Chapter 4
29.
The so-called training lasted for the whole week. Day by day, a lot of improvements are shown. Indeed, knowing what to fix is easier than blindly charging through the unknown. It's been the key to their progress.
The freedom that they have right now allows Kita and Yuna to secretly roam around the land. They hold the Runecrystal while observing the area, it serves as a detector of what they should be checking. As far as the group knows, the Runecrystal reacts differently depending on the situation.
The Runecrystal's logic is based on what they know; The first one is that the Runecrystal fuses with a Kemi when it is the right time. It will unlock the Kemi's full potential, giving them a talent depending on their character. The next one is that the Runecrystal glows for a short period of time if the holder needs to interact with a specific Kemi or proceed towards a certain path. Thirdly, the Runecrystal glows for a long time but dimly, if the holder is the one destined to fuse with but not yet ready for it. Lastly, the most recent discovery, the Runecrystal will blink if an Evil Mimi is lurking around the area. No one knows why it reacts that way towards the unknown creature, but one may speculate that there's a connection between those two. Thus the story continues.
Fresh from her Morning routine, Yuna made it back to the cafe after skating around the streets.
"So how was it?" Kita asked as she greeted Yuna.
"The Runecrystal did not detect anything, I guess there are still no signs of them here. Is Lulu doing good on her part?" Yuna replied.
"I think she's doing great. We heard Coco saying that there's a princess next in line to the throne. Queens are the ones who are ruling the place and we still don't know that much." Kita answered.
"We need to find out more about what a Queen is then. Anyway, where are they?" Yuna asked.
"They are in the kitchen. I heard that they are considering some ideas that they will add to the menu. I cannot understand what they are saying. That's why I chose to sweep the floor instead." Kita responded.
"I see, tomorrow is the day that we are all waiting for. I'll go and check on them, nyu coming?" Yuna replied as she offered Kita to go with her.
"Nah, I'm good," Kita said as she continued sweeping the floor.
A few minutes later after Yuna went to the kitchen, Aoi came out from her room.
"Ohayo, Aoi." Kita greeted.
"Ohayooo, Where are the others?" Aoi asked.
"They are in the kitchen, why?" Kita replied.
"I'm done with your uniforms!" Aoi proudly said.
"HONTOOO?" Kita excitedly reacted.
"Hai!" Aoi answered.
Without any second of delay, Aoi and Kita rushed to the kitchen. Kita called everyone's attention as Aoi announced the good news. Currently thrilled by the circumstances, they all immediately proceed to Aoi's room to try and wear the uniforms.
Kita, Hana, Yuna, and Lulu took their time changing into their uniforms. They change their clothes in Aoi's room while the other maids in the cafe wait for them in the hallway.
After a couple of minutes, the group came out of Aoi's room, wearing the newly tailored maid dress as their uniform.
"Woaahhh." The others reacted.
"It truly fits them, well done Aoi." Rin complimented Aoi's work.
"They indeed look nice," Lisa added.
"Hmph. They look alright, it's because of Aoi's talent anyway." Coco said.
"Arigato! I'm just glad that it looks good on them." Aoi replied.
"This is the first time I wore such a dress, I love it!" Hana gladly said.
"I still find it uncomfortable… But well done Aoi." Yuna commented as she was slightly embarrassed by the uniform.
"Just be confident with it!" Kita said to Yuna as she moved loosely.
"I think nyu are too confident, Kita. A little less movement is advisable since nyu are wearing a dress." Rin said as she advised Kita.
"Hai!" Kita answered while saluting, definitely not doing what she was told.
"Ka..wa..ii?" Lulu asked as she adorably posed and showcased the dress she was wearing.
"KAWAII!" They all reacted. No one can truly contain their composure when Lulu's cuteness is on display. Even Coco could not fight it.
"Nyatta~" Lulu gladly replied.
"Now that we have our uniforms, are we all ready for tomorrow's service?" Yuna asked.
"Hai!" Everyone enthusiastically responded.
Thanks to Yuna's natural display of leadership, Rin is learning a lot from her. Though the same thing can still be said when you flip the coin. The group also learned a lot of things thanks to Rin, they are probably lost without the cafe. The Kemis are truly learning from each other the more they bond and interact with each other.
