"If that's everything, I'm going to bed, goodnight."

*Bamm* is all I hear from her door shut before I can even get a word out.

You know, sometimes she can piss me off badly. Whatever, I'm sure wherever I'll go tomorrow can't be that bad. I'll make sure to dress nice and see where this happens. (sneeze) Why did I just sneeze and get the chills? On the other hand, I don't have a good feeling about this.

"Lulu, should I be worried?"

"Woof, woof." *low tone*

"That was a pretty depressing bark. I'll take that as a yes."

For now, let's head to bed. I'm sure it won't be that bad.

**NEXT DAY:**

We stood there at the first place for our interview, which, believe it or not, was a—

"Well, Kazu, welcome to your future workplace, Nanami's Maid Cafe."

"Maiko."

"Here, you can earn a good wage starting out, especially with the tips you get paid from."

"Maiko."

"And, Kazu, did you see it's only one stop away from home?"

"Maiko."

"MAIKO, I'M A DUDE, MAIKO!"

"I know, Kazu, but I don't really do well with preparing for the job search, and I thought here they could hire you."

"Hey, kid."

I look over and see this tall, very built man to my side, standing by the door; he must've overheard us, but he was massive, and he looked like a bodybuilder. Either way, I got scared for a second that this dude might try to rip my throat out. Luffy was frightened too, as he started to hide behind me, as if I could do anything to protect us. And Maiko was completely unaffected; she was more worried about flexing her muscles to compare.

"Are you looking for a job?"

"Huh," I was too scared to say anything.

"Well, you're dressed all fancy, and I kinda overheard you."

"Well, yes, he is."

"Maiko, what are you doing? This guy could be a yakuza or, worse, some kind of undiscovered monster; look at his muscles, that can't be possible," I whispered to her.

"Well, that's pretty hurtful, kid; I'm not a yakuza."

"YOU OVERHEARD ME, I'M SO SORRY, I'M SO SORRY!"

"I'm also not a monster as well."

"I'm sorry; you're just massive; I got a bit frightened."

"Hahahaha, it's all good; I'm actually the owner of this establishment, and I tend to dabble in bodybuilding from time to time."

"Dabble? You look like you eat weights," Maiko yelled.

"Mhm, anyways, we are looking for people to hire at my maid cafe. There's actually an opening for a barista and dishwasher. Our maid cafe is more of an actual cafe than a restaurant.

"Hey, kid, what's your name?"

"Kazu, sir."

"Well, Kazu, can you make coffee?"

"Actually, yeah, I stay up all night gaming and recently have gotten obsessed with experimenting with different coffee machines."

"Well, come follow me; I'm going to see if you can do the duties at this job and go from there."

"So I got an interview?"

"Yes."

"See, Kazu, I told you I'd get you an interview."

"Actually, I'm the one that gave him the interview, but you did at least bring him here, so I can give you a free latte and donut, and for the puppy, I have some doggy treats."

"YAY, so this was a success."

"Woof, woof."

"I'm sorry about them, sir; actually, I never got your name."

"Now that you mention it, I never got yours either, kid."

"Well, my name is Kazu."

"Nice to meet you, Kazu; my name is Leo."

"How about you and your friend, Maiko

Here's the revised continuation:

"How about you and your friend Maiko and your dog follow me upstairs, and I'll see what you're made of?"

We start to head upstairs, and Lulu starts to cuddle up to this guy. I mean, a second ago, he was fearing for his life. As we open the door, I see a beautiful cafe with, yes thank God, maids waltzing around serving coffee, cakes, and other delicious goodies. But my mind gets distracted by something more beautiful with the big boob maids, and I run straight to her and start admiring her beauty.

"Leo! Is this the Kreukick Coffee and Espresso Maker 3000 with over 600 different flavors of lattes, coffee, hot chocolate, and even a foam dispenser that customizes your foam into any anime character you want!!!!!?"

"Kazu,!!!!! I knew I picked up someone with a good eye. I got this from the mountains of Germany and even had to fight this one monk who wanted it for his own temple in Thailand!!!!!!!."

"Whoa, those two are coffee geeks, huh?"

"Maiko, be quiet; someone with your brain couldn't understand the beauty of this machinery. Go eat your donut."

"Fine, whatever, call me when you're done with your trial or whatever."

