Chapter Four: Situation Analysis

“Himeko! I mean, Lady Himeko!”

Recently, I’d realized that calling her “Himeko” without any title didn’t really fit with my position. We’d agreed that I’d still do that when we were alone in her dorm, but add “Lady” when out in public.

As if that matters right now!

“Oh, there you are, Misaki. She really kept you a while.”

After finally escaping and getting to the Sky Salon, I spotted Himeko and ran over to her as fast as my legs could carry me. She greeted me just as kindly and casually as always; moments like these made me thankful from the bottom of my heart that I was her Seraph and not someone else’s.

Panting, I replied, “It wasn’t... that bad... but it’s... kind of... complicated.”

I finally took a look around the salon and noticed that the only ones left were us, Lady Saeko, and Lady Saeko’s Seraph, Matsuri. Everyone else had left already, which made sense, since it had to be around six o’clock by now.

Matsuri came over and asked, “Would you like a cup of tea, Misaki?”

It was kind of her to offer even though I was a first year and should really have been the one serving her, but I had to politely decline. “You don’t need to worry about me. I just had some, actually.”

As I spoke, my ordeal from minutes earlier came rushing back to me. I began staring aimlessly into the distance.

Seeing that I was mentally checked out, Himeko put a hand on my shoulder and sat me down in a chair. “Erisu asked to talk to you, right? What did she want, I wonder?”

Matsuri nonchalantly placed tea and cookies on the table in front of me. The amount of cookies was smaller than usual, which left me impressed at her attention to detail. She really got everything right.

After I thanked Matsuri and had a sip of tea, I recounted my conversation with Lady Erisu. When I was finished, Himeko tilted her head. “So, she wants to know why I’m not going to Erisu’s École Kitchen as much as I used to? I hadn’t even noticed, but I suppose she’s right.”

Did this mean there wasn’t any actual reason—that it had just happened? To confirm, I pressed, “It’s not because there was a problem with the restaurant or anything?”

“I wouldn’t say so, no. I went there regularly for at least half a year. They’re actually one of my favorite places to eat.”

I patted my chest in relief. “Phew. Then I’ll tell her so.”

From behind me, Lady Saeko interjected, “Are you sure she’ll be satisfied with that? I suspect she’ll still insist on hearing a more concrete reason.”

Lady Saeko sat down at our table along with Matsuri and leaned on one elbow. The smile on her face was filled with implications.

“You think so?” I replied. “Won’t it be enough to just pass on what Lady Himeko said?”

“Maybe, maybe not. It’s not exactly normal to suddenly stop frequenting a place for no reason in particular. The real reason’s pretty easy to guess in this case, though.”

“Oh?” said Himeko, a puzzled look on her face.

“You stopped going there after Misaki became your Seraph, right?”

Hesitantly, she replied, “I suppose so, yes.”

“Once that happened, you stopped needing to go to Erisu’s restaurant.” She chuckled to herself with a self-satisfied smirk.

“What does that have to do with me?” I asked. “My presence shouldn’t affect whether or not Himeko needs to go there. I was thinking it might be because she’s trying to show me as many different places as possible, so for now she’s going there a little less.”

However, Lady Saeko shook her head. “I doubt it. As a first-year student, Himeko hated going out in public. Despised it. It meant she got too much attention. Not only was she a campus celebrity, but she didn’t have a Seraph. Going out meant being surrounded by whispers, plus Domestic Arts students looking at her and hoping, longing to be her Seraph.

“To avoid their gazes, she tried to be alone as much as possible. This meant a restaurant that was—to put it bluntly—incredibly unpopular was actually perfect. Now that she has a Seraph, though, she doesn’t need to worry so much about what other people are thinking, so she can be free to eat among the people again. She doesn’t need Erisu’s restaurant anymore.”

I reflexively shot up from my chair. “No!”

Himeko appeared to be deep in thought, but then she briefly murmured, “Hmm, I see,” all but confirming Lady Saeko’s suspicions.

When I heard that, I balked. I can’t tell Lady Erisu that! I can’t tell her that she only liked going there in the first place to avoid other people!

Turning to me with a grin that I was getting mighty sick of by now, Lady Saeko said, “Sounds like I was right. How wonderful! Now you can go to Erisu with your head held high and tell her the reason.”

“What?! No! I can’t!”

She really was merciless. All the comments about the S in Saeko standing for “sadist” had to be true. How else could she drink up my struggle with such glee?

“If I tell her exactly what you just said, there’s no telling how hard she’ll come down on me.”

“What’s the problem? I’m sure she’ll be happier hearing the cold, hard truth than a barrel of lies.”

“That’s easy for you to say!”

She’s not the one who has to do it. Even the thought of reporting this to Lady Erisu is making my stomach tie itself in knots. Ugh! She can’t just act like it’s nothing!