Later that moment, Mae once again returned to visit.
"Oooo..hayooo~" Mae greeted as she entered the cafe.
"Irasshaimase~" Kita's group greeted.
"Waaah! Nyu all look good in your uniforms!" Mae praised them.
"Arigato, they were made by Aoi after all," Hana replied.
"Tomorrow it's a big day, the uniforms are perfectly on time!" Kita added.
"Tomorrow?" Mae asked.
"Hai, Remember Duke Naismur?" Rin responded.
"Hai…" Mae answered.
"Well we managed to serve him last time and he called his fellow royalties afterward. It turned out quite successful, and they will be visiting again tomorrow." Rin said.
"HONTO?! I'M TRULY HAPPY TO HEAR THAT!" Mae said, genuinely happy about what happened.
"Thanks to nyu, we all learned a lot here," Rin added.
"Hai hai! Arigato Maaaeee~" everyone else said in the background.
"That's no biggy! I'll bring my friends here tomorrow as well. I'm sure they'll advertise the cafe too!" Mae replied.
"We haven't expressed our gratitude yet. Nyu and your friends are free to order here tomorrow~" Rin offered as she winked.
"Nyu don't have to return the favor but we will gladly accept it if nyu insists. Oh wait, I'll go now and inform my friends. Good luck with tomorrow's service~" Mae responded as she headed out.
"Hai, Thanks for stopping by~" Rin replied.
Right after Mae leaves the vicinity, the Kemis proceed to their final meeting. They have to make sure that everything is set. The newly added menu should be finalized. The stock should be complete. Tomorrow will be their best shot at regaining the maid cafe's reputation.
30.
The whole day has been productive to the fullest. The preparation is complete, everyone slept well, and the Kemis are now ready for the day that they are all waiting for.
As the day starts, the maid cafe is spot on. Every corner is clean, the table sheets are new, looks like they already set themselves up for success. It will all boil down to the service.
The first ones to arrive at the cafe were Mae and her friends.
"Irasshaimase~" Rin, Hana, and Yuna greeted them.
"Ohayooo, these are my friends. We are here to support!" Mae replied.
"I'm Mittsy, Mae's senpai. Nice to meet nyu!" Mittsy energetically greeted them as she wiggled her ears. She is a small yet full-of-energy type of Catgirl, with long pink hair, matching her twin pigtails on the side. She's currently a sophomore in the Maidens' academy where Mae also attends.
"I'm Grace, Mae's classmate." Grace politely introduced herself, she then took a light bow after wiggling her ears. Slightly taller than Mae, Grace is an elegant Catgirl. Her ash blonde medium-length hair truly showcases her elegance, matching her composed character.
"Let me assist nyu to your table, this way please," Hana said as she guided the customers.
Rin then serves them some water first while the customers are choosing from the menu.
"Oooh, there's a new pastry," Mae said as she noticed the changes in the menu.
"Hai, we prepared this for today's service," Rin replied.
"Do nyu want those?" Mae asked her friends.
"It sounds good, I'm cool with it!" Mittsy answered.
"If it's recommended, then I'll take the recommendation," Grace added.
"Haiii, we will take 3 orders of Blueberry Streusel Muffins and pair it with 3 jasmine tea~" Mae ordered.
"Hai, we will let nyu know when the order is ready," Rin responded, afterwards she immediately handed the order to the kitchen.
"It's time for baking~" Coco energetically said as Lulu assisted her.
Moments later the royalties all started to arrive as well, entering the shop one after the other.
"Irasshaimase~" Rin, Hana, and Yuna greeted as they assisted everyone toward their table.
The day is starting to get way busier than previous times. The orders are slowly piling up as the maids are trying their best in accommodating the needs of every customer perfectly.
The pressure doubled when Duke Nasmuir, together with his duchess, entered the cafe.
"The place seems busy." Duke Nasmuir said.
"Irasshaimase, Thank nyu for coming back again. Let me assist nyu to your table." Rin greeted the Duke with full confidence.
The Duke noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere. "Very well, I expect more this time," he said as he followed Rin.
The service continues and everything is going great as of now. Even though the crowd is way more than the last time, the maids truly leveled up their game. Some random customers entered as well, making the cafe reach its almost max capacity.