"Mhm, well, Kazu, I'm sorry for getting all excited there. As you see, I truly love coffee, and I think it's a blessing from the gods as well as the machines that were created by geniuses to make its flavors more rich."

"I understand, Leo; coffee is like nature's way of waking you up in such a dull world."

"Well, Kazu, I'm sorry, but I hope you know loving coffee doesn't get you this job, and you have to show me you can at least make a good coffee."

"Well, if it's on the machine then—"

"No, Kazu. From scratch with the beans."

"You want me to raw bean this?"

"Yes, I do, Kazu. Anyone can make a good coffee with a godlike machine, but not many can make one with their own hands, and I want to see what story the coffee you make with your own hands will tell."

"I think I understand, but that's fine; I can do it."

"I hope you can, Kazu; don't disappoint me."

I begin to make coffee, and my way is a bit odd. I first get the coffee beans and crush them gently till they're powder, and then start to boil water and milk. As I put the crushed beans into the pouch, I add cinnamon, and then I begin to pour the water and finish off with the boiling milk, then mix it and add honey.

"Well, here you go, Leo-san; here's the coffee, and I threw in a piece of coffee cake as well."

"Mhm."

The nerves got to me as he started to drink the coffee I made, and I was sweating like an Olympic runner; for some reason, I didn't want to fail this.

As Leo took a sip, his eyes lit up, and he stood up, tears starting to run down his face.

"Are you okay, Leo?" I shouted.

"I'm fine, Kazu; your coffee just tells a very sad and beautiful story at the same time. The crushing and defeat of the beans to blossom into a beautiful cup of sweet, delicious coffee with the help of others. The milk, the water, the cinnamon, and the honey were all friends that brought this crushed bean out of its rut and turned it into a beautiful coffee because without the beans, there would be no coffee in the first place."

"That was beautiful, Leo," I said as I wiped the tears from my face.

"Oh, I almost forgot to try the coffee cake."

As soon as Leo took a bite of the cake, he jumped up in the air, and his heart started racing.

"Kazu, this is so good; why is it so moist? It's delicious; what did you do?"

"Nothing; I just moistened the cake with some honey and caramel milk."

"Kazu, come tomorrow; I need you to create a few additions to our menu."

"Does that mean—"

"Yes, you're hired."

My face lit up, and my smile was so wide that it started to hurt my cheeks; I couldn't remember being this happy in a while. For some reason, I felt like things were going in a good direction; I hoped they stayed this way. I was happy, so happy; I started to cry; it had been a long time since I had gotten out, since I had friends, since I had a job, and since I lived a normal life.

"Hey, Kazu, why are you crying? Did I say something?"

"No, I'm sorry, Leo; it's just I'm really happy, that's all."

"Well, wipe your face; you shouldn't be crying; you should be celebrating. I'll give you a meal; pick whatever you want from the menu."

"Thank you, Leo; I'd love to try one of the fancy German coffees."

"Coming right up, and by the way, here's your uniform."

"Thanks, Leo!" He hands me a black vest with a white button-up and a tie, also an apron with the logo on it and an earpiece?

"Hey, Leo, what's with the earpiece?"

"That's so I can contact you if I'm out of the restaurant."

"Cool, I've never used one of these before; kinda makes me feel like a spy."

"Yeah, when you think about it, it's something a spy would use."

I head back to the table to sit with Maiko and see her and my dog munching on their free food.

"Hey, Kazu, how'd it go?"

"I got the job and start tomorrow."

Maiko hugs me, and Lulu jumps from excitement. Oddly enough, when she hugs me, I feel a bit excited for some odd reason; I can't describe it, but it was like my heart warmed up.

"Okay, now I can totally get free food from here all the time."

I quickly push her off of me.

"Let me ask you something; by any chance, did you try to get me this job so you can eat free cakes here? And have you been here before?"

"No, what? Why would I do that, Kazu?"

"You sounded extremely nervous saying that, Maiko."

"Well, anyways, things worked out for the best; you got the job, so stop complaining. I think this calls for a celebration, so let's go to a karaoke bar together tonight; on me," Maiko excitedly shouts.

"Karaoke? It's been a while since I've gone to karaoke. Now that I think about it, the last time I went was on a date in high school. And man, right after we broke up, but I still loved to go to karaoke before then with my old buds, so I'm not opposed."

"Okay, Maiko; well, I think that's actually a good idea you've had for once, and I'll join you; let's go."