Then Matsuri suggested an excellent idea. “Come now, Misaki, it’s not like you have to tell her everything. Lady Himeko also said that she has no problem with the restaurant and that she still really likes it, so you could just tell her that. It wouldn’t be a lie; it would just be sharing information selectively.”

“Yeah, that could work. It would make my report much easier.”

However, Matsuri’s idea incurred her mistress’ wrath. “Matsuri, who said you were allowed to share your opinion? Especially when I’ve just uncovered the truth and your suggestion would mean throwing all my hard work in the toilet!”

“Eek! That wasn’t my intention, milady! Not in any way, shape, or form! You must believe me, I would never, ever, ever even think about doing that!”

After Matsuri’s valiant attempt at giving me a way out, it was already a closed topic. If I say anything to Lady Saeko now, I’ll be the next target of her rage!

With feverish haste, Matsuri bowed and apologized over and over like a dancing robot on the fritz. All I could do was offer her my own apologies in my heart.

Licking her lips, Lady Saeko coldly remarked, “I’m going to punish when I get you back to my room, Matsuri.”

Matsuri yelped, then collapsed into her chair, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

While Himeko glanced at Matsuri with pity, she offered me some advice of her own. “I trust you to decide the best way to approach this. You should determine what kind of report Erisu would prefer and then deliver it to her.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Don’t worry. If Erisu does anything to upset you, I’ll deal with her. This is about my behavior, after all. I won’t leave you in the lurch.”

I sighed.

Himeko turned to Lady Saeko with a slightly bemused look. “I’m surprised you managed to pin down the exact reason I stopped going there, though. Especially when I didn’t even know myself!”

“I’ve been paying attention to how you act. That made it a piece of cake.” Leaning way back in her chair with an air of nonchalance, Lady Saeko began to further analyze Himeko and her habits.

“You’ve changed a lot since Misaki became your Seraph. When you were a first year, spending a lot of time on your own, you often had a somber expression, but now you’re much more outgoing and chatty. Admittedly, it’s usually Misaki you’re talking about. You tell everyone about how much Misaki loves donuts, how ticklish she is on one side, how there are two small moles on her bottom, and so on and so forth. It gets old, Himeko! I’m glad you’re getting along so well, but I wish you’d be a bit more considerate of the people who have to listen to it. It’s like you’re speaking fondly of a lover.”

The gaze Lady Saeko turned on Himeko had a mocking air about it.

I protested, “Lady Himeko, it’s one thing to talk about my likes and dislikes, but do you have to talk about my body?!”

“But it’s so entertaining!” said Himeko, sticking her tongue out. Her tone did have a hint of an apology.

I had no idea she’d told people about that kind of thing. Wondering what other personal details she might have shared, my face turned bright red.

“I know I seem like an open book, but there are some things I’d rather keep private! Can you please keep the embarrassing parts to yourself, Lady Himeko?”

“I just want everyone to get to know you better, that’s all.”

Continuing, Lady Saeko said, “The point is, Himeko is obsessed with flaunting you. Honestly, since meeting you, it’s like she’s a different person entirely. That’s why I wasn’t all that surprised when she stopped going to Erisu’s restaurant. I was like, well, yeah, of course. She’s lost her reason for going there.”

I couldn’t help being a little impressed at her deduction skills. However, another question occurred to me. “Have you ever been there, Lady Saeko?”

“Two or three times.”

“That’s all?”

“It didn’t exactly suit my palate. The food’s made by amateurs, after all.”

Not only cruel to those she was close to, but to others as well: that was the nature of Saeko Houjou.

✤

The next day, Lady Erisu flagged me down once again in the exact same place.

“Oh, Misaki! Is that you?”

I’d been expecting this, but I jumped out of my skin regardless.

“Good day, Lady Erisu.”

“Indeed! Good day.”

She beckoned me over to sit down at the same table as her. This time she had a cup of tea in front of her, so she presumably intended to continue the conversation here on the terrace.

“Why don’t you order something, too?”

“No, thank you. Today I’m just here to report my findings.”

My fear was that if I ordered a drink, I’d be stuck there until I finished it. Getting my task out of the way and then making my escape felt like a much better option.

“Really? All right.” She put her cup down and stared into my eyes. “Very well, then. Tell me the reason why Himeko stopped coming to my restaurant.”

“Right. Yes.” Before saying anything else, I went over the explanation I’d devised after giving it far too much thought. “The truth is, Lady Himeko herself doesn’t really know the reason why she stopped. She said there’s no particular problem with the restaurant. Like I said yesterday, I think she’s just naturally gravitated away from it because she wants to take me to as many places as she can. She even told me specifically that Erisu’s is one of her favorite places.”

In the end, I’d decided not to talk about Lady Saeko’s deduction. It just didn’t seem like something I could tell her.

“Oh, I see.”

Does that mean she’s accepted my explanation? With any luck, this ordeal is finally over.

She continued, “In that case, I assume she’ll be coming back again more regularly before too long.”

