(I) Breakup Arc - Episode 7

[Ｍａｉｄ]

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－ ＯＣＴＯＢＥＲ －

𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥

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One month before the breakup...

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Summer has ended, and now it was the second semester. Again, the couple could not meet with their hands full in school especially Hayami who had just gotten a part-time job in a maid café.

It started when one of her friends, Kiyoko Inoue, had begged Hayami to act as her substitute in one of her shifts since she would not be able to make it.

Like the rest of the girls, Inoue had been snubbing Kurosawa until she was saved by the beauty queen and her 'accomplice', Hayami, from a few drunken guys. From then on, she would hang out with her saviors, realizing herself that they were not bad as the rumors would say – that Kurosawa was arrogant and a bully because of her looks, and Hayami was her sidekick beneath that withdrawn personality.

At first, Hayami abruptly refused the request of her friend with a blue-haired ponytail since: One, she did not like socializing. Two, the job needed one to be talkative and she was not like that at all. Three, what's in it for her?

"In exchange, I'll bring you to a cat café. The drinks will be on me," said Inoue with a smug look.

"Deal," Hayami replied as she shook the blue hair's hand.

After taking that one shift, Hayami was wheedled into being a part-timer there because she could earn some extra money and the owner has a cat that she could play with during her break time. Mostly it was because of the second one.

She did not tell anyone from Class 3-E about it – even her close friends. Chiba only knew about her part-time when she had canceled their weekend appointment one time because she had to take over someone else's shift. It was not disclosed to him though as to where she was working and what type of job it was.

Hence, when a group of customers came into the shop one day during her shift, Hayami became stiff upon seeing their faces.

"Isn't that your boyfriend?" Inoue had crept up behind her with a jesting smile across her face.

'What is he doing here?' Hayami thought before turning around swiftly away from the newly-arrived customers. Then, she crouched down behind the counter when the owner of the café walked out from the kitchen.

Eyes staring down at her, the owner said, "What are you doing there? We have new guests to serve."

Since Hayami was not budging, Inoue spoke up in her stead – "Her boyfriend's here, Boss."

The corner of his mouth turned up as he placed both hands on his hips. "Then you should go and serve him. It's your chance to show off your cute side," he told Hayami.

***

It was vexing how he could not see her today because of her part-time job. While he was lying on the bed, already done with his homework, Sugaya was on the phone talking to Terasaka.

"Why don't you just invite Yoshida and Okajima? They'd be down to it." There was a slight pause until Sugaya said, "Sheesh. You're so persistent. Alright. I'll ask him."

Ending the call, Sugaya looked at Chiba and noticed his flatmate's down mood. "Terasaka was asking if we could accompany him, Takebayashi, and Muramatsu in a maid café. There is a discount if you go there as a group of five."

"Pass," Chiba replied before turning around, his back facing Sugaya.

"Come on. It's not like you have anything better to do," the silver hair insisted.

Chiba thought about it for a moment. He could use the time to hang out with a bunch of the Class 3-E boys since it has been a rare occasion to do so.

Rising from the bed, he said, "Alright."

But neither of the five expected that they would see Hayami in the café in a maid uniform, serving their table. Her hair was fixed into pigtails as she did back in middle school.

While everyone else was still in a state of shock, Sugaya said, "So you are working here, Hayami. What a surprise."

"I didn't think that you would come here either especially –" her eyes darted to her speechless boyfriend before blinking once "– you."

Terasaka flailed his arms around nervously as he explained, "I'm the one who invited him and Sugaya since we badly needed the discount. They were sorta just forced to come here with us. Right, Koutarou?" He looked at the otaku-in-glasses sitting beside him.

"He's right," said Takebayashi. "Although I'm hoping that after this, the two will come to appreciate the wonders of girls as maids."

"I see," Hayami uttered even though she did not get the last part. Then, holding out her notepad and pen, she said, "Can I take your orders now, my masters?"

When Chiba had heard her address them as 'my masters', he choked on the water that he had been gulping down. Sugaya patted his back, sharing his embarrassment.

After his companions had left, Chiba stayed behind to wait for Hayami. So when her shift ended, he met up with her at the back door of the store.

"You didn't tell me that you're working here," he said as soon as she stepped out of the heavy door in her normal clothes.

"You didn't ask."

Fair point.

"I chose this place because it's not that far –" she began to say "– and my friend works here. It has good pay too."

She was about to walk beside him when something caught her eye. "Skittles?" she breathed out as she looked over Chiba's figure. Then she crossed to his other side with an ecstatic face, bending down to a domestic cat.

"What are you doing outside? Boss might be looking for you," she said in a soothing tone.

She, then, stood up and faced Chiba while carrying in her arms a white cat – round and puffy like a cotton ball. "Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't work here because of Skittles," she clarified, back to her placid voice.

"I didn't say anything." And yet, a small smile made its way across his mouth, tad amused at the discovery.