A rare weekend.

The normies would flood the streets on a day like this, showing off their colorful lives to the fullest. The otaku, meanwhile, would stay holed up at home, venting their bodily fluids in front of a terminal or PC. And then there was one more type of person: middle-aged men.

This species had very few entertainment options. Usually, if they had nothing to do, they'd either stay home and waste away a boring afternoon, or go out with their families.

A very small number of enthusiasts would grab a fishing rod, then sit by the river without moving, like old monks in meditation.

If I could help it, I really wouldn't want to come out.

On the bustling shopping street, stylishly dressed men and women walked in groups. Normally, no matter how weird someone dressed, it wouldn't stand out here. But right now, one special presence was drawing a lot of attention.

Yukieda wasn't wearing her school uniform today. She had on a slightly worn reddish-brown tracksuit jacket, and a pure black skirt that fell past her knees. Her slender calves were wrapped in short white cotton socks. Altogether, she looked painfully plain.

Even so, passersby kept glancing at her. Some even came over and asked to take photos with her, only to be gently turned down by Yukieda. It was all because of her hair color.

She stood out like a brilliant diamond dropped into the sand.

After politely refusing another person, Yukieda let out a sigh.

She was actually looking for a job.

Sitting around in the apartment was just wasting time anyway. She might as well earn some money and pay back what she owed people sooner.

That was what she was thinking.

Her golden eyes swept across the signs on both sides of the street. What she cared about most were the hiring notices.

A milk tea shop.

"Oh, cute! A foreigner? Can you speak Neon?"

"Yes."

Yukieda got a little excited. There was an uncontrollable spark of joy on her face.

Looks like my luck's not bad. I found a job the moment I came out.

After talking for a while—

"Sorry, we don't hire hourly workers here."

Yukieda's expression visibly worsened.

"Thank you."

She asked at several more places in a row. The moment they heard she wanted hourly work, they all politely turned her down.

"Sorry, we need long-term staff. If you're just looking for temp work, we've already filled those spots."

The female owner of a boutique rejected Yukieda with a smile, though she did give her a piece of candy.

Yukieda peeled back the wrapper, and sweetness spread through her mouth.

At that moment, she spotted a café on the street corner. Two girls in rather revealing outfits were handing out flyers at the entrance.

That outfit... I think it's called a maid uniform? But those two are wearing way too little fabric... you can see their panties clear as day.

How pitiful. Selling sex appeal like that.

Yukieda shook her head and walked past the café.

"Hello, we're newly opened~"

"Welcome home, Master!"

A flyer was stuffed into Yukieda's hand too. She noticed that this café's business was insanely good.

Almost every seat was full. There were even lots of customers sitting outside the entrance, clearly waiting for their number to be called.

There wasn't only one restaurant like this on the street, but most of the others were dead quiet. Only this newly opened maid café was booming.

Yukieda unfolded the flyer in her hand. It was packed with product names and prices.

Are you kidding me?! A collab set costs 108 credits?! Only an idiot would buy that. It's just omurice!

At the bottom of the flyer was a hiring notice. Daily pay. Recruiting maids. Must be bold and enthusiastic, and good at talking to people.

Very quickly, Yukieda's eyes were caught by a line in small print below it.

Thirty credits an hour! Plus commission from customer tips!

Yukieda was tempted. She turned back and took another look, using her absurdly sharp vision to peer through the floor-to-ceiling windows and observe how the maids worked inside. Sweet smiles were plastered on their faces. They danced strange little dances, while the customers recorded them on their terminals or invited the maids to huddle together for selfies.

No way. No, no, no.

This place is pretty close to Shiratori Academy. If I work here, the whole school will know by the next day. That's not even the biggest problem. The real problem is Shizuku.

In the future, once Shizuku learns my real identity, how am I supposed to face her?

She'd definitely remember it. Her father—that stern, imposing man—wearing a cute and revealing maid outfit, meowing like a cat, and calling other people goshujin.

Just imagining it was embarrassing enough to make her want to jump off a building.

Better keep looking.

She walked for a long time and still couldn't find a job she liked.

Was the rest of her time today just going to be wasted? Or should she go back and apply at that newly opened café after all?

While her thoughts wandered, Yukieda spotted a storefront that looked familiar.

Oh~ this place. Yukieda remembered it. She'd had coffee here with Mari last time.

The owner was a very steady old man. One look and you could tell he was the conservative type.

After walking around for so long, Yukieda's throat felt a little dry too. She pushed open the café door. After a pleasant chime, she walked up to the counter.

Behind it, the old man was dressed like a gentleman, neat down to the last detail. He was carefully wiping a cup with a cloth.

Hearing the doorbell, he glanced up, then said briskly,

"Welcome."

The shop was quiet, with gentle classical music playing.

It was also a café, but it stood in sharp contrast to the newly opened one.

"So it's you, miss. We meet again."

Maybe because there wasn't much to do, the old man set down the cup he'd finished polishing and picked up another one.

Yukieda looked a little surprised. "You remember me?"

"A cute customer like you is hard to forget. What would you like today?"

Yukieda looked at the dazzling menu and found herself at a loss. Then she suddenly laughed at herself.

I haven't even earned any money yet, and I'm already thinking about how to spend it.

