As much as she hated it in the beginning, Misaki began to regard the café as a haven, far from the responsibilities of home and school. Here she was surrounded by friends, the lovely staff of Maid Latte, and the customers were, surprisingly enough. Her heart no longer jumped every time the bell rung to signal a coming customer, for now she knew the type to come into these cafes well enough. The idiot trio became slightly more tolerable (but not less idiotic).
As for Usui, he took the longest time for her to acclimate to, and even now, he still managed to make Misaki jump when he appeared out of nowhere. Serving him sundaes became second nature, yet she still couldn't tell if that teasing smile of his when he offered her a taste was benevolent or not. Despite Misaki's grudging acceptance and (dare she say it) affection for him, Usui's very presence still managed to unnerve her.
Why, then, did his absence bother her even more?
"Your frowning is scaring the customers," said Honoka. She was carrying a platter of sundaes, which brought Usui back into Misaki's thoughts. Misaki tried to physically shake him out, but that only made things worse. Honoka only sighed. "Here. Take these to table five. It'll take your mind off of things."
"Of course, Honoka-san." Misaki curled her lips upward and greeted the customers in the sweetest voice she could muster. (Whenever she served Usui, she spoke frankly, and her smiles were rare until he made a joke so terrible she just had to laugh.)
When Misaki returned to the kitchen, she found Honoka and Satsuki whispering to each other. Misaki set down her platter as quietly as she could, but Satsuki still turned around at the slightest sound of silver against the countertop.
"Misa-chan," she said, clearing her throat, "It has come to my attention that there is an egregious rumor that Usui-san has a fiancé." She paused and stared holes into Misaki, who suddenly felt as if she was being accused of a terrible crime.
"It's true, Manager. I met her myself. She seems quite nice."
Satsuki's eyes widened as Honoka's eyes narrowed. "It's true?" asked Satsuki. "Oh, dear. I always thought Usui-san was a gentleman, too."
"How odd that he never mentioned her, or that he shamelessly attempted to worm his way into the pants of one of our employees," said Honoka with her dangerous smile. "I think I know what to put in his sundae the next time he orders."
"Are you sure, Misa-chan?" asked Erika as she entered the kitchen. "One omelet, one special," she said to the chef. "It seems so unlike him."
"Oh, I'm sure."
"That's a shame. It's all right, though, hon, you were too good for him anyway. You'll find someone better." She left with a platter of drinks before Misaki could respond.
"That's not—I don't—"
"It's fine, Misa-chan; you don't have to say a thing. The girls and I are working everything out. Now, take these," Satsuki handed Misaki a platter of desserts, "To table four. The mango mousse belongs to the handsome young man near the window. His friends are talking about setting him up, so work your magic!" Satsuki pushed Misaki out of the kitchen with a wink, despite Misaki's spluttering.
Seeing no other choice, Misaki made her way to table six with a smile that she tried not to force too obviously. To her dismay, the young man near the window really was handsome. He had a different kind of good looks from Usui, with an open face and easy smile. "Good afternoon, gentleman. May I ask who ordered the cheesecake?"
"Over here."
"The chocolate soufflé?"
"Thank you."
She was absolutely not saving the mango mousse for last because of what Satsuki said. It was just happened to be furthest on the platter.
"The apple tart?"
"That's me."
"And so the mango mousse must belong to… you," she said, placing the dessert in front of the young man by the window.
"Thank you so much."
"Of course. Please enjoy." She walked away from the table, giving a slight sway to her hips. Why, she had no idea.
"Dude," one of the men whispered to the mango mousse man, "She's totally into you."
"No, she's not." But she felt his eyes on her back.
"Dude, she left your dessert for last, even though it was right in front of her! It's a sign! Call her back, or something."
She set the platter down to retie her boots. She heard a slight scuffle, then a cry, "Excuse me!"
She brought the smile back to her lips as she returned to the table. "Yes, master?" The men exchanged smug grins.
"I know I don't even know your name, but… would you like to go out sometime?" He smiled warmly at her.
And then it all felt so wrong. This mango mousse man asking her on a date, her smile, her boots, her maid outfit, and that conspicuously empty table where Usui always sat: it was wrong. Suddenly, she hated herself for playing this game. Her smile fell and resurrected with remorse in the place of flirtation. "I'm sorry, but no."
The mango mousse man was rescued from the awkward situation when Misaki heard the door open. She turned to look, hoping that to see Usui.
She saw instead that beautiful woman who had interrupting their kissing session, and that woman saw her. "Ayuzawa-san!"
"Whoa, dude! Check her out!"
"Is this where you work, Ayusawa-san? I didn't believe Takumi when he told me." Sachi, wearing a white coat, matching fluffy boots and hat, white gloves, and a string of pearls, looked utterly out of place in a shop tat prided itself on its coffee and chocolate desserts. She sauntered over to Misaki, who was paralyzed from shock. "Are you all right, Ayuzawa-san?"
"Y-yes. Let me show you to a table, Satsuya-san."
Satsuya sat down and opened the menu Misaki handed her gingerly. "I don't know what to order."
"Take your time. I'll be back soon, but if I'm not, don't be afraid to ask one of the other maids."
"Actually, Ayusawa-san, I was hoping to talk to you about…"
But just what, Misaki didn't hear, for she retreated to the safety of the kitchen as quickly as she could. She peeked out from the window in the doors and was relieved to see that Sachi was flipping through the menu and not coming after her. "No. No. This can't be happening," she whispered to herself.
"What is it, Misa-chan?" asked Subaru. She had changed out of her maid outfit and was about to go home.
"Usuisfianceishere," Misaki hissed.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Usui's fiancé is here!"
Misaki then heard a chorus of "WHAT" from each of the staff members as they rushed to the kitchen door. "Where is she?" asked Erika. "Whoa! It's not the lady at table three, is it?"
