6 Hired Princess

''H-Here is the order of the three of you....'' The waitress Sayo said still embarassed, bringing Ariel, Syl and Anne's orders.

''Oh! Looks good! Thanks, baby girl! But you know, I think you'd make a much tastier meal...'' Ariel responded and licked her lips as if she wanted to devour her.

Sayo turned even redder than before and runs off without saying anything, Sayo felt like a zebra being hunted by a hungry Lioness, and she had the feeling that if she stayed there, she would have really been 'devoured'.

Beside Ariel, Syl pinches her waist with two fingers hard, ''Ouch! What was that for?! I was just joking!'' Ariel exclaimed in pain, feeling wronged.

Syl snorted and turned away, ''I just felt like doing that.'' She responded.

Ariel looked at Syl with a confused expression, ''Women are so hard to understand....''

Seeing that Syl didn't want to talk, Ariel shrugged and stared at the lunch in front of her.

Her order, a Deluxe Cheese Burger, with extra-large fries and a large soda, how long had she dreamed of eating that again? For a long time. Ariel in her childhood tried to recreate such delicacies in her reincarnation as a princess, but she never had the gift of cooking, on the contrary, she had a curse. Anything she tried to cook, the food turned into a poison so strong it could kill dragons.

She shakes her head to get rid of the bad memories and focuses on her meal.

The bread had a beautifull brown-yellow color, the smell of the cheese and the meat filled the air like an aphrodisiac, making Arial want to eat the burger in one go. The fries gleamed like gold nuggets and the Soda looked as cold as the eternal ice on the beastman continent. If she had to trade all her kingdom's treasure to enjoy such combo in her world, she would do it without a second thought.

''Well....thanks for the food!'' She said, thanking her for the god-blessed meal in front of her.

Wasting no more time, Ariel grabs the burger with such care that it is as if she were holding a newborn baby in her hands. She slowly brings it to her mouth and then bites off a piece.

The moment she bit down, her eyes widened in surprise.

The combination of the house's special garlic sauce, along with the melted and tasty cheese, the succulent and tender meat and the freshly baked bread was too much for a young woman who hadn't tasted such a delicacy in over sixteen years.

With that one bite, Ariel beheld what lies beyond the realm of mortals, for a brief moment, she saw Unun, the Primrodial god, before her eyes.

After that bite, Ariel's mouth couldn't be stopped. After the first bite, she took another, and then another.

Of course, she wasn't the only one enjoying her meal. Anne after trying her Strawberry Chocolate Sundae, quickly ate the ice-cream and them she re-filled the cup with more ice-cream with a mysterious spell again and again.

Syl looked as serious as ever, but under the table, she was tapping her foot uncontrollably after taking the espresso, and the small smile on her face showed that she was sure to have more in the future.

After five minutes the three had completely devoured their food and drinks.

''Well, that was a pleasant experience.'' Syl said as she gently wiped her mouth with a napkin.

Anne was sitting relaxed in the chair with her belly swollen from eating so much ice cream, she didn't say anything, but her happy face already showed everything she wanted to say.

Ariel was the same as Anne, she was sitting relaxed in the chair with her belly swollen from eating so much, with a big smile on her face.

'That was simply.....divine!' She thought with a tear of happiness falling from her left eye.

Unbeknownst to the three of them, the waitress, Sayo, suddenly appeared and placed a paper on the table, startling the three who were still in their little gastronomic frenzy.

''Thanks for eating at Joseph's Coffee and Restaurant! Here is the bill!'' Sayo said. This time she was in her professional mode, not even giving Ariel a second glance.

Ariel looks at Sayo confused, and then, understanding flashes through her mind, and Ariel breaks out in a sweat.

'Oh shit! I forgot that in this world I'm not a damn princess who gets everything she wants for free, I'm just a stranger!' She thought.

Ariel faked a cough and said, ''So Sayo.....do you guys accept gold as a form of payment?''

''Gold? Sorry, we only accept payment on Academy paper money, or else we may deduct it from your student card!'' Sayo replied.

''Hmm, I see. Sayo, could we talk to your manager privately if he or she is available please?'' Ariel said seriously.

The attendant Sayo tilts her head in confusion as she didn't know what could be wrong as she had watched the three of them happily eating their food before.

''Well, if you insist, I'll see if she's available for a private conversation, I'll be right back!''

''Thank you, Sayo.'' Ariel responded with a confident smile.

When the attendant left, Ariel's expression darkened.

''Syl, Anne..... would you by any chance have some of these Academy paper money or student cards?''

They both look at Ariel like she's an idiot for asking such an obvious thing.

''That's what I thought.'' Ariel said with a sigh.

''Sorry for the delay, the manager has time to have a chat, please follow me!'' The waitress Sayo said as she arrived at the table.

The three got up from their chairs and followed her to the innermost part of the establishment.

——————

''Manager, here are the people who wanted to talk to you!'' Sayo announces as he enters the manager's office and then close the door.