A shiver ran down my spine. I don’t like where this is going.

“Don’t you think it’s about time? It’s been about a month since she made you her Seraph. She must have shown you all the restaurants on campus by now.”

Nervously, I replied, “Really? I wouldn’t know. I’m just being brought along for the ride, so there could be more.”

“Are you hiding something, Misaki?”

“What? No! Of course not!” My heart began to pound a mile a minute.

“Hmm.” Lady Erisu looked at me with great suspicion. “If I take what you’ve just told me at face value, then Himeko will soon have to start coming there just as often as she used to. If she doesn’t do that, I’ll know you were lying to me. Are you willing to accept the consequences of that?”

I swallowed hard. “What consequences?”

“Oh, you know. I’ve put a lot of faith in my Exousias, but if things don’t pick up, I’ll know there’s no hope for the restaurant’s future—or theirs.”

“Meaning what, exactly?”

“I suppose you wouldn’t know. When I opened the restaurant, I made a promise to the three of them. I said they should run it entirely on their own, and if they reached a certain level of turnover, I’d make them into Seraphs. They’re hoping to work with me at other restaurants in the future—out there in the wider world, I mean. If they can’t hold up their end of the bargain, then naturally I’ll dissolve their contracts. Of course, if they lose their contracts at this stage, it’s very unlikely that anyone else is going to accept them as Seraphs.”

“Oh no,” I said in a strained voice.

Her expression quickly changed to a broad smile. “Based on how agitated you are, you’re definitely hiding something. Go on, tell me everything. Now’s the time to do it. I promise I won’t be angry about whatever you say, but I will be if I hear about it further down the line. Not to mention that Himeko will lose face as well. She’ll be known as the mistress who made her Seraph tell lies.”

That was the finishing blow. “You’re playing dirty.”

“I don’t mind playing dirty if it gets results. I don’t have a lot of time left, you know. Yukina’s in her third year already. If I can’t get them there soon, it’ll all be over.”

“You’re really worried about them, aren’t you?”

“I can’t help it. They’re mine, you know? I want the best for them no matter how much of a mess they make. Now, tell me the truth.”

“All right. Just don’t be upset, okay?”

Things had reached a point where I really had no other choice. With great trepidation, I recounted what Lady Saeko had correctly guessed.

Afterward, I said, “Do you see now? That was why she took a liking to it in the first place.”

With it all out in the open, Lady Erisu didn’t grow angry. Instead, she looked deflated.

“Just so you know, that was only Lady Saeko’s conclusion. It’s still true that Lady Himeko said it was one of her favorite restaurants.”

“It’s all right, you don’t have to justify it.” She sighed and murmured, “Now what?” Then, she looked up at me again. “I almost wish there had been some problem that made her stop coming. That would have been much easier to fix. Say, Misaki...”

“Uhm, what is it?”

“Can you think of a reason why I don’t have any customers?”

I thought for a moment, but nothing sprang to mind. “Not really, I’m afraid.”

“I’ll admit that those three aren’t professional chefs, so the food is all prepared by amateurs, but I’m ordering ingredients that are just as high quality as the ones the other restaurants are using. The location isn’t ideal, but I don’t think it’s enough for business to be this bad.”

Looking at Lady Erisu’s sad, downcast expression, I wished there was something I could do to help her.

Then a thought flashed through my mind. “Actually...”

“Yes?”

She’s not going to like this. “Please just promise you won’t be angry.”

“We’re past that point, aren’t we? You can tell me anything and I won’t mind.”

Even after hearing that, it took a lot of courage to keep going. “Well, I asked Lady Saeko if she’d ever gone to your restaurant, and she said she’d only been two or three times. And then...”

“And then?”

“She said it doesn’t suit her palate.”

“Hmm, yes, that makes sense. The food definitely isn’t up to the standard of someone like Saeko.”

Lady Erisu didn’t get annoyed, but she did look even more downtrodden than before. Maybe I shouldn’t have told her that after all.

“Misaki, I’d like to swallow my pride and ask you a favor.”

“Oh. What is it?”

I felt an encroaching dread, but I had no choice but to politely let her continue. That was the tragic fate of a Domestic Arts student.

“Can you help me get my restaurant back on its feet?”

“Me? Why?”

“I don’t want word to spread about how bad the situation has gotten, so who better than someone who already knows all about it? To be honest, we’re at an impasse right now. We can’t change the location, nor can we drastically increase the capabilities of the chefs. Unless there’s some groundbreaking idea we haven’t thought of, I don’t think there’s any way out of this. It would be best if my Exousias could figure it out on their own, but since they can’t, I don’t mind enlisting outside help.”

“Saying that is one thing, but I don’t know the first thing about restaurants. If you put this on me, it’s not going to end well.”

“Don’t worry. It’s already not going to end well. Nothing I can think of is going to fix this, and the three of them aren’t going to manage it either. I honestly don’t know why we’re getting so little business. Is the quality of the food really low enough that no one would go there at all? That can’t be it. There must be some other reason. That’s why I need input from someone like you who might have a fresh perspective. If you manage it, I’ll be really grateful.”

