KWMS (c) Fujiwara Hiro


Pre-High School

of successful part-times and school admissions


Tinkling chimes welcomes his arrival into Maid Latte. He dons on a fully black ensemble – uniform required of his soon-to-be alma mater. On his androgynous face, he wears a determined expression. Onlookers would have disapproved of Aoi: such a decent face, only to be flawed due to his assumed 'Maid fetish'. Maid Latte's 'seasoned' customers would have, on the other hand, openly welcomed him: a comrade of sorts; one with such a pretty face too!

The sounds of tinkling ended, replaced with Maid Latte's customary greeting. The words stopped as the manager raises her head. Eyes widen in surprise, and hands covered her lips. Words Satsuki wishes to utter was kept and contained – her nephew is an esteemed customer, unless he states his business here, she would have to treat him as a patron. Public image is important as well, especially to a business that combines service and appeal such as hers.

Aoi requests a cup of hot chocolate; demeanour nonchalant, at odds to what others presume (that it was the first time Aoi enters a maid café).

The beverage was bought, serviettes aplenty. A question was etched on one of the napkins.

[What are you doing here?]

As if that were not obvious enough, his aunt started edging towards him, whispering her query. Sometimes, the teenager wonders if his short attention-span stem from spending excessive time with his aunt. Aunt Satsuki can keep up appearances when he first entered, but the 'formality' was discontinued within the first few minutes.

Aoi seems reluctant to answer. He does not want others to notice him when he was not in his usual regalia. He feels confident being Net Idol Aoi – the one that dares run away from home, the one that dares intrude and demand shelter (and food, and entertainment, and –) from his aunt selfishly. He feels insecure being normal Aoi – the boy with a too effeminate face.

"Here," his aunt loudly whispers, pressing the pen onto his palm.

[I want to work here.]

Short, succinct, blunt and straight-to-the-point.

A frown mars her child-like face. "Meet me at the back." She whispers once more; her distress illustrated in the form of apathy. He tasted the bitterness of cold chocolate as she moves away. Aoi sips his hot chocolate once more, ridding the previous, bitter after-taste. Sweetness blossoms in his tongue.

Net Idol Aoi or normal Aoi; he should just be optimistic.

-x-

Thankfully, I wore a blazer.

The spring air was frigid; winter has yet to fully rid its presence. Aoi stands beside the back entrance, puffs of air materialising from the cold air. Both his hands were not in mittens or gloves (he had forgotten, in his sudden rush), so he hides them in his folded arms. The action did little to warm his hands, instead further spreading the chill.

"Oh my goodness," a distressed cry was heard, "Thankfully you wore a blazer!"

My thoughts exactly.

"So Aoi-chan wants to work here?"

Her perky voice grates at his nerves. Already, his mood soured.

"Didn't I already tell you so?" Didn't you hear me so earlier?

His aunt was perceptive. She dropped the upbeat tones, choosing instead to address him seriously. Interview questions were asked in earnest, breeding honesty and sincerity in her nephew's replies. As the questions were worked through, a small smile blooms on her expression.

"Aoi-chan," Satsuki addresses him with a hint of humorlessness, which is uncharacteristic of someone with as carefree an attitude as herself, "I should warn you. Because you will be dressed in Maid Latte's uniform, you should never reveal yourself to be a boy to the customers. Similarly, you should never reveal your part-time here to your friends. Do you understand?"

A dumbfounded expression shows itself on his face. Then Aoi speaks, "Does that mean that I…can work here?"

Upbeat cheers followed her nod and congratulations.

One part of Satsuki is proud that her nephew's grown; the other worries about his cross-dressing issue. She is his aunt after all, and allowing him to work here would only encourage his odd habit.

That is not your role as an aunt (encouraging him to cross-dress), isn't it?

-x-

Aoi carried on his merry way with jauntiness.

Seika High is his next destination.

-x-

His cheery disposition would not be spoiled by the icy weather.

Outward spreading green shoots on brown branches greet his sapphire eyes. The entire walk to Seika High has been filled with wonderment and awe. Already, in his mind, the cherry blossoms have bloomed. He had been hired to work at Maid Latte! All that was left to make his day was his admission to high school –

Specifically to Seika.

For someone of his…intellect, Misaki's alma mater would suit him well enough. Aoi was, by far, not smart. To someone of a higher calibre, he would be called an 'idiot'. Seika High has the reputation of an improving school; one that is still not considered an elite school (but working towards it step-by-step; judging by the flock of stellar students Seika High attracts), but good enough for mediocre students to enter and be able to excel.

Moreover, the fees were low.

Not to mention the considerable distance between Seika and Maid Latte; no one would be able to notice him while he is on shift.

Pristine white pieces of paper were neatly pinned onto green felt boards. There was a considerable amount of students, but not enough to cover up his view of the board. People were sparsely scattered about. With (oxymoronic) hopeful apprehension, he peers at those sheets of paper, swiftly locating the first character of his name.

[Hyoudou Aoi – placed into class 1C]

Ah, cherry blossoms really bloomed.

-x-

If he were not overjoyed, he would have paid more attention to the girl with hair the same, unique, shade as Misaki's and eyes a tad darker than hazel.


A/N:

(i) Revamped Chapter 2. Reviews would be greatly appreciated!

(ii) Pre-High School.
As the title says, basically talks about Aoi's successful part-time and school admission. 'Sets foundation for future chapters' or something like that. Or maybe I could be lengthening the chapter this way...Haha?