The Happy Fairy Princess Cafe, 2/3
The others hadn’t been lying - Prince Jun was insanely popular with the “Princess” customers. Sho could have sworn that women were swooning as he walked by.
The cafe had twenty tables, and there were usually six or seven Princes on duty. That meant that a Prince only had to divide his attention between a few tables at a time if the restaurant was full. But with Prince Toma absent and Sho completely new and unable to handle a table himself, he and Prince Jun were already manning six different tables during the lunch rush.
In addition to Prince Masaki and Prince Jun working that day, Sho had also been introduced to some of the restaurant’s younger royals in the employee lounge. The short but shining Prince Ryosuke with the angelic face. The young but incredibly flirtatious Prince Kento. The “bad boy” Prince Taisuke. And the awkward intellectual Prince Shigeaki. It seemed that most of the Princes fulfilled a certain kind of character type, offering variety for their guests.
Prince Masaki filled in the role of the friendly, easygoing Prince. And apparently Prince Toma, he of the emergency appendectomy, had been an older, more mature version of Prince Kento. As for Prince Jun, he was the aloof one. The cool one who might seem difficult to approach but was actually just as loyal and brave as any other.
As Sho followed Prince Jun around the restaurant like a hopelessly needy pet, he wondered if the guy was really acting or if he was just playing himself. One “Princess,” a middle-aged woman in a sparkling tiara, had been shy and giggly, especially when Prince Jun knelt down before her, quietly and reverently kissing her hand before asking what she’d like from the “palace kitchens.”
Matsumoto was a quick thinker, introducing Sho as “Prince Sho, who is visiting from a neighboring kingdom.” Matsumoto would smile, and Sho would then bow, making sure the sword strapped to him didn’t smack anyone walking behind him as he moved. Then Matsumoto continued. “Prince Sho is still learning our customs here. We hope you’ll be patient with him.” The women Prince Jun waited on seemed doubly pleased to have two Princes doting on them, so they didn’t seem to care that Sho would leave their tables desperately whispering the order back to himself so he wouldn’t forget it.
When the Princes weren’t fetching orders, they stood guard by their tables, alternating their patrols if there were multiple tables to cover. Sho was able to observe various strategies. If a Princess came alone, Prince Masaki usually sat down at the table with her, chatting merrily like old friends as they talked over the menu together. Prince Kento openly courted his Princesses, asking if they’d wear his favors - little colored scarves he pulled from inside his pink tunic and handed out. Prince Taisuke stuck his finger in the whipped cream of one of his Princess’ desserts, sticking it in his mouth and winking, making the women he was serving collapse into excited giggles.
But the actual order-taking and small talk was not the only thing.
He and Prince Jun were standing side-by-side in the kitchen, Matsumoto watching closely as Sho keyed in Princess Kumiko’s rather complicated order for a three-scoop ice cream sundae with one vanilla bean scoop, one chocolate fudge scoop, and one apple cinnamon scoop topped with maraschino cherries, banana slices, hot fudge, and chocolate whipped cream. Sho was just about to hit enter, sending the order directly to the ice cream station in the kitchen, when he felt Matsumoto’s hand on his shoulder.
“It’s almost 1:00.”
“Okay…” What did that mean?
“You should probably just watch from the doorway.”
Sho put in the order, a little confused, but then there was fanfare, horn music piping throughout the cafe as Matsumoto straightened his posture, heading directly to the “arena” floor. Sho went through the swinging doors, staying close by, pressing himself to the wall and hoping none of the other guests wondered why the weirdo in the red cape wasn’t joining the other Princes.
He watched in awe as the fanfare changed to a rather lively pop song. Each Prince removed his sword belt with a flourish, setting them at the edge of the arena floor, presumably so they didn’t injure themselves or each other. With colorful lighting, including a spotlight aimed at the arena, and the claps of all the guests, the six Princes got into formation, singing along with what Sho now knew to be the Happy Fairy Princess song. It was like watching an idol group perform.
The Princes danced, some obviously stronger at it than others. Sho wasn’t surprised to see Prince Jun dead center, his movements elegant and graceful. The six voices joined together - although they were far from professional singers, they all sang passionately. “Today it’s all for you, our dearest Princesses,” they sang without a hint of irony. “We’ll keep you safe from harm, let us make your dreams come true!”
