7 The Tussle of Confidence

I am Kanzaki Mona, twenty years old. For today, I am thrilled because I can prove that our restaurant is superior to the one that that college student guy manages. Seriously, he's the manager of a restaurant at such a young age? I don't want to believe it but I guess he will prove his worth today.

Hmmm, a battle of sales, huh? What a nice competition to be in. And I'll prove to that loser Kazuya that he is wrong in criticizing my dad's cooking even once.

Though right now, why am I riding a bus? Where is this going? Plus, why am I wearing my middle school uniform?

"Mona, look," said by a boy beside me.

Who is this boy? Do I know him? From the looks of it, he must be in his second year in middle school.

"The sky is so dark," added the boy. "N-Not to be childish but there's this saying that something's sad happened or is about to happen when the weather is like this. The sky must be crying."

Is this boy dumb or what? Doesn't he know about the water cycle?

I can't see his face since he is looking at the sky through the seat window. And yes, the weather is so gloomy. Is there a severe thunderstorm incoming?

The bus finally accelerates after being stopped by the stoplight for like two minutes. I am thinking that I must be going now to the Summer Comiket yet I am dumbfounded by the fact that this isn't the route to the venue plus why I am wearing my old school uniform.

Seconds later, I looked at the window wanting to check if it is raining but in a flash, another bus is approaching us perpendicular to our direction. It is ravaging with a violent speed from a road that isn't filled with much traffic. The whole front of the bus is exactly headed towards our position in the middle part of the bus I am riding in.

I can see that the bus is nearing collision with our position and I am enveloped by terror.

"Mona, close your eyes for a while," said the boy.

Then, the boy beside me suddenly hugs me then everything goes black.

"Uwaah!" I shouted as I abruptly rise from my bed.

It turns out that I was dreaming. Maybe, I can consider it as a nightmare.

"W-What in the world was that?" I uttered. "I thought I was going to die."

I wonder who that boy was, and why did I dream of something of a tragic accident like that?

"Mona! Get up already!" shouted my dad from downstairs. "It's already 6 am, we need to make preparations for the stall!"

"Y-Yes, dad!" I answered.

Whatever. I should focus on today.

<And so, my dad and I sequentially went to our stall's venue in the Comiket after some breakfast and self-grooming.>

"Dad, can I stroll around for a bit?" I asked. "I want to check Kazuya's pathetic stall."

Hehe, I wonder what those fools have under their sleeves.

"Go, but be back after 15 minutes," said dad.

<So yes, I actually planned to walk towards their supposed-to-be spot but they set up their stall in a new location.>

"Eek, you guys transferred here?" I asked.

"Oh, Mona-san, good timing," said Chiaki. "Can you hand me the hammer on that table?"

"Here," I said. "Wait, why am I helping you, twerps?!"

"Come on, don't be like that," said Chiaki. "It's early in the morning and you're angry. You'll get wrinkles earlier than you think, you know."

"Don't lecture me about what should be my mood!" I said.

"Done, Chiaki," said Kazuya. "I am done installing the gas range and stove."

"Good, good," said Chiaki. "You can be great if you followed 'correct' instructions."

"Hmm? This girl that looks like Yuki Setsuna-chan from Love Live, plus having medium-sized boobs," said Kazuya. "Ah figures, hello Mona-san."

"Can't you see me from this distance?!" I asked.

"Pardon me, my vision just got hazy for a while since I haven't gotten much sleep since last night," said Kazuya.

Hmm, judging from the appearance of their stall, it looks better than I can imagine.

"Wah~ Good thing our developing team in the restaurant got us some extra tools and materials to beautify your stall, man," said Chiaki. "We would have spent money if ever the worse happened."

That solves the question about their materials. They used warm colors as the font and background of their stall title. They even provided new tables and chairs.

"How did you three acquired this spot?" I asked.

"The former stall here vacated the place since they received a complaint regarding a customer having bowel irritation after eating their food," said Itsuki. "The moment we received the report, we negotiated with the committee and now, we are on this location."

Hmm, they are lucky. This location is one of the most strategic ones in the vicinity. It closely rivals our spot, if I am to describe.

"Well, what matters is still the food," I said. "Good luck beating our sales~"

"Yes, 'coz Kazuya will embarrass your cooking," answered Chiaki.

