"Which shop are we going to?" I asked Hime.
How would I know about cake shops in this city? I rarely go to the city just to buy something.
Unlike Hime, since she's a princess of this castle, of course she's already gone around the city many times.
"I want that one!" Hime said, pointing at a small shop on the right side of the street.
The shop was sandwiched between other shops that were twice its size.
The whole shop was painted light green, giving a very comfortable feeling because the color matched so well with sweet-tasting cakes.
There was also a signboard near the door, displaying a promotion showing the cakes being sold.
On that board, there was a picture of a cake (which I had no idea what kind it was), and it was on discount up to 40 percent.
Isn't that too cheap? Usually shops like this are often visited by girls, right? Why is it giving discounts?
Whether in this world or the other one, cake shops are always filled with girls. If a guy like me enters a shop like this... it feels a bit embarrassing.
Especially since I've never entered a shop like this before, so this is my first time.
"Yukito-san, let's go in~" Hime said while tugging at my hand.
Honestly, Hime right now looked like a normal girl who really loves sweet things.
I could even say, the one next to me might be a version of Hime from another world.
Cling.
When we walked in and opened the door, the bell installed behind it rang as we pushed it.
A woman who looked around her twenties welcomed us while wearing the uniform of the shop.
Her clothes were white, with a little black along the lines, and she wore dark brown pants.
Over those pants, she wore a white-and-green apron, making her outfit look even brighter.
I think it's a very fitting outfit for a place that sells sweet things like this.
If Hime worked in a shop like this, would she wear clothes like this woman who welcomed us?
…I can't imagine how cute she would look in such an outfit.
Or maybe… Hime would wear a maid outfit? That would be even better than what I'm imagining right now.
Even though I have talked to maids before and even tried wearing their clothes… I don't want to remember that anymore.
But if the ones wearing maid clothes were Hime and Yuu-chan… maybe I would ask them to wear it again.
"Table for two?" the woman asked.
"Yes," Hime replied with a smile.
We both sat near the window. The table we were using was actually for four people, but we still used it even though there were tables specifically for two.
Hime said she wanted to look outside while enjoying the cakes in this shop.
We sat facing each other, with our bodies leaning against the wall.
"Please choose anything you like," the woman said as she handed us a menu book.
She gave us two books. Does every customer get one?
I opened the menu and saw many types of cakes offered in the shop.
Their names were very diverse and a little difficult for me to pronounce, and I didn't know the differences between them.
Their names were so different and used words that were hard for me, so I had trouble knowing which cake would taste good to me.
"Um... usually, what do other customers often order?" I asked the woman.
Maybe I should order the most popular one.
Who knows, maybe the cake is so good that many people want to eat it.
"Hmm... maybe for a man like you, many usually order the regular chocolate cake... would you like that?" the woman asked.
Chocolate cake, huh... it sounded very ordinary to me, but well… rather than not ordering anything, I should just get the chocolate cake.
"Alright, I'll have that... then..." I turned to Hime, thinking she would also order after me.
"I want one chocolate cheese cake, then this pancake, and then—"
I didn't count how many cakes she ordered, but maybe around five or six.
W-well… I still have enough money in my pocket, and if it's not enough, I might have to ask Hime for help.
But why am I the one agreeing to pay for this?
…Usually, when a man and a woman go to a place like this, the man will pay for what the woman wants.
A man will buy something for his girl, and I rarely see the opposite happening.
Maybe that's why I would feel embarrassed and a bit strange if Hime ended up paying instead.
"Hmm~"
Hime looked like she was enjoying her cake a lot, her cheeks even slightly red.
Well, I should eat my chocolate cake too.
As I expected, the cake was just an ordinary slice covered with chocolate on top.
But when I cut it and put it in my mouth, I felt a very deep taste.
The chocolate was so sweet, the sponge was soft and easy to chew, and inside it was a chocolate sauce that felt like it melted as I bit into it.
This cake... is quite good.
——
The cake was good, but I didn't intend to order more.
Honestly... if I eat too many bread-like or cake-like things, I get nauseous.
Even if the cake is delicious, I won't eat it twice within a short period.
Hime was also finishing her cakes; she still had two plates left.
Then... a few moments ago, a couple came into the shop.
How did I know they were on a date? Obviously, they were holding hands when they entered.
And I don't know why, but they sat at the table right next to ours.
I hoped to leave the shop soon and find some fresh air... they kept flirting nonstop, and it was making me sick!
They kept feeding each other with blushing faces—how could I not feel sick watching them?
And I kept looking at them like an idiot who wanted to do the same things.
"Yukito-san~" Hime suddenly called me.
I quickly stopped staring at the couple and looked at Hime.
She smiled sweetly at me while holding a spoonful of cake toward me.
"Aaa..." she said.
T-this is…
"Aaa..." I opened my mouth and let Hime feed me her cake.
She smiled again after seeing me accept her feeding me.
Did Hime see me looking at that couple? Did she want to do it too?
Not that I disliked it—actually, it made me feel like Hime and I were a couple as well.
"How is it? Is it good~?" Hime asked.
"It's good..." I replied while turning my slightly flushed face away.
——
(On the other side, specifically the female staff working at the cake shop…)
She kept watching the two couples eating cake in her shop.
Without realizing it, she felt jealous of what those couples were doing, and she ended up feeding… herself.
Yeah, in her mind, she even thought, "I don't regret working in this shop."