Chapter 16 – Asuka’s Business Model

Third person POV

Later, at 12:01 p.m., it's lunch time so Asuka stand up and said to Akihito, Aki, and Yumiko, "Guys, it's lunch time. Let's go to the company restaurant." Upon hearing that, Akihito, Aki, and Yumiko looked at him, and Akihito and Aki are surprised to hear that.

"Huh? Really?" Akihito responded.

"There's a restaurant in this company?" Aki asked.

"Oh! Yes, we had one," Yumiko answered as she stands up. "It's private and it was located in the second floor."

She then looked at the young president and asked, "Are they?"

"Sure, let them eat there," Asuka responded with a gesture. "They're my friends."

"I see."

With that, Asuka said to the two assassins, "Let's go, guys." And so, the four of them left the office and went to the company's private restaurant at the second floor of the building via an elevator.

Upon arriving there, they saw that the place was a bit small, but busy, with employees of different ranks eating, drinking, and chatting with one another. Some of them are pouring sauce and other condiments into their food.

Cooks are now cooking food for them, but they'll get a long rest time once the hour-long lunch time is over.

"So this is the private restaurant?" Akihito asked.

"Yes, mom added this sector 10 years ago to serve food and drink for all of our employees," Asuka responded with an explanation.

They then lined up to get trays, plates, bowls, and chopsticks.

Some of the employees and cooks are surprised to see their company president and his secretary being with two kids.

But they can't question that for some reason.

After some waiting, they are now in front of the line, and they began selecting food for lunch. Asuka goes for curry udon with potatoes, carrots, and rice while Aki get some fried tonkatsu and rice, her favorites. Akihito and Aki, meanwhile, are still in the middle of choosing because there are many food options right in front of them. Eventually, they go for Japanese omelette with ketchup drizzled on, as well as some sliced cucumbers and fruits like apples to make their meal balanced. For drinks, they all go for a glass of water, but Asuka normally don't want one with ice cubes.

After that, the four of them went to a table for four at a secluded spot, away from the distractions of noise, so they would eat and drink in peace. Once they settled down there, they all do a prayer gesture and say, "Thanks for the food." After that, they grabbed their chopsticks and eat up.

"Wow, this omelette is so good," Aki commented.

"The amount of salt is just right," remarked her twin brother.

"Yes, it was from my mom's cooking," Asuka responded.

Smiling, Yumiko said, "I can't stop eating the food of this place, especially their tonkatsu and fried shrimps."

"Is that so?" Akihito asked.

"Yeah, she is," Asuka answered while glancing at his secretary and back to his food.

He then resumed eating, before taking a sip of his glass of water.

"So, what was your mother's business model?" Akihito asked Asuka.

Hearing that, Asuka swallowed his food down the throat and replied, "Well, for her, she wants that everyone in this company to have their individual needs, whether be physically, emotionally, and mentally, unlike most companies here in Japan. I still had that model when I took over the company a year ago."

"She seems to care more about her employees than profits, right?" Aki responded.

"Yes, she does," Yumiko answered back, "she's a human, and they are humans, too. She doesn't care about the profits, but she cares about being a service to everyone through the industry where her company works in."

"I see," Akihito responded.

"One time, I got really sick," Yumiko give out an example from her own experience, "and I asked Asuka-san to give me a few days of rest, and he granted it without a second thought."

Akihito and Aki are amazed at Asuka's caring nature.

"Like mother, like son," Akihito commented.

"But, on the other hand," Asuka responded with a bit of a serious tone, "I don't tolerate selfishness or narcissism in my company. Whoever commits selfish acts, like taking someone's credits for a work project, will be either be suspended, or in extreme cases, fired."

"Wow, you're also serious on the other hand," Akihito commented. "You don't tolerate these things?"

"Yes, and mom hates it, too," Asuka replied back, before sipping his glass of water.

"She also hates gossips as well," Yumiko added as well, "and those who do that will have their salaries cut in half, literally, for a month."

"That was a good punishment for them," Aki commented.

Asuka then nodded to say yes.

"Actually, me and my younger brother switched companies to match our skills," Yumiko added.

"Oh, you have a brother, too?" Akihito asked.

"Yes, she does," Asuka confirmed it, "and he works as a secretary for Niko-chan's company."

The two young assassins then get what they said.

By 1:11 p.m., after a little dessert, the four of them went back to the office at the top floor so Asuka and Yumiko would continue do their work for the majority of the afternoon.