"Master, we've kept you waiting. This is the set you ordered. If you wish, we can draw a little cat or something on your coffee. Would you like that?"
"Oh, no... well, actually, could you draw a little dog on this coffee for me? Thank you," Hikigaya, who usually disliked such frilly things, suddenly changed his mind after remembering what Mori Shinra had said.
In contrast, Shinra seemed much more at ease, smiling as he made his own request.
"Please draw a little cat on both of my coffees, thank you."
Hikigaya had a feeling that this guy seemed quite comfortable in this kind of environment. Could it be that he had been here before?
By the way, the prices here were so high, yet he didn't even blink when treating them, as if he were just buying a drink from a vending machine... Could it be that this guy was also a hidden rich person?
Come to think of it, Hikigaya remembered that Mori Shinra and Yukinoshita lived very close to each other.
As the daughter of a local council member, the place Yukinoshita lived would naturally not be ordinary. For Shinra to be able to live near her, his own place obviously wouldn't be too shabby either.
In that case, this Mori Shinra guy really was the child of a rich family?!
After realizing this, Hikigaya inexplicably felt a lamentably thick barrier between himself and Mori Shinra.
While the maid was performing her latte art demonstration, the amateur maids also made their debut.
First to walk towards them was Maid Yuigahama. She was wearing a simple, modern-style maid outfit. It was based on black and white, with light, fluffy lace trim. The skirt was very short, and the top was designed to emphasize the chest curve, which compensated for the lack of fine workmanship.
However, Yuigahama's hands trembled as she held the tray, her eyes darted around, and her steps were loose and weak. She was in no condition to compete with a professional maid!
Arriving at the table, Yuigahama said, her face flushed with embarrassment, "I've kept you waiting... M-master."
Mori Shinra's internal evaluation was: Amateur, too amateur.
Especially that final 'Master'. It sounded too weak. Some people might be into that, but Shinra was not one of them.
However, because of her performance, he started to look forward to whether Yukinoshita would also say something like "I've kept you waiting, Master." If he could really witness such a rare sight, it would be worth the price of admission, even if he were to die.
"D-does it suit me?" Yuigahama placed the tray on the table and slowly twirled around. As she turned, the ribbons and lace on her dress also fluttered.
"It suits you very well," Shinra said. He was not one to spoil the fun. Although she was a bit of an amateur, her courage was commendable.
"Hmm? Ah, um..." Hikigaya seemed to be in a daze. After hearing Shinra's words, he quickly snapped out of it. He didn't give a definite answer, but rather a vague one.
However, Yuigahama-san seemed to have misunderstood, and a happy smile appeared on her face.
"Is that so... that's great... hehe, thanks."
"By the way, Yukino-chan should be done changing soon too," Yuigahama said, as if suddenly remembering something, and leaned in conspiratorially towards Shinra.
As soon as her voice fell, he saw a beautiful figure emerge from the staff-only passage at the back of the cafe.
This maid was wearing a long-sleeved top with a dark-colored long skirt. Her original pigtails had been changed back to long, straight black hair, tied with a black ribbon as a decoration. Paired with her beautiful face and dignified temperament, she gave off the feeling of a maid from a noble household in the Victorian era. A faint aura of luxury emanated from her, making it clear at a glance that she was no ordinary maid.
In short, because of Yukinoshita's overly prominent personal image and temperament, even the professional maids in the cafe were unconsciously outshone by her.
After coming out of the staff passage, Yukinoshita looked around and quickly located their table.
Coming closer, she did not say "I've kept you waiting, Master," like Yuigahama. Instead, in a complete reversal of roles, she asked Mori Shinra, "Have you ordered yet?"
That tone was not like a maid's, but a queen's.
"We've already ordered. And this outfit suits you very well," Shinra said, not stingy with his praise.
"I-is that so?" Yukinoshita said, a little embarrassed as she fiddled with the ends of her hair. For some reason, she also felt a quiet sense of relief, a hint of pleasure blooming in her heart.
"Wow~ Oh my gosh! Yukino-chan, you're super, super, super pretty! It suits you so well!" Yuigahama couldn't help but praise her upon seeing her, and she circled around her.
"Thank you," Yukinoshita replied with elegance and grace.
As she spoke, she habitually picked up the menu on the table.
"We've already ordered, including yours and Yuigahama's," Shinra said. He then turned to Yuigahama. "By the way, Hikigaya ordered for you. If it's not to your taste, you can order something else. It's on me, don't be polite."
"Ah? Thanks." Yuigahama hadn't expected him to treat them. She had looked at the menu earlier; the coffee on it was not cheap at all.
The observant Yuigahama-san discovered a blind spot. Why did Mori Shinra only ask her if it was to her taste, and not Yukino-chan?
Also, after hearing that Shinra had ordered for her, Yukino-chan had accepted it very naturally, as if she wasn't worried at all that it wouldn't be to her taste.
The sharp-witted Yuigahama immediately realized the trickery involved and a possibility popped into her mind. And then she found...
Alright, she wasn't surprised at all. In fact, it felt perfectly natural.
"Kawasaki-san probably doesn't work in this shop."
Yukinoshita gave her conclusion. She wanted to take a sip of her coffee, but after seeing the cute cat latte art on top, she paused, as if she didn't know how to start.
"Have you already investigated?" Shinra, on the other hand, didn't care about the latte art at all. As he took a sip of his coffee, he also turned the cat latte art into a cat-stick latte art.
Seeing him do this, Yukinoshita finally made up her mind and followed suit, taking a small, careful sip. She managed to drink the coffee while preserving the cat latte art to a great extent.
"Of course. I only put on this outfit for the sake of the investigation," Yukinoshita said, as if emphasizing something, or as if finding an excuse for changing into a maid outfit.
At the side, Yuigahama was clearly stunned by these words, as if she had just remembered the purpose of their trip.
"Could it be that she's on vacation?" Hikigaya asked.
Yukinoshita shook her head. "Her name isn't on the work schedule. Since the shop would call her home, it's clear that Kawasaki-san didn't use a fake name."
"Then it seems she's really not here," Shinra said with regret, though his face didn't look regretful at all.
"Anyway, let's drink our coffee for now~"