[Sunday, Morning]
Ever since she went to the beauty parlor that day, Tedeza Rize felt like becoming the persona she called herself Rosé once in a while. The purple haired girl lets her hair, which is normally tied onto a twintail, down. She learned to apply some make-up on her own (with the help of her maids at home). The young lady, despite her military otaku antics, apparently has taken a liking on her feminine side. With the appearance that was a total opposite of how she usually dressed, she was confident that no one would recognize her, especially after taking one day off from Rabbit House. Most importantly, she definitely didn't want her colleagues to find out this , according to Rize, out-of-character side of her! In fact, she almost got caught for once, and thus she has to make up the Rosé name to ease the suspicion.
There was a female butler cafe that just recently opened on the town, which piqued Rosé's interest. There was long queue was created upon the hype it brought, and so the purple haired girl was curious . R-research for Rabbit House! , she tried to assure herself as she joined the queue.
[At the Butler cafe]
With the long queue the cafe was facing, they are required to employ some part time butlers; especially on busy weekends like this. Among the part time butler they hired that day, a blonde short haired girl who needed money was having her first day at the butler cafe. Kirima Sharo, the blonde, was checking herself out on the mirror on the outfit she had never worn through her lifetime. Do I look good on this? It is rather embarrassing! B-but the pay was good, and my experience matches the requirement ; it is as if I am destined to take the job! After reassuring that she is ready, Sharo went out to greet her first customer.
"Welcome in, Ojou-sama!" Sharo greeted her first customer with a smile, seeing a purple haired girl on the line. The short greeting became longer as both of them stare at each other, with a surprised look on their face.
S-sharo? Why is she .. here? Did she realize it was me, and so she decided to serve me? Rize stared at her underclassman, dressed in a butler attire, who approached her when her turn comes. F-for now, I have to keep acting natural. "Oh my, thank you." said Rosé with a bright smile.
On the other side, Sharo is as much surprised as her upperclassman. W-who is this girl? Why does she remind me of Rize-senpai so much? That purple hair… That beautiful face.. It's almost Rize-tier!
The awkwardness was put in held when the manager reminded Sharo that, since she is the one who greeted the purple-haired lady, it meant that she is the one who is responsible of her. "Please come to your seat, ojou-sama." Sharo leads the purple-haired lady into her designated seat at the corner of the cafe. As both of them walked to the seat, the awkwardness continued with each side still wondering about the coincidences.
I think both of us can safely say that it is purely coincidental by now, since it seems that Sharo has yet to notice me. I must be careful not to raise any more suspicion.. On the other hand, I must not made it difficult for her : it is her job after all! I just need to act like a natural lady, I guess. Rosé awkwardly walks to her seat, before eventually sitting down.
S-she really reminded me of Rize-senpai! Her cautious look and step.. It is as if she is always aware of her surrounding! Definitely like a soldier! Sharo nervously leads Rosé to her seat, as she keep on reassuring herself not to act weirdly and made an embarrassment out of herself.
Sharo continue to serve her purple-haired lady after she get seated comfortably. "What would you like to order, ojou-sama?" Sharo smiles as she is ready to take the order. She must be professional no matter what, since this lady is a customer. However, staring too much at Rosé made Sharo imagine she is serving Rize by now. If only I am able to serve Rize-senpai like this, I will be the happiest butler in the world! I'll totally be her personal butler if she requested it! I wonder, Rize-senpai is a lady herself. Now I'm totally jealous of her maids and butlers if they got to serve her like this everyday…
Sharo keep on daydreaming about becoming Rize-senpai's butler until suddenly…
"... Kirima Sharo", she heard the customer calling her full name. H-how did she know my full name? We haven't introduce ourselves! Moreover since I am a part-timer my name isn't even in my uniform! Maybe I heard wrongly, I have to clarify it! "E-excuse me ojou-sama? Can you repeat it once again?" she smiles to the purple-haired girl, trying her best to look friendly and cover up her daydreaming.
"I was ordering a bacon and mushroom fettuccine carbonara, with Kilimanjaro (coffee)." Rosé ordered those two items after seeing the recommended combinations on the menu. That makes Sharo misheard the word 'Kilimanjaro' as her name. "O-oh, I am sorry. I thought… I think I must have heard it wrongly. A-anyway, I'll repeat it: Bacon mushroom carbonara with a cup of Kilimanjaro coffee as the drink." Sharo noted it down, this time a bit more relieved since it is just some misheard. It is Rosé who noticed that Sharo was being a bit cautious just now. Why did I have to order a Kilimanjaro? She almost suspected me! I have to finish the order faster so that it'll all be over! "Yes, that's all. Thank you." Rosé says with a wide smile.
