Kissing My Student, It's Over if We're Caught-Chapter 3Volume 2 .9 - Kirihara Touka - Happy Moment: "Welcome back," "Im home," "Lets eat"

Higashi confidently strutted in, wearing a long jacket that resembled a tailcoat.

Though his pants were still the school uniform, the change in the jacket transformed his look entirely. With his hair set with wax, he was sure to make quite the impression.

“So, you’re also playing the butler, huh?”

“Of course! Gotta reel in the ladies properly.”

Besides Higashi, two other boys were dressed as butlers, wearing black vests over their shirts and ties. Except for the white shirts, these were my personal items. Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, we could only afford one tailcoat jacket for Higashi.

When I offered to lend Higashi whatever he needed, he immediately said, “Definitely need it.”

… I also took the opportunity to apologize to Higashi for stepping in with my opinion during homeroom.

“Seriously? Sensei, you’re worried about that?”

Higashi was incredibly understanding.

“If we had gone with my idea to spend all that money on costumes, we’d have ended up with a disaster. Just thinking about it gives me chills.”

He even said this at the moment.

“Man, having a young teacher really makes a difference. I was in Ms. Kurei’s class last year, and she often stepped in like that too. Is this what they call a generational gap? … Well, I think it’s cool! Keep it up!”

Youthfully natural and slightly impudent, but I didn’t dislike this about Higashi.

He would definitely do his best to liven up the shop and everyone today.

“It’s almost time to open. Let’s all take a moment to calm down,” I said, clapping my hands to bring everyone’s focus.

“Important reminder, so I’ll say it again. Don’t trouble our guests. It’s okay if your speech slips a bit, but never forget to be considerate and polite. If you find something you can’t handle on your own, call me immediately. Got it?”

A chorus of energetic “Yes!” responded just as the broadcast committee announced the opening over the speakers. Applause could be heard throughout the school.

Though our maid café wasn’t the kind to get busy immediately upon opening, I planned to stay in the classroom for a while to observe the students.

Looking outside the window, Kasahara, dressed in a maid outfit, approached me.

Despite her spirited nature that never backed down even to Higashi, today’s attire in black and white suited her surprisingly well. … And she grinned at me.

“Sensei, you’re looking pretty sharp today.”

Today, I had removed my suit jacket and was wearing a vest, similar to the boys playing butler roles.

I also wore glasses for a change.

“Are those glasses fake? No prescription?”

“Yeah. I thought I’d change my image a bit today since I’m supposed to be the ‘general manager’ of the shop… Huh?”

I looked towards the corner of the room, feeling a gaze, and found Kirihara covering her nose and mouth with both hands, staring intently in my direction.

…What’s that about?

I wasn’t sure how to react to her unusually persistent gaze. … If I were to compare it to an animal, it’d be a snake.

Was she jealous because I was talking to a maid?

Or was she simply sleepy and rubbing her eyes?

“Kirihara, you have student council duties first, right?”

“Ah, yeah. I need to check if everyone’s plans adhere to the proposals…”

“It’s always tough, huh… You’re leaving now?”

“About time. I’ll be off then.”

She left after being called over by a good friend.

…I guess I can ask about the gaze later.

“Looks like we’ve got our first customers? …Welcome back, master~”

Kasahara cheerfully went off to serve. The visitors turned out to be a group of female friends, who let out cheers and laughter upon seeing the maid outfits.

This kind of reception is expected at the start. We had briefed everyone to get comfortable with customer interaction during this time.

By lunchtime, there should be flyers distributed around the school gate advertising “Delicious sweets for sale! Maid Café!” Hopefully, it’ll materialize by then…

About an hour after opening, our maid café suddenly got busy.

Usually, cafés are busiest after lunchtime, but we had prepared for this.

Secretly, our café allowed food from other shops to be brought in.

As long as something was ordered, guests could sit and enjoy their meal. Though managing trash became more challenging, aiming for the top sales made it a compromise everyone agreed on.

This “bring-your-own” policy proved surprisingly effective, keeping our seats perpetually full. Chairs set up in the hallway for waiting guests were also constantly occupied. Visitors leaving would often say, “The sweets really were delicious,” as they departed.

As a result, the shop became incredibly busy. Although some people turned away upon seeing the waiting line, the seats remained constantly full. To prevent exhaustion, we rotated staff every hour, but I was on full throttle filling in the gaps.

Yet, this was all familiar territory.

The small pub where I worked part-time, which began serving lunch on a whim and unexpectedly became more popular during the day than at night, had honed my skills for about two years.

“Sensei, you seem more energetic than us who are taking breaks.”

I gave Higashi, showing a hint of fatigue, a small nod.

“Well, it’s just experience.”

“Sensei, sensei, we’re running out of cookies and cupcakes!”

“Don’t panic. Kirihara said she was going to the home economics room to get more just now.”

Though Kirihara didn’t participate in serving, her ability to oversee everything was unmatched. From fetching additional sweets to ensuring the trash bins weren’t overflowing, she took care of the details.

With me supervising the front and Kirihara in the back, we managed to survive the lunchtime rush.

Even after 2 PM, the café remained full, but with guests ordering tea and sweets and settling in for a long stay, the turnover rate slowed, allowing us to finally catch our breath.

Just as I was thinking we’d made it through, Kurei-sensei came by to say, “Good work.”

“Hashima-sensei, you haven’t taken a lunch break, have you?”

“Well, yes. But I did have something to eat.”

We had set up a partitioned rest area in the corner of the classroom where I had a quick bite.

“Oh, is that so? Still, don’t push yourself too hard. I’m here to watch, so please take an hour off.”

“But, really…”

“Think of Kirihara-san who came to get me.”

Kurei-sensei pointed behind her with a thumbs-up gesture.

Kirihara was standing at the classroom entrance, nodding slightly. While I worried about my class, I was admittedly a bit tired.

Gratefully accepting her offer, I said, “Thank you. I’ll take a short break then.”

After informing the students and thanking Kurei-sensei again…

…Kirihara approached me silently.

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