"Aa... aa… 3 more che-cheesecake." Rin stuttered since the pressure was slowly getting to her.
"On it!" Coco responded as she grabbed the wrong ingredients again.
"Cocoooo, breathe first~" Lulu said as she calmed Coco down.
"Right, right, thanks for reminding me," Coco replied as she grabbed the right one this time.
"Rin, just keep it cool. We can pull this one out." Yuna said to Rin.
There are still some small hiccups but everyone is working synchronously. Kita takes charge of brewing coffee while Lisa is on tea. Aoi also helped the maids in accommodating the newcomers. The service is not perfect but this is the best one that they have done so far. Eventually, the customers received exactly what they wanted, satisfied with the service. Lisa, Coco, and Lulu joined the rest of the maids at the counter since there are no further orders as of now.
"It's been ages since we had this many customers…" Rin stated, slightly emotional at this point.
"And without any complaints," Lisa added.
"My hands are aching…" Coco inaudibly complained.
"We made it tho!" Lulu responded.
"Wait, where's Kita?" Hana asked.
"I think she sneaked out to take a rest," Lisa answered.
"But it's not our break time yet," Hana replied.
"Haaaaiii, I'll go and get that sneaky cat," Yuna said as she proceeded to their room.
Minutes later, Yuna entered their room to fetch Kita.
"Oy Kit, we do have to sneak out for the mission, but not for resting." Yuna scolded Kita.
Kita slowly turned as she held the Runecrystal. It is currently glowing, meaning to say that they need to interact with one of the Kemis, particularly one of the customers.
"I was actually about to rest but I saw this…" Kita said as she showed the Runecrystal.
"There's Kemi that we should interact with… Stay there, look at the clock, and tell me when it will turn off." Yuna instructed as she immediately went back to the hall.
When Yuna made it back, she said "Kit is currently sleeping, let's just order her to wash the dishes when she wakes up." Yuna fabricated a reason.
"Fine by me, it's less work for us," Coco replied.
"If it's okay with the other workers, then I'll allow it," Rin responded.
From what Kita and Hana experienced, the Runecrystal stopped glowing when Yuna left the nipa hut before. Maybe that can happen again once the certain Kemi left the cafe. Yuna plans to check the exact time when the customers leave the area. She notes the time and small description in her notepad given by Rin. If she can pinpoint the customers leaving at the same time the Runecrystal stopped glowing, they can deduce who is the Kemi that they need to approach.
The next clue is simply lying down under their noses. They are fully prepared for the service but the group failed to plan for their real purpose in the cafe. Hana and Lulu are both clueless as to what is happening since Yuna could not tell them the situation. Though they can sense that Yuna is acting quite differently, there are some hints that something is up.
"Who is it…" Yuna whispered to herself, as she thoroughly looked at every customer one after the other.
31.
The day continues as the maids successfully make it through the service. But that is not the end for Kita's group. One by one, the customers are leaving the cafe, satisfied with the improvement. Some of the royalties gave Rin a few words as they looked forward to the cafe's potential. Mae and her friends also left the cafe but they did congratulate the maids first before leaving.
Hana and Lulu noticed that Yuna was carefully checking the customers. Instinctively, they also tried to memorize the customers even though they don't know why. Hana and Lulu believe that it could come in handy later on.
Afternoon came and the cafe finally cleared out. Kita came out of the room the moment that the Runecrystal stopped glowing.
"How's your sleep?" Lisa sarcastically asked.
"A… hahaha…" Kita nervously chuckled as she scratched her head. Kita thinks that it could be the fabricated reason that Yuna told the rest in order to cover them.
"You are doing the dishes, it's the punishment for skipping out on duty," Coco responded.
"Eh? Haiiii~" Kita replied as she proceeded to the kitchen. She doesn't want to make the conversation longer. That's why she did not continue to argue.
When Rin walked towards the table where Duke Nasmuir was earlier, she saw a note written on a piece of paper.
"The service here improved tremendously. The pastries, as well as the beverages, are truly exceptional. I believe that this cafe has a lot of potential but the previous reputation has prevented its growth. Therefore, I suggest a grand reopening. 2 days from now, head to my place with a proposal for the cafe. I will cover the expenses depending on the proposal." -Duke Nasmuir
Rin was completely shocked, she immediately went into tears right after reading the note. The other Kemis saw Rin crying and rushed towards her. Kita also came out from the kitchen when she heard the commotion.