There was more dancing, and Sho wondered how the hell he was going to learn this. He sang at karaoke occasionally but the dancing…
The song ended with Prince Kento stepping forward, a rose suddenly appearing in his outstretched hand. He winked and the cafe lights came back on fully, the women sitting around the restaurant squealing and cheering, calling out the names of their beloved Princes. Sho could only stand against the wall, unable to picture himself among them, doing the same strange dance, singing the same cheesy lyrics with such conviction.
“Did you hear that?” Prince Taisuke shouted in an exaggerated fashion, and Sho discovered that the song and dance thing at the top of the hour was only just the beginning.
“It sounded like…danger!” replied Prince Ryosuke, hurrying to where they’d all left their swords, pulling out a thin blade similar to Aiba’s.
Each of the men did the same, drawing their weapons. They stood at the ready, and then there were shocked noises and a few soft cries as the lights flickered. And then there was that growling noise, the one Sho had heard that morning.
“I know that sound!” Prince Shigeaki cried. “He dares threaten our kingdom!”
Prince Jun moved right to the front, sword at the ready and determination in his eyes as a spotlight shone down, bathing him in strong light.
“Come on out, Stormy! It’s time we vanquished you for good!” Prince Jun shouted, his firm and commanding voice dominating the entire room.
Sho fell in love right there and then, the same as any Princess in the room, stifling a smile as his new co-worker stood there with his weapon drawn. Oh god, how was he going to make it through this temporary assignment?
There was an array of scary, crashing noises, the lights flickering again. And that’s when Sho looked down, seeing smoke. He nearly took off running for the fire alarm, but soon realized that it was just dry ice coming through and under the swinging doors. Nino…well, Stormy the Dragon came through the double doors in a rage, his paws up, growling at the nearest table.
“You fiend!” Prince Masaki cried. “You leave Princess Mina alone!”
“Princess Mina” and her two friends at the table Nino had just threatened collapsed into embarrassed giggles at the way Prince Masaki called them out by name. Stormy continued to stalk around the cafe, hissing and growling at more tables. He managed to get someone’s spoon out of her grasp, flinging it off into the corner and growling. It earned a few hearty laughs. Sho had to admit that Nino was a very entertaining villain.
Finally Stormy made his way to the arena, and the choreographed attack began in earnest. It seemed that in today’s storyline, Prince Masaki and Prince Jun were in charge of battling Stormy. The other Princes departed the arena, choosing one of their assigned tables, defending it with their swords out in front of them, each of them vowing to their Princesses that they would not let Stormy come close.
Sho was transfixed by the battle that started. Just like Nino and Aiba’s mock fight from earlier that morning, everything was perfectly choreographed. Nino moved swiftly, darting between the two of them even with his cumbersome tail, narrowly escaping a skewering from Prince Masaki’s rapier, ducking his head to avoid a powerful swing of Prince Jun’s blade.
But at last Stormy’s efforts came to an end, Prince Masaki stepping on Stormy’s tail, keeping him from slithering away. In the low lighting and with the dry ice still permeating the room, Jun’s strike looked so realistic that Sho gasped, but he could see that Jun’s sword had landed under Nino’s arm. Jun pulled the blade free, and Stormy let out a moan of anger. This time he detached his own tail, earning more noisy laughs especially from the youngest Princesses in attendance. Taking his tail in his hands, Stormy fled with a pathetic howl.
Prince Jun and Prince Masaki shook hands, and the room broke out with even more applause. Eventually the lights came back on, and all of the Princes sheathed their swords. While the Princes checked on their customers, Sho stood nervously as Prince Jun instead came directly up to him.
His hair was rather tousled from both the Happy Fairy Princess performance as well as the lengthy swordfight. A bead of sweat was sliding lazily down the side of his face, and Sho was transfixed by it.
But Prince Jun didn’t seem to notice Sho’s distress or how Sho had fallen head over heels for him after only an hour or two of knowing him. Instead, Matsumoto grabbed hold of Sho by the edge of his cape, tugging him along.
“Come on,” he said, still catching his breath after the battle. “We need to get that three-scoop sundae.”
-
The restaurant kept to a very strict schedule. Lunchtime hours ran from noon until 3:00 PM. The staff was then given a break. The cafe reopened for dinnertime hours of 5:00 to 9:00 PM, though Sho wouldn’t describe the food offerings at the Happy Fairy Princess Cafe as technically being “lunch” or “dinner” but only overindulgent dessert.