Ariel, Anne and Syl wait outside, waiting to be called.

After a few seconds Sayo came out of the office and said, ''The manager is ready to see the three of you, and keep in mind that no matter what you see, don't judge him, the manager is an angel, I won't forgive you guys if you guys hurt her.'' Sayo said with a serious expression.

She then withdrew to return to her duties, leaving the three of them standing in front of the door.

Anne and Ariel seemed hesitant to enter after Sayo's warning, so Syl, the most mature of the three, opened the door without hesitation and entered, followed by the other two.

''Oh my, oh my! But what pleasure should I have to receive a visit from three cute and beautiful girls?''

Ariel, Syl and Anne got surprised to meet the manager. Or rather, they are surprised by the manager's appearance.

''Sorry.....but are you the manager?'' Ariel asked, trying not to sound rude.

Sitting in a chair in front of a desk piled high with papers and a computer, was the manager, a big, muscular man, hairy and with a big mustache, but who was dressed in a pink dress, there was lipstick on his mouth, and on his hair there was a cute clip.

''Oh, how discourteous of me,'' he gets up and introduces himself cordially, ''My name is Joseph, and as you may have guessed from the name, I am the manager and owner of this establishment!''

Ariel cleared her throat and replied, ''I'm Ariel Rex Leo, and these are....'' She gestures with her hand, signaling for Syl and Anne to introduce themselves.

''I am Syl, just Syl.'' Syl said with a slight polite bow.

''I'm Anne von Hecate! Big brother, your dress is very beautiful!'' Anne says with an cheerfull hand wave.

Joseph rests his cheek under the palm of his hand and blushes, ''Oh my, what a cute and polite little angel, or should I say mage? Fufu! But you see, I'm not a big brother, but a big sister~''

A large ''?'' appeared over Anne's head, as he was clearly a man.

Before Anne can say anything else that would make the manager sad, Ariel covers Anne's mouth with her hand, ''A-Ahaha, don't mind her, she still doesn't know much about the world!''

''It's okay, I'm not so delicate as to be offended by a child, and besides, I don't care what others think of me.'' Joseph responded with a bright, confident smile.

The feeling of respect for Joseph grew in Ariel and Syl's chest, this man, or rather, woman, has not only a strong body, but a mind of steel.

Joseph sits back in his chair and his expression gets a little more serious, ''So what's the problem? Since you guys came to see me, it must be something complicated, right? It's something with the food or the waitresses?''

Ariel waves her hands in front of her awkwardly, ''No, it's nothing like that! It's just that we have a...problem with the means of payment!''

Joseph raises her eyebrows, ''And what would be the problem?''

Seeing that Ariel looked hesitant, Syl again steps forward and takes the lead, ''Unfortunately, we don't have student cards, as we are not students, and we also don't have the currency that is used in this city, our only means of payment is with pure gold.''

''Yes that's right! We only have a loooot of gold!'' Anne added.

The manager sighs, '' I see, so you're basically tourists who haven't paid attention to information about the city, aren't you?''

''Y-Yes, that's correct!'' Ariel responded hastily, she is happy that Joseph seems to had a misunderstanding, but she was also not wrong to call them tourists, since they are not from this world.

''Unfortunately, as valuable as gold is, we only accept school credits or Academy City paper currency, as the entire economy here revolves around it.''

''So....how are we going to pay?!'' Ariel exclaimed nervously.

Ariel could do something about the payment with magic, like hypnotic magic to make them think she had already paid for everything or even illusion magic, however, Ariel might be a scum princess, but she wasn't dishonest, after all, she had her pride as a princess.

''Actually, there's a very good way for you to pay, you see, I've been understaffed lately, as many girls have a certain 'disgust' seeing me.'' She said with a forced smile.

''Unfortunately I can't change how people feel, but the three of you seem to be quite comfortable with my appearance, so how about you three work here for a few days? What do you think? It's a good way to pay what you owe, you'll have three meals a day, and I'll even add a cash bonus at the end, since you don't have any money.'' She finished.

The three were silent for a few seconds, and Joseph was confused by the situation.

''H-Hm, sorry, did I say something wrong?'' She asked confused.

''No...it's just that...Sayo was right.'' Ariel spoke in a low voice.

''Was she right about what?''

''You are an true angel!'' Ariel exclaimed fervently.

Syl and Anne couldn't help but agree and nodded resolutely.

''Hm, hm!''

Joseph blushes, ''Oh you three~, flattering me like that is good but it won't help you get any more bonus~'' She replied, but she will increase the three's bonus in secret.

''All right, since you've accepted the deal, go to Sayo and tell her what I said, she'll take you to the changing booth and teach you about what you wil need to know, you'll get started right away! And don't worry about age or identity, let's just say the three of you are my nieces!'' She said, ending the meeting with the three.

''All right, boss! Your wish is an order!'' Ariel responded with a greeting, and the three of them then left the manager room, ready to work.