An Idol Character, Too
Part II
======
It has been a few days since the arrival of Hideri. Stile's business was still busy but they can now manage the servings now that their workers increased. Of course, the kitchen staffs are low in staff since only Dino and Akizuki do the cooking. Since they were lots of waitresses serving the customers, Karin had suggested to help out the kitchen at some times during work. Akizuki agreed to it, since it helps them out and made a reason that Dino slacks off to much.
Which is true.
The day was still new. The workers of Stile hasn't arrived yet as Dino went outside of the shop to get some things ready. He took the billboard and re-write their menus. He soon heard two scholar girls coming to his way as they look at the man before to the shop.
"What kind of shop is this?"
Dino stood up, surprising the two girls to how tall he is. "This is Stile, a cafe shop. We sell lots of sweets and drinks to your preferences! We can always take your own opinion to what kind of dishes we could add to the menu!"
The girls had their eyes sparkled before asking. "Isn't this what we tried to find?"
"It is! Say, are you the manager here?"
Dino nodded as the girls blushed at how good looking he was when he smiled.
"You're the manager here? Wow!"
"Then can we go in next time?"
"By all means! If you come in, delicious sweets will be on the house!"
"Yay! Awesome!"
From behind them, Akizuki was on his phone texting Karin about their small hangout last night, while that he tried to make sure she's awake for work. He then stopped walking as he saw his manager talking to girls. He always finds himself walking in to him doing something suspicious, and now he's witnessing him flirting with them.
"It's okay to bring a lot of your friends from school, too."
"Then should we barge in with everyone?"
Akizuki look at them with pure hatred. Not towards the students, but to Dino himself. He waited for the girls to walk away before going behind Dino. He then kneed his knee from behind. Dino yelped, getting his stand back before looking behind him. "Akizuki! What was that for?"
"Hitting on high school girls in broad daylight?"
"No! I just trying to bring in more customers!"
Akizuki sighed, crossing his arms. "If Sakuranomiya saw that, she'd get the wrong idea."
The taller male turn around and pouted. "If Maika saw that, she wouldn't think anything of it!"
"That's because you suck badly at courtship and haven't made any progress." Akizuki bluntly said to Dino as an imaginary sharp sign stabbed him.
"That hurts, Akizuki."
A snicker could be heard from behind them as they look over to see their newcomer, laughing at them. "Kanzaki?"
"You were there?"
"So that's what the manager's like!" Hideri smirked, doing the uh...a dirty gesture.
"Hey, don't gesture like that."
"This is like Miu and Karin number 2."
======
The boys went inside and straight to the break room. It seems that the courtship skill of Dino was so bad that Hideri had to helped out, which is hopeless.
"All right!" Hideri exclaimed as his bow flaps around. "If you suck at it, Manager, I've got various lectures for you!"
"Really?!"
"However, you have to say I'm cute!"
From his excitement to disgust, Dino bit his lip. Akizuki sweat dropped at his behavior, though understood as to why he does. "If the cost of advice is calling him cute, that's cheap. Besides, you're always calling this and that cute."
"Cu..."
"Cu...?"
"You're cute." Dino replied with a forceful and disgusted voice.
"Is it that distasteful to you?"
"That's his problem. But all right, fine!" Hideri sighed in defeated before pointing at the manager. "First, compliment her! Whether you say she's cute or whatever, girls are pleaded to be praised!"
He let out his phone and started to swiping up his social media, showing off his posts. "Me, too! I like people who compliment the selfies I put up on my SNS! What do you think?"
Some of the pictures were where he wears some lolita dresses, one of the middle school girls with long skirts. Dino hold the phone as he and Akizuki looks at it. "You sure have lots of photos here."
Both of them then turn sour and look at Hideri. "Why are they all with sad eyebrows, duck face and thigh-high socks?"
"Shut up. Say that again and I'll clock you."
======
"Welcome!" Maika greeted the customers that just came in while the boys look at from the kitchen. Dino was shaking, as if what he was about to do could get him in trouble.
'First, compliment her!' Dino kept repeating the words in his head.
"You're here again? Please sit where you want, but at a table where you won't be in the way."
"Right!"
Dino was about to walk to her, but he couldn't move his legs. He mentally hit himself. "Go on, compliment her! Compliment her!"
Dino gulp down and started his way to Maika. "M-Maika..."
"Yes?"
"Maika, you're so kind and wonderful!" Dino successfully compliment her. But he didn't quite get the reply he was hoping.
"Wasn't I being sadistic?" Maika asked as she look down, feeling like she hasn't done her job correctly.
"N-No! That's not what I meant!"
"I guess I'm not cut out for customer service."
"No! Maika you got it all wrong!"
Akizuki and Hideri both peaked from the kitchen, stalking how their manager does what they taught him. Unfortunately, his performance made them sighed to his failure as they drag him to the break room.
"You're useless when it comes to saying something in words, manager." Hideri said, resting both of his hands on his hips.
"Yep." Akizuki joined in.
"Then gain points by your actions!"
"Actions?" Dino asked.
"Yeah, for example..." Hideri started when suddenly the door open to reveal Karin walking in.
"There you are, Koyo! There's a large ord--" She started before the petite male suddenly push her towards Akizuki as he automatically caught her.
Hideri pointed out to the couple. "Help her out like this."
Akizuki sat the poor confused girl up carefully and grab Hideri's face. "Why did you trip Karin, huh? What if she hits the ground and got hurt?"
