Early the next morning, Liuli was woken up by Serveyia, followed by a long session of grooming and dressing.
Although Liuli herself wasn’t fully awake yet and was still dozing in her chair, Serveyia continued to comb her hair step by step.
While it was decided that the Maid Uniform would only be put on after arriving at the café due to Liuli’s strong protests, the rest of her look was basically prepared.
“Is it necessary to be this early?”
Liuli glanced at the time.
There were clearly still two hours before the Academy Festival began.
Even if she really spent all that time on her grooming, it wouldn’t take this long, would it?
“Little Fox, you’re the one opening the shop, so naturally you have to go a bit earlier. Don’t tell me you plan to head to the shop along with the customers, Little Fox?”
“That’s not it…”
Dammit, if she had known sooner, she wouldn’t have tried to show off by opening a Maid Café just to satisfy her own little hobby.
Now, things had turned out like this; before she could even appreciate any cute maids, she had to become a maid herself.
“At least I think I have a bit of professional ethics…”
“Heh, then you’d better do a good job with the business and satisfy the guests, Little Fox~”
***
When she and Serveyia arrived at the café, they found that Sofia had already arrived.
She was even dressed in her Maid Uniform, directing several workers to arrange and move the tables and chairs.
“Sofia, what time did you get here?”
“Me? I just got here not long ago, meow!”
Although that was what Sofia said, looking at the expression on Sofia’s face—which mixed excitement with a hint of exhaustion—Liuli knew she probably wasn’t telling the truth.
“Sofia, there’s no need to push yourself in front of me. This is just a café for the Academy Festival, is it really necessary to be this invested?”
Liuli didn’t know if saying this would hurt Sofia’s feelings.
After all, by any measure, she seemed more invested than Liuli herself, the supposed initiator.
Sofia had even brought several specialized chefs for her café.
“It’s different, Princess, meow! This is my first time investing on my own, meow! I can’t let it all go to waste so easily!”
Fine then.
It seemed their Catfolk Merchant still had a certain level of ambition.
However, Liuli held a skeptical attitude toward just how high the probability was for that ambition to come true.
After all, as the initiator and the nominal owner of the café, she hadn’t even thought about expanding the business.
She could only offer Sofia her blessings.
“Sofia, are you really that confident you can break even?”
Although Liuli didn’t know exactly how much Sofia had invested in this event, just looking at the skillful movements of those chefs told her it certainly wasn’t cheap.
“I don’t know if I can break even, meow. But if I hesitate because I’m worried about whether I’ll make a profit, then I’ll never truly earn money in my life. Princess, this is a quality that one must possess as a Merchant, meow.”
Is that so?
Liuli suddenly felt that after taking on so much of Sofia’s expectations, shouldn’t she also work a corresponding amount harder?
“Sofia, are the preparations for opening all ready?”
Serveyia wasn’t quite as polite and asked directly.
However, Sofia didn’t seem to care about such things.
Without much thought, she replied immediately, “Basically everything is ready, meow! We’re just waiting to change clothes and open the doors for the guests, meow!”
“Thanks for your hard work, Sofia.”
As it turned out, opening a café wasn’t easy.
This wasn’t something that could be solved with a simple whim.
Thinking about it this way, it seemed the only thing she had actually done was gather a group of people and then, like a hands-off boss, lay back casually while waiting for her good partners to handle everything for her.
Whether it was the promotion, the café’s layout, or even the chef’s menu—on closer inspection, it seemed she hadn’t done a single thing.
Could it be that she really was just a mascot?
And the kind of mascot who was so self-aware that she subconsciously placed herself in that exact position?
“It’s no problem, meow. After all, in a sense, this is also my project, meow. Isn’t it normal to care about your own project, meow?”
“That’s why I said thanks for the hard work. Even though you’re the one putting in the effort, Sofia, people won’t notice. I feel like it’s a bit unfair…”
“It’s not unfair, meow. After all, I’m not working for nothing; there’s money to be made, meow~ As for the reputation, anyway, the Princess is the one earning it, so I’m not losing out, meow!”
Sofia’s confession moved Liuli a little.
Who said all Merchants were only interested in money?
Merchants with noble sentiments like Sofia existed too~
“Alright, Little Fox, don’t be so quick to get caught up in your own emotions. After we change, we have to get ready to open for business.”
Because Liuli was exceptionally shy, she insisted on waiting until she arrived at the café to change her clothes, even though this only delayed the appearance of her Maid Uniform by a short while.
“Little Fox, although you’re acting as a maid, strictly speaking, the role you’re Role-Playing is a server. So, if any Students really make you uncomfortable, just say so directly. After all, protecting yourself is the top priority.”
“Yes, I understand…”
Liuli had heard these words many times during her Maid Training over the past few days.
Lien had specifically instructed her, Fina had mentioned it to her, and now Serveyia was telling her the same thing.
It seemed she really was very important in their eyes.
The closer it got to opening time, the more nervous she became.
Especially after she saw the long line already forming outside the shop, this feeling of tension grew even thicker.
Although she had expected it to be popular, Liuli hadn’t imagined it would be this popular.
Was this a joke?
With so many people lining up here, how many waves of guests would they have to serve before finishing?
“Serveyia, Sofia’s promotion was a bit too effective…”
“She’s a Merchant; this project is directly related to her profits, so naturally she would care more. Although I think even without promotion, a lot of people would come just based on your status as the Little Fox Princess.”
“Serveyia, with so many people, can we really handle the rush today?”
While the storefront wasn’t small, considering the decoration style and dining comfort, there weren’t actually many seats.
Based on the number of customers waiting outside, she was afraid they wouldn’t be able to finish even after two or three rounds of service.
Under these circumstances, would the customers outside really be willing to wait that long just to spend money to see the Princess in a Maid Uniform?