You are a young girl who dreams of one day becoming a great idol, but despite all your efforts, you have not even managed to start paving the path towards that dream. But everything changes when a mysterious friend of yours gives you something that promises to help you achieve fame. From that moment on, you must choose your path in the entertainment industry, facing challenges and forging relationships.
Will you be able to fulfill your dream? You will only know if you try.
Working at a maid cafe turned out to be a much more complicated and demanding job than you had originally thought. Paying attention to and serving customers wasn't the only thing you had to worry about, you also had to keep a radiant smile on your face for so long that your cheeks even started to hurt, all while treating all the customers as kindly as possible.
At first, these tasks might seem relatively easy for someone like you, who already had some experience acting. But in reality, they were far more exhausting than they appeared, both physically and mentally. You understood that your job involved acting as if you were a real maid, but that didn't mean you would fulfill every request from the customers, especially those that crossed the line, like someone who asked you to sit on their lap while feeding them by hand.
That was just... unpleasant.
This was not that kind of establishment, and even if it were, you were far from desperate enough to consider doing something like that; in fact, you weren't desperate in the first place. This was just a simple part-time job that your mother had given you, so you could buy some things you wanted that couldn't be covered by your allowance.
Almost without realizing it, a small smile appeared on your lips when you remembered what used to happen to customers who made those kinds of inappropriate requests. It turned out that it wasn't a very good idea to make them when the owner was watching you directly, especially when the recipient of that request was her own daughter unless, of course, your goal was to get kicked out of the place.
You can't say you feel bad for them, after all, they reaped what they sowed.
At this moment you were standing in front of the entrance of the cafe, wearing a big smile, as had become customary lately. The reason you were there was quite simple, you were saying goodbye to the last customer of the day, who was a young boy, probably on the verge of adulthood, who had stayed until closing time. So you were forced to ask him to leave, while you walked him to the exit, more out of courtesy than anything else.
"See you tomorrow, Emiko-Chan," he called out and ran away while waving with one hand. You naturally returned the action, but as soon as the boy disappeared around a corner, your lips turned into a thin line that was a far cry from the smile before.
You had to resist the urge to roll your eyes, before letting out a long, tired sigh. "It's finally over…"
As you walked through the door to re-enter the cafe, you took a few seconds to scan the place with your eyes. You were looking for any absent-minded customers who had lingered, like the boy who just left, until closing time. It wouldn't be the first or last time someone tried to linger on purpose in the hopes of getting a chance to talk to their favorite maid alone.
Which was both annoying and disturbing.
Fortunately, your workplace has yet to experience such an incident that ended badly. Mainly thanks to your mother, or boss, as she wants you to call her at work, who had a well-earned reputation for giving a death glare to customers who tried, or even thought, to harass her employees. She didn't hesitate to kick out anyone who started causing trouble.
Although you have heard of some places where more serious incidents have occurred, some even reaching the point of harassment. Obsession really is one of the worst and most chilling evils that exist.
After making sure that no one unwanted was left behind, you proceeded to close the door behind you and flipped the small sign hanging from the glass to announce that the place was officially closed for the day. You'd love to say that was it, but unfortunately, you still had to help the other employee clean up the place before you both could head home.
The only consolation you had was that this maid cafe was relatively small, and aside from your boss, who was in charge of preparing the food, and you, there was only one other employee working as a maid. Which usually meant that there wasn't much to do before you could leave to enjoy the long-awaited freedom, you just had to clear the tables, clean them, and then sweep the entire place, after which, you could change your clothes and finally be free.
The other maid, your companion, was already immersed in her work, sweeping while humming a little song. Her long blonde hair, accompanied by her diamond-like blue eyes, and a naturally kind expression, gave her an angelic appearance that, as expected, made her very popular among the customers. Most of those customers, in fact, only came because they wanted to be served and pampered by her.
They loved that her personality was, or at least seemed, completely authentic, unlike yours, which sometimes seemed forced and fake. But aside from her personality, her voice was also naturally soft and kind, perfect for succeeding in a job like this, although you couldn't help but think that her talents were being wasted by working as a simple maid.
You walked over to the nearest table and began collecting the remaining plates and cutlery, arranging them on a tray as you moved around different tables. In the process, you couldn't help but cast a few glances at your coworker, whose face was still as radiant as ever, even after a long day of work. It was hard not to admire her, but in a way, you also came to envy her. She seemed to genuinely enjoy what she did, as if her energy was endless.
