The yellow, storm-like cheers that greeted me were overwhelming.

“Iori-sama, please give us a smile over here toooo!”
“Ahh, I can’t handle it! You’re too perfect, I might die!”
“Quick, take a picture… we need to take a picture… for everyone who couldn’t come today…!”

I involuntarily flinched at the sight of the Suzakura students filling the hall. Cyberia, who was so familiar to me, now felt like it was a classroom at Suzakura High School.

And—amidst it all, there was one person who stood out with an intense presence.

“Hehe, what helpless little kittens you all are. Please don’t make things difficult for me, okay?”

Standing surrounded by Suzakura students, Tachibana-san, in her suit, was dazzling the crowd with a refreshing smile, like a bottle of lemonade. Her tall figure made it easy to spot her, even surrounded by girls, and her expression was clearly visible.

“…What in the world is this?”

For a moment, I thought I had walked into an idol concert. That’s how brightly Tachibana-san was shining, and everyone’s eyes had turned into heart shapes.

“Alright, everyone, please return to your seats. I don’t want to cause trouble for the store.”

“Got it…”

“Iori-sama, please, definitely come to our seat, okay?”

At Tachibana-san’s words, the Suzakura students reluctantly returned to their respective tables, each casting longing glances at her.

Then, I locked eyes with Tachibana-san, who noticed me and approached with a calm, confident stride. Even on the second day, she moved as if she already knew the ropes.

“Good morning, Tachibana-san.”

“Natsuki. I knew you’d come.”

Tachibana-san still looked incredibly handsome, and being this close to her made my heart race for some reason. With a face that perfect, it didn’t matter whether she was a man or a woman.

…That aside.

“So, what’s the situation right now? Is there anything you’re struggling with?”

“Nothing much for now. You gave me the directions yesterday, so I’m good.”

Looking around, it seemed like no table had finished their seating yet. Both Aotaka and Suzakura’s closing times must be similar, so everyone, like me, had just arrived.

…No wonder the kitchen was in chaos. Normally, they would be preparing for the evening rush by this time, but they were suddenly thrown into the peak hours.

“Actually, I told my friends today that I started a part-time job at school. Before I knew it, the rumors spread, and here we are.”

Tachibana-san lightly spread her arms, as if to show the situation. All the students at the tables were watching her every move, and the sound of camera shutters echoed.

“Even though all the seats are taken by my students, do you think it’s too much of a bother? If so, I’ll go tell them myself. Don’t worry, they’re all well-behaved.”

Despite her words, Tachibana-san said it with an indifferent expression. I couldn’t tell if she really felt bad about it.

“That’s fine. During exam time, tables can get crowded with students. As long as they order properly, it’s not a problem. But if they linger with just one dish for hours, that could be an issue.”

“I see, that’s a relief. Then I’ll ask them to order more.”

That would probably give the kitchen staff a headache… but in front of Tachibana-san’s smile, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.

◆

And so, the sudden hectic time passed surprisingly quickly, and before I knew it, it was time to clock out. The number of Suzakura students gradually decreased over time, but a few were still sending warm gazes at Tachibana-san from their tables. I wondered if the curfew was okay for them.

By the end of the day, Tachibana-san had leveled up significantly, mastering the art of serving regular customers with a manual approach and Suzakura students with a prince-like charm. Although she denied it yesterday, it was clear that Tachibana-san had a natural talent for customer service—and perhaps for being in the spotlight as well. It was amazing to see her growth.

“I’m really tired now…”

After clocking out in the backroom, I suddenly felt the exhaustion hit me all at once. The Suzakura students had helped boost sales by ordering plenty of snacks and desserts, so the kitchen had been busy with happy complaints.

“…Whoa, the average customer spend is over 1500 yen today. They ordered a lot, huh.”

“Is that impressive?”

As I was looking at the data on the computer at 9 PM, Tachibana-san peeked over my shoulder at the screen. Her face was so close that I was a little startled.

“Yeah, it’s impressive. The ‘average customer spend’ is how much each person spends, and it’s usually around 1000 yen. So if you could tell everyone ‘thank you’ for me, that’d be great.”

“It looks like everyone contributed to the sales. Got it, I’ll let them know.”

Tachibana-san pressed the clock-out button with a satisfied expression. Despite how busy the day had been, she didn’t seem tired at all. Even now, she stood with her back straight.

“That’s amazing, Tachibana-san. You don’t look tired at all.”

“Really?”

Tachibana-san looked surprised for a moment, but quickly returned to her usual cool expression.

“Of course, I’m tired. It was a lot of work. But if I don’t look tired to you, it’s probably because I’ve developed the habit of never letting my guard down when I’m in front of others.”

“A habit?”

Tachibana-san entered the changing room with her uniform in hand. Even though she looked like a guy, the uniform was for women. My brain was having trouble processing that, even though I knew it.

The curtain closed. The sound of fabric brushing against skin echoed in the quiet backroom, and soon enough, Tachibana-san emerged wearing a sailor suit. She had been a boy just moments ago, but now she was a girl.

And, she was cute.

Standing in front of me, Tachibana-san squinted her eyes and struck a cute pose.

“I’m always aware that someone is watching. That’s why, even in front of you, Natsuki, I don’t let my expression slip.”

“See you tomorrow,” she said, and with that, Tachibana-san walked out of the backroom with a confident stride.

“…She’s too handsome,” I muttered to myself as I watched her disappear through the door.