Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to CLAMP, not me.

Sensei, I Love You

Chapter 9

A shrill noise pierced the blessed silence in the room and Sakura shifted under the covers, pulled the covers beyond her head in hope of blocking out the sound. The loud ring of her cell phone continued to blast with no hint of stopping anything soon. With a loud groan, Sakura tossed her covers aside and plucked her cell phone from the small bedside table, glaring at the name on her display. She spent the whole night revising studiously for the subjects that she had missed out, especially Calculus, and didn't get to sleep till four in the morning. She was hoping that she could sleep in over the weekend.

"Good morning, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura greeted and stifled a yawn. Apparently three hours of sleep wasn't enough for her. She could feel herself getting old already. Coffee would be good to give her the instant energy boost throughout the whole day.

"Sakura-chan! I've found you a job!" Tomoyo squealed on the other line. "The manager just responded to me and she's such a nice lady."

Screw coffee. That was just what she needed and she was wide awake in the next instant. "Really?" she breathed, unable to believe her ears. "What kind of job is it? When do I start?"

"Today at 9 A.M. I'm not sure if you are comfortable with it… It's actually a cosplay café and it's very near to our school… I can always look for another suitable job for you if you are not up to it."

Sakura considered it for a moment. Cosplay café? It sounded pretty fun to her but its proximity to the school was a big problem to her. Although it was only on weekends, chances of her encountering a schoolmate were pretty high. It was too risky but beggars can't be choosers. She needed a job and there was one available for her. "I'll take it."

"You sure?" Tomoyo asked, sounding a little worried now. "You are not afraid of being found out?"

Sakura shrugged and then realized that Tomoyo couldn't see her on the phone. "I'll deal with it when the problem arises. Right now, I really need a job to pay for my meals. Besides, it will be better for me if I were to be caught and tossed out of school."

"Sakura-chan! How could you say that?" Tomoyo exclaimed angrily. "No matter what you still have to go through high school and then university if you want to earn big bucks in the future! What good will it do to you if you couldn't even get through high school? Are you going to do waitressing for the rest of your life?"

"I'll try to find a rich man and marry him?" Sakura suggested teasingly, earning herself a big sigh from her best friend. "What? Can't I do that? Then I don't have to go through the long hours at school."

"Be realistic, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo admonished. "It's difficult to find a good guy nowadays and a rich one at that."

A good guy? There's one in the house at the moment, Sakura thought with a grin. And he seemed pretty rich to be able to afford a house like this. Too bad he's my teacher.

"I'll just find a way to survive on my on in the worst case scenario," Sakura said. "Trust me with my survival instincts."

"Right. Anyway, be there by 9 and look for the café manager, Junko-san," Tomoyo reminded. "She's one of the nicest ladies I have ever met so be nice to her."

Sakura grunted. "When have I ever been bad to anyone?"

"Well, people can change right?" Tomoyo said. "And I don't want to hear any silly things from you about marrying a rich man. It isn't funny."

"Yes, madam!"

When the call ended, Sakura stood up and stretched her lethargic body before going downstairs to make a simple breakfast of toast and coffee. She still had some time to spare before she had to show up at the café and if she just lay down on her bed again, she knew she would doze off immediately.

"Good morning, muffin!" Syaoran greeted cheerfully from the kitchen the moment she stepped into it. Her eyes took in the apron that was tied to his body and she had a hide an amused grin. "What? Never see a handsome guy like me before?"

"Oh please, spare me the drama," Sakura retorted as she stepped beside him, eyeing what seemed like delicious scrambled eggs. "Yum."

"Stop drooling all over me," Syaoran teased and chuckled at her harassed expression. He took in her rumpled form and grinned at the state her messy hair was in. Giving in to his impulse, he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and looked smug when she squeaked and jumped back in surprise.

"What's that for?" she asked, her eyes growing wide and shooting accusing gazes at him.

"A good morning kiss from me to you," he replied nonchalantly, turning his attention back to the stove. "Can I get one too?"

"No way!"

"Aww… That's too bad then…" he drawled before giving her a sexy wink. "But I'll definitely get one from you sooner or later. No girls can resist me."

"Ew!" Sakura blanched, covering her ears and making a mad dash out of the kitchen. "Pedophile!"

Syaoran almost dropped his spatula. It took him a moment to recover from her verbal attack. "Hey, I'm not that old!" He was still grumbling when he sat the breakfast on the dining table. Sakura was eager anticipating what he had prepared. "I'm only a few years older than you, you know?"

"Whatever! Can I please have some of your eggs?" Sakura pleaded, almost banging her fists on the table in anticipation.

Syaoran sighed and pushed a plate towards her and she accepted it eagerly. "Why are you so early today? There isn't any class on Sunday."

"Job," Sakura replied in between mouthful of eggs. Syaoran chuckled as she sputtered and he hurriedly poured a glass of milk from the refrigerator for her. She downed it within mere seconds. "Tomoyo-chan got me a job and I'm starting today."

"Where?"

"I'm not telling you lest you stalk me over there and cost me my job again," she spat, sticking out her tongue at him.

"Deep down in your heart, you knew it wasn't my fault. I can't help but dazzle girls everywhere I go, you included."