Misaki could only nod.
"Oh my goodness," whispered Satsuki. "She's gorgeous."
"Stunning," said Subaru.
"Magnificent," said Honoka.
"I can't go back out there," wailed Misaki. "Can someone else take her order?"
Erika tore her gaze from Sachi and gripped Misaki by the shoulders. "Now look here, girlfriend! She might be one of the most beautiful women I've ever laid eyes on, but that's nothing to be afraid of! You're nothing to pass up, yourself!"
Satsuki nodded fervently. "You're an amazing girl, Misa-chan, and don't forget, you have a maid costume on! Now go out there and show her what you've got!"
And so for the second time that day, Misaki found herself being shoved out of the door and almost fell into Sachi's lap. "Ah hem. Are you ready to order, Satsuya-san?"
"Um, yes, I think so. I'll have a coffee."
Misaki scribbled the order down onto her note pad and was about to leave when Sachi called to her to wait. "I don't mind getting the coffee later. Please, sit."
"I couldn't," Misaki said quickly. "There are other customers."
"There are other maids," said Sachi. "Please. I insist."
Misaki swallowed her fear only to regurgitate it as she pulled out a chair and sat.
"Now," said Sachi, "You've probably gotten Takumi's side of the story, which is to say that you're clueless about everything."
"Uh… yeah, I guess so." Misaki wasn't used to being called clueless at anything, never mind everything.
"Then listen. Takumi and I have known each other since we were born. Our parents are very close friends and very fierce rivals. They were hoping to consolidate their estates with our marriage, so they introduced us to each other when we were five. We got along as well as toddlers could, even though all we had in common was our wealth. One day, Uncle Usui showed Takumi an engagement ring and said to him, 'Do you know what this is for?' Even back then, Takumi was a genius at everything, and so he said, 'Yes. This is what I must give to Sachi.' And so we were engaged. We were ten.
"Then we started to grow up, and in my case, think beyond what our parents told us. Takumi and I continued to see each other. We went to the same schools and competed for the top grades, only it wasn't much of a competition. I was never very good at studying. Neither was Takumi, but he never needed to. I suppose it was only inevitable that I fell in love with him.
"Then when we were twelve, we went to England for a year. I was so excited. This was going to my chance to make Takumi fall in love with me, away from our parents. It was Christmas Eve. I put on my favorite dress, did my makeup, and styled my hair like Princess Diana. I took out my engagement ring and put it on, for the first time. I telephoned him and told him to meet me at the Globe Theater.
"Takumi was there, looking like a prince. I was so in love that I didn't notice that he never once told me how nice I looked. We watched Romeo and Juliet. I thought it was so fitting for us. We were walking home. It was snowing lightly, so gorgeous. A snowflake landed on my cheek, and I was waiting for him to brush it off. He didn't, so I thought I'd get his attention by telling him I loved him.
"But he didn't notice, because just then, we heard a scream. It was right next to us in the nearest alley. A girl was being raped by a man. I was scared and wanted to run, but Takumi just went up to the man and subdued him as easily as if Takumi was the man and the rapist the boy. The girl was crying as Takumi helped her up, and she clung to him. Even then, Takumi was tall and handsome. We took her home with us, and Takumi ate dinner with us.
"He asked her questions. Where she was from, what her name was, how was she going to get home. By the end of dinner, she was in love with Takumi, too. It occurred to me that Takumi had never asked me anything before. That night, the girl stayed in my room, and Takumi slept on the couch. That was the only night he came into my room. By the time we returned to Japan, I had fallen out of love."
Ice crept up Misaki's spine as she digested Sachi's story. A girl in an alley: hadn't Usui met Misaki in an alley, as well? But that was different, she wasn't being raped, and the only time she had encountered scum like that, she had taken care of them herself…
"Finally, when Takumi was about to enter high school, his parents gave him permission to attend whichever high school he would like. I'm unaware of the circumstances, but I wasn't surprised when he chose a dirt-poor school like Seika, knowing that my parents would never allow me to follow him, nor did I want to. I studied abroad until I was called back by my parents. They said that I should be back in time for my own wedding."
The café was nearing closing time. All of the customers had left, but Misaki had a feeling everyone, including Subaru, who had an exam to study for the next day, would be waiting for her in the kitchen. Thus, even the kitchen no longer provided safe harbor for her. "When are you getting married?"
"When we graduate from high school. That's a bit more than a year, then. Listen, Ayuzawa-san. I don't know what kind of relationship you have with Takumi—"
"Usui and I don't have a relationship—"
"Other than an unhealthy one," Sachi continued, nonchalantly. (And to that Misaki had no rebuttal.) "But if you want to preserve it, convince Takumi to do something about our engagement. I have no opinion either way. However, I do suggest that you be careful about Takumi. He likes to keep secrets."
Sachi pushed out her chair and made to leave.
"Wait!" called Misaki. She dashed into the kitchen, pushing past the other maids, and prepared a coffee to go. In record time, she gave it to Sachi, who stood bemused.
"Thank you, I suppose. Where do you import your coffee beans, by the way?"
"I don't know. And it's on the house."
Sachi nodded, and Misaki pretended not to notice when Sachi dumped the coffee onto the street when she exited.
Misaki chose to put up the chairs on the table instead of going back to the kitchen. Before long, the staff of Maid Latte poured out and poured out their questions with them.
"What did she say?"
"Did you see what brand her bag was?"
"How did she find out about the café?"
"Did she just waste a cup of my coffee?"
Misaki did her best to answer all of the questions. Somehow, she felt as though she was going to need the advice of the lovely staff of Maid Latte. Yet, for all of their questions, none of them asked the one question Misaki had: what was she going to do now?