Chapter 12: The manager is soft and smells nice

Simon still hadn’t reached a conclusion about the underlying tone of his life.

If it were described as a gloomy gray, there had been long periods where he felt warmth and care. But if it were a bright orange, then recently he had suffered countless hardships.

If he had to describe it, it was like the starry sky in an oil painting, under a hazy black filter, the stars trailed through time, leaving behind beautiful streaks.

Last night, he dreamed of such a sky.

The disgusting, grotesque monsters and the thick, black ocean had all vanished from his dream, allowing him a rare, peaceful sleep.

That morning, there was no lingering bone-deep pain gnawing at him, only the warmth of his blanket and the dry, cold air outside.

He had no classes that morning. Simon quietly got out of bed; at this hour, Siegfried and the other two roommates were still asleep.

He took out the butler uniform the manager had given him yesterday. After putting it on and looking in the mirror, he realized he looked somewhat worn out.

Recently, he had been exhausted during the day and tormented by nightmares at night. Though now, things had improved a bit.

He shaved off the stubble on his chin and brushed his hair back, revealing his pitch-black eyes. At last, he looked much more refreshed.

With time to spare, Simon slowly made his way to the drink shop.

That morning, three people were scheduled to work: himself, Alice, and a brown-haired girl named Anne. She seemed cheerful, but since their work hours rarely overlapped, Simon didn’t know her well.

Sure enough, Alice had already arrived.

She was wearing a maid outfit. The buttons were perfectly round, and the white apron was spotless without a single wrinkle as she organized the shop’s tools.

“Good morning, Simon.”

Alice greeted him, though she lacked her usual composure. She twirled a strand of hair by her ear, her gaze drifting.

Clearly, the manager had forced her into this.

“Morning.”

Simon nodded in response.

“That outfit suits you, Simon.”

Perhaps seeing him also in a butler uniform helped her relax, as she smiled and teased him.

“You too.”

Simon smiled back.

“Don’t even mention it.” Alice shook her head.

“Hey hey! You’re both here!”

A bright, cheerful voice drew their attention.

It was Anne. Unlike Alice, she wore the maid outfit confidently, without any embarrassment.

“Alice looks beautiful today, and Simon looks handsome too!”

She flashed a big grin, generously praising them.

“With you two here, I’m sure we’ll beat that maid café today!”

As expected, there was always someone carefree enough to liven up the mood. The awkwardness between the two quickly faded.

Of course, mornings were slow, only a few scattered customers came in. Most of the time, the three of them just chatted.

“How’s work going?”

Lila, as the manager, naturally cared a lot about the shop. Since it was their first day with the maid-and-butler theme, she came to check.

“Everything’s great, manager!”

Anne struck a pose like a soldier receiving orders.

“Still as energetic as ever, Anne.”

Lila was already used to it.

“What about you, Alice?”

“I think it’s okay, but it doesn’t feel that eye-catching yet.”

Alice answered after some thought.

Even so, the morning crowd remained sparse.

“What about you, Simon?”

“So far, everything’s been pretty good.”

Simon gave a neutral evaluation.

Seeing that they were adapting well, Lila felt relieved. As for customers, this was only the first morning. With time, things would surely change.

And sure enough, around lunchtime, the number of customers increased.

It even exceeded Lila’s expectations. The three staff members she arranged were already overwhelmed.

This was bad. If customers drawn by curiosity felt neglected, they would lose many potential regulars.

Lila didn’t want that, but there was no choice. Gritting her teeth, she rummaged through the office and pulled out a spare maid outfit.

She thought bitterly, just yesterday she had tricked her employees into wearing these, and now she had to wear one herself.

****

Simon delivered drinks and was just about to wipe his sweat when he was called to take another order.

Alice and Anne were even busier, many customers had come specifically for them.

This wasn’t going to work.

Even if Simon had four extra hands, he couldn’t keep up. Preparing the drinks alone took too much time, not to mention the constant stream of orders.

Especially the coffee, though having tried it himself, he understood why.

What should he do?

As Simon worked frantically and racked his brain for a solution, a clear voice came from behind him.

“Simon, go deliver the drinks first. I’ll handle the ones not finished yet.”

He turned around.

A girl stood there gracefully. Her white hair flowed smoothly down her back, with a few strands playfully framing her pale face, making her skin look even fairer.

She wore a classic maid outfit. The white apron was crisp and spotless, as if freshly pressed. Delicate lace trimmed the edges like fine snow patterns, adding a touch of charm.

The fitted black dress hugged her figure perfectly, subtly highlighting her slender waist and elegant curves.

Simon felt his heart skip a beat. He froze.

“Hey, Simon, did you hear me?”

Her expression clearly showed dissatisfaction.

“Why are you spacing out now?”

“S-sorry, manager! I’ll go deliver them now.”

Simon shook his head quickly to snap himself out of it.

“Honestly, get it together.”

Lila said, then focused on making drinks instead of complaining further.

Simon hurried off to deliver orders.

But her image in that maid outfit kept flashing in his mind.

To be honest, he had imagined this before, but reality was even more stunning.

‘So cute.’

He thought to himself.

Even though his emotions were running wild, he still had to focus on work.

“Your drinks, sir and miss.”

After the lunch rush finally ended, all four of them were exhausted.

“It really worked.”

Though tired, Lila was clearly pleased.

“The manager wore a maid outfit too! So cute! Can I hug you?”

Anne exclaimed excitedly.

“Don’t.”

Lila wasn’t good at dealing with overly enthusiastic people and took a small step back.

“You all look tired. Sit down and rest. I’ll handle any customers.”

Simon sat in a corner, but his gaze unconsciously followed that white-haired figure as she tidied her hair.

“Simon, that’s way too obvious.”

A light laugh pulled him back, it was Anne.

Beside her, Alice looked slightly annoyed.

Simon instantly felt embarrassed. He scratched his head awkwardly and coughed.

“I… I was just spacing out. Nothing.”

Anne blinked, unconvinced, but didn’t press further.

At that moment, the shop door opened, and Lila immediately went to greet the customer.

But when she saw who it was, she almost wanted to throw him out immediately.

‘Why is this guy here?!’

It was Ulysses.

But to avoid suspicion, she still walked up to him.

“Welcome. What would you like to order?”

Ulysses didn’t answer. He simply stared at her.

“You…”

Lila’s heart skipped a beat. Simon was still here!

‘Please don’t recognize me!’

“You’re so cute! Please marry me!”

Ulysses dropped to one knee, eyes full of emotion.

So the famous Sword Saint is just some creep who proposes to random girls?

Lila’s face stiffened into a forced smile.

“Sorry, we don’t offer marriage services with our maids.”

She immediately shut and locked the door to keep him out.

What a day.

“Manager, is everything okay?”

Seeing her slam the door, Simon quickly asked.

“Nothing. Just ran into a weirdo.”

“Anyway, my idea worked pretty well, right?”

Lila walked back over.

“But we also got some really creepy stares, didn’t we? Right, Alice?”

Anne said, looking at Alice, who nodded in agreement.

“Sorry about that.”

Lila lowered her head slightly.

“Then just give us a raise.”

Anne suggested.

“Alright. How about this, during this period, you get a commission for each customer you serve. The more customers, the higher your pay.”

Lila thought for a moment and said.

“The manager is the best!”