Belfeng, the bunny-eared girl, explained the basic rules of the shop to Hexia and then took her up to the 38th floor to change clothes. The 38th floor was not usually open to the public; half of it was an area for preparing meals and beverages, while the other half served as a staff rest room where a few employees would take a nap during the day or work the night shift.
"What's your size, Hexia?" the bunny-eared girl asked as she swiped her ID card to open the locker in front of her, revealing row upon row of neatly arranged black and white maid outfits.
"This…" Hexia had never really measured herself.
"Let me measure you then, hehe~" The bunny-eared girl made a mischievous grin, which scared Hexia enough to step back.
"It's okay, just a simple measurement." Seeing Hexia scared, the girl smirked wickedly.
Afterwards, Belfeng picked up her personal terminal and circled around Hexia.
"All done, that should do it." The functions of personal terminals were becoming more and more sophisticated, which Hexia hadn't realized before.
Not long after that, Hexia carefully walked out, dressed in the maid uniform.
A black maid skirt, white intricate lace, an apron that hugged and outlined her waist, white socks, thick-soled black leather shoes, and a white cat ear headpiece.
Leading Hexia to the mirror for a detailed examination, the bunny-eared girl couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
"I knew I wasn't wrong about you; no wonder the manager approved you so quickly."
"You know, someone came to apply yesterday, and they said she was the school beauty of some high school. But the manager, like a strict examiner, questioned her for a long time and still ended up rejecting her."
"Ah, why is that?" Hexia didn't understand.
"Maybe the manager thought she had too much of a 'worldly air' about her…" Belfeng tilted her head as she recalled.
"Most girls here are pretty innocent, which makes them easier to manage. That's what the manager has said before anyway."
"She says that if you hire one bad apple, soon the whole pond will be polluted. So she has always preferred to err on the side of caution."
"Can the manager really read a person's character just like that?"
"It seems like she actually can. Although the manager doesn't take care of things usually, she's quite accurate in reading people. She's said to have been in this business for more than 20 years without many mistakes."
"She always boasts that she's a capable battle-hardened worker with no illustrious reputation. As long as she finds the right people, she can save a lot of energy and work at ease and relaxed."
"But can she really keep people this way, considering the pay offered in the job listing doesn't seem very high..."
"Huh?" The bunny-eared girl suddenly stopped her movement, giving Hexia a surprised and even slightly shocked look.
"Did you really grow up in Payin City?"
"This… should be true," Hexia felt uncertain after being asked that way.
"This is Topstar Tower, the landmark building of Payin City, directly under federal assets, with the highest security level. It is also the highest spending area in the city district. Do you think the pay for working here would be bad?"
"It seems like it shouldn't be."
"Right, right, the salary listed for recruitment isn't high, and the base salary is small, but that's not a problem. Most of our income comes from the customers' tips and bonuses from business commissions," the bunny-eared girl continued as she combed Hexia's hair.
"Take me, for example, in the morning I work at the bar, welcoming some unfamiliar guests, doing guide-like tasks, but in the afternoon I do exclusive work, which is playing games with the customers. By the way, I'm quite a game expert."
"The other maids are pretty much the same, some make pastries, some provide company and relieve the guests' boredom, some do divination for guests, some craft handiwork, and there are even those who sew clothes for guests..."
"Some guests are really strange, you know, they like to watch maids sew clothes by hand, without machinery, stitch by stitch for them, saying that it gives them a sense of homey warmth."
"After the clothes are done, half of the money the guests give goes to the establishment, and the other half is ours, so actually, our income isn't bad at all."
"Alright, the grooming is just about done." Belfeng said, standing behind Hexia, looking at the young girl in the mirror.
The originally serene grey hair now looked much cuter with the white cat ear headband, a strand of hair at the side was brushed up and woven into a fine braid, then secured with a hairpin, draping down beside the face, revealing the pale and tender ear beneath the strands of hair, irresistibly endearing to look at.
Around her neck was a black cat ear-shaped bow tie, and the black and white maid outfit was distinctly layered, with an inner layer of white and an outer layer of black, with the white collar and the wide, cut-out lace cuffs extending from the black.
Even though Hexia didn't understand much about fabrics and clothing, she could sense that this maid outfit was valuable, a meticulous creation undoubtedly.
"Fantastic!" Belfeng gave a thumbs up.
"Well then, today we'll take our little princess to meet the guests~"
"Meet the guests?" Hexia expressed her astonishment and nervousness.
"No worries, I'm just joking. But you've got to meet your colleagues, right? Maybe I can introduce you to a few guests that are easy to get along with."
Afterward, Belfeng gently nudged Hexia out of the changing room and then they headed downstairs, where, being midday, there weren't many guests.
"First off, let me think, how about we go see Sister Anan."
The bunny-eared maid pulled Hexia towards a southern area, separated by glass, filled with various potted plants and blooming flowers, where a maid in her twenties was busily watering and pruning.
Opening the glass door and stepping into the glasshouse covered in vines felt like entering a quiet forest, surrounded by a riot of flowers, with green branches and vines hanging overhead.
"Sister Anan, I'm here," Belfeng called out familiarly and then walked into the peaceful depths of the vines.
"Got it, but I didn't prepare any snacks for you this time."
Hexia emerged from around the vine-draped corner, and a golden-haired beauty appeared before her, clad in a predominantly white maid outfit, curvaceous, exuding a different kind of mature charm.
...
"So this is the new companion, hello, my code name is 'Andusia,'" she said, slightly surprised by the girl who stepped out from behind Belfeng, and then quickly regained her usual composure.
"Hello."
Afterward, the bunny-eared girl sat Hexia down to talk with Andusia.
Andusia: A Demon God ranked 67th among the 72 under King Solomon, her true form is a unicorn, but if the Summoner requests, she can also take on a human shape. Depending on the Summoner's wishes, she can temporarily produce the sounds of various musical instruments or bend trees to her will.
Compared to Belfeng, 'Andusia' was much more serene and mature, radiating a kind of nurturing light. Just being with her gave one the unconscious desire to lie in her lap and take a midday nap.
No wonder, it made sense that if an adult were to seek comfort from such an 'Andusia,' Hexia suddenly gained some insight into the operation of this establishment.
However, the day was still long, and she was going to meet many more of the maid colleagues, thanks to Belfeng's introductions.