The “performance schedule” was much clearer in Sho’s mind now. During the lunch hours, the idol group performance and the fight against Stormy happened at 1:00 and 2:00. And in the evening, there were three performances at 6:00, 7:00, and 8:00. But you’d never know the Princes had given the same performance multiple times. Their dancing was always sharp, their fight choreography smooth. They rotated fighters throughout the day, and Sho had gotten to watch Prince Jun fight Stormy three different times.
Sho was a bit tired from being on his feet all day even though he hadn’t been forced to sing, dance, or fight yet. He changed in the locker room, bidding farewell to the other Princes who had been very kind and welcoming to him so far, even if Sho didn’t feel much like one of them yet. Once back in his own comfortable clothes, he found Nino sitting in the employee lounge next door.
Since Nino was the cafe’s sporadically-appearing villain, he spent most of his time working behind the scenes assisting Muro-san in the special effects room, going back and forth to the dry cleaners with costumes, or putting orders together in the kitchen. Sho sat down beside him on one of the sofas, feet aching. He’d worked in a cubicle for years and years, and he wasn’t used to walking around so much - especially in a cape.
“Prince Sho, you’ve made it through your first day,” Nino cheered him, patting his leg. “Congratulations!”
He shook his head, still a bit overwhelmed. “I don’t know if I’m cut out for this, Nino.”
Nino smiled at him. “What? You were great.”
“If ‘great’ is now a synonym for ‘screw-up,’ then maybe so.”
Sho had been such a nuisance to Matsumoto-san, especially as the day dragged on and the dinner crowd had arrived. He’d called a Princess by the wrong name. He’d almost dropped a milkshake in a guest’s lap, letting it fall to the floor and splatter instead. And then he’d caused an order back-up in the kitchen when he couldn’t remember if a Princess had wanted lemon curd on a slice of raspberry cheesecake or raspberry curd on a slice of lemon cheesecake. Matsumoto had forced him to go back out into the restaurant to beg forgiveness and ask for her to repeat her order. If he couldn’t even get the serving part right, how was he going to be able to add fight choreography and a song and dance number to his list of responsibilities? All this for only a temporary gig!
“Nice work today.”
Sho looked up, spying Matsumoto Jun standing in the doorway just as he had earlier that morning. But his bespoke costume was gone, and the overly intimidating aura had lessened quite a bit now that he was in an ordinary purple wool coat, jeans, and a knit hat, a bag slung casually over his shoulder. It didn’t make him any less handsome.
“Thank you for being patient with me,” Sho said quietly, inclining his head.
Nino wrapped an arm around Sho. “When does training camp start?”
“Training camp?” Sho mumbled.
Matsumoto grinned gently. “I suppose that’s up to Prince Sho. But I was planning to get here at 9:00 tomorrow.”
Sho blinked. “Training…wait, you mean my training camp? The training for me? The training camp is about me?”
Nino laughed. “Well, talking is definitely not your special skill, is it, Sho-san?”
He blushed. “Sorry.”
Matsumoto looked at him with an easygoing calm. He seemed a lot softer without tight leather hugging his body or a sword at his side. “Don’t worry, you’re not going to be cleared to sing with us until I say so. We’ll start dance choreography in the morning, some basic fight choreo during the afternoon break.”
Sho felt embarrassed about all the extra work he was giving Matsumoto. And maybe even more embarrassed about how much time they’d be spending together in addition to their regular work. Hours and hours with those intense brown eyes focused on him…
“I’m sorry to take so much of your free time…I don’t want to be a burden…”
Matsumoto dug around in his bag, making Sho jump in fright when he tossed something across the room. A CD case landed perfectly in Sho’s lap, the disc inside labeled “Happy Fairy Princess.”
“Your homework, Sakurai-san,” Matsumoto declared. “I look forward to hearing you sing it tomorrow. Have a good night. See you, Nino.”
“Night,” Nino said, waving as Matsumoto headed out for the night.
Sho held the CD in his hand, tracing his fingers over “Happy Fairy Princess.” Well, he was now as far from accounting as he could get.
