“There’s no way I can do that.”

—or so I wanted to say, but the stress of making the customers wait was unbearable. Maybe this was an occupational hazard for someone working in customer service. An irresistible sense of urgency filled my chest.

To add to that, I was already used to wearing a maid outfit. Unfortunately, the threshold for donning a maid outfit had lowered to the extreme.

How did things even end up like this?

Even though I knew this wasn’t the time to dwell on it, I couldn’t help but feel like holding my head in my hands.

The frilly black-and-white outfit that Kobayashi-san held out toward me didn’t seem like something distant—I had grown far too familiar with it.

“Alright. I’ll wear whatever, so let’s just get back to the store.”

And so, I ended up returning to the store clad in that two-toned outfit I swore I’d never wear again. While I was technically wearing a maid outfit, my face was unmistakably that of a guy. Both the other staff and the customers did a visible double-take when they saw me.

In the past, I probably would’ve been crushed in a situation like this, but I’d been through this kind of thing countless times at Cyberia. I was surprised at how unbothered I had become.

“Okay, let’s start cooking. It was crepes, right?”

“Y-yes! Please go ahead!”

I had washed my hands at the sink on the way back. Wiping them down with a disinfectant sheet, I stepped into the kitchen. Soon enough, Kobayashi-san and other Suzakura students gathered around me.

“I’ll teach you the steps, so just follow along. First, crack some eggs into a bowl and whisk them.”

“O-okay!”

One of the staff clumsily cracked an egg.

I could’ve done it faster myself, but that wouldn’t satisfy the customers. The people waiting in line weren’t here for crepes made by some weirdo in a maid outfit—they wanted cute high school girls to cook for them.

“After whisking, add some flour… Looks like this is cake flour. These will turn out crispy.”

“Eh? Won’t they be chewy instead?”

Kobayashi-san asked.

“If you want chewy crepes, you’d use bread flour instead. I think it’s because of the difference in protein content. Oh, and when adding cake flour, it’s better to sift it first.”

“Whoa, you’re really knowledgeable, Senpai.”

“I can manage in the kitchen, at least. I’ve made this before at Cyberia.”

Back then, the manager had me memorize how to cook everything on the Cyberia menu. I didn’t remember all of it anymore, but crepes were simple enough to stick in my mind.

“U-um, I think I’m done mixing now.”

“Alright. Next, add milk and salad oil, mix it up, and the batter’s done. The batter gets thicker if you chill it, but we don’t have time for that now. Let’s cook it as-is. Kobayashi-san, can you prep the frying pan?”

“Got it!”

Kobayashi-san skillfully set up the frying pan on the portable stove. Maybe it was thanks to her experience braving the chaos of Cyberia, but she moved far faster than the others.

“Don’t pour the oil in directly—dab it onto a paper towel first and spread it thinly across the pan.”

“Like this?”

Once Kobayashi-san oiled the pan, its surface glistened faintly.

“Yeah, that’s perfect. Now heat the pan over medium heat—just enough so it doesn’t get too hot—then pour in the batter.”

“Yukko, can I leave the batter to you?”

“O-okay. I’ll try my best…!”

The girl who had been mixing the batter nodded nervously. After stepping out of the kitchen, Kobayashi-san turned back toward me with a spin.

“Alright, Senpai, I’ll handle the drinks! I’ll check if any of the waiting customers are ordering takeout drinks and get those out first!”

“That sounds good. Go for it.”

“Okay!”

With that energetic reply, Kobayashi-san dashed down the hallway. As expected of someone with her name on the café—her quick thinking was impressive.

“Is anyone here for takeout orders? If you’re ordering drinks, I can get those out first!”

Her energetic voice echoed from the hallway. For a moment, I’d been worried about how things would turn out at “Kobayashi Café,” but now the atmosphere in the room felt like things were finally falling into place.

I placed a hand on my chest and let out a sigh of relief. The frilly ribbon swayed lightly against my hand, and I couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly.

Seriously, what kind of outfit was I even wearing right now?