"Nee-san, are nyu alright?" Aoi worriedly asked.
"What happened?" Lisa asked as well.
Rin handed over the note as Aoi read the whole passage. After knowing what made Rin cry, everyone in the cafe was stunned, speechless, and astounded.
Opportunity may present itself only once, but occasionally it may occur more frequently than expected.. There are different types of opportunities, and the rarity of those chances depends on how dreamy it is. And now, the cafe is facing a once-in-a-lifetime offer. An opportunity to solve their problems depends on their execution.
After some time, the emotions simmer down. The Kemis are starting to think more rationally as they all calmed down. Yuna suggested that they all should take at least 1 or 2 hours of rest first before they proceed to the meeting. In that way, everyone can gain their strengths back. Though the true intention behind it is to have a short meeting on their own. This will allow them time to formulate an advantageous plan for them during the maids' meeting.
Without any doubt, everyone agreed to Yuna's suggestion. They cleaned the vicinity and headed to their rooms. Thus the short meeting for Kita's group started.
To make things easier for everyone to understand, Yuna explained the situation first. In that way, Hana and Lulu can relate to the current scenario.
"Oh, so that's why Kita was missing while nyu were acting differently earlier…" Hana responded after Yuna's explanation.
"I even took a punishment for that," Kita responded.
"Well, nyu wouldn't have found out about the Runecrystal if nyu did not try to sneak out first…" Hana argued.
"Blessing in disguise~" Lulu commented.
"Anyway, we don't really have that much time to thoroughly discuss this. I think we should prepare for the meeting later, with the idea of how we can assure that the customers will come back." Yuna said.
"I agree, we already know that the Kemi is from yesterday's customers, we don't have to check every customer in the reopening," Hana answered.
"We should also find a way to check the Runecrystal occasionally," Kita suggested.
"I can't sneak out easily because I'm inside the kitchen…" Lulu said.
"I guess it will be the 3 of us who will do the rotation. We can signal each other during our shift." Hana said.
"And one more thing. I think one of us should attend the proposal and bring the Runecrystal." Kita added.
"But how are we going to hide the Runecrystal? It will be hard especially once the Runecrystal glows." Hana questioned.
"We can use Pily!" Lulu suggested.
"Chuuu~ My fur can hide the Runecrystal, even if it glows," Pily responded.
"Oh, I almost forgot, Mimis can hide Runecrystals. Then the representative should bring Pily there." Hana replied.
"Haiii, I'll do it!" Kita said.
"Nyu sure about this Kit?" Yuna asked.
"Nah, I'm just kidding. I don't like technical things." Kita answered.
"I also think that Kita might mess up. What about nyu Yuna?" Hana responded.
"Me? Why me?" Yuna questioned.
"Out of everyone else here, nyu are the only one who can be technical. Plus Rin trusts nyu more, I think nyu can pull it off." Hana said.
"Yuna can do it!" Lulu commented.
"I agree too! Since we have 2 Runecrystals, I can roam around the place while nyu attend the meeting. Hana and Lulu will cover for us~" Kita suggested.
"I guess if everyone thinks so, then I will do it," Yuna responded.
The group was exhausted from the sequence of events. Just lying down while staring at the ceiling, the fatigue slowly gets them as the adrenaline wears off. The rest of the remaining time was spent resting.
On the other side, Rin, Aoi, Lisa, and Coco experienced a different type of exhaustion. They are tired of the service but the news is what drained them. After all the years of hard work, countless times of nearly giving up, negative balance on their currency. No one can blame them if they respond in this manner. It is definitely surreal but also frightening, both at the same time.
"I can't believe we are finally getting there. Mama, Papa, I hope both of nyu are still watching from up there. I'm sorry it took us this long…" Rin said as she inaudibly cried in her office alone.
The maids took 2 hours off to themselves. Every single one of them used this time as they wanted. Some planned, some rested, the others daydreamed, while a few cried their hearts out for a few minutes. After their well and truly needed time off, the meeting for the proposal started. It's time for them to grab the opportunity that awaits them.
End of Chapter 4