As you set some chairs in place, you began to wonder how she managed to maintain that attitude without becoming totally exhausted, both physically and psychologically. Maybe, unlike you, she was just more accustomed to dealing with customers, or maybe she had a natural gift for making everything seem more bearable. Even though she had a lot more experience than you, you couldn't help but wonder if she had ever felt as exhausted as you.
"Do you need help with that, Emiko?" Your coworker's soft voice brought you out of your thoughts.
You looked up to find her a few steps away, leaning on the broom as she looked at you with a sweet smile on her face.
"I'm fine, thanks. I was just finishing clearing the tables," you replied as you pointed at a few tables that still had some dirty utensils on them, after which you showed her a small knowing smile, "But, Hana, I think you know me well enough to know that I'm not going to refuse you to help me."
Hearing your words, she let out a small giggle of amusement and put the broom aside to help you pick up everything. And as expected, with her help you finished cleaning much sooner than you had planned.
Once the job was done and the place was as spotless as it could be, you headed, with Hana, to the back of the cafe, where the small staff locker room was located. The first thing you did upon entering was stretch, while removing your maid's dress, which was an almost indescribable relief that made you feel free for the first time in what seemed like forever.
With great relief you let your features relax completely for the first time in hours, and looked into the mirror so you could see your own reflection. The image that stared back at you was that of...
[ ]a girl with a cheerful and carefree expression, with long, wavy blonde hair, and deep blue eyes, that seem to shine with enthusiasm.
[ ]a girl with a calm, almost bored expression, with dark blue hair and violet eyes.
[ ]a girll with a confident, almost defiant expression, with short, messy red hair, and red eyes.
[ ]a girl with a dreamy expression, always with a lost look, with long, silver hair, and sky-blue eyes.
[ ]a girl with a serious, but kind expression, with straight brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and emerald green eyes.
[ ]a girl with a mischievous expression, always with a small smile, with dark purple hair and golden eyes.
[ ]a girl with a melancholic expression, as if she were always deep in thought, with jet-black hair and mist-like gray eyes.
After counting the votes from both SV AND SB, here are the results:
1. Melancholic girl with black hair and gray eyes: 5 votes
2. Mischievous girl with purple hair and golden eyes: 4 votes
3. Confident girl with red hair and red eyes: 4 votes
4. Cheerful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes: 3 votes
5. Serious girl with brown hair and green eyes: 2 votes
... a girl with a melancholic expression, as if she were always deep in thought, with jet-black hair and mist-like gray eyes.
Silently, you tilted your head to one side as you wondered who this girl staring at you from the other side of the mirror was, but it only took you a second to remember that it was your own reflection. It's a bit silly, maybe even stupid, on your part to have almost forgotten what you look like. But since most people often told you that you were pretty, regardless of how much effort you had put into fixing yourself up that day, you got used to not paying much attention to your appearance.
That radiant smile that had recently brightened your face had completely vanished, as if it had never existed in the first place, and you couldn't help but wonder what the customers would think if they saw you with that expression. After all, what they loved were smiles, and your true self is almost entirely incapable of smiling—unless you fake it, of course.
At some point, certain people even went as far as to say that you weren't capable of feeling, which is a lie. You are perfectly capable of feeling happiness, sadness, anger, and any other emotion. The problem is that it's difficult for you to reflect them in your expressions. For instance, when you're with people you are well acquainted with and feel comfortable around, you smile with relative ease. But when you're with someone unfamiliar—or to put it plainly, a stranger—smiles only come to rarely. And when they do, they are so subtle that many times they end up being almost imperceptible to the other person.
Well, it's not really a problem since you can just fake it, problem solved.
Shrugging mentally, you dropped down onto a small chair beside you, allowing your body, especially your legs, the chance to rest a bit after such an exhausting day at work. You've been working at this place for almost a whole month now, and you still couldn't get used to standing for so long without feeling like your legs might give out at any moment.
"I don't understand how you can endure this without dying in the process," you said to Hana.
She turns to you with a mischievous smile, as if she's sharing a secret. "That's actually pretty simple to explain. I die after I get home."
That was a funny response that made you chuckle a little, but it wasn't exactly what you were expecting. "Well