-
Sho discovered that he’d been added to a LINE group for all the Princes. He suspected Nino was behind it. He woke up the next morning to a slew of encouraging messages from the others who apparently couldn’t wait to see him join their dance party.
Matsumoto had sent Sho a message in the group chat as well, though it was more practical than congratulatory. “Please wear clothes you can move in comfortably.”
This time he entered the Happy Fairy Princess Cafe in a pair of cozy sweatpants and a t-shirt under his coat. It was only a minute after 9:00 and already there were lights shining down on the arena floor. Matsumoto Jun was in the restaurant alone, dressed in comfortable sweats of his own, sitting on the floor and stretching.
“Good morning, Matsumoto-san.”
Matsumoto looked up, grinning. “Morning.”
Sho headed through the swinging doors, greeting Ohno-san and the rest of the kitchen staff. There seemed to be a buzz of excitement in the air, and it all seemed to revolve around Sho’s pending choreography lessons. Ohno followed Sho up the stairs, dusting his hands on his apron.
While Sho hung up his coat in the locker room, Ohno watched him with a gentle smile. “You look so worried,” Ohno teased.
Sho frowned. “You’re sure I can’t be of more help to you in the kitchen?”
“I designed the choreography for this,” Ohno explained. “It’s not as hard as you might think.”
“You designed it?” Sho asked in surprise. “Why aren’t you a Prince then too?”
Ohno’s smile was kind. “I started this cafe about six years ago. My niece inspired it. She was going through a princess phase at the time, so it convinced me to make the cafe into more than just a place for sweets. Something a little more special. Jun-kun was the first person I hired, and I let him design all the performance stuff. The lighting, the music, the interior design of the cafe, I left that all up to him. He’s good at that stuff, as you probably have already figured out. But he asked me to come up with the dance since everything he came up with was too complex for the other guys.”
Ohno leaned forward, patting Sho’s shoulder.
“So I think you’ll pick it up just fine. If I can do it, and I’m just your average chef, then I think an accountant will be okay too.”
“I’ll do my best.”
But Sho needed a bit more than the head chef’s encouragement to get through the rest of the morning. The other Princes arrived, politely ignoring their practice, walking around the arena floor to head to the locker room. Sho felt like he had two left feet as Matsumoto got to work on teaching him. When Matsumoto told him to move his right arm, Sho moved his left. When Matsumoto told him to move his left arm, Sho moved his right.
The dance steps really did seem easy when Matsumoto demonstrated them, playing the Happy Fairy Princess song on a boombox so he could start and stop as needed. He even slowed the pace down, patiently explaining the choreography move by move. He clapped out the beat, timing to Sho’s pace. It was when Sho nearly tripped over his own sneakers during a spin that Matsumoto finally turned the CD player off.
Sho stood there, hands on his hips, sweat pouring down his face, shaking his head in disappointment. “You can say it,” he wheezed. “You can say it, it’s alright.”
Matsumoto, despite having been dancing all this time, had barely broken a sweat. “And what do you think I need to say to you, Sho-san?”
Sho looked up, moving a sweaty strand of hair out of his eyes. “That I’m terrible at this.”
“Okay,” Matsumoto said, having a sip from his bottle of water. “Tell me this. When was your last dance lesson?”
Sho was confused. “I’ve…I’ve never had a dance lesson in my life.”
“And yet here you are, working your ass off. You obviously know the song because even if you screw up the moves, you’ve been moving correctly to the beat. You’re shaky and uncertain, you’re a bit stiffer than any thirty-five year old ought to be, but you’ve already picked up more than you think. So of the two of us standing in this room right now, only one of us thinks you’re terrible.”
Sho was glad his face was already reddened from exertion, from utilizing muscles he rarely used in this way. He didn’t need Matsumoto to catch him blushing at his too kind words.
“I just want to be able to keep up,” he mumbled.
“Then stop feeling bad for yourself and keep working at it. It’s only your second day, Sho-san, I’m not throwing you to the wolves.”
He chuckled. “Or to the dragon.”
Matsumoto smiled at that. “The afternoon will be even harder than this, just so you know.”
They spent another half an hour going through the choreography before it was time to get changed. Sho’s legs ached as he climbed the stairs. He’d almost forgotten that he had an entire workday ahead of him, and he groaned. At least there were a few shower stalls to use in the employee bathroom, and he washed his sweat away before changing back into his costume.
