Chapter 3
26.
The conversation went serious with just one question. It's the start of the downhill if they fail to convey a compelling response. Everything happened in an overwhelming series of events, and the group forgot to craft a concrete answer beforehand. On the flip side, Rin was quite desperate, that's why she intentionally skipped the interview part earlier. Usually, interviews happen before the tour but because of their previous experiences, her approach changed this time. Thus the discussion continues.
"We… We came from Riverania." Kita nervously answered.
"That explains your unique style. Nyu guys are tourists." Rin said.
"Hai… Yes... we are hehe..." They all chaotically replied.
"So what brings nyu here?" Rin asked.
"Bored?" Kita answered, Hana secretly pinched her from the back.
"Bored? Like nothing else to do?" Rin questioned. Kita's answer was definitely an odd one.
"She meant, we boarded a shipping vessel to get here." Yuna immediately covered Kita's mistake.
"We are travelers. We just want to experience lots of things." Hana added.
"Now I understand why nyu have huge backpacks," Rin said as the rest awkwardly laughed. "Does that mean nyu are not going to stay here that long?" Rin added.
"Of course we will. We don't have any other place to stay and we need to learn the settings here first. This place is way different from where we came from. It might take time before we can adjust here." Yuna answered.
"I'm glad to hear that. If there's anything that I can help with, let me know." Rin offered.
Since the discussion was already over, Lisa knocked on the door and entered the office.
"The dinner is ready," she said.
Finally off the hook, the group tried their best to act as normal as possible. Though they are entirely bothered right now. Their secret may be safe as of the moment, but who knows until when.
The maid cafe is officially closed for today, and the Catgirls will feast for today. Even though there are no customers, not a single one, the newly hired maids are still something to be celebrated. It does not have to be en grande or extravagant, a simple yet sincere welcome for Kita, Hana, Yuna, and Lulu is enough.
After the small celebration, everyone heads towards their rooms. Yuna ensured that no one else was around, afterwards, they started their own meeting.
"The hallway is clear, just lower your voice just to be sure," Yuna said.
"I just want to say that in times like those, Kita should be quiet," Hana mentioned.
"But would that be way more suspicious?" Kita argued.
"That is the reason why we have to discuss things now. So when the same scenario happens, our answers are synchronized." Yuna responded.
"I behaved the whole time," Lulu said. "Chuu… me too~" Pily added.
"If nyu don't know how to answer, just behave like what nyu did," Hana replied as she patted Lulu's head.
"Haiii~" Lulu responded.
"Since we already told them that we are travelers, we are going to stick with that script. Nothing more, nothing less." Yuna said.
"I agree, we should keep our answers vague and general. In that way, we won't be easily cornered." Hana suggested.
"But what if someone knew about Riverania, and then they ask what tribe we are in?" Kita raised a question.
"That's a good point, it would be problematic if they knew that we came from different tribes," Yuna replied.
"Can we just answer that we all belong to the Snowy Tribe? I'm sure Maiko can cover for us." Hana responded.
"That is actually a good idea, we will stick with that. Any other ideas that we should tackle?" Yuna said.
"Anoo… How are we going to find the Evil Mimis?" Lulu asked.
"Yeah… If we are working here, we can't roam around." Kita added.
"We can maybe sneak out during break times? I remember that we have shifts and schedules right?" Hana answered.
"Hmmm, sneaking during those times… Let's just make sure that Kit and I do not have the same break time. In that way, we can use the skateboard alternately." Yuna added.
"In case we find one, what will we do about it? I mean we can't fight them right?" Kita argued.
"This is getting quite complicated…" Hana reacted.
"We look for the Tribe Leader?" Lulu suggested.
"Hmmm… It looks like they don't have one, but I think there is still someone who does the same thing but is called differently." Yuna hypothesized.
"Wouldn't it be suspicious if we straight up ask them who's the one leading this place?" Kita asked.
"It could be… unless…" Yuna replied as she suddenly realized something. "It will be if we are the one who is asking, but it won't if the question comes from an innocent Kemi!" She added.
"What do nyu mean?" Hana questioned.
"We can use Lulu, she will be the one to ask for more details. Lulu will pretend that she just genuinely wants to know since she does not have any idea." Yuna answered.
"That's a good idea, I think Coco will tell Lulu everything that she knows," Hana added.
"I'll do my… best!" Lulu responded as half of her sentence was cut by her yawn.
"Okay so to finalize, Kit and I are in charge of roaming around during the break. Hana will be the one who observes if the other Kemis are on our tail. And lastly, Lulu will try to find out who is in charge of the place." Yuna explained as she summarized the meeting.
"Haiii~" They all responded.
After a long discussion about their plan, they call it a day and sleep. The situation is currently quite complicated right now. It will definitely be easier if they can let the other Kemis know, but that is not advisable. The leader of the place should be the first one that should be informed, in that way, they can formulate a better course of action in dealing with the danger that is about to come.
27.
