Cruel Sama

Not many people knew about the noodle bar on the Tokyo-Zion Academy. How come nobody has heard of it? Noiz had to learn for herself. It all started five days ago.

It was late at the time. Noiz had to work late in her office that evening. She had finished the last paper and set down the pen.

“Whew!” the kitty said. Noiz looked over at the clock.

“Oh crap!” she said. The kitty packed up her bag and headed out of her office.

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As she headed home, her stomach began to growl. Noiz sighed and dropped her shoulders. I probably should get something to eat. The kitty looked at her phone.

“Oh,” she said. 11:07 a.m. What was open on campus? It didn’t help that today was Friday too. Maybe she could wait until she got home. Noiz’s stomach growled again.

“Okay, okay, you win,” she said. The headmistress wandered around the campus looking for food. About fifty minutes later, she saw gold and purple lights up ahead. Noiz tilted her head.

Hm? What is that?

She felt herself walking closer to the lights. As she got closer, a building took shape. Noiz spotted a person standing in front of a pair of glass doors. The person turned out to be a woman on the phone. Noiz’s ears strained for a listen.

“You can’t be serious!” the woman complained. “But I can’t leave right now. Look, if I leave right now, I will get fired. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Look, I’m sorry.” The woman hung up and sighed. She looked up and saw Noiz. The kitty blinked at first.

“Uh… problem?” she asked. The woman dropped back her head.

“My daughter got sick and is being taken to the hospital,” she said. “But I can’t go to her.”

“Why not?” Noiz asked.

“I would get fired.”

The kitty gave her a strange look. “Why would you get fired for a family emergency? That doesn’t make any sense.” The woman trembled as she grabbed her arm.

“What’s the matter?” Noiz asked. The woman looked through the glass doors.

“It’s the boss,” she said in a whisper. “She wants us working all night. If any of us tries to leave for any reason, she’ll fire us.” The employee held her arm.

“Oh no!” she said. “I really need this job.” Noiz don’t know what happened next. It just came out of her mouth.

“I can cover for you while you go to check on your daughter,” she said. The employee looked at her with big eyes.

“But… I could get fired,” she said. Noiz patted her on the shoulder.

“It will be okay,” she said. “I promise. Just go.”

“Do you mean it?” the employee asked.

“Yes,” Noiz said. “Just go.” The other woman’s eyes lit up brighter than the stars. She looked like she would fly away.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” the woman said. She bowed many times and headed on her way. Noiz waved after her.

“Be safe,” she said. The kitty’s stomach growled again. She looked through the glass doors. The inside looked well-lit with black and white everywhere. Noiz figured that she might find something to eat in there. She pushed open the door and poked her head inside.

“Hello?” she asked. “Is anybody here?” A couple of the employees came from the back. A young man looked around, trembling.

“W-W-Welcome,” he said. “Welcome to our noodle bar.” Noiz walked in, blinking.

“Uh… are you guys still open?” she asked.

“Yes!” a petite girl said. Noiz looked between the two employees.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

“Where is Ono-san?” the young man asked.

“Ono-san?” Noiz asked. She looked behind her at the glass doors. “Oh, you mean that employee outside. I sent her home.” The other two employees stared at her with big eyes.

“What?!” they asked. All of the color drained from their faces.

“Oh! This is bad!” the young man said. “Ono can’t afford to get fired. She needs the money. I’m going to call her back.” He pulled out his cell phone, but Noiz took hold of his wrist. The young man looked at her with a pale face.

“It’s okay,” Noiz said. “I will cover her shift for tonight.” The other two employees stared at her.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” the petite girl said.

“Why not?” the kitty asked. “Ono-san really needs to be there for her daughter.”

“But we can’t afford to not work any nights,” the boy said. “We’ll get freed.” Noiz tilted her head.

“Why is that?” she asked. The two employees looked at each other, trembling.

“She’s the devil!” the petite woman said.

“Huh?” Noiz asked.

“Our boss, she’s a total night more,” the female employee said. “You don’t know the things that she does.”

“You should’ve seen what she did to the last guy who worked here,” the male employee said. Noiz had a curious look on her face.

“She can’t be that bad, can she?” she asked. The glass doors opened right after she asked that. A big woman with curves and a dress suit walked into the building. The employees ran to the back, trembling. Noiz turned around with her eyebrow raised.

“Oh, you must me the boss,” she said. “I will be covering for one of your employees tonight. Nice to meet you.” The boss looked her up and down and snorted.

“Uh-huh,” she said. “Whatever.” The boss walked past Noiz and bumped past her shoulder. The kitty looked at her, blinking.

“Okay then…” she mumbled. This was going to be a long night.

Night One