"I-It was a performance to give the manager guidance." Hideri tried to reason himself out.
Dino stood up and ran to the door, carefully not to step on Karin. "I think I can do that! I'm gonna help Maika now!"
Karin sat on the floor still looking at them in confusion. "Um...it looks like I've interrupted something..."
Akizuki looks at her as he let go of Hideri to help her up to her feet. "Sorry about that. We were scouting Manager to make a move on Sakuranomiya."
"Oh. Then why don't he just tell her how he feels? Or maybe lock them here like what he did to us? As a revenge, you know?" Karin smirked as the boy blushed.
"That won't work for them! Besides the manager won't last a minute if he is alone with Sakuranomiya." Akizuki exclaimed.
Karin chuckled and kissed his cheek. "You may be right. I'll get back to work now." She then made her way to the main room.
"Huh..." Akizuki jumped as he faced towards the other male. "You two are actually together?"
"Y-yeah." Akizuki hesitantly said as he scratch his cheek.
======
"I'll take your order, but try not to spit as you give it." Maika said in her sadist tone, giving the customers shivers running down their spine. "Come on, make it snappy!"
The girl startled herself by the manager suddenly appeared in front of her. A helpless looking sadist look was on his face as he then said. "We're not serving you any food!"
"Eh?!"
*THUMP*
"What were you thinking?!" Akizuki yelled as he hit Dino with a pan on the head. "Helping someone doesn't mean interfering with their work!"
"Right." The manager pouted as he kneeled.
After the stunt which left Maika and the customers in confusion, Akizuki and Hideri quickly drag Dino out of the area to lecture him.
Akizuki crossed his arms, the pan still in his hand. "This time, we made it look like it was a surprise sadist act from the manager as an excuse of your stupid behavior."
"Jeez. What are you doing, you lousy piece of poop?" Hideri said, crossing his arms as well.
"Poop? Now I'm poop?"
"Hey, don't say 'poop' in the kitchen!"
"All right, this is rather obvious, but let's move on to presents!"
"Presents?" Dino asked in confusion as Hideri look at him.
"Yes. Let's see, to practise, treat me to an expensive dessert buffet." Hideri tried to pry but Dino denied.
"Forget it."
"Hmph." The petite boy pouted as the supposed bait he was trying to get failed.
Dino then look down thinking. "But giving her a present is a good idea." He suddenly jumped and pump his hands in excitement. "I'm not quite the same person I was before!"
Both Akizuki and Hideri look at him disbelief as Dino look over to the chef. "Akizuki, can you and Hoyoshi make some desserts?"
======
It was already evening as Maika bid the customers goodbye before bowing. She turned towards the other staffs before announcing. "I'm taking a break!"
"Sure!" Karin replied from the kitchen as she helped Akizuki with the dishes.
As Maika walked to the break room, both Akizuki and Karin watch her. "Wish whatever plan you guys made work."
"That's up for the idiot."
Back to Maika, as soon as she open the door, she was met with many desserts on the table. Seemingly welcoming the girl.
"Maika." Dino let out a hand to show the dessert as he welcomed her. "As an employee here, please partake!"
The sudden treatment made the girl confused and somewhat scared. "Th-This much goes above and beyond my status as an employee! I can't partake!"
"What? Uh..." Dino didn't get the reply he was hoping, but tried something else. "T-Then, is there anything else you would like? Please name it!"
It only made it worse. Maika then shake her head before turning around to leave. "I don't need to take a break!"
"Maika!"
======
The girl sighed, remembering what her manager had done as she and the other waitresses were cleaning up the place after closing.
"What's the sigh about?" Mafuyu asked beside her, holding a mop.
"Did something happen?" Kaho asked as well, standing beside Mafuyu.
Karin watch the girl sigh again, giving the sign that the boy's plan she heard failed.
"Actually, during my break..." She said, looking at them. "The manager had a luxurious spread out in the break room."
Both Mafuyu and Kaho look at each other as she continued. "I've heard of something like that before. When a parent is going to abandon their child, they suddenly treat them to something since it's going to be the last time."
Karin rested her forehead on the handle of the mop, trying not to laugh of Dino's mistake.
"Am I going to be let go?" Maika asked, feeling tears coming out from the corner of her eyes.
Both Kaho and Mafuyu shook their heads as Kaho reply calmly. "I don't think so."
"That's not going to happen. Right, Karin?"
"Y-Yeah! Manager would never let you go, Maika."
The boys hid behind the wall near them, listening to their conversation. Dino had his gloomy aura around him before having the courage to walked out to see Maika.
"No!" Maika turn around to face him. "It didn't mean that, Maika!"
"Manager..."
"I'm not going to let you go! Please stay here forever! What I wanted to tell you today is..." Dino got his words stuck as he force it out. "What I was going to tell, Maika, is that I l..."
Akizuki and Hideri lean out to hear his reply. "L...?"
"I like you a lot!" Dino yelled, grabbing Maika's hands.
The boys froze towards his somehow confession. Karin, on the other hand, cringe out herself as she rest a hand on her forehead.
"R-Really? I like you a lot, too, Manager!" Maika replied with a smile.
"Slip!" Akizuki and Hideri yelled as they both flip to the floor.
"Really?"
"Yes, very much!"
The only ones that was dumbfounded was Kaho and Mafuyu.
"What is this?"