In the vertical elevator, as Hexia looked down through the blue glass at the city's nightscape below, the ground became more and more distant, and the pedestrians on the streets shrunk smaller and smaller.
Even though the people remained the same size, when one looked down on this scene, they couldn't help but feel a faint sense of superiority, or perhaps pleasure?
Hexia wondered if this was why many top executives of large companies liked to have their offices in tall buildings.
[37th Floor Arrived]
With the ding-dong of the elevator, Hexia stepped out to find herself on a floor filled with blue glaze-style decor.
The entire floor was open without walls, spanning about a thousand square meters, with a ground that resembled a deep blue starry sky, polished to perfection. Above, the simulated azure sky changed subtly with one's viewing angle, even the clouds shifting minutely, making it hard to distinguish real from fake. Mushroom-stem-like pillars supported the structure, and surrounding these pillars were circular bars, each with 1-2 maid waitresses.
Perhaps due to a silence enchantment, Hexia could only hear the tap-tap of her own footsteps as she walked. It was only when she approached some bars that she could hear the conversations between the waitresses and patrons.
"Hello, is this the 'Sweetheart Collision Café'?" she asked tentatively at one of the central bars, feeling a bit anxious about whether she had come to the right place, as it seemed quite afar from what she expected a café to be.
Inside the bar, a maid with rabbit ear accessories was crouched down, rummaging for something. At the sound of a voice, those ears perked up instantly.
"Yes, yes, who are you?" she stood up, still holding a water gun in her hand.
By then, Hexia got a clear view of her. The girl looked around 17-18 years old, with light chestnut short hair and a slightly round face with a few freckles, conveying a sense of liveliness.
"Hello, I'm here for the job interview," Hexia projected the recruitment information from her personal terminal.
"Oh, right, that. I was wondering, who would use such an outdated name anyway," the bunny-eared girl hopped out excitedly.
"Follow me, the manager is over there," she led Hexia towards a corner in the distance.
"Actually, we don't usually go by the name 'Sweetheart Café' here. Our regulars call it 'Dream of Glazed Glass'; that really suits the style of our establishment."
Dream of Glazed Glass, the young girl mused silently. It indeed fit the interior decoration, the sky, and glaze.
"The café thing was just because of how we initially registered for the business license ages ago. Since then, we've gone through various changes, new styles, new owners, new themes, but the license itself, that never changed. Actually, our current business is quite diverse," she explained as they walked, showing Hexia an almost overwhelming enthusiasm.
"Alright, the manager is right ahead," she said, pointing to a woman sipping tea beneath blue curtains in the distance.
Recognizing her as the one she had spoken with before, Hexia approached her.
"Hello, I'm Hexia. I contacted you earlier for the job application," the girl said politely with a bow before raising her head.
"Hmm, very nice, you seem well-mannered," the manager sat on a couch, sipping her tea leisurely and nodding slightly, seemingly pleased with Hexia's demeanor.
"Have a seat for now, there's no need to be nervous," she gestured for Hexia to sit.
"Okay," Hexia sat down, still feeling a tad anxious. After all, this was her first time stepping into society for a job interview, and it was impossible not to care at all.
"You just graduated this year, didn't you?"
"Yes," Hexia nodded her head.
"How nice. I remember when I first came to this shop after junior high and stayed ever since..." The manager's slightly plump face revealed a nostalgic expression, like a farm pig fondly recalling the days of running through wheat fields.
Although it was rude to think such a thought, Hexia couldn't suppress the strange notion from popping into her head.
"Cough, I digressed," the manager set down her tea cup.
"Spend this afternoon getting used to the environment, and you can start work tomorrow. Remember to arrive before 9 a.m. daily."
"Okay, ah." That's it, the interview is over? Hexia blinked her eyes.
"It's fine, everyone is a bit awkward at the beginning, but you'll get used to it later." After saying that, she stood up, and just then, the bunny-eared girl who had led Hexia over came over with a cold drink in her hand.
"Is the manager leaving already?" She tilted her head, surprised that it ended so quickly.
"I have to come back tonight, so I'll go home and get some sleep now." She picked up the floral hat hanging on the side of the couch and put it on her head, then left 'Elegantly,' like a family pig returning home after a stroll in the sunset.
"Right, Belfeng, you take care of Hexia today." The manager, who was about to walk away, waved her hand, leaving one last instruction.
"Huh?" The bunny-eared girl expressed her surprise, but couldn't stop the other person from slowly disappearing into the distance.
In the midst of Hexia's bewilderment, the bunny-eared girl put the cold drink on the table and then sat down directly in the manager's former spot, even crossing her legs.
"Huff, the manager has been getting lazier lately."
"I haven't introduced myself yet; my codename in the shop is 'Belfeng,' but you can call me Sister Bebe if you want!" Although the girl wasn't taller than Hexia, she seemed to really care about Hexia calling her sister.
"Okay, Sister Bebe."
"Mhm mhm, say it a few more times, I'll have your back from now on." The petite girl patted her chest, signaling that she's got it covered.
Seeing her like this, Hexia's nervousness slowly melted away.
"Here, have some drink first, I just got this Trifolium Snow Crystal Milk Tea from the bar~"
"Don't worry, it's free. Once you start working here, you'll have plenty of opportunities to help yourself to the shop's drinks." She said softly, raising her finger in front of Hexia.
The young girl took the chilled milk tea and quietly asked, "Doesn't the manager know?"
"Of course the manager knows, she drinks it herself often. It's something we're used to by now, you know, it's a necessary loss in daily operation, it wouldn't make sense to run a milk tea shop and not let the staff drink milk tea."
On her first day at work, Hexia learned how to help herself to the shop's drinks, but it seemed this was just the beginning.
"Alright, let's start with you. How old are you, Hexia? Are you at least 16? We don't hire anyone too young, you know."
Hexia had no choice but to introduce herself once again.
...
"I see, I see, I got it." The bunny-eared girl nodded while biting her straw.
"First, we need to give you a nickname."
"A nickname?"
"Yes, you can't be using your real name while working here, can you? It would be troublesome if customers started to harass you and disturb your private life."
"Let me see which of the 72 pillars of demons we haven't used yet..." She flipped over her personal terminal, scrolling through.
"All the maid servers in our shop are codenamed after the 72 pillars of demons, and you working here will be no exception."
"Hmm, there are still two unused, so alright, your codename will be 'Dantalion,' the 71st pillar demon, Dantalion."
Dantalion: The 71st demon of King Solomon's 72 pillars, Dantalion appears in various male and female forms, but always holds a book in his right hand. He teaches all arts and sciences to the Summoner, can discover any person's secrets, know all people's thoughts, and change them at will, can imitate anyone's appearance, and can also create illusions.