It didn’t feel as strange today walking around with his bright red cape, the prop sword tethered to his side. This time while Matsumoto and the others performed, Sho was surprised by how much easier it was to follow along with what they were doing. Standing back against the wall and out of the way, he nodded along to the song, mouthing the words that he’d stayed up the night before memorizing. This performance, Prince Taisuke and Prince Ryosuke fought against Stormy the Dragon, and Sho couldn’t help watching the ease of their movements. It was clear that these guys worked hard, practiced hard.
At the second afternoon performance, Sho paid closer attention to the guests, watching the smiles and cheers of the Princesses. Despite all his misgivings, despite his lack of confidence, Sho couldn’t help feeling jealous of the other Princes. He wanted cheers of his own. All of a sudden, he wanted to know what it would feel like for some pretty young woman to scream and cheer for “Prince Sho” while he was lashing out with his sword.
It was all too easy to get wrapped up in the performance, in the fight. And Sho realized that that was all thanks to Matsumoto Jun. Ohno had explained that so much of this was thanks to Jun. The lighting, the sound, the fight sequences. How many hours had Matsumoto devoted to this cafe? How hard had Matsumoto worked to ensure that every single guest left with both a full stomach and a smile on her face?
As slow a learner as Sho was, he couldn’t help feeling like he needed to make Matsumoto proud.
So instead of beating himself up for his inexperience, he went into the afternoon break with determination. Unlike his lack of dancing experience, at least he’d been involved in the kendo club in high school. So when Matsumoto started drilling him on movements, it came far more quickly to him. He could tell that Matsumoto was only operating on a fraction of his true ability, but as their prop swords clashed, Sho could see that Matsumoto was impressed with what he managed to accomplish in a matter of hours.
By the time 5:00 rolled around, Sho’s muscles were still sore but he didn’t really mind it. He took the stairs two at a time to go back and change into his costume, waiting for the others to clear out before he stood in front of the mirror. He was tired as he posed there, taking in the sight of his tunic, belt, cape…
“Prince Sho.”
He turned, seeing Prince Masaki standing in the doorway with a cheerful smile.
“Looking good! What a difference a day makes,” Aiba said. “Come on, let’s go serve some cake.”
-
It was his fifth day on the job, and he was the last one in the locker room for the night, hanging up his costume for Nino to get laundered, tilting his neck and hearing it crack. He groaned softly, his body sore from the many hours of training he’d been taking on in addition to the regular cafe hours.
Tomorrow, Prince Sho would join the official line-up for the performances. He’d practiced the dance choreography that morning with all of the other Princes. Kindly, Jun had ensured that Sho was standing all the way in the back behind Prince Shigeaki, whose long green cloak might mask any of Sho’s mistakes while they danced. The other guys had even been impressed with Sho’s progress.
But of course, Sho really owed his success to his all too exacting dance instructor.
Sho still felt like he was under Prince Jun’s enchantment, shadowing him from table to table during their shifts, watching up close as he whispered gentle vows of loyalty to Princesses, pressed his soft and supple lips to their hands. Sho wasn’t the most romantic sort, but he couldn’t help wondering if Prince Jun was planning to give him any training in that regard…
He picked up the boombox that they used during dance practice, taking it with him into the empty lounge and plugging it in. The Happy Fairy Princess song CD was still inside it, and he sat down on the sofa, setting it on repeat.
“Today it’s all for you, our dearest Princesses,” he sang, shutting his eyes and directing his vocals to the ceiling. “We’ll keep you safe from harm, let us make your dreams come true!”
He tapped out the beat, sneakers bouncing against the floor. Without opening his eyes, he visualized himself on the arena floor, standing right behind Prince Shigeaki, smiling his brightest smile. Even if Sho missed a few steps, Jun told him that the one thing he was forbidden to mess up was his smile. He knew he could manage that at least.
The song finished, starting all over. He started to sing again. It was a lot easier to sing when he wasn’t moving around, but Jun said he could lip sync if he needed to focus more on his dance steps. At least to start. By next week, Jun expected Sho to be able to do it all himself. Jun’s surprising faith in him was what had gotten him through the week.
Also, getting to watch Jun’s ass in his tight pants while they performed helped him, too.