Tsk, that's some arrogance.

"I'll be going back to our stall," I said. "See you later for the totals, dummies."

Ah~ That felt good when I said it.

<As the Day 2 of Summer Comiket commences, our stall followed through. The influx of people had visibly increased due to there are more events scheduled for today. That said, it should mean that we will be having a lot of customers.>

"I'll take three orders of large yakisoba!" said a customer.

"Coming!" I answered.

"Give me two servings of your okonomiyaki!" said another customer.

"Yes, sir!" I answered.

Ah, this crowd noises, this humidity coming from the pan, these customers excitement over our food, it makes me so proud of what we have become!

I started helping in the kitchen sometime in middle school. But, my dad said that the restaurant almost closed before because of close bankruptcy. I wonder what happened.

Anyway, I have to satisfy the taste buds of these hungry people with our food!

"Food's coming, folks!" said Dad and I.

<Time went quick. I didn't even notice that it was already 6 pm. The crowd was slowly heading towards the exit. Then, my dad said something to me.>

"Mona, be wary," said dad.

"About what?" I asked.

"There will be someone who's going to match our food, maybe even beat it in taste," revealed Dad.

What? There's a stall here that is capable of that? We're always number one in total sales since we joined a spot here in Summer Comiket for several years.

"Don't worry about that, Dad," said Mona. "I'm sure we are still the people's choice and if there is one, then they will have to beat our sales!"

<After our brief chat, it was then time to compare sales. I headed straight to their stall after I freshened up a bit.>

"So, how was your day?" I asked. "Y'all look pretty tired, huh?"

"Ah, yeah," said Chiaki. "It was good."

Hmm, he sounds a bit exhausted or disappointed?

"Well, let me start with our comparison challenge," I said.

"Go ahead," said Chiaki.

He still is looking pretty confident, eh?

"Our sales for today is a booming 6,000 yen!" I said. "It even exceeded my expectation and our daily average. So how are you guys going to topple that?"

That should crush their morale. It is wrong to even challenge my Dad's cooking, Kazuya.

"So, what's your total sales?" I asked. "As great as Kazuya with technology, you should have computed it quicker than we did."

"Hmm, our sales total is a whooping..," said Chiaki.

W-Whopping? Meaning it is more shocking than ours?! T-They are just a new stall here!

"75 yen," added Chiaki.

Eh? D-Did I hear it right?

"C-Come again?" I asked.

"I said we had 100 yen today in total," said Chiaki. "Haven't you cleaned your ears, Mona-san?"

"HAHAHA!" I laughed. "A-Are you serious? S-Shoot, I can't stop laughing!"

T-This is hilarious enough to make me roll on the floor!

"But, we are not going to admit defeat yet," said Kazuya.

"W-What are you saying, Kazuya?" I asked. "Your earning are only 1.25% of our total! That should dictate something to your heads!"

"He's right, Mona-san," said Chiaki. "Tomorrow is the final day of the Summer Comiket, so as our competition. Of course, we are going to still fight."

I-I know that we have won today but something feels off. He's still smiling and wasn't out of character even though he revealed that small of an earning. Is he planning something? Don't he think about sabotaging our stall for I'll be the one to beat him up!

"Okay, team, let's make preparations for tomorrow!" said Chiaki.

"Aren't you even tired?" asked Itsuki.

"I'm gonna cry on missing Ayumu-chan's solo performance!" said Kazuya.

T-These three... they sounded so relaxed.

I-I'm sure they are feeling discouraged inside. They are just acting cool for me to think that they are not fazed by our dominance!

"Ah, we're about to hit a ramen shop nearby," said Chiaki. "Want to join us?"

R-Ramen shop...?! Of course, I want to go!

W-Wait, they are your opponents!

"I-I'll be fine," I said. "My Dad and I are going home anyway."

"Is that so?" said Chiaki. "Too bad, then. Let's go, you two. I'm hungry!"

How can they be so chill about their situation? On the other hand, why am I even irritated about this? It's assured that I am the winner of this competition.

Hmph, we'll see tomorrow. Time to end your hopes in a crushing manner.

<The second day of the Summer Comiket ended with me being victorious yet for some reason, I feel troubled inside. And the next and final day of the event would turn out to be the answer to my unexplainable worries.>