‘What is this even about? What does it have to do with being a maid? So this girl really came to apply as a maid?’
Akiba Sakura stared at Zaolai Qianxiao, who was gripping her hand with an expectant look, her expression stiffening.
There was no way she wanted this girl working at the same shop as her.
If they started working together, the risk of her identity being exposed would skyrocket, and then everything with Yuuma Tsugumu would fall apart.
So Sakura immediately cleared her throat and started pouring cold water on the idea.
“Um… being a maid is actually super tiring. You have to smile all the time, bow and use polite language, stand on your feet for hours—your legs get really sore—and you have to memorize a ton of menus and rules. Sometimes you even get weird customers…”
Even though she hadn’t experienced any of that yet, she kept exaggerating, doing her best to make the job sound like a hellish dungeon.
But to her surprise, Zaolai Qianxiao just clenched her small fists with a look of determination.
“I know! Isn’t it only natural to fight through thorns and brambles on the path to becoming cuter? I’m not afraid!”
“…”
‘Seriously, this girl is completely immune! Did I not lay it on thick enough?’
Seeing that the other girl was still clinging to her fantasy, Sakura gritted her teeth and prepared to add a few more nasty comments to scare her off.
But before she could, a light, airy voice tinged with killing intent suddenly cut in from behind.
“Oh? Such determination?”
Niijima Yukina had somehow appeared beside them, staring at Zaolai Qianxiao with an excited look, her eyes gleaming as if she had discovered a treasure of a new recruit.
“Here at Soft Cat Cafe, we’re all about supporting girls in their pursuit of cuteness! Since you’re so resolved—you’re hired!”
“M-Manager?!”
Hearing the voice behind her, Sakura quickly turned around, breaking into a cold sweat as she looked at Niijima Yukina.
“Manager?”
Upon hearing Sakura’s address, Zaolai Qianxiao immediately realized that the woman before her was the manager of Soft Cat Cafe.
“Wow! Thank you, Manager!”
Overjoyed by the good news, Zaolai Qianxiao jumped up on the spot.
And Sakura, whose plan had just been foiled again, stood there dumbfounded.
“Wait, wait, wait—Manager, you can’t just—”
But Niijima Yukina slowly turned to face Sakura, her usual gentleness gone.
A “kind” smile curled at the corners of her lips, and her eyes locked onto Sakura with a chilling gaze.
“Sakura… just now, you seemed to have a lot of complaints about the work here? I thought you were a good girl…”
Meeting Niijima Yukina’s eyes, Sakura suddenly felt a sense of crisis she could only describe as “death descending,” and her hair instantly stood on end.
“M-misunderstanding! It’s definitely a misunderstanding! Manager, that was a misunderstanding!”
“Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not, we’ll settle it in the staff room!”
Niijima Yukina didn’t care what Sakura was babbling about.
She grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her away.
And so, under Zaolai Qianxiao’s curious gaze, Sakura was slowly hauled off, tears in her eyes.
With a soft thump, the staff room door was gently closed, shutting out the lively noise outside.
Niijima Yukina let go of Sakura’s wrist.
The “kind” smile vanished from her face, and she inexplicably returned to her usual gentle, warm demeanor.
She led Sakura to a chair and motioned for her to sit, then sat down across from her, her tone carrying a hint of confusion.
“Sakura, you reacted pretty strongly just now. Did you not want that girl to work here? What’s the reason? I think she’s a good fit for our café…”
Sakura rubbed her wrist, which was a little red from being gripped, and breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Niijima Yukina wasn’t really angry.
She thought for a moment and quickly came up with a reason—since the manager had seen her and Yuuma Tsugumu wearing the same school uniform before and knew they were from the same school, she could probably tell from Zaolai Qianxiao’s uniform that they were classmates.
Rather than being pressed, it was better to speak up first.
As long as she didn’t mention Yuuma Tsugumu and only said she was worried about her identity being exposed, that should be fine.
Having made up her mind, Sakura looked up and put on a troubled expression.
“Manager, it’s not that I don’t like that girl. It’s just that… she’s from the same school as me. I don’t want people at school to know I’m working here part-time… I mean, if a classmate saw me in a maid outfit, I’d feel a bit embarrassed. If she starts working here too, and recognizes me at school, my identity would be blown, right?”
As she spoke, she secretly observed Niijima Yukina’s expression.
But this time, Sakura was probably in for another disappointment.
Niijima Yukina was no ordinary person.
After running a café for years, she had seen all kinds of people.
Sakura’s little tricks couldn’t escape her eyes.
After listening to Sakura’s explanation, a hint of understanding flashed in Niijima Yukina’s eyes, and a slight smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
‘Sakura, Sakura, you sure talk a good game, but sorry, big sister here overheard everything just now! There’s no way it’s just about your identity being exposed, is it?’
Remembering Zaolai Qianxiao’s reaction when she mentioned “Akiba Sakura,” combined with Sakura’s unusual behavior, Niijima Yukina immediately sensed something was off—add in that boy Yuuma Tsugumu from before, and she figured there had to be some story between these three schoolmates, and it was probably related to romance!
Having roughly pieced things together, Niijima Yukina’s gossip-loving soul was instantly ignited.
The more she thought about it, the more interesting it became.
She had already thought Zaolai Qianxiao was full of spirit, and now she was even more determined to keep her—with such a “key person” in the shop, she might even get to see a fun “romantic drama.”
Then Niijima Yukina looked at Sakura’s tense face and couldn’t help but laugh.
“So that’s how it is. Don’t worry, Sakura. Having that girl work here won’t affect you.”
Sakura was taken aback.
She quickly looked up, wanting to argue further.
“But Manager, we’re from the same school. What if…”
“Relax~”
Niijima Yukina interrupted her, smiling knowingly.
“You two dress differently outside of school. As long as you don’t deliberately bring it up at school, there’s no way she’ll recognize you. Besides, with an extra helper, you can take it easy and not work so hard. Isn’t that great?”
“Meow meow meow?”
For a moment, Sakura didn’t know what to say.
This was the manager after all.
If Niijima Yukina had really decided to let Zaolai Qianxiao work here, what could she do about it?
‘This… is really going to be a mess. Is it really going to come to that…’
“Manager, I still think we should—”
“Sakura~”
Seeing that Sakura wasn’t giving up, Niijima Yukina suddenly narrowed her eyes at her.
“Since we’ve finished discussing that girl’s matter, let’s talk about your dissatisfaction with the maid work at this café, shall we?”
“Huh… huh?! Manager, you already know it was a misunderstanding!”
“Hmm? Funny… did I ever say that?”