Chapter Text
[A Chef For The Kitsune]
[Written by Celeste Kyanite]
Life, man, did it love screwing you over sometimes.
Could be a minor thing like suddenly getting the flu.
Or it could be a major thing, like, oh don't know, your restaurant being closed for a dust roach infestation. Since you're now out of a job for a couple of months.
It hits more when the place was your own, built-from-the-ground-up establishment.
Can't go "Oh, well" and get a new permanent job like the employees.
Gotta stick with the place thin and through, which included the fees that came with it.
Exactly, what Nanjo Kojiro was currently occupied with.
Don't even know how it occurred.
Dust roaches weren't regular roaches; true to the name, they resided mainly in dust and would repopulate in it.
Sure, the restaurant had been cleaned every damn day, but there were places that didn't get the good treatment. Like the underneath of a stove or corners of the ceiling.
Naturally, that led to this consequence.
Kojiro had no clue how that occurred. Those dust roaches were not a common sight, since cleaning was enough to make them scurry away, and the outside had so much more dust they could use.
However, life loves screwing you over.
Now here Kojiro was. No job, no restaurant, and a lot of payments that needed to be made.
Thanks, life.
Though, Kojiro was luckier than most. Owning a restaurant meant you needed good money management. A thing Kojiro was pretty good at. Having enough to fully pay the exterminators and his current house bills.
But more problems would arise. He needs to buy brand new storage's of ingredients and worry about next month's bills. And hire new employees if some of them choose not to come back for their new job.
Would hurt but Kojiro understood; honestly, he wouldn't come back to a previously infested restaurant that forced them to get a new job out of nowhere.
That's not even getting into his biggest issue.
Kojiro did not live alone; he had a son, Miya, who had needs and wants that would occur with his young preteen age.
Food was not a problem; given his occupation, there were plenty of things at home for the two. If Kojiro were too busy at work, Miya would go and eat at the Kyans' house. He gave the Kyan family discounts because of that.
The problem was mainly needing to keep the house running for that kid. Hot water, air conditioning, and phone data. Clean clothes, new shoes, and whatever else that kid needed.
Miya understood his situation, but Kojiro would feel bad making his son miss out on school trips due to those pesky roaches.
Unfortunately, it was hard finding a temporary job.
Jobs wanted permanent hires when you looked into his digital footprint. A certain temporarily closed restaurant pops up. Why would you hire the owner of a rival restaurant that would eventually reopen?
"Maybe stop trying for restaurants dad, doubt they want you." Miya piped up, having come back home to find his father knee-deep in the computer and seeing yet another rejection email.
The usual "Sorry, we aren't interested in you for blah, blah, blah."
Kojiro sighed, rubbing his eyes. Having grown sick of the job websites' bright colors. "Guess so, kiddo, but I don't know. I can handle a bossy head cook and stuck-up kitchen employees (can't blame them given how nasty customers could get), but a more private workplace is daunting."
He never knew someone that worked privately; thus, who knows what could happen?
"The private people won't kill you dad, that was one movie." Miya's boosted, resulting in a hair ruffle.
"You're lucky it wasn't a violent movie." Kojiro muttered, paying more attention to his screen. Looking at the very few applications for a private chef.
He could get a private offer easily. Who wouldn't want the owner of a popular restaurant, his was closed due to something completely out of his control. Nothing that involved his cooking.
Even his ratings were good, the critical ones being immediately acknowledged and action being taken.
Which meant disciplining the staff in a tough love kind of way. People with jobs aren't usually nasty on purpose. Could have had a bad day or been just tired.
None of them were genuinely malicious; he never needed to get to the point of firing someone for their bad behavior.
Of course, that was Kojiro himself as the boss. Not everyone was that fair, especially with a reputation on the line.
"Miya, if I do get hired as a private chef, can you handle yourself if I come home late?" Kojiro asked.
Unless negotiations were possible, he would need to stick to whatever schedule the person has him on. Could be going there early to make breakfast or staying up late at night to make meals at dusk.
For his part, Miya gave him an affronted look at the mere question. "Course, dad! If I need any help, I could just go to the Kyans." A softer emotion overtook his face. "Besides, you're the one that's doing the job. Think of yourself when picking where to work and what hours they give you. Remember this isn't your new full-time job; you'll need to go back to our restaurant eventually. Put yourself first and we'll be just fine."
Miya moved closer, clutching his father's shoulder in reassurance. Even in the privacy of their house, Miya was shy of showing the mushy affection. So, Kojiro did it for him, giving the boy a hug that sprouted a small squeak. He was getting to that age where showing physical affection was considered embarrassing.
Meaning Kojiro had to do it himself and before Miya hit the teens.
"Yeah, we'll be fine, Miya. This is just a little bump in the road; soon the restaurant will be open again, and we can go back to our normal lives."
Miya grunted at that, not moved by those words. "Stop talking like we're in some sappy feel-good movie." He finished with sticking his tongue out.
Ha, he would miss this in two years.