“And there’s no tower too high for me to climb, and dragonfire scares me not. I love to see you smile…”
The door to the lounge opened, and Sho jolted a little. The CD kept playing as Sho saw an apologetic Matsumoto Jun standing in the doorway. Despite his usual seriousness, there was a soft smile on his lips, a sheepish nod as he lifted up a knitted scarf.
“Forgot this in the locker room,” Jun admitted. “I’m sorry for bothering you.”
Sho sat up straight, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “It’s…it’s not a bother.”
Jun’s eyes were kind. “You’re actually a very good singer, Sho-san.”
“Oh? Thanks.”
“You’re practicing?”
Sho looked away. “I’ve been staying every night…”
Jun’s eyes widened. “Really? But you’ve been getting here every day…”
“…at 9:00, yeah.”
Sho was rewarded with the smile Prince Jun seemed to save for his performances. The really amazing one. “You’ve really gotten better, haven’t you? Now you just have to get better at remembering the ice cream flavors and you’ll be perfect.”
He laughed. Just that evening he’d mistaken a hazelnut toffee crunch scoop for a peppermint chocolate surprise scoop. “Maybe that will be my special skill. Forgetting ice cream flavors.”
That afternoon, Nino had had Sho pose for his picture for the website. Even though he thought it was unnecessary for the cafe to promote him on the website since he only had a few weeks more on the roster, Sho couldn’t help being the slightest bit proud when he saw the final image. He’d been wearing the red pointed cap with his usual costume, holding a large shield and one of the real swords. Ohno-san had come up to assist, turning on a fan so that Sho’s cape billowed behind him. Once the photo was taken, Nino had used photo editing software to provide a real castle as a backdrop. Sho had to admit that he looked like anything but a mild-mannered accountant. He actually looked kind of cool.
His special skill was the one thing he hadn’t managed to practice yet - love poetry. And he hoped he wouldn’t get many requests for it.
Jun’s voice roused him from his thoughts.
“I drove today so um…if you need a ride home…” Jun offered, making Sho’s heart race. “Nino mentioned the other day that you live near Sengawa Station and since I’m in Komae, it’s not a big deal. But um, I mean, please keep practicing if you need to practice…”
“I’d love a ride,” he said, barely holding it together.
“Great. Well. I’ll let you finish the song. I’ll be downstairs.”
Sho was a bundle of jumpy nerves as he shut off and unplugged the boombox, buttoning up his coat and settling his hat on his head. Though it hadn’t even been a full week, he’d spent hours and hours at Jun’s side. And apparently Jun wasn’t sick of him yet if he was willing to take him home.
During choreography lessons the other morning, Nino and Aiba had sat in, watching and cheering Sho on. While Jun had taken a bathroom break, the two troublemakers had gotten on the topic of marriage and dating. One of the Princesses had brought a ring to the cafe the other day, begging Prince Taisuke to propose to her with it. Taisuke had let her down gently, but a line had been crossed, leaving the Princes aiming to tone down their romance just a tad. The line between the world of the cafe and their personal, private lives.
Aiba was planning to propose to his girlfriend soon enough. Nino was also in a serious relationship. The two of them had sat there gossiping about almost all of the other Princes and their love lives before turning to look at Sho.
“And what about you, Sho-san?” Aiba had asked.
“There’s no Princess in my life,” he’d admitted. “Well, it’s not quite what I’m looking for. You see…I…I’m…actually…”
“Ah,” Aiba had said apologetically once Nino elbowed him in the side. “Sorry.”
Before Sho could laugh, tell Aiba there was nothing to apologize for, he saw the twinkle in Nino’s eye. “You’re not the only one around here hoping that someday their Prince will come…speak of the devil…”
And that was when Jun had come back, stretching his arms over his head, his shirt lifting to show a teasing glimpse of his abdomen. Apparently he hadn’t overheard the conversation, but when Sho had quickly looked away from the alluring pull of Jun’s bare skin, he’d seen knowing, almost triumphant looks in both Nino’s and Aiba’s faces.
Sho couldn’t help thinking about that conversation again as he walked downstairs to the cafe kitchen, pulling on his mittens. Even if Jun was gay and looking for someone to date, it didn’t mean someone like Sho was his type. He just hoped Nino and Aiba wouldn’t say anything unnecessarily.
He found Jun chatting with Ohno, who’d just handed him a bag of leftover treats to take home. Ohno smiled when Sho approached.
