Sooner than anyone expected, the day was over. Just as the sun finished setting, they (politely) shooed out the last customer and locked the door. Centorea and Manako both collapsed from exhaustion.
“Zounds…” gasped Centorea.
“I’m so sorry, Miss Centorea. There was such a demand for pictures I couldn’t come back to the floor,” said Manako.
“Not to worry, Manako, it was work all the same. And my, how many customers it drew!”
The maid café’s atmosphere was much less calm and much less adult than the bar’s. As soon as word got out about the centaur and cyclops maids, one day only, there was a rush on the place. They’d been swarmed.
Salmon and Dubtwo gave the girls a standing ovation.
“Thanks for the amazing effort, you two,” Kimihito said as he reentered the room, “I got you some drinks.”
“Milord! That’s excessive! You’ve done too much already.”
“It’s your turn to be taken care of.” He smiled and set a cup of vegetable juice in front of her, then a mug of hot cocoa for Manako.
“Thank you so much, Kimihito!” Manako said.
“That was a lot of hard work,” he remarked.
“On your part, too,” she insisted, “And now, these drinks…”
“It’s the least I can do,” he said with a dismissive wave.
“Thanks for giving it your all!” Ren shouted as she burst out of the kitchen. “For first timers, you did super well! We were so busy that I couldn’t set foot out of the kitchen! If I could, I’d hire you full-time!” Her volume didn’t waver.
“Alas, duty compels me home,” Centorea said.
Manako winced. “My feet hurt so much.”
“Yeah! Customer service, huh? Anyway, I’ll let the boss know you did great!” She slapped her chest for emphasis.
When Kimihito and Ren first met, he’d been worried about her future, but it seemed like the café had improved her social skills a lot. At this rate, she might be able to have a casual conversation with Rachnera sometime soon. He hoped so, anyway.
“And we’ll report to Smith-san on a job well done,” Salmon and Dubtwo said. Though they’d spent a lot of the afternoon as customers and fans, they’d been a huge help to Kimihito too, especially with the armor.
He bowed to them silently.
Centorea had been leaning, fatigued, on a table, but some life sparked back into her and she rose to her feet. “Oh, yes, Milord!”
“What’s up, Cerea?”
“May I attempt the special menu omurice again for you? To redeem myself.”
“R-really? Even though you’re supposed to be done?”
She clenched her fist, armor shining, and stared resolutely at him.
“Um! I’d like to try, too,” Manako said, nervously raising her hand.
“Both of you?!”
“I made some for the MON employees, but not for you, and I want to repay you for all your help…if that makes sense?”
Kimihito considered. “I see.”
The two maids watched intently, hands clasped over their breasts, as they awaited his answer.
“Well, if you’re sure, I can’t say no, can I?” he said.
“Milord! I will craft the finest omurice in all the land!” Centorea proclaimed.
“Miss Centorea, let’s not get too excited,” Manako said.
“Y-yes. You are correct, of course. Calm, calm…”
“Okay—on three. One, two, three…”
“Moé! Moé! Kyun~! ♡”
✦ ✦ ✦
The maids made their way into the kitchen. Though they’d closed and tidied, it was probably okay for them to use it a little.
Ren had no problem, at least. “Sure, go ahead. We didn’t get any breaks, so they’ve definitely earned the right to mess around a bit.”
Hmmm… thought Kimihito. The two liminal girls seemed happy, but Cerea’s sudden insistence on cooking was odd. In fact, everyone’s been acting weird about the work experience pilot program. Miia, Rachnera, Papi, and Mero, too. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out the reason.
Centorea in particular took on a lot of pressure, worrying about her performance when it didn’t have any bearing on how much she’d get paid. When this is all over, I’ll have to ask her why.
“Milord, dinner is served.” She approached with the omurice balanced on her palm like a waitress, which she basically was. Placing it in front of him, she braced herself. “W-well. Now for the maid ketchup.”
“Miss Centorea, shall we do it together?” Manako placed her hands over Centorea’s to steady them.
“You have my thanks, Manako.” Her nervousness seemed to abate somewhat.
Now that she wasn’t so tense, she was able to draw a beautiful, even line of red ketchup over the golden yellow omelet. With Manako easing them around the corners, the curves didn’t wobble. In the end, a perfect heart shape was drawn over the omurice.
“I—I did it, Milord!”
“Y-yeah—I’m kind of embarrassed,” Kimihito replied.
“Wait a moment, Miss Centorea!” Manako said. “We have to deliver the line!”
“Ah! How foolish of me to forget. Are you ready, Lady Manako?”
They lifted the plate and looked Kimihito straight in the eyes.
“Milord—”
“Kimihito—”
“Here’s your meal! Moé moé kyun~! ♡”
Of course, it goes without saying that the omurice they made together was the best Kimihito had ever tasted.