In times like these, acting embarrassed would only make you feel more embarrassed. And Albert had already cross-dressed twice before now. So I wasn’t gonna let him give me shit for it.
“I’m going to open the café, everyone! There’s already a line of customers outside!”
An announcement from a fellow classmate struck the final blow to the hesitant prince.
Ironically, our little preshow in the hallway was giving us good returns. He’d already come this far. If we didn’t get results, everything would have been for nothing.
“Well, without further ado—the Phoenix Class’s Café Aurora is open for business!”
And with a bombastic announcing of the name, the door to our classroom was opened—to reveal an impressive number of students lined up outside. The queue was so long it made me wonder if every student not currently on duty at their own business was there.
Okay, time to get the energy up. I exchanged looks with Melissa, Colette, and the other girls, then I shot a glare at Albert. Melissa and Colette nodded in reply. Albert’s face twitched slightly with hesitation.
“Welcome to our café!”
(But his voice still layered perfectly with the chorus.)
With as much charm as we could muster, we spread our arms wide in welcome. After a hushed murmur of confusion, the room filled with an ecstatic sigh.
“Table for how many, sir?”
“Er, um…f-four…please…”
I didn’t blame the guys for gawking, but our business model was low-profit-high-turnover—though let it be noted that compared to most normal cafés, we would still be considered rather high-profit—which meant churning through customers was crucial. We needed to keep the atmosphere in here lively, not reverent, so I urged the dazed schoolboys to their table as quickly as possible.
“We have one item on our menu today. Please select the jam you’d like, sir.”
“Um, o-okay, I’ll have strawberry…”
“Same for us…”
Our menu consisted of one item: tea and bannocks, the only variation was which of the three jams you chose to go with your bannock. Our customer service system was simplified as much as possible, and our tea and pastries were on the baking level of your basic rich girl.
Then we sold the items at more than twice their market value—though I doubted anyone would care.
“Did you see that…? I’ve never seen Mylene smile like that before…!”
“Yes, I always took her for an intimidating beauty. I didn’t know she could smile that way…”
And that was because we more than made up for it with our customer service.
I used to be a man—I understood exactly how those boys felt. Personality gaps were always a surefire way to get a man to swoon. Their dazed smiles said it all: they were in a dreamworld.
“Blueberry and marmalade—will that suffice?”
“Y-yes!”
“Three blueberries here. Coming right up.”
“Th-thanks!”
The other girls were just as popular. Baby-faced Melissa, queenly Colette—she provided yet another layer of value, giving the boys the rare opportunity to fraternize with royalty.
And speaking of royalty—
“Th-that will be three strawberry jams. Coming right up…”
Albert was also doing quite well. I wish he wouldn’t scurry away right after he took the orders—
“Do you recognize that girl?”
“I don’t think so. But…she sure was pretty.”
“Yes, so modest…”
—but his shy demeanor struck the boys right in the feels.
Enjoy your dream while it lasts, boys. It will surely be a bittersweet memory later.
That was just how perfect Albert was in drag. Unless somebody told you he was a boy—actually, scratch that, even if somebody told you he was a boy, you’d still think he was a girl.
Okay, everyone else seems to be making good sales, too. I’d better focus on my own tasks now.
“Here you go, gentlemen. Four Aurora Tea Sets with strawberry jam.”
I distributed the mediocre tea, bannocks, and jam. And there was a collective gasp of awe from the boys at the table.
…If I may be so humble, I know I’ve got a pretty face. All it takes is a little charming smile in a frilly dress and most boys will melt just like them. Now the only thing I have to do is keep it up and serve the other guests. As long as I can turn my brain off, this is an easy gig.
“Thank you for visiting us, gentlemen… Next guests, please step this way!”
As soon as I dismissed the table, I brought in more guests. Since we were in constant motion, I felt rather frazzled. But that just meant we were very profitable. Business was thriving, and it felt pretty damn good.
“Oh, God…I love her usual valiant demeanor, but…”
“Bubbly Mylene is just as nice…”
Besides…how should I put it…? Toying with people also felt surprisingly good. It felt good because I thought of it as a game, of course, but for a mercenary like me who’d been used and abused for a cheap price, I felt a twisted sort of joy at bending rich kids to my will with a single flirtatious smile.
Having said that, a part of me still couldn’t get over my hang-ups over acting like this, so I didn’t think I was cut out for it long-term.
With a little shake of my head, I shifted my focus back to work. Our stream of customers was unending, and before we knew it, the time had come to change shifts.
“Mylene, we’re changing shifts. Let’s all regroup.”
“All right, understood.” As I smiled sweetly at Colette, I heard another chorus of scattered sighs from the room. But Romilda and Hermia were also quite the beauties. Their lack of family fame or royal status lost them some points, but they were more than enough to drive the boys crazy.
“Aww! Miss Mylene, do you have to leave?!” a girl sighed.
“Princess Colette, can’t you stay?!” another girl echoed.
The real dark horses were me and Colette, along with Melissa and Albert. Even though we mostly served the boys, we also got our fair share of love from the girls.
With a soft giggle, Colette said, “It’s sweet of you to miss us, but we want to explore the Genius Festival, too. We’ll come back to serve again later, so be sure to visit then.”
“Oh—! Y-yes, Princess…!”
“We’ll come as many times as we have to!”
Then again…this is Colette we were talking about. It made perfect sense. She was feminine, yet she had a unique chivalry about her, too. That was likely the result of the superior education someone of her status was brought up on. She would become an imperial war princess in the future; those qualities would only continue to be sharpened as she grew up.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, we shall take our leave. Do come again, if you wish.”
“Oh, we’ll definitely be back!”
“I’m coming as many times as I can!”
And in an odd turn of events, I was just as popular.
At the very least, I liked to think I carried myself with grace while I was on campus. Still feeling a little confused by that, I slipped behind the curtain that served as a partition.
“All right Romilda, Hermia, we’ll see you later for your second shift.”
“Tee-hee-hee, you’re a tough act to follow, Miss Mylene.”
“But we’ll do our best. Have a great time at the Genius Festival.”
I bid farewell to my coworkers and picked up my school uniform. I wouldn’t be caught dead wandering around campus in the maid outfit. I at least wanted to be in my normal school uniform on my time off.
“Mm—you’re changing?” Colette grunted.
“Yes. I wish to be comfortable when I’m not on the clock.”
“But you look so cute,” Melissa argued.
“Still, I’d rather get this off of me,” I said curtly.
Albert, meanwhile, was unusually quiet—
“E-excuse me-e… What shall I do? I can’t go into the boys’ dressing room looking like this…”
—but it seemed he understood firsthand how I was feeling.
“If you want to change, you’ll have to do it behind the curtain in the classroom.”
“Oh—oh…yes, I suppose I shall have to…”
No way in hell could he go into the boys’ dressing room in a maid uniform. In a way, I guess Albert had it harder than I did.
Then again, he deserved it.
“Well, we’re going off to change, then. We’ll return to the classroom later, so let’s all regroup here when we do.”
“Yes, ma’am…”
If he made it through this ordeal, he’d think twice before betraying me.
I’m not sure why I found the whole thing amusing. Probably because Albert was so quick on the uptake. Feeling a little charmed by the sulking prince, I left the classroom behind me.