If there was any milk left in her glass, she would have flung it all at him for his smugness. Shaking her head, she ignored him and finished the rest of her eggs before washing her plates and utensils at the sink. "Right, dazzling," Sakura murmured as she thought about Syaoran even though he was just a few feet away. She couldn't help but agree with what he had said. Dazzling…

"So…" Syaoran said and he sounded as if he was just right behind her. She whirled around and her face smacked into Syaoran's hard chest. She had to hold the edge of the sink to steady herself as she stared at him at such close proximity. "Where will you be working?" he asked huskily and Sakura could feel herself drowning in his voice. She didn't even realize that he had trapped her within his arms that were braced on either side of her on the edge of the sink. There was no way she could escape him.

"W-what?" Sakura squeaked, hoping he would move away before she literally swooned at his feet. Who knew that her idiot homeroom teacher could have such an effect on her.

"Where are you working?" Syaoran repeated softly in her ear, moving closer to her. Sakura shuddered and felt a little light-headed.

"A c-cosplay café…"

"Where?"

"Near the school," she replied dreamily. Her hands ached to close around his body. In fact, they were already creeping towards him unknowingly but she caught herself at the last moment before she pressed her body against him. She woke up from her dreamy state as if she was splashed by a big pail of ice water. Gasping loudly, she shoved hard against Syaoran.

"I'll see you later," Syaoran said. He was smirking at her now, clearly pleased that he had forced the information out of her.

"Is this how a homeroom teacher behaves?" Sakura shouted at his retreating back. He chuckled as he went upstairs. And great, he had just left his dirty dishes for her to wash. What a wretched man! She turned solemn the moment he disappeared from view and leaned against the sink counter weakly. She pressed a hand to her cheek where she could feel his breath earlier. That has confirmed one thing—she was definitely falling for him. Hard.

Sakura knew she shouldn't stay here any longer but somehow, she couldn't bear to make herself pack and stuff and make a run for it. Besides, she was penniless and couldn't even afford a decent meal for herself. She'd just stay for a little while longer. Then, she will make herself leave. She made that promise to herself. Just one more month.

Junko was indeed a nice lady just as Tomoyo has described to her over the phone. She was slightly plump in her late forties and streaks of grey were present in her straight shoulder length hair. Sakura was totally charmed by her motherly smile and she couldn't help but think about her own mother whenever she saw Junko.

"You must be the girl Tomoyo-san spoke to me about," Junko said, guiding Sakura through the door that labeled "Staff Only". "She highly recommended you for the job and I need someone to fill in the vacancy urgently. I hope you understand what kind of job you are into."

Sakura nodded. "Cosplay café," she answered. She saw the signboard at the entrance as well as many pictures pasted on the mini display board on the door. This was definitely a café for those cosplay addicts.

Junko smiled again. "That's right. I'm actually a fan as well but unfortunately for me, I'm too old for such things that are meant for youths like you. My children are into this as well and that's why I decided to open up this café with the help of Daidouji-sama of course. I'm sure you will be able to adapt in no time. Are you a big fan of anime or cosplay, Kinomoto-san?"

Sakura shook her head regretfully. There was no time in her schedule for entertainment time since she was always working. By the time she got home, she was already too tired to do anything else but bathe before sleeping. "I don't have much time to indulge myself in anime and cosplay but it looks like fun!"

"Oh… That's just too bad because I know you'll get addicted to it and never stop loving it. However, this job is just the chance for you to cosplay all you want. The downside of this is that you are assigned a uniform and won't get much chance to try on others unless by consent."

"We get uniforms?"

"Yes, you do. The girl who just left was assigned to be a maid and thus, your uniform would be maid attire. Let me go get your uniform for you," Junko said before stepping into the staff changing room.

"A maid uniform?" Sakura wondered aloud and started imaging what her uniform would look like. The image of Syaoran in apron surfaced immediately and Sakura had to push down a blush that she knew would colour her face.

"This is your uniform," Junko announced as she stepped out of the changing room with a piece of black and white short one piece dress, typical of what a maid would be wearing. It was coupled with a white maid cap, much to Sakura's embarrassment.

"I get to wear that?" Sakura asked, trying hard not let her disappoint escape. "And that cap…" The dress was super short and to make matter worse, the skirts were those puffy kind and it was easy to get exposed. "Really?"

Junko mistook her question for excitement and beamed at Sakura. "Yes! This uniform won the hearts of many of our customers. The previous girl couldn't handle that much attention and chose to seek employment in other café when I explained that she couldn't change it with the others. You see, you have to be slim to be able to wear this uniform and look really pretty." Junko's eyes raked over Sakura's body. "You'll do!"

Junko passed the uniform to Sakura, who accepted it and trying hard not to cringe. She blinked in surprise at the uniform's silkiness. "It looks comfortable," she mused.

"Yes, it is. Our staff have to work long hours despite being put on rotation and that's why I demand high quality uniform for the comfort of my staff," she explained patiently. "Besides waitressing, you will also be required to help out in the kitchen if required. We will begin operation in about an hour so get ready. Meanwhile, you can go and meet your other colleagues who are having a mini briefing at the front of the café."

"Yes, Junko-san," Sakura said and stepped into the changing room with a sigh. "Just the uniform I need," she muttered sarcastically. She wondered what her schoolmates would think if they happened to come to the café. She only hoped that she wouldn't get to meet any one of them here. It would be downright humiliating.

To be continued

Thanks for reading! And thanks for all the reviews, alerts , follows and favorites! Really appreciate them. :)

Have some writer's block lately... And I'm always tired after work. :( Weekends are never enough!