As she spoke, she grasped my hands and looked at me entreatingly. The situation was getting serious. Tears were gradually beginning to pool in her lovely eyes.

“Please! Help me!”

How am I supposed to say no when the eyes of an adorable kitten are right there, pleading with me?

“Okay.” It was all I could say.

“Thank goodness.” With a great look of relief, she wiped away her tears. It didn’t seem like this was an act; she really did care that much.

“Do you mind if I ask Lady Himeko first, though?”

I didn’t know how long this would take, so if Himeko didn’t give permission, that would put a stop to any efforts on my part.

“Certainly. That’s only natural. I’ll talk to her as well. It’s fine to discuss it all with the other Sky Salon members as well. I want to avoid it becoming too much of a talking point on campus, but I trust them to know they shouldn’t start spreading gossip. At this point, what I really want is for you to get some honest opinions that will serve as a reference.”

“Got it. I still don’t know how much help I’ll really be, but I’ll do whatever I can.”

“Thank you. Now, we’d better give you a proper introduction to the staff!”

✤

Her eyes sparkling, Yukina’s gaze stabbed me like a knife. “You’re going to help us revamp the restaurant, Misaki? That’s amazing!”

“No, you’re making it sound like more than it is.”

“With you on our side, the amazing wunderkind first year who became a Seraph on her very first day, victory is guaranteed!” Mizuki cheered, striking a victory pose to match.

“Who are we fighting?” I quipped.

Hanaka’s mood reminded me of a field of flowers in bloom. “Now even I’ll be able to become a real Seraph! Hooray!”

“We’re only just getting started. I don’t know what’ll happen!” But she didn’t listen to a word I said.

Back in Erisu’s École Kitchen, Yukina, Mizuki, and Hanaka had been told what was happening. All three of them welcomed me with far too much eagerness.

I was glad they were excited, but I didn’t share their optimism. The place was empty today as usual. The fact that they could stand around talking to me was actually a little sad. Shouldn’t they be getting things ready for the dinner rush? Even if calling it a “rush” is a little generous.

“Now,” said their mistress, “since Misaki will be helping out, I want you to think of her as my representative and do whatever she asks you.”

“Yes, milady!” replied the three of them, their voices in perfect alignment. They bowed deeply toward me. “We’ll do whatever you say, Lady Misaki.”

I recoiled. “You really, truly don’t have to call me that.”

Since becoming Himeko’s Seraph, I had been constantly thrust into the spotlight, so by now I was kind of used to being the center of attention. Still, it was going too far to be called “Lady” Misaki by fellow Domestic Arts students, especially ones who were older than me. I didn’t want to think about what kind of rumors would start flying around if anyone heard them.

Lady Erisu put a hand up to her mouth and chirped with laughter. “I think it’s perfect.”

“This is no laughing matter! They have to keep their expectations in check. I’m not a miracle worker; I’m just in a supporting role.”

“Oh, fine. Listen, girls, treat her like a younger student, same as you have been so far. Just don’t forget to show her the utmost respect.”

“Understood!” they all chirped.

Relief washed over me.

“Thanks again, Misaki. I’m glad you agreed to help.”

“Yeah.”

Being reminded of this again by Lady Erisu made me feel really dubious as to whether I was the right person for the job.

“And don’t forget, you three: if you still don’t get any results, you’d better be prepared for the inevitable.”

With a finger, she drew a line straight across her neck. She was making it clear, as literally as possible, that their positions would be terminated.

They broke out into a flurry of panic so intense that it looked like they might pass out.

“Eek!”

“Please, show mercy!”

“No, no, no!”

She really shouldn’t be putting an important decision like this on my shoulders! This is making me very, very uncomfortable.

It was too late to back out now, though.

“For now,” I told them, “I’m going to inform Lady Himeko about this and get some opinions from the other members of the Sky Salon.”

“Very well,” said Lady Erisu.

One way or another, I had to get started or this was never going to be over. With a quick goodbye, I left the restaurant and headed back to Himeko.

✤

Himeko didn’t raise any particular objections when I explained it all in the Sky Salon. In fact, it seemed like she had a few ideas of her own.

“Anyway, now I’m supposed to help out Lady Erisu.”

“I see. I feel in some way responsible for this as well, so I’ll help you as much as I can.”

“I just don’t see what I can really do. What could I ever say that would make a difference?”

“It all depends on what the ultimate goal is here. If we’re trying to make it into a first-rate restaurant beyond compare, that’s an impossible task for you or any other student. On the other hand, if it’s just about increasing their turnover to a certain degree, that must be possible, right?”

“Maybe. From what Lady Erisu said, rather than focusing on turnover, it sounds like it would be enough to just get ten tables each day, or maybe around fifteen people in total. That would count as a success.”

