Coming back to the table, resting her tray, Hitomi-san noticed Mei-san, immersedly reading a book which seemed to be a shoujo-manga judging by the cover.
By the looks of it, Mei-san picked it up from the shelf, a new installment to the cafe free to read during your stay in the store.
After taking down the customers orders, Mocha-san came to the counter, to me, relaying the customers' orders. After receiving the list of orders, I went to the back to fetch the listed merchandise.
Handing over to Mocha-san the customers' orders, she lifted the tray, then looked back at me, cautiously telling me,
"Um, Mas- Senpai. C, could I perhaps get some help? I...I don't think I can handle this on my own anymore."
She timidly requested, with lack of confidence in her voice, and a dying expression on her face, overwhelmed by dealing with people much more from yesterday's.
Scanning the place, she realizes just how much area she was covering. It was twice as much than ours if you compare the interior and out.
'Woah, that expression on her face. It looks like a person's who's losing their sanity.'
I thought to myself, looking at Mocha-san's expression that seemed like on the verge of having a mental breakdown.
I thought it was just acting. That hint of desperation on her face, it really looks like she was actually doing something that is mentally straining. You know, like pretending to have a moral dilemma after taking on this questionable job, which is our pretend assassination roleplay.
I then tried reminding her of her purpose.
"Was that all your convictions amounts to?"
I told her with an intimidating tone, as though disappointed.
"Well, it's just..."
She struggled to answer, but in the back of her mind, strongly complaining that.
'I know this is training, but this is just straight up unfair! No, this is plain exploitation!'
Is what she wanted to argue but couldn't.
"Didn't you want to get stronger?"
I questioned her convictions.
"Well, yes. But..."
"Then go out there and gain some experience."
I lightly chopped the top of her head, then insisted her out the door then returned to my station.
Three minutes passed and Mocha-san came back with the customer's order. Giving her the tray, she looked back at me and argued.
"No, really. I need some help..."
She anxiously told me, with hints of desperation in her voice. To which I replied,
"Then how will you grow?"
I intimidatingly told her, chopping her head lightly again, as though telling her my words are absolute.
She complied, hesitantly walking out the door as though doesn't want to work anymore. [What a push over.]
Three minutes later, she came back and tried to negotiate once more.
"E, even for just a short while!"
She bargain, requesting for assistance.
I straightened my hand, again, lightly chopping the top of her head, telling her.
"Grow!"
She complied.
[Three minutes later. Again,]
"I-I really don't think I'm competent enough to handle this on my own."
"Then become stronger."
I lightly chopped her head once more.
[Three minutes later.]
"I need help!"
"Grow!"
I extended my hand, once again chopping her head.
"Help-"
She started to resort to begging.
"No."
I lightly hit her head again...
[Three minutes later.]
"Even just a little."
"Chop."
[Three minutes later.]
"Please..."
"Chop, chop, chop, chop!"
We repeated this routine several times, each time the energy on Mocha-san's eyes becomes dimmer, losing hope she'll actually be geting any form of help from her coworkers.
'Wow, she's really playing through her character. She's acting like I'm sending her to hell or something.'
I thought to myself, unaware of Mocha-san's social anxiety.
At some point Mocha-san finally stopped thinking, only using minimal words, taking down the customers orders with a lifeless smile on her face.
Somehow, she managed to pull until the end of our shift, conquering another busy day once more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[The next day.]
We checked out some clubs again during the day, and turned in on our part-time job after school.
Hitomi-san and Mei-san were sitting at the same spot, next to the window. Again, watching over their friends/Master.
Looking outside the window, watching Mocha-san diligently working outside the store. Hitomi-san noticed that, though Mocha-san was lagging behind, and the obvious signs of her social anxiety getting the best of her. Somewhow,
'She's managing herself much better than I thought,' Hitomi-san thought, wondering. 'How can she keep going despite this crushing environment?'
Hitomi-san wondered, witnessing how Mocha-san was still going despite the harsh environment.
Though it wasn't the best of service, Mocha-san was performing much better than she was than the previous days. Somehow, she seemed more passionate about working, which Hitomi-san noticed watching over from the window.
Hitomi-san just shook her head, considering it as a good outcome for her friend despite the obvious hardships.
Sucking on the straw of her bubble tea, then focusing her attention on her donut. When Hitomi-san was about to take a bite off her donut, she noticed Mei-san, intensely staring at her, as though wanting to tell her something.
"W, what is it?"
Hitomi-san asked, embarrassed by suddenly being watched eating. The Mei-san she thought was immersedly reading a book earlier was now staring at her.
"It's nothing."
Mei-san replied, then continued to immersed herself to the book she was reading.
Hitomi-san wondered, bitting on her donut.
'What was that all about?'
Now that they spoke, Hitomi-san felt she was obligated to know Mei-san better. They have been sitting together at the cafe for the past four days, yet they barely even talked. So Hitomi-san though might as well get to know each other after seeing each other so frequently.
So then, Hitomi-san asked a curious question.
"Mei-san, right?"
"What is it?"
Mei-san replied with an indifferent tone to her voice.
"Is it alright if I asked you something?"
"Hm, sure. Go ahead."
Mei-san replied with an unchanging expression, not even taking a glance at Hitomi-san, still immersed at the manga she's reading.
'She looks so prim despite only reading manga...' Hitomi-san though, shaking her head. 'Anyways,'
"You work for Aria-san as a maid, right? How do you keep yourself motivated after working at such a prestigeous household?"
Hitomi-san asked, taking this opportunity to compare Mei-san to Mocha-san.
