The Story of How I Pretended To Be A Boy and Ended Up Being Loved By A Mafia Boss - Chapter 2

I was in the main street of the northern district again today, spreading out my tools for work.

“One, two, three… four thousand regin,” I counted.

I thought I earned a good amount today, but this is still not enough. There’s no way I can make two million regin in just ten days…

While I was looking down with a gloomy face, a soldier walking by suddenly spoke to me.

“Hey, you! You’re doing this here again? I told you not to, remember?”

Ah… it’s the same person who warned me a few days ago not to work here.

“The nearby shoe shop is complaining. They say you’re stealing their customers and you don’t even have a permit to set up a shop, right?”

The soldier scratched his head like it was a hassle.

“But this place has the most people walking by…” I said.

“Then go to the southern district. Isn’t this the time when you usually make the most money?”

The southern district is called the “night city” of Nailden. I heard there are lots of bars and social clubs there.

It’s true that there should be many people in that area… but my mom told me not to go near the south.

“Anyway, you can’t stay here. Try somewhere else, okay?”

The soldier told me to pack up. I put all my tools back into my bag.

What should I do now? Where can I work?

When I got home, my mom was just about to leave the house.

“Mom, where are you going?” I asked.

“Someone on the night shift is sick, so I’m going to take their place.”

“Huh?”

“I won’t be back until morning, so make sure to lock the doors, okay?”

“Okay… Take care, Mom.”

“Yes. I’m going now.”

Mom didn’t even look me in the eyes as she left. I’m sure that story about the night shift was a lie.

She’s just trying to take on more work to help pay off the debt.

If she keeps pushing herself like this, she’ll get sick.

I have to do something. I can’t let her carry all the burden alone.

I picked up my bag again and left the house.

*****

It was my first time walking into the night city. It was very loud and full of people.

There were drunk men and women who worked in the night business everywhere.

Oh, so that’s how the ladies guide customers to their shops…

While I was watching the flow of people and waiting for a customer, a beautiful woman in a fancy dress came up to me. She probably felt sorry for me.

“You’re shining shoes in this cold? That’s tough,” she said.

“No… it’s fine,” I replied.

But she looked even colder in that outfit…

“Oh? You have such a cute face. I think you could earn money doing other work.”

“Huh? Other work?” I asked.

“A boy’s job. You know, serving drinks at a bar or leading customers to their tables.”

“That’s all?” I asked.

“Yes and you can make ten thousand regin in just a few hours.”

“Ten thousand regin!?” I was shocked.

“Hehe. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?”

Of course it did. That was about five days’ worth of my usual earnings…

“Want to try it now?” she asked.

“Can I really?”

“Of course. I’ll talk to the manager for you.”

“O-Okay!”

She pulled my arm and took me to a beautiful place. She led me to a waiting room, where I changed into a shirt and pants that were prepared for me.

After a while, the manager with messy hair came to get me.

“Are you changed? Oh, looks good on you! Ready to start?”

“Yes! Thank you very much!”

I learned how to take drinks from the bartender and serve them to customers at their tables. It was easier than I thought.

I felt like I could really do this job.

But then…

“Hey, you’ve got a cute face. It’s a waste for you to be just a server. Come sit next to me,” said a rich-looking man at one of the tables.

Huh? What do I do…?

I froze, unsure how to react. The lady sitting beside him tugged his arm.

“Oh come on, Lord Milan! That kid just started today. Don’t scare him!”

“Is that so? Well, I come here often, so try to remember me, okay?”

“Y-Yes… Nice to meet you,” I said nervously.

“Haha, you’re adorable. I like you.”

“Th-Thank you…”

I kept a fake smile on my face as I returned to the counter. The bartender patted my shoulder.

“Be careful with Lord Milan, okay? Rumor says he likes boys too.”

“R-Really…?”

After that, I made sure not to make eye contact with him while I worked.

After about three hours, the manager came over.

“You can stop now. Today was just a trial. Here—your pay.”

“Ah, thank you.”

He handed me a brown envelope, and I put it in my chest pocket.

“So? You seem like a good fit for this job. Want to work here?”

“Um… I can’t do it for long, but can I work for a few more days?”

“That’s totally fine. We need more help anyway.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Come by whenever you can.”

“Yes!”

It looked like I could choose my own schedule. Maybe I’ll work here only on the nights when Mom has to work.

She always said the southern district was dangerous, but it wasn’t so bad at all.

As I looked inside the envelope with my wages, I thought:

I really found a good job.