“There must be a way to do that.”

“Do you think so?”

As of now, the number of customers per day was apparently around five, so this would mean tripling that. Fifteen sounded like a small number, but we were limited to the students on campus, and they had lots of other options competing for their patronage that offered professional quality cooking. Peeling ten students away from those every day felt like a Herculean task.

“I’m sure if we think about it, we’ll come up with a few ideas.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“Have you thought of anything so far?”

“I was going to try doing a little research first. Gather some opinions. Lady Saeko already gave an insight into why she doesn’t go there, so I was thinking we could get more opinions like that and see if there are any negative points to improve on.”

“That sounds like a good starting point.”

I set about doing just that. First I went to the head of the salon, Lady Kagura. I’d never seen her at Erisu’s École Kitchen even once, so I wondered what the reason for that might be. Maybe if she started going there, others would follow, just like they had when Himeko was a regular.

“You want to know why I don’t go there?” Lady Kagura asked. “Well, Erisu originally told me I didn’t need to. She said that if I went there purely as a favor, it wouldn’t really help Yukina and the others. They needed to be able to stand on their own two feet and prove their worth that way, apparently. I might still have gone there if the food had been particularly good, but...”

“But it wasn’t?”

“I wouldn’t say it was terrible or anything. It just wasn’t to my taste. I think they’re reasonably skilled at cooking, so it really came down to whether it matched my own preferences or not.”

After she finished, the Kokonoe sisters cut into the conversation.

“Yeah, they just haven’t quite gotten there.”

“They might be trying to set themselves apart from other restaurants by going for different flavors, but it’s had the opposite effect.”

Although they were Domestic Arts students just like me, their attitude was closer to that of the Societal Arts crowd. Apparently their background actually would have made them suitable for that program, but some special circumstances had led to them serving Lady Kagura instead. Now that Kirara was working for her as well, they could often be seen enjoying a life of leisure.

“Fair enough. Thank you very much.”

Next I moved on to Lady Sumire and her Seraph, Mihaya, to find out what they had to say.

“I have nothing against that restaurant,” Lady Sumire said. “I go every once in a while.”

“Oh, really?”

“Only about two or three times a month, though.” She added a casual wink.

I had no idea that she was a regular, but then it had only been a month or so since I joined the school, and Himeko had been taking me there a lot less often lately. It wasn’t like there had been tons of chances for us to meet.

“Why do you go there?”

Phrasing it like that felt a little rude toward Lady Erisu, like I was assuming she shouldn’t be going there, but there wasn’t really another way to ask.

“Good question.” She looked at Mihaya for a moment, then at Himeko. “I think my reason’s a lot like Himeko’s, to be honest.”

“You like that it’s empty?”

“Yes,” she said with a nod. She took Mihaya’s hand. “I don’t mean to disparage the place, but it’s nice that there are so few customers. It’s quiet there.”

“So you go because it’s quiet, is that it?”

She embraced Mihaya and drew her into her chest, smiling broadly. “It’s perfect for when I want to eat alone with Mihaya, just the two of us.”

Mihaya’s face flushed, and she started trembling all over. “Sumire!”

It was the first time I’d seen Mihaya, who was usually such a reliable role model, go to pieces like this. I’d known this already, but these two got along really well. Their level of intimacy actually made me a little jealous. I wonder if I’ll ever have that kind of relationship with Himeko.

“Hehehe, that’s why, with apologies to Lady Erisu, I hope it doesn’t get too successful. Losing that quiet atmosphere would be a shame for me.”

“To turn that around, are you saying that even if it did get successful, you’d be fine with that as long as you still got to eat in that quiet atmosphere?”

“I suppose so.”

“So if they had private rooms to eat in, other people like you might find it the perfect place for them. People who want to eat alone with their Seraph, or with a friend maybe, without having to worry about the outside world.”

“Yes, I think that’s a real possibility. All the dorm restaurants have an open-concept feel to them, so private rooms would give them a unique selling point.”

“Right, that’s what I thought.” This was starting to feel like a great idea.

“There’s just one thing.”

“There is?”

Lady Sumire’s face clouded over. “I’d like it if the food was a little tastier.”

“I see.”

So even if there were private rooms, it wouldn’t help unless people were drawn there by the food already. It would be an extra feature to add appeal on top of the basic quality level of the restaurant—or something like that.

“Fair enough. I’ll pass that on to Yukina and the others. You helped me come up with what could be a key idea. Thank you so much.”

“Don’t mention it. It would be nice if Erisu could have a little more success with that place.”

I felt like I could see the light at the end of the tunnel now. After saying goodbye to Lady Sumire, Lady Inaho was next on the list.

“You were also told not to go there by Lady Erisu, right?” I asked her. I was pretty sure she’d told me that before.

“Yup, that’s right.”

It sounded like I wasn’t going to get much out of her, but then another question occurred to me. “Does your family supply ingredients to Erisu’s restaurant?”