She wanted to use Mei-san as reference, assuming that working as a personal maid at such a prestigeous household like the Tamami's could be pressuring. She wanted to know how she personally deals with the pressure.
Mei-san, still without even taking a single glace off what's she's reading, simply replied with.
"Money."
Hitomi-san, perplexed by Mei-san's answer.
'Wow.. She's so honest. Isn't she afraid Aria-san might hear that?'
Mei-san felt Hitomi-san's disapointment at her answer. She then continued, adding that.
"It might sound disappointing but it's true to most people. Why do you think so many artist gave up on persuing their passions? Simple, because they are not guaranteed a stable income. Dancing, singing, drawing, all of those skills are rendered useless once you step foot on the real world."
Mei-san nonchalantly explained, telling the depressing truth of the world while still maintain her stoic face as she reads.
"Hahaha, yeah..."
Hitomi-san just awkwardly laughed, pretending she didn't hear something depressing just now.
Wanting to rid of this serious atmosphere, Hitomi-san tried changing the topic.
"Hm, by the way. What manga are you reading?"
She innocently asked Mei-san, referring to the manga she was holding.
"This?" Mei-san pointed at the book, replying. "It's a shoujo manga."
She answered, with an unchanging expression on her face as though stating something obvious.
"Ah, I know that manga. It's really popular." with a cheerful smile, Hitomi-san commented. However, on the back of her mind, 'She's really good at managing her expressions. I can't tell weather she's angry, annoyed, or glad that I keep talking to her.'
Mei-san then spoke,
"Then, you also agreed that the second male lead should have won, right?"
With a calm expression on her face, Mei-san asked Hitomi-san's opinion.
"Eh? Ah- sure."
Hitomi-san was a little shaken. She did not expect the silent prim and proper Mei-san to talk about shoujo-manga all of a sudden. She even stated her opinion of the character she favors.
'I thought she was just passing the time, but I did not expect her to be showing so much interest to the manga she was reading. I almost forgot she's a normal high school girl like the rest at how well she suppressed her emotions as a professional maid.'
Actually, Hitomi-san got to know Mei-san's alter personality at school. She was more cheerful, outgoing, and friendly when she's around with her classmates. However, when she was around Aria-san, she tries her best to suppress her emotions, presumably her work mode as a maid of Tamami Household. So she seem much more matured in people's eyes when she enters her work mode.
"I'm glad you also thought the same."
Mei-san simply nodded, then silently went back to reading her manga.
'So that's probably I caught her eyebrows twitching sometimes. She was annoyed but the fact that the character she supports is losing.'
Hitomi-san though as Mei-san went out of character for a second.
Now that their on the topic, Hitomi-san wanted to extend the conversation further as it already started. Stopping now would just be awkward, she thought.
"Now that I think about it, I'm also curious why the heroine always pick the guy who treats them badly. Was it only because they are handsome? If they're not jerks, they are usually stoic that barely can be called a personality. Why not choose the affectionate second lead. He treats the heroine so much better wo why not choose him?"
Hitomi-san complained, critiquing what she thought was a problem with your typical shoujo-manga tropes.
Mei-san, not even brothered to face Hitomi-san, boredly replied while flipping through the pages.
"It's because of a thing called unpredictable rewards."
"Unpredictable rewards?" Hitomi san puzzledly repeated, tilting her head. "What's that?"
While still immersed in reading, Mei-san went into detail about a phenomenon called "unpredictable rewards."
"Why do you think there are so many people obsessed with gambling?"
Hitomi-san inquired, "Why?"
"People don't bet expecting they would lose. It's about the probability they could win as to why they continued on gambling." Mei-san explained.
Hitomi-san then commented.
"Yes, however, statistically speaking the lose:win ratio of a prolonged game of gambling often leads to you losing more money than your total winnins. So why do they still keep on going despite knowing that?"
"It's all about pleasure. The riskier something is, the more appealing it becomes to the eyes."
"But, wouldn't it be more logical to just dedicate yourself at a job with a stable income? In this case, invest on the guy you know will treat you better."
"Sure, but it wouldn't have the same impact as when you are taking risk. A surprising or unexpected reward causes an extra dopamine release. That's why people love it so much when seemingly predictable characters, like what you thought was a cold character break out of their mold."
"Hm, I see..."
Hitomi-san processed Mei-san's explainatin, thinking it does makes sense.
'Does that mean...!'
Mocha-san came to the counter to give me the customers orders. Being reminded of something,
"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot."
I took out an item from the counter, telling Mocha-san to, "Open your hands."
Mocha-san complied, extending me her open hands.
Handing over to Mocha-san a pair of gloves, I told her.
"You can wear this from now on. It's your's"
"Eh, why?"
Mocha-san tilted her head, wondering why she's suddenly receiving something what seems to be like a gift.
It was a pair of white gloves. I used to wear in middle school as part of the earlier prototypes on my phantom attire.
Mocha-san though,
'Is he giving this to me because he noticed my palms get sweaty when I'm nervous?'
One of the major reasons why Mocha-san wasn't performing so well was because her palms get sweaty when she gets nervous.
She was worried about leaving fingerprints on the glassed and plates, so she has to wipe her hands each time he dared to hold the tablewear.
"With this, you're sure to live no traces behind (as an assassin)"
I thought, intending fleshing out this assassination roleplay by not leaving any fingerprints.
"T, thanks... Master."
Mocha-san's face perked up, and she became more motivated at work than she was previously.
Hitomi-san saw our reaction. Thinking that,
"I see. So Yukiya-kun has even thought that far ahead, huh. As expected of Yukiya Saito-kun."