The next day has begun, and it's time for the training. Since they all have their designated places, the Catgirls proceed where they are needed. Rin mentors Yuna and Hana in terms of service. Lisa guided Kita in sorting the stock and also brewing beverages. And Coco is just having fun with Lulu in the kitchen, she is teaching Lulu how to bake, but it looks like they are just playing around.
This setup continues for the whole week. Due to lack of customers, the training was never put to use. It is somewhat advantageous for Kita's group since they can move freely as of now, navigating the land during their free time. But on the cafe's side, it is definitely dreadful for the owners. The situation will drain them financially if it continues.
Even though Kita's group has a different mission on their hands, they cannot stop thinking about why the place is not doing well. From their perspective, each Kemis that are guiding them is truly exceptional. Why does the cafe have zero customers if the staff is this talented?
That question lingers around until a customer finally enters the shop. A sophisticated old Dogman Kemi, wearing a monocle while in a navy blue suit, pays them a visit. He is Duke Nasmuir, a royalty from the palace.
"Irasshaimase~ Please have a seat." Rin greeted the customer as she guided him toward the table.
"We finally have our first customer!" Hana said excitedly.
"Do nyu want some water while thinking about your order?" Rin offered.
"That will be delightful." Duke Nasmuir replied.
"I'll be right back," Rin replied.
Rin gets the trey with a glass of water on it, while Yuna and Hana observe. As Rin walks back towards the customer, Yuna notices that Rin seems to be off balance. The glass of water is way off to the side, different from what they practiced. Since it's only a single glass of water, It should be in the center so that it won't fall down. Weight distribution is the key to serving.
As the glass slowly slipped off to the far edge, Yuna acted immediately before it fully fell down. She assisted Rin and secretly warned her about the glass. Thanks to Yuna's support, Rin managed to recover and serve the glass of water without any trouble.
"Nice save," Hana whispered to Yuna.
"I'm a bit curious, Rin was exceptional during the training. Why is it different this time?" Yuna whispered back.
Both Yuna and Hana proceed to observe while Rin serves the customer.
"Here nyu go," Rin said as she put down the glass.
"I'll have a cup of black coffee, paired with a strawberry shortcake." Duke Nasmuir said.
"We will have them ready," Rin replied, as she then bowed and went to the kitchen.
After delivering the order to the other staff, Coco and Lulu started to bake. Coco always has premade shortcakes, it will only take them a small amount of time to fully bake the order. It looks like things will get better now but unfortunately, that's not the case.
"Coffee? Tsss..." Lisa said disappointedly. She proceeded to make a different type of tea.
"Anoo Lisa… That's tea right?" Kita questioned.
"Hai." Lisa shortly replied.
"I think the order is black coffee..." Kita said. She thought that Lisa might have misinterpreted the order.
"He'll change his mind if he tastes my tea. Tea is better than coffee." Lisa responded.
Kita was shocked by what she heard, she needs to act quickly or else they'll be serving the wrong order. Without much time to think, Kita decided to brew a black coffee without Lisa knowing it. Afterward, she gets the tea from Lisa, secretly drinks it, then serves the black coffee that she made.
Moments later, Rin served the Black coffee paired with the strawberry shortcake.
"Here's your order, enjoy your meal," Rin said as they all successfully served the first customer of the day.
As Rin walked closer to Yuna and Hana, Yuna started to ask a question. "Is he new here?"
"No, actually he visits weekly. That is why I served him. It should have been your first experience in serving but I have to serve our regular customers." Rin answered.
"Oh… Good thing nyu still have a regular customer." Hana responded.
"He was our pawrents' friend. He regularly visits so that he can check if the cafe has improved. It's embarrassing to say but it usually ends in a disaster…" Rin replied.
"Disaster?" Yuna and Hana whispered. They did not ask any further since the chatter might disturb the customer.
Eventually, The Duke finished his meal. Using the table napkin, he elegantly tapped his mouth to wipe it. He then calls Rin to finally bill out.
"I must say, this is the first time I got what I ordered. Usually, I receive tea instead of coffee. Sometimes you spill water on my trench coat. Other times the pastry is not good. I'm impressed, you successfully served me this time. I'll inform the other royalties of this, please make sure that they will have the same experience as I did." Duke Nasmuir said.
"Thank nyu so much, we will do our best again," Rin responded, definitely grateful for the compliment.
The Duke grabbed his walking cane as he left the maid cafe.
"Did nyu hear what the customer said?" Hana whispered to Yuna.
"Hai, now I know why the cafe is not doing well…" Yuna whispered back.
Hours later, the other royalties arrived one after the other. Duke Nasmuir completed his promise, now it's time for the maids to do their part as well. It turns out, the sisters' father was a former duke while their mother was a maiden. Their pawrents decided to build this maid cafe instead of living like royalty. The current customers were family friends.
The cafe finally has some customers but to perfectly describe the scenario, the chaos starts now. Coco and Lulu start to panic in the kitchen. Kita keeps on drinking the wrong orders while making the correct ones. Yuna and Hana told Rin to handle the finance instead, while they are the ones who are serving. The mentors are truly exceptional when it comes to their craft but they respond differently when the pressure kicks in. Rin is clumsy, Coco gets flustered quickly, while Lisa imposes what she wants instead of what the customer ordered. Indeed, the scene is chaotic.