“We do indeed. Rice, meat, vegetables, and tea.”

Her family ran a large-scale farming operation that provided the whole school with a lot of produce and other food.

“Aren’t you curious about what kind of food they make with it all?”

“That’s Errie’s business, really. I hope whatever they’re making is delicious—that would make me happy—but Yukiyuki, Mizzie, and Hana are still in training, so it’s only natural if it doesn’t turn out perfectly. If Errie wants me to sample their cooking, I’m happy to do so anytime. She only has to ask.”

“Got it. So in the end, you wouldn’t really know if there are any problems with the restaurant.”

“Nope, I wouldn’t. Haruka might, though. Any ideas?” She turned and spoke to Haruka, who was sitting beside her.

Haruka, Lady Inaho’s Seraph, was an excellent maid. If I had to judge who was the best maid out of all the Domestic Arts students who served in the Sky Salon, it would be a tight contest between Mihaya or Haruka. Matsuri was highly skilled as well, but the impression she gave of being bullied into submission by Lady Saeko made it hard to see her as the winner.

Haruka replied, “I haven’t been there myself, but I have heard a few thoughts from my classmates.”

“What did they say?” I asked.

“They held off on saying anything about the quality of the food since they didn’t feel it was their place, but they said that Mizuki and Hanaka, who handled all of the customer service, moved about with so little regard for safety that they almost had a heart attack.”

All that came out of me in response was an awkward laugh.

“They’re probably working so hard that they don’t realize they need to hold back sometimes.”

It’s true. They’re clearly giving it their all, but I definitely saw them almost drop things. It doesn’t necessarily impact on the customers directly, but improving their level of customer service is still really important.

“Anything else?” I asked.

“Ooh! Me! Me!” said Lady Inaho, excitedly raising her hand like an elementary school student.

“Yes, Lady Inaho?” I felt like I was calling on her like a teacher.

“The customer numbers at Erisu’s École Kitchen are a lot like...”

“Yes?”

“My height!”

It sounded like this was the start of another one of her jokes. In the end, I hadn’t been a teacher, but an emcee telling her to come on stage. Either way, I probably had no choice but to play along.

“Uhm, how so?”

“Neither of them will ever grow any bigger!”

“What? No! The customer numbers have to go up!”

“Exactly,” said Haruka, whacking her over the head with her paper fan, which she’d quickly pulled out of who knows where. “It’s just you that won’t grow any bigger.”

“Hehe. Great comedic timing, Haruka!” She gave a thumbs-up. “But what do you think, Misakins? Do you agree that I’ll stay this short forever?”

“Huh? No, I didn’t say that.”

“It’s all right, I see how it is! I’ve gotta go—I just forgot I have some important crying in the bathroom to do!”

After blurting that out, Lady Inaho sped out of the Sky Salon.

“Lady Inaho!” I called after her. Apparently, she was really sensitive about her height. I didn’t know what the consequences might be for making a Societal Arts student cry, so I thought I’d better go after her and apologize right away.

However, Haruka looked perfectly calm. She stood from her seat and blocked my passage. “It’s quite all right; that was just a bit. You can carry on with your work, so don’t worry about a thing. I’ll wait for a suitable moment, then go and retrieve her.”

“Are you sure?”

I suddenly felt a surge of exhaustion. It was tough to know which parts of this to take seriously. I hope I can get used to these two soon. Honestly, I still think she really is sensitive about her height.

Groaning, I said, “Okay then, I’ll leave Lady Inaho in your capable hands.”

Trusting that she knew what she was doing, I went back to Himeko.

“Did you get anything useful out of the others?”

“Yes, I learned about quite a few problems and some potential solutions.”

The biggest problem is definitely the food itself, but Lady Erisu was already thinking about that. There’s no way to improve the Exousias’ skills overnight, but we might have to raise the standard so it’s not too much worse than the competition. If they can at least manage that, then we should be able to do a few other things to drum up the numbers, like introducing private rooms and making the servers carry out their work with a little more care.

When I explained all my thoughts to Himeko, she frowned slightly. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with their cooking skills.”

“You don’t?”

“Fried or stewed, I think their meat and vegetables always turn out exquisitely. The taste is incomparable. For the desserts, they really take appearances into consideration. I’m always impressed with how well made they are.”

Confusion came over me. After all the criticism I’d heard about the food, now Himeko was being this positive about it.

“I like the quiet atmosphere there, too. I’d really like that to stay the same.”

“I see.”

I scratched my head for a moment and looked down at the notes I’d taken covering all the information I’d received. It seemed like Himeko was in agreement with the idea of having private rooms, but when it came to the cooking, opinions were sharply divided between her and everyone else. Whose opinion was I supposed to follow? The majority that included Lady Kagura and the other Societal Arts students, or Himeko, who was a regular customer?

