Bidding farewell to Baltimore and Bremerton, Lu Chen met Noshiro at the pre-arranged school gate.
Since Taihou didn't know about Lu Chen and Noshiro's arrangement, Lu Chen didn't see her after school.
"Did you have fun?" Noshiro asked on the way to the cafe.
"I played for a while, but mainly I watched others play tennis." Lu Chen looked at Noshiro's black-stockinged, beautiful legs and asked, "What about you? You couldn't wear black stockings and loafers for beach volleyball, could you?"
"Of course, I had to take them off and put them back on after school," Noshiro explained. Lu Chen seemed to have a soft spot for her black stockings. She wondered if it was just his preference or if he had a unique demand for her.
"Is your maid uniform black stockings as well?" Lu Chen asked another question.
"Yes." Noshiro hesitated for a moment and asked, "Are you a sock fetishist? I hear some people have that kind of special interest."
"No, I just think you look exceptionally good in black stockings," Lu Chen stated earnestly. "Your legs are long and slender, and black stockings enhance your beauty even more. By the way, I met a girl named Baltimore this afternoon. Her legs are also long, but completely different from yours… Uh, should I not be talking about other girls?"
Noshiro smiled and shook her head. "It's fine. I'm quite curious about your impression of her. Can you continue?"
Know your enemy, and you'll never be defeated.
"You know her? Baltimore's legs are long and full of power. Short socks and sports shoes are a perfect match for her, and her personality is bold and free-spirited. That combination is bursting with youthful vitality. You are slightly different from her. Your aura is…"
Lu Chen stopped, unsure if he should continue.
"What is my aura?" Noshiro asked curiously.
"First love girlfriend. The pure, innocent first love, representing the most beautiful and sincere affection," Lu Chen said, feeling a little embarrassed.
Noshiro fell silent. She felt like her face was burning. It must be bright red. She took a few steps forward and whispered, "...I love you."
"What?" Lu Chen thought he misheard.
"Can you help me put on my maid uniform later? It's quite troublesome to put on alone," Noshiro avoided the subject. "It comes with your favorite black stockings."
"I don't just love black stockings. I like everything, but given your physique, black stockings are the most suitable," Lu Chen argued self-righteously.
Noshiro smiled, pursing her lips. "Alright then. So, will you help me?"
"Absolutely!" Lu Chen declared emphatically.
...
The cafe where Noshiro worked was not far from the school, but it was in the opposite direction from Lu Chen's home. Since it was after school, there were a scattering of academy girls on the road, but no other pedestrians. Lu Chen was starting to get used to it.
The cafe didn't look luxurious from the outside. The overall tone was dark, giving it a feeling of elegance and sophistication. There was a sign at the door with text Lu Chen couldn't understand—probably German, he guessed.
Most of the academy girls walking down the road entered the cafe, suggesting its business was quite good. A tall girl in a revealing maid uniform leaned against the wall, listlessly observing passersby. It wasn't until Lu Chen appeared in her line of sight that Hutten finally showed some interest.
She quickly walked up to Lu Chen, grabbed his arm, and asked, "Why are you so late? Didn't you go home quite early yesterday?"
"Yesterday I skipped class, but today is a normal dismissal. I'm also the Sports Committee member, so I had to hand the attendance sheet to the teacher before leaving," Lu Chen explained. "So, am I late?"
"P.E. class? Fine, I'll let it slide this time." Hutten's expression softened, then she looked at Noshiro and asked in confusion, "What are you doing here?"
Noshiro asked perplexedly, "I work here too. Why wouldn't I be here?"
"You don't know?" Hutten clicked her tongue in amazement. "I didn't expect that manager to slack off sometimes. The maid cafe has undergone a reform. We rotate different themes every day. From now on, we work one day and get two days off. Today is the Iron Blood-themed maid cafe."
Noshiro was surprised. "When did this happen? How did I not know?"
"Yesterday, after I applied for the job, the three managers discussed it and felt there were too many maids. So, they decided to divide us working maids into three small groups based on nationality and work here with different styles. What, didn't your Sakura Empire manager notify you?"
Noshiro shook her head. She was completely unaware of this.
"How unusual. That rigid woman actually took a day off from her duties," Hutten scoffed. "Looks like someone won't be seeing Noshiro's sweetheart maid uniform today."
"The Big Senior always acts meticulously. She would never forget to inform me. There must be a reason for her decision," Noshiro defended her. Then she looked at Lu Chen and apologized, "I didn't know this would happen, but if it's just about wearing the maid uniform, it's not a big problem."
"It's fine. We can see the maid uniform later. Today, just be a normal customer like me and enjoy the cafe's service," Lu Chen comforted her.
Hutten cheered, "Let's do that! I haven't made a single sale today, so thank you, Noshiro-chan."
"You just got here? No sales yet?" Lu Chen asked curiously.
Hearing that, Hutten's face darkened. "I came right after lunch. Most of the customers who come to the cafe want to pet the cats, but those little guys don't like me, so customers don't want to order from me. So annoying."
The maid profession held little appeal for anyone other than the Commander—that is, the Ship Girls themselves. To maintain the cafe's popularity, they had to find a different approach, and the cute cats were a good choice.
This marked the birth of the Ship Girls' first electronic pet.
Noshiro realized something and asked, "So you were sent to the door to solicit customers because no one was ordering from you?"
Hutten nodded silently.
Lu Chen was confused. "What does that mean?"
"A maid with no sales has almost nothing to do except sit in the corner and play on her phone, which is quite miserable in a way," Noshiro explained quietly. "To make it less awkward for them, the one with the worst sales is usually sent to the door to solicit customers. This gives her an excuse for her poor sales."
"Don't talk about unpleasant things." Hutten hugged Lu Chen's arm. "As long as I can reel in a big customer like you, I can turn my sales record around."
Lu Chen joked, "I don't have that big an appetite. One cup of coffee is enough. 'Big customer' is an exaggeration."
"Not at all! As long as you walk in, who knows how many girls will follow you," Hutten smiled triumphantly and acted out her part. "Welcome back, my Master Lu Chen. Please follow me. You can tell me anything you need, and I will satisfy all of Master's requests."