28.
There are 7 dukes and duchess dining in the maid cafe right now. 4 of them are dukes, while the remaining 3 are duchesses. Each one of them is indeed fancy, wearing beautiful dresses and formal suits.
The establishment can accompany up to 30 customers, which is the max capacity of the store. The number of customers inside the cafe is not even half of that limit. And yet, everything is in shambles.
"Aa-anoo… 2 blueberry shortcakes. I mean raspberry..." Rin said to Coco. She is completely lost right now.
"2 of what? Or 2 shortcakes, 1 blueberry, and 1 raspberry?" Coco asked, definitely confused as well.
"It's 2 strawberry shortcakes~" Yuna corrected the order.
"Hai! On it." Coco answered but she still grabbed the blueberries.
"That's not strawberries…" Lulu mentioned. She then hands over the strawberries to Coco.
"3 green tea," Yuna told the brewing station.
"Finally… Someone ordered tea…" Kita said inaudibly. She is tired of drinking the wrong orders. Lisa immediately brewed the request.
The disarray continues as the maids serve in frenzy. It was quite a madness to watch, but at least they managed to get the job done, the silver lining of this day. After successfully serving the customers, the royalties left the cafe. A duke left a note on a tissue.
"The service is like mayhem, completely disorganized. This level of performance is nowhere near the best cafes here in our land. Though it's a valuable effort, I might visit again to see the improvement." -The letter says.
Rin decided to close the cafe early this time, everyone was exhausted due to the sudden service. It was not a lot of customers but the pressure earlier drained everyone. Rin instructed that after cleaning their stations, everyone can rest early in their rooms.
Moments later, Kita's group held another meeting. Everyone is currently staring into space, bombarded by the events of today.
"Now I know why the cafe lacks customers…" Yuna said.
"I drank like 5 cups of tea today…" Kita responded.
"Coco panics in the kitchen…" Lulu added.
"This is what we signed up for…" Hana mentioned.
The silence covered the whole room as they all deeply sighed.
"So… What should we do?" Kita asked as she broke the silence.
"Beats me, I'm too beaten up right now…" Yuna replied.
"We won't be able to accomplish our goal in this state. I mean the second we take a break, everything will fall…" Hana added.
"They are truly talented, but I guess they all have their flaws when things are out of their comfort zone," Yuna said.
"We need to figure out a way to solve this situation," Kita mentioned.
"Lulu is already sleeping," Hana replied.
"I think it's better for us to rest for now. Maybe we can figure things out tomorrow." Yuna responded.
Exhausted from their shift, the group dropped the problem for now. They could not formulate a proper way of solving the cafe's state in this manner.
The next morning everything went back to normal. The dukes and duchess will probably visit again in the following week, other than that, they don't have any other customers. The turmoil yesterday made the group feel unsettled. Since no Kemis were entering the cafe, Yuna decided to call a meeting with everyone. Except for Aoi since she is busy with the uniforms. They all proceed to the office as the discussion begins.
"Sorry for the sudden call out. I just really want to discuss our current state before we proceed to another service." Yuna said as she started the conversation.
"Don't get us wrong, we admire your skills and everyone is talented. There are just some things that we should improve." Hana added.
Even though the truth might hurt the other Kemis, Yuna and Hana told them everything that they have noticed. Of course, they delivered it as constructive criticism, making sure that it is not offending. The flaws should be addressed for them to correct the wrongdoings.
After the group carefully explains their observations, the room goes silent. The mentors finally received the eye-opening that they needed. The Trio Brews and Sweets never progress due to lack of feedback. They surely received complaints, but that's stating the obvious. It's like telling them what they already know instead of helping them how to fix it. Their previous coworkers will leave instead of trying to help them to be better.
"I... I'm sorry… I shouldn't force what I want. I was blinded by my own ideals. When I saw the results yesterday, I am now convinced that it's better to let them choose what they want…" Lisa sincerely apologized.
"Also, sorry for doing the orders behind your back. We'll bounce back next time!" Kita replied.
"I… I tend to panic easily. But I promise I can do better…" Coco said embarrassedly.
"It's fine. I will help nyu to be calm!" Lulu responded as she comforted Coco.
"Thank nyu for letting us know. As the Manager of this maid cafe, I should be the one who's guiding everyone…" Rin said, quite ashamed of her management.
"Don't worry, we are here to help," Yuna replied.
"We will support nyu~" Hana added.
Rin is close to crying but she gathered her spirit and firmly accepted their current state.
"Now that everything is settled, we will try to practice more! The 4 of us will pretend to be customers while the rest of nyu will serve us. We still have a week before the Duke and Duchess visit again, we can still improve before that!" Yuna suggested.
"HAI!" They all enthusiastically replied.
Once again they are back in training, but this time they all participate in honing their skills. Accepting the flaw is the first step to overcoming it. One must know what to improve before tackling it. For the rest of the week, the maid cafe will temporarily close as they try to be the better version of themselves.
End of Chapter 3