“Ready for your big day tomorrow?” Ohno asked, a small dollop of chocolate at the corner of his mouth. With his round face, it was pretty clear that Ohno-san enjoyed sampling his own baking. Sho couldn’t blame him. Everything he’d tried that week was incredibly delicious.
Sho chuckled. “I’m only doing the song. I’m not ready to join the fight yet.”
“But he will be. Probably by Tuesday,” Jun vowed.
Though Sho’s dance choreography wasn’t totally perfect and that was apparently okay, it was the fight choreography that had to be error-free before Jun would let him take on Stormy the Dragon. Tomorrow was the big day, Sunday, when the real magic happened. It was the day that Stormy’s defeat ended in a puff of smoke, with Prince Kazunari emerging from his curse. Nino would then join the Princes for all of the dinner performances, taking on tables of his own to give Jun and Sho a break.
“Have a good night then,” Ohno said. “Drive safely.”
Sho followed Jun to the small parking lot near the cafe, finding Jun’s hatchback and getting inside. Jun handed Sho his phone, letting him key in his address to the GPS. From there it was a quiet ride through the Tokyo night lights, the radio tuned to a soothing jazz station. People all around were socializing, out on the town for a Saturday night, but it was obvious after their long day of waiting tables and rehearsing fight choreography that all they wanted was to get home.
When they came to a red light, Jun spoke first.
“Do you like it?” he asked softly. “The cafe?”
Sho looked over, but Jun’s focus was entirely on the road ahead. “It’s…not what I expected when Nino asked me to fill in. But I’m having fun.”
Jun grinned. “I’m glad. You’re a fast learner.”
Sho assumed that his having experience with kendo had helped too. “I just feel bad that you had to overwork yourself all week even though I’m only on staff temporarily.”
Jun nodded in understanding. “It was worth it. I know I’m kind of particular about things. About the performances and the fight sequences and all that, but I just think every guest deserves the best experience possible.”
The light turned green and Jun accelerated. Sho found himself looking aside, watching Jun’s graceful fingers tap the steering wheel.
“It’s really impressive, you know,” Sho told him. “All the effort you’ve put in. It’s above and beyond your average maid or butler cafe. I’ll have to tell my sister about it…”
Jun chuckled. “What do you mean you’ll tell her? You haven’t already told her?”
“I’ll tell her as soon as Prince Toma returns and Prince Sho goes back to his home kingdom. If she came now she’d just request me and force me to wait on her hand and foot. Younger sisters can be annoying as hell,” he joked.
Jun’s smile faded a little. “Well…you don’t have to go back to your home kingdom right away. I mean, it’s been really busy lately so even when Toma comes back…” Sho heard him sigh. “I’m just saying, you know, in case you don’t find an opportunity to use your special math skills right away…”
Sho didn’t know how to respond, feeling suddenly warm in the car even though the heat was on the lowest setting. Was he hearing him correctly? Jun wanted him to stay at the cafe? Well, it wasn’t necessarily his decision to make. It was Ohno-san’s. But still, it felt good to be useful.
It felt good to be wanted.
“I’ll think about it,” he mumbled. “Thanks.”
Instead of just dropping him at the train station, Jun drove him right to his apartment building, parking along the curb. He looked over, those dark eyes of his just about enough for Sho to drown in if he looked too long.
“You’re not the first person I’ve trained,” Jun admitted. “I do want you to know that not everybody passes the test. We’ve had trainees come in thinking they could use our cafe to pick up dates or make easy money. And even though this is temporary for you, you haven’t acted like it. You took it seriously, Sho-san. Thank you.”
“You still have time to change your mind about me passing your test,” Sho said. “Once you see me dance with everyone tomorrow.”
“I guess you’re right,” Jun teased. “Anyhow, I won’t keep you. Sleep well. Don’t think that just because you’re officially debuting that we’re not going to keep training during the afternoon break.”
Sho’s face fell. “Oh?”
Jun laughed. “See you tomorrow.”
Sho got out of the car with a gentle wave, watching as Jun drove away. He headed inside, feeling almost light despite the odd pressure that was on him to do well with the performance. Somehow he felt that if he just followed what Jun had so diligently taught him, he’d at least look halfway competent.
He rode the elevator up with hopeful feelings, whistling the Happy Fairy Princess song.
part three