"How about some desserts, ojou-sama?" Sharo's professionality made her reflexively offers Rosé desserts, when both of them wanted to stay out of this awkwardness as soon as possible. "I-I will consider it later, that's all this time." Rosé hurriedly replied, her smile is getting wider as she is trying to hide the awkwardness.
After getting done with the order, Sharo excused herself as she bring the order to the dining station. On separate places, both Sharo and Rosé exhales deeply in relief as both of them are glad that they don't have to be with each other anymore for the day. However, when Sharo walked towards the door to greet in new customers, the manager reminded her of a butler cafe's house rule: The butler has to accompany her lady until she leave the door.
Upon hearing that , Sharo is both nervous and happy at the same time. Deep down inside she did want to be with the lady more. She really reminded me of Rize so much. On the other side, this feeling of love and admiration is exclusively for Rize-senpai. I don't want to flirt with another girl and ultimately cheat on her! What is this weird feeling inside me? Sharo shook her head as she made up her mind. I must be professional! L-let's just say this is for a butler training in case Rize-senpai needs me! The blonde-haired girl walked to Rosé 's table to deliver the rule. "So, I have been stationed to serve you for the rest of the day, ojou-sama. I hope I will be of assistance." says Sharo with a smile.
Rosé was surprised to see Sharo returning, and as she heard the house rule, her anxiety comes to her. "A-ah, I see. I would be in your care for today then. That will be lovely." Rosé tried to act natural but at the same time is nervous inside. W-what should I do? I didn't expect it! At this rate, sooner or later she will find out that I am Rize! Maybe this is the time my military skill could come in handy. I would wait until she gets close and deliver a blow that will make her faint , and get a new butler afterwards… W-wait, this is Sharo we are talking about, I can't harm her! Besides, an assault is, after all, a crime!
Hearing those words from Rosé made Sharo more motivated in her work. S-she is looking forward to be served by me? I wish Rize-senpai would said that to me! "Thank you ojou-sama! It's my pleasure to serve you!" she said excitedly, with an enthusiasm Rosé hasn't seen before. That was when the tag in Sharo's butler suit beeps, signalling that the order is ready. Sharo excused herself to Rosé to take her order, "I will be right back, ojou-sama!".
As a surprise, the butler cafe gave the butlers some allowance of complementary items up to a certain value. When Sharo consider which of the appetizers to give as a complement to her lady, her eyes were fixated upon a box of tea on the shelf.
'The Des Alizes'. The Des Alizes. Tedeza Rize. I wonder how the tea tastes. With its beautiful name it must be delicious. I'd love to taste it someday… Sharo continue to daydream as she is suddenly reminded of the order, and hurriedly decided to give the tea as the free drink.
Sharo brought the order to Rosé's table, and as she put the food and drinks down, Rosé wondered what's the extra cup of tea for since she didn't order it. She then read the label on the tea: The Des Alizes. C-could it be that Sharo has noticed me? Is this a way to tell me that? I knew it, my acting wasn't good at all! Rosé entered a state of panic as she was interrupted by Sharo.
"Here is your order, ojou-sama. Since you are my first customer, I'm giving the complimentary tea to you; our cafe's imported tea. I hope you will like it. If you need anything else, feel free to tell me. I am not going anywhere, after all." Sharo explains to Rosé as she could see that her lady is a bit confused. "Just call me Sharo, if you want to."
Ah, it looks like Sharo didn't notice me before. If she did, she won't introduce herself once again. Anything that happened until now must be a sheer coincidence, I guess. I still need to keep my guard up and put up the lady act, though to erase the suspicion. "Thank you, Sharo-chan." she smiles, putting an intonation to the -chan in order to try to act like a different person.
"S-s-sharo-chan?" Sharo blushed as she didn't expect the lady to call her like that. If only Rize-senpai called me like that! I actually wanted her to be my first customer, but she isn't the type to go to a cafe like this. But this girl is really beautiful, and to be called like that by her really makes me happy! Get a grip on yourself, Sharo-chan! I must not be this happy when I am with a complete stranger, despite the fact that we have to act all close! I must be professional!
Seeing Sharo's reaction, Rosé chuckles at how cute it is. "Ah, not good? I guess -chan is too feminine for a butler. I forget that you are one, after all, my bad."
Sharo blushed as the lady is noticing her embarrassing behavior. "N-no, it's okay! I like it when you called me that, ojou-sama! I was just trying to get used to it since you are my first customer. Anyway, let me serve your food!" says Sharo as she took the plate from the tray to the table. She then decorate the plate of fettuccine with powder-like herbs, kind of like a latte art. What would Rize-senpai like, I wonder, if I decorate her plate with? Unsurprisingly, Sharo, who thought of Rize too much, decorated it gun-shaped.
Rosé, who was sipping her cup of tea, coughed in surprise as she noticed what Sharo was doing. C-could it be that she has actually noticed me and was just playing dumb all these times? No matter how you think, a gun is just too random! Rosé coughed trying to stop Sharo as she asked . "W-why guns, Sharo-chan? That's an … unique decoration.."