“Anyway, it looks like you’ve gathered up plenty of thoughts you can share with them, so maybe it would be best to do that. It’s almost the end of the school day, so why don’t we hurry back to my room, then go for dinner at Erisu’s and give a report at the same time?”

“Oh, uhm, sure. Sounds like a plan.”

✤

It was business as usual for Erisu’s École Kitchen, which is to say it was empty. Knowing the fate that might be in store for Yukina, Mizuki, and Hanaka, my stomach was tying itself in knots even though I wasn’t the one who’d be facing the consequences.

When Lady Erisu saw that we’d arrived, she came over to the entrance. “If it isn’t Himeko and Misaki! I’m so glad to see you here.”

Normally she left all the running of the restaurant to the three Exousias, not really showing herself much in the dining area, but these circumstances seemingly demanded a bit more active involvement. Now that she had recruited me to help, it was time to get started on revamping the restaurant.

“Good day, Erisu,” Himeko said.

“Good day. I’m grateful that you’ve decided to visit this evening.”

Watching them exchange pleasant greetings in such a ladylike fashion, I had an image in my mind of large roses blooming all around them. It was as if I’d been instantaneously transported to a ball at the Palace of Versailles. I was getting used to this, but the Societal Arts students really did have a totally different worldview than I did. To me, they all looked like royal princesses.

The weirdest part was that I was hanging out in this world full of princesses.

Lady Erisu’s next words dragged me back to reality. “You didn’t come here just to eat dinner, correct?”

Himeko replied, “No, we’ve also come to report on Misaki’s findings. She’s been busy as a bee.”

“Wonderful! You can tell me all about it while you’re waiting for your meals. Please feel free to order whatever you’d like.”

“All right. Then I’ll tell you all the feedback I gathered from the Sky Salon members.”

Reading from my notes, I went through each and every detail I’d gleaned, softening the blow a little for the less positive points. Lady Erisu listened with her eyes closed and an expression that said absolutely nothing. It was impossible to imagine what was going on inside her mind as she heard all this.

When I was finally done with the whole report, she opened her eyes and grimaced. “I thought so. The biggest problem is the food itself.”

I guess that can’t be reassuring to hear when your whole business is serving food.

She continued, “I said this before, but I really wonder if the quality is such a major issue.”

“Compared to the competition at least, I think it might be.”

However, my clumsy reply only made her expression darken. “Well, on that front, I can ask the three of them to go the extra mile. The idea of private rooms is a good one as well. We’ll give that a try straight away. We can probably divide up the entire first floor and about half the second floor.”

Himeko smiled. “Yes, I think it’s a lovely idea. It would be so nice to be able to come here and eat alone with Misaki.”

Then, as if that statement had reminded her of something, Lady Erisu turned to Himeko with an impish smile. “Oh, about that! I heard the reason why you stopped coming here so often, but it seemed weird to me that there’d be such a big turnaround when you didn’t have any issue with the restaurant itself, so I did a little research of my own.”

“You did?” Himeko replied, as if this was genuinely news to her.

“I know that since Misaki became your Seraph, you’ve been going out an awful lot, and when you go to other restaurants, you’ve been choosing seats that really put you in the public eye.”

“Oh, really?”

“From what eyewitnesses have told me, this has become the norm. It’s clear that you’re trying to flaunt Misaki—to show her off as much as possible.”

“I am?”

“You hold hands with her when you don’t need to, give her unnecessary orders just so people see her serving you, and make sure everyone knows how well you’re getting along. Apparently, that’s all you spend your time doing.”

Himeko fell silent and looked down. I leaned down to get a glance at her expression, and it was clear at first glance that her face had gone bright red.

“Lady Himeko?”

“I thought to myself, no wonder you stopped coming to my restaurant! If you’re trying to make everyone see you and Misaki together, you obviously can’t do that here. I can’t exactly blame you. You finally have a Seraph, and such an adorable one at that!”

A frail voice escaped from Himeko’s lips, the likes of which I’d never heard before. “That’s not... I didn’t...” The way she pressed both hands to her flushed cheeks was too cute for words.

Lady Erisu continued, “An empty restaurant is no place to flaunt your lovely little Seraph, is it?”

“That’s not it,” Himeko insisted weakly. “It’s not...”

Suddenly a thought hit me. I see what’s going on. She’s giving Himeko a tiny bit of payback for not coming to her restaurant anymore.

“Hehe. Well, I guess I’ll stop being mean now.”

Wiping off the sweat on her forehead with a handkerchief, Himeko finally looked up again. “I didn’t know you had such a cruel side to you, Erisu.”

“Come on, you can take it. It was a major shock to me when you stopped coming here, so I’ve got to get my own back.”

“I suppose so. Admittedly, there was an element of wanting to take Misaki everywhere and debut her in front of everyone. I’ll come here more regularly again from now on, so please forgive me.”

“That is a relief to hear. Now, starting tomorrow, let’s put every effort we can into getting this place back on its feet.”

