Chapter Six
The First Candidate
I arrived at the golden spoon 15 minutes before my shift in order to change on site. There was no way on earth that I was gonna wander around my apartment dressed as a maid with Hanako-san there, I'd rather die. I changed into my uniform quickly, it wasn't overly skimpy or suggestive like I had worried would be the standard for a maid cafe, and was actually rather flattering once I put it on. I spun around in front of the bathroom mirror, checking myself out, of course my fat ankles were still very noticeable. I tied on my apron and exited the bathroom.
The blue haired girl from yesterday was hurrying in, looking flustered and like she had just rolled out of bed, she brushed down a strand of hair that was stubbornly sticking up. When she saw me she gave me a welcoming smile.
"Good morning, Yashiro-chan," she said, producing a comb from her bag, "congratulations on getting the job!"
"Thank you! Um…"
"I'm Akane Aoi, but you can just call me Aoi if you want." Not only was this girl pretty, she was super sweet too, no wonder she seemed so popular yesterday.
"Alright, Aoi, and you can call me Nene."
"Sakura-chan will say no, but you can just call her Sakura anyway, she's actually really nice under that tough exterior, and I'll tell you which customers to avoid, most of them are pretty obviously obnoxious, but there are a few closet perverts who come in here. Usually we let Sakura-chan handle those ones," she chuckled a little.
"I heard my name," Sakura walked in, already dressed in her uniform, she looked me over, gave a brisk nod, and then walked away.
"What was that about?" I asked Aoi.
"She likes you," said Aoi.
"That's a relief," I said, "I'd hate to be on her bad side."
~oOoOoOo~
My first day was absolutely, miserable. The crush of the crowd was almost impossible to navigate, and while Sakura and Aoi tried to help me as much as they could, they couldn't rescue me from my own clumsiness. I dropped dishes, skinned my knees, jarred my wrist, and was repeatedly yelled at by customers who did not shy away from personal insults. The majority of the customers were kind and patient, but a few bad apples definitely spoiled the bunch.
I tried not to cry as I changed back into my normal clothes after work, I was sore and tired, and my already fragile ego was more than a little bruised. I was eager to get home, but I'd promised Hanako I'd pick up a can of pepper spray on the way home. I was surprised to see a boy lounging in the break room when I came in. He was tall, and muscular with blonde hair and an omomori earring hanging from his right ear. He looked up when I came in, he had an open, innocent expression that reminded me a little bit of a golden retriever a neighbor of mine had owned when I was growing up, I couldn't help but return his smile.
"Um, I'm sorry, are you lost?" I asked.
"Lost?" he looked confused, "Oh! No, I work here too, I make the cakes and stuff that are in the display case up front." The cakes up front were absolutely gorgeous, all delicately decorated in cutesy patterns, like cats and strawberries.
"You make those?" I asked, "they're so cute, you do an excellent job!" The boy blushed, scratching the back of his neck, obviously pleased with his work.
"Thank you, I work really hard."
"I'm Yashiro Nene," I said, "and I'm a mess."
"I'm Minamoto Kou," He laughed, "and ditto."
~oOoOoOo~
"Hello?" I called out to the empty house, there was no sign of Hanako, but then, there rarely was until he chose to make himself known. I dug my can of pepper spray out of my purse and looked it over, "I wonder what would happen if I pepper sprayed a ghost?" I murmured quietly to myself.
"A whole lot of nothing," Hanako appeared, sitting cross legged on the tabe, "why would you want to do that anyways?"
I shrugged, "I was only curious. Where've you been."
"I found you the perfect man," he said with a grin, "or at least, a candidate."
"You did?"
"Yes, he's hard working, kind, a family man, and not bad to look at either," he raised his eyebrows at me.
"How do I meet this guy?" I asked, he sounded splendid, "and are you sure he doesn't have a girlfriend, guys like that are usually snapped up pretty quick.
"He's single."
"How do you know?"
"I just know."
I narrowed my eyes at him, suspicious. "Who is this guy?"
"His name is Minamoto Kou."
