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Rain bucketed down, hitting the umbrella that protected Miorine from the storm. The wind lashed against her, so much so that she could barely hold onto it. Socks and shoes were long drenched by now, each step heavier than before. There was nowhere to stand under, all shops closed due to the weather conditions. Of course, she had to walk home on the worst day of all. After several more minutes of walking, she spotted a café.
‘Night’s Embrace’, the sign outside read.
She didn’t remember seeing it before, but from what she could see through the windows, it seemed quite popular. If she went in, she could at least wait out the rain. The sound of her stomach rumbling is what made her make up her mind. “I guess I’m going to give it a try.”
A warm wind hit her as soon as she entered, a big contrast from the temperature outside. It was quite crowded, she couldn’t spot a free seat at first, so she decided to observe the shop for a bit first. The entire interior was kept in a blue-yellow theme, truly fitting for their name. There were a few round wooden tables with a pair of chairs at each of them, star curtains in front of the windows, and a small bouquet of yellow camellias on the counter opposite the entrance. It seemed like the café continued a bit more around a corner, but Miorine couldn’t see from where she was standing. She was just about to go in further when a blue-haired girl in a… maid dress approached her? “Welcome home, Mistress!”
Miorine blinked a few times while the girl in front of her continued to smile. “Am I allowed to take you to your seat? We have a free table around the corner.”
What she had walked into wasn’t a usual café; it was a maid café. She had never been to one of these, but it wasn’t like there was somewhere else to go with the rain pouring so intense outside. She gave the maid a light nod.
“Wonderful, follow me then!”
—
Miorine sat on a sofa seat in the corner of the café, the seating seemingly more comfortable than the others around her. She tried to think if there was a reason she got that particular one or if it was mere coincidence. She didn’t get to dwell on it for long before the blue-haired girl returned.
“Here’s our menu. We’ve got a lot of delicious drinks and beverages for you to choose from, so take your time to decide and ring this bell once you’re ready to order.” The girl placed a pink, cutesy menu card and a tiny bell on the table and went to leave. “Oh! And don’t forget to decide on the maid you’d like!” She winked and left behind a perplex Miorine.
The menu itself wasn’t too special; most of it items you'd find in any standard café. Miorine decided to go with a classic: an ice latte macchiato and omurice. She put the menu to the side and picked up a purple piece of paper—decorated with tiny hearts and stars—that laid with the menu. It listed a few names. Well, they weren’t real names; nicknames rather.
————
Nylan
Puffballs
Sky
Flame ☆
————
The last name had a star behind it, which Miorine had no idea what it meant. If it’s highlighted, it must be something special, right? Since I’m already here, I might as well try it. Miorine checked the box next to ‘Flame’ and put the paper on top of the menu. She rang the bell, and the blue-haired girl, whose name she still didn’t know, approached her with a smile.
“Did you find something to your liking, Mistress?”
The nickname was definitely something she’d have to get used to. “Uhm, yes. I’d like to get an iced latte macchiato and omurice, please.”
The maid jotted it down. “Alright, is there anything else I can get for you?”
“No, that would be all.” The girl took the menu and paper while taking a quick glance at it. “I see you decided on …Flame. A great choice. She will be with you in a bit. I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay, Mistress.” She bowed and left the table once again.
—
Minutes passed by fast as Miorine watched the other tables. One maid with pink hair took a picture with another girl with light brown hair; at another table, a green-haired maid with fitting cat ears did a little dance for a group of three.
She was so busy watching them that she didn’t notice when someone approached her table. “Good day, Mistress.” Miorine turned around. A tall girl with her long red hair pulled into a slick ponytail stood before her. She wore a black suit with a white button-up underneath—the full butler look. She beamed at Miorine while holding a plate with her omurice as well as a silver tablet with a cup, ketchup, and a tiny milk can placed on it.
Miorine’s eyes widened. “Suletta?!”
The maid (butler?) panicked, her eyes darting around the café. “Shhh! Not so loud.” She whispered.
Miorine lowered her voice. “What are you doing here?” Suletta was the last person she expected to work in such a job, much less be the one serving her.
“I’m working here part-time beside college. But please don’t tell anyone at college about it,” she said, and placed the omurice and latte macchiato in front of Miorine with the can and ketchup on the side. “It was one of the only jobs available, and my mom needs the money…”
An uneasy silence followed. Seconds passed before Suletta cleared her throat.
“A-Anyway, you requested me, Flame, so… I’ll be serving you today.” Suletta tried to change the topic. She scratched her head. “Unless you’d like someone else, now that you know who I am, I’d totally understand.”
Miorine took a moment to think. Suletta was the only person that she genuinely called a friend at college, and Miorine would be lying if she said she didn’t have a slight crush on her. Plus, Suletta looked extremely attractive in that suit, and she wouldn’t want to miss out on an opportunity like this. “No, I made my choice, and I don’t plan on changing it.”
“Alright then,” Suletta smiled at her, going into her maid-attitude, “do you want me to write something on your omurice?” She took the ketchup tube and looked at Miorine expectantly. “Sure.”
Suletta leaned over the table, turning the tube and gently squeezing it to control the amount of ketchup coming out. Slowly, with full focus, she wrote her message on the omurice and ornamented it with a cloud-like outline and a little heart at the end. “There. All done.”
Miorine was amazed. I didn’t know she was so talented at this. The message read, 'I love you’, and while it was obviously something that was commonly written for customers, it didn’t stop her cheeks from flushing ever so slightly.
She stared at it for a bit, and when she looked back up, Suletta was pouring milk into her latte macchiato. But she wasn’t simply pouring it; she made latte foam art of a tanuki. Suletta smiled proudly at her work and redirected her gaze to Miorine. “I put all my love into Mistress' meal, so I hope you enjoy it lots!”
—
This was by far the best meal Miorine had in months—which wasn’t hard to achieve considering she mainly fed on fast food, but that wasn’t the point. Even though it sounded silly, she was sure she tasted ‘Suletta’s love’ with every spoon and sip of her meal.
Miorine rang her bell again, and the girl came around the corner, still with the same bright smile on her lips as when she left her table. “I see you finished your food. I hope you enjoyed it!”
“I did. It was delicious.” Miorine said with a smile.
“Yay! I’m so glad!” Suletta took the empty dishes. “I’ll just take care of these and then I’ll be back to take our photo.”
It didn’t take long, and Suletta was back after barely two minutes.
“What pose would Mistress want us to do?” Suletta did a bunch of the poses as she named them. And she looked incredibly cute while doing them.
“I’d like to go with a heart.”
“A heart it is.” Suletta cheered and quickly set the timer on the camera before standing beside Miorine and joining their hands together in a heart. “Aaaand smile!”
The camera flashed with a click, which had Miorine blinded for a second.
Suletta ran back to the camera and took a look at it. “It turned out so cute! I’ll get it done for you, so please take a seat for another moment.”
—
“Thank you for waiting. Here’s the picture you took with me as a memory of this day. Take care and have a nice day, Mistress. I’ll see you soon!” They waved goodbye, and Miorine left the café.
The rain had stopped, and the sun fell warm on Miorine’s skin. She looked at the envelope in her hands. The cover was a picture of all the maids together, and inside was the picture she had taken together with Suletta, along with a personal message.
I’ll miss you, Miorine-san. Please come back home soon!
She took one last look back at the café and then continued her way back home. We’ll definitely see each other again soon, Flame.