She planned to order the cheapest tea. She felt too embarrassed to ask for plain water.

Before she could say it, the old man volunteered, "How about a blend coffee? I'm actually quite confident in my blend."

He kept talking, going on and on as he introduced the origins and varieties of the beans. Yukieda chose to listen politely until he finished.

She didn't really understand most of it, but it sounded impressive. She had to admit she was moved. Still, it probably wasn't cheap, right?

"So... how much is the blend coffee?"

She planned to ask just for form's sake, then politely decline.

The old man said, a little touched, "Very few customers have the patience to listen to me all the way through... Anyway, the shop's empty. I'll treat you to it."

"Really? I feel a little bad about that."

Yukieda was a bit embarrassed. Mainly because the last time, this same old man had given her a free drink too. And now another one.

In return, the old man hoped Yukieda would keep listening to him talk.

Yukieda nodded.

The old man sighed again. "Times have changed. Everyone wants to chase after new things. Old people like me can only be swept away by the tide of the era, and in the end, forgotten."

Yukieda slowly sipped her coffee.

The first time she'd tried it, the bitterness had been hard to swallow. The second time was much smoother. Her mouth even started producing saliva on its own, unlike the first time, when everything had felt dry and stiff.

"But still, I can't accept it. I've been here, running this café, for almost twenty years. I don't want to leave this place just like that."

Yukieda looked at the old man with a face full of sympathy.

In truth, she wasn't listening seriously at all. She was faking it. And the old man just needed someone to listen while he vented.

"I want to change. I want my café to become lively again."

The old man was still talking to himself.

The coffee was finished. It tasted pretty good. Yukieda was planning to head back. Today hadn't been a total loss. At the very least, she'd gotten a drink. Next time she got paid, she'd bring some friends here to spend money. After all, the old man had treated her to free drinks twice now.

"So, I'd like to ask for your help."

"...?"

The old man's eyes were full of hope as he looked at Yukieda. She could already imagine it. If she refused right now, he'd definitely look heartbroken. Pathetically so.

Sitting on the high stool, Yukieda's white throat bobbed once. Her first instinct was to refuse, but then she remembered the two free drinks she'd gotten from him.

"So... what kind of help could I offer?"

The old man looked around. Once he was sure no customers would be coming in for the moment, he glanced toward the maid café and clicked his tongue like a delinquent.

Yukieda suddenly felt that maybe this old man wasn't quite as gentlemanly as she'd thought.

When he turned back, though, his face still wore that gentle smile.

"Please come with me to the back, miss."

Click.

The switch flipped, and a spotlight shone down on a maid outfit.

Yukieda stared at the old man in shock.

"Don't look at me. Look at this outfit. I may look like this now, but when I was young, I was a tailor."

It was an extremely exquisite maid outfit. Unlike the cheap-looking ones at the maid café, this one had tasteful fabric and accessories, full of weight and quality. Even a complete amateur could tell at a glance: this fabric isn't cheap.

Most importantly, it didn't reveal that much. The only thing was that the skirt was a little short, ending just above the knees.

The old man continued explaining his idea. Spit flew everywhere in the light, and Yukieda quietly took two steps back.

"The one on the corner uses sexually suggestive outfits to attract young customers. A traditional café like mine can't compete with that. So I thought, why not change directions? Use more traditional clothing to attract older customers. Let them know that this is the real place where they can come after work and rest for a while."

The old gentleman got more and more worked up. Even his beard started to curl upward.

"So, I will stick to my principles and build a classical café with absolutely none of those gaudy temptresses! I want customers to experience what true European old-school aristocratic life is!"

After saying that, the old man looked at Yukieda with the eyes of a predator.

Yukieda shrank back and swallowed again. "Then... what exactly am I supposed to do?"

...

Yukieda changed into the maid outfit, took a stack of flyers, and started promoting the café outside the entrance.

"Hey! That café over there has a super cute girl!"

"Huh? Seriously?"

The customers who had been waiting at the corner seemed unwilling to keep waiting. One after another, they surged toward the old man's café.

The once-empty café became lively in an instant, though most of the people filling the seats were still young customers.

So it was a little different from what the old gentleman owner had hoped for.

Holding a menu to her chest, Yukieda kept weaving through the customers.

This is my first time wearing stockings like these.

White lace garter stockings. Yukieda pinched one of the garter straps, then let go.

Snap.

Her soft, full thigh quivered like jelly.

As agreed with the old man, aside from Saturdays and Sundays, she'd come work here every afternoon after school. If something came up, she could ask for leave.

That way, money wouldn't be a problem for now. The old man was paying a lot too—fifty credits an hour. Honestly, that was already very generous. Asking for more would just be greedy.

But busy was busy. Ever since Yukieda had changed into this maid outfit, her feet had barely stopped moving.

That probably had something to do with the fact that she was the only server in the café.

And she even had to call the customers Master... whatever. It's just a form of address.

"Oriuchi~! Table Eight!"

The owner, Keiryu—that was the old man's name—was calling for her. Yukieda answered him.

Putting a sweet smile on her face, Yukieda jogged over to Table Eight.

"Master, what would you like to order?"

Her voice got quieter and quieter as she spoke. Then she opened the menu like a book, trying to hide her face behind it.

In front of her, Mai and Shizuku stared at her, then at each other.