Sharo finally noticed that it was gun-shaped, and need to find a good excuse to explain to her lady! I must have thought of Rize-senpai too much! How embarrassing! "W-well, to be honest, I am actually combat trained! I have a senior who's also my instructor! A combat butler, or so you can say, to protect my ojou-sama at all cost!" Sharo starts spouting random nonsense as
she didn't know how to explain, still blushing in embarrassment.
Unexpectedly, Rosé just chuckled at Sharo's act, "Ah I see, it's rather cool Sharo-chan. That instructor of yours must be someone you really admire." Rosé smiles as she grab her fork and spoon. "The pasta looks delicious, though. Mind if I eat now?"
"Of course, ojou-sama. I am not going anywhere so feel free to tell me if you need anything." Sharo, still blushing, smiles at Rosé as she sits beside her. Unconsciously, as her ojou-sama started eating, Sharo's sight is fixated upon the elegance Rosé was displaying. 'Such elegance… She is indeed a true lady… '
'Since Sharo is looking at me, I have to act ladylike or else she may notice! We have had dinners together after all, and any resemblance may caused her to suspect me!' so Rosé thought as she ate the food, a bit nervous. Surprisingly, she acted the ojou-sama part quite well, possibly because all of the ladylike lessons she had to take at home.
Silence fills the air as there is no talking when Rosé eats, since talking while eating is so unladylike. Rosé has finished her food as she take a sip of her coffee. The cream based and coffee combination makes a perfect match as she smiles happily from the delicious food. Seeing that Rosé finishes her tea, Sharo offers to refill the hot water into the tea again. "May I refill your drink, ojou-sama?"
"Ah, thank you Sharo-chan. You are so cute, I am so honored to be your first ojou-sama." Rosé chuckles. Despite the sweet flirting, Rosé's praise on Sharo is at least an honest one. She has known Sharo all along and appreciates her hardworking attitude at every moments. "Although, you seem to be used to the service industry even though this is your first day of being a butler." Well, of course Rosé knows the answer, but she need to ask her in order to pretend that she doesn't know anything.
"Y-yes, I am used to working part-time in cafes or restaurants like this. I regularly worked part time in mostly Fleur de Lapin, occasionally in Ama Usa-An, and Rabbit House." Sharo blushes as she told a complete stranger where she usually work. Perhaps one day she will come and visit, I would love to serve under her again someday!
Just when Rosé thought she is done, Sharo continues her list of places that she had worked at, perhaps like, 5 more names, some of them are unheard by Rosé. Why did she have to work in that much place, anyway? No wonder she often looks so tired, poor Sharo. Rosé gave a surprised look as she heard Sharo's answers, this time she didn't have to pretend since she is genuinely surprised.
"My, my. It must be really tiring. Sharo-chan sure is a dilligent girl." Rosé smiles as she praises Sharo for her hard work. She really deserves the compliment, after all!
"Ah, it's nothing much.. You don't have to praise me for something like that. Ahaha." Sharo blushes as she is being praised by the lady. She is really kind, just like a true lady. I wish Rize-senpai would compliment me too someday..
After Sharo is snapped out of her daydreaming. In the end she is still a waiter before a butler. Hence, she tried to offer Rosé some desserts, now that she didn't look as in a hurry as before. "Do you want to have a dessert, ojou-sama?" Sharo asked with a smile as she showed Rosé the dessert menu.
Rosé, feeling that they have get along and that Sharo's suspicion is mostly cleared, decided that she would enjoy the day to the fullest. The butler cafe has a lot of varieties of dessert, and while taking note some of the interesting ones she could make, for Rabbit House or her own. At least I am really doing research for Rabbit House! Rosé tried to assure herself as , looking at the menu, there are a lot of desserts she wanted to order. Rosé finally gave up choosing as she told Sharo, "Please bring me anything you recommend, Sharo-chan. I'll entrust it to you." After all, the staff recommendation is generally the safest choice, no?
Sharo took note of the order as she smiles, "Thank you, ojou-sama. I will be back in a moment." The blonde haired girl rushed to the counter, blushing madly from the request. T-this is too much! I have to choose for this lady? I am happy and nervous at the same time! What if I screw up badly? I don't know her taste and everything, I may end up disappoint her! C-calm yourself, Sharo! Think of what you would serve if that was Rize-senpai..
Afterwards, Sharo goes back to Rosé's table with the cafe's signature parfait, which is a couple size. Rosé was surprised to see what Sharo brought onto her table. "E-excuse me, Sharo-chan. That's … a couple size, isn't it?" Rosé tried to clarify to Sharo since this is obviously not a single serving!