After that, the mood was harmonious all the way through our meal, as we discussed what kinds of changes could be made to the food and the layout.

✤

“Goodness gracious, that was so embarrassing!”

This was now the third or fourth time I’d heard this line since getting back to Himeko’s room. She was blushing deeply and agonizing over the memory of what Lady Erisu had said to her.

We were in the bath now, and she had wrapped her arms around me, hugging me from behind—or more accurately, clutching onto me so tightly that I couldn’t move.

“So that’s how everyone’s been looking at me, is it?”

Himeko buried her face in the back of my neck and shook her head violently from side to side, sending hot bathwater splashing everywhere. The softness of her touch against my skin was in stark contrast with her mood, and it made me turn red.

“It’s fine, isn’t it? Why worry about it this much?”

She then rested her head on my shoulder and spoke right into my ear in a sulky tone. “I can’t help it. Thinking back on it all, how can I not feel like this? I wasn’t doing it on purpose, but taking you out and showing everyone was really good fun. Now that I have a Seraph, I wanted everyone to see the new me—and you, too, of course. It’s just like Erisu said. I wanted to flaunt you.”

“I really don’t think I’m worthy of being ‘flaunted.’”

“You’re wrong there. You’re adorable, you work hard, and you’re the best possible maid for me. Of course I want everyone to see what an amazing Seraph I have!”

Himeko’s words warmed my heart. It made me happy to hear such nice things said about me.

“I still have so much to learn, though! Sara even pointed out the ways I’m nowhere near good enough. But, um, if that’s how you feel, then I’ll do my best to become the kind of maid who really does deserve to be flaunted.”

“Just don’t try so hard that you burn yourself out. That would be a pain for me, so pace yourself, all right? Remember that I already like you just the way you are.”

She finally eased off on how tightly she was holding me, then nuzzled her cheek against mine. Hearing Himeko say that so directly made me feel kind of embarrassed, but it was wonderfully pleasant. I once again felt very glad that I’d become Himeko’s Seraph—a feeling I’d never have expected to have a month earlier.

✤

The next time Lady Erisu called us to her restaurant was two days later. Himeko and I went there in the evening and saw that the individual private rooms we’d discussed had already been built.

“It’s finished already?”

“Yes, although we couldn’t do any large-scale construction work. Instead, we’ve just partitioned the space with dividers to create the effect.”

The dividers matched the restaurant in terms of style and were placed in ways that zigzagged around the tables so that no one could see in and know who was sitting there. They were also tall enough to prevent peeking over the top. All in all, they’d convincingly created the illusion of individual rooms.

Himeko seemed to like it. “Very well done. It looks like we’ll be able to eat here without a care in the world.”

“This alone won’t be enough to drum up more business, so we’ll have to do something about the food as well.”

Lady Erisu snapped her fingers, a signal that looked like it should summon her Exousias to appear in a silent, ninja-like fashion. However, the results were much more haphazard; the three of them stumbled cheerfully into the front of the restaurant.

“What are you doing?!” Lady Erisu said, flicking each of them in the forehead one by one and sighing with exasperation. “Anyway, listen to me. Me, Himeko, and Misaki are here for one purpose, and that’s to give you one last chance. We’re going to close the restaurant for the weekend so that you can do some special culinary training. Then, at the start of next week, we’ll have the grand reopening. I’m going to advertise it far and wide, so you need to give me results. If not, I’m afraid I’ll have to cut you all loose. Your Exousia contracts will be void.”

Her words were spoken so strictly that even I began to feel nervous.

Yukina threw herself down at her mistress’ feet. “Lady Erisu, no! Working for you is our dream!”

Mizuki trembled violently, her face grim. “Exactly. If you abandon us, we’ll be adrift! Lost at sea!”

Meanwhile, Hanaka was practically babbling. “No, no, no, no, no! Lady Erisu’s stick is coming for us, and we don’t know where the carrot is!”

“Stop talking nonsense and pull yourselves together. I want you to work for me—that’s why I made you my Exousias in the first place. Please, show me that you can succeed if you put your minds to it.”

Lady Erisu was at the end of her tether. Underneath it all, it was clear that she cared about them.

She stood on tiptoes and rubbed their heads. “I’ll be there to sample everything, okay? So let’s get started with the special training.”

This was enough to make them snap out of it at last.

“Understood, milady. We’ll give it absolutely everything we’ve got.”

“We’ll make dishes that will blow you away!”

“Yes, you won’t be disappointed! We promise!”

They put their arms around her with tears in their eyes. They’re all on the same wavelength, with enthusiasm to spare. I just hope that’s reflected in their cooking!

Lady Erisu turned back to us. “If you don’t mind, I’d like you two to help with sampling the food as well.”

“I’d love to,” said Himeko immediately.

I was a little more hesitant, but after coming this far, I couldn’t exactly drop out now. “Sure, if you think I can help.”

And so, the three Exousias’ boot camp began.