Sharo panicked as she realized what she had brought to Rosé. She did remember that she thought of what she wanted to serve to Rize-senpai, and that she wanted to eat the couple-sized parfait together with her. "I-i am sorry! I was lost in thought and seeing that this is the cafe's special, so… You don't have to finish them all though, I'm so sorry! Also, y-you dont have to pay for it, it's entirely my fault!" Sharo apologizes as she blushes, she really screwed up badly this time!
However, Rosé just chuckles softly seeing Sharo overreacting. "Don't worry, Sharo-chan. It wasn't a big problem at all. In fact, let's eat the parfait together, since it's supposed to be eaten by two people. If you don't mind, that is." Wasting food isn't good, after all! Plus , Sharo looks tired and tense, she could have some sweet desserts to calm herself down.
"A-a-are you sure, ojou-sama? I don't think I should.. I-I am your butler, after all!" Sharo blushes intensely as she heard that offer. It was too good to be true! Even when the lady is not Rize-senpai, she is still way too beautiful! Sharing a cup together with her … I dont think my heart is ready!
"Of course , Sharo-chan. In fact, I insist you to. You have done an excellent job today, anyway, I don't think I could ask for a better butler. Now, let's eat it together, shall we?" Rosé smiled as she put the parfait cup in the middle of the table.
Both of them sit facing each other. Silence fills the air when both of them are eating, while looking at each other. Every time their eyes met, Sharo would blush and stare back at the parfait, increasing the pace of her eating. On the other hand, Rosé occasionally smiles, seeing Sharo's cute reaction, can't help but to chuckle a little every time Sharo does that. When Rosé noticed that the parfait is finally almost over, she took a spoonful and place it in front of Sharo's mouth. Sharo unexpectedly ate the parfait without hesitation, as she finally noticed that Rosé was spoonfeeding her afterwards. "O-ojou-sama? W-what were you doing?" Sharo blushes heavily upon realizing what had happened. Rosé laughed a little as she teased Sharo, "Well, you look so cute eating the parfait quickly, that I can't help but to spoonfed you." Still blushing upon hearing Rosé's teasing, Sharo picked up another spoonful. "I-it should be my duty to feed you, Ojou-sama.". Rosé happily open her mouth and let Sharo spoonfeed her. They ended up feeding each other until the parfait's finally over.
After Rosé finished the parfait, she looked at her watch and realize that it is about time until her shooting practice. "Thank you for your time, Sharo-chan, I shall take my leave." Rosé excuses herself as she stand up, heading to the register to pay her bill. Sharo looks a little sad, but she know that it will be over sooner or later. "Forgive me for being rude, but... may I have your name, ojou-sama?" Sharo still wanted to talk some more but she know she can't force the lovely lady to stay any longer, she looked like in a hurry when she saw her watch. "It's Rosé, Sharo-chan. Until we meet again." Rosé smiles as she curtsied to Sharo before walking to the cash register. "See you again, Rosé-ojousama! And have a nice day!" Sharo waves back and bows down to send off her lady.
[Epilogue]
[Rabbit House]
Sharo was working part time at the Rabbit House one day while thinking about Rosé. I really want to meet her again. It will be nice if I serve her again, perhaps at Rabbit House or even Fleur de Lapin… She didn't even visit the butler cafe again. I really wanted to give her my mail address but it wasn't allowed in the cafe, and I was too embarrassed! Seeing Sharo sitting down and sighing, Chino and Cocoa approached her, curious on what happened. "Why are you daydreaming, Sharo-chan?" The more energetic Cocoa asked her immediately, which surprised Sharo. "I-it's nothing much. Say, do both of you know someone named Rosé?"
Chino and Cocoa reminded of their first meeting with Rosé on the street back then. "Yes, we have seen her once. What about it?" said Chino, who was just as curious as Cocoa.
"Well, I met her once too, when I was working on my part time. I'm just reminded of her during my job today." replied Sharo, still blushing from being caught daydreaming. "Really? So you have seen her too? She must have stayed around here, or at least occasionally visit this town!" Cocoa replied excitedly, she had wanted to meet Rosé again, even though they didn't know each other and their first meeting was just a short one. At least she looked like a kind and gentle girl. "I certainly hope so! She is so beautiful, no? I wonder how old she is now! She didn't look much older than us, but sure she is so mature and ladylike!" Sharo's eyes beams with excitement as she and Cocoa were in the same wavelength. "Indeed! I want to be like her!" Cocoa replied with a determined stare. Sharo could see that Cocoa was serious, until Chino replied, "I don't think you'd be able to be like her. Not even in a million years, Cocoa-san."
"T-that's mean! Don't say something like that!" Cocoa protested as everyone else laughed at her expense.
Meanwhile, Rize was listening to them from the counter, blushing madly from the topic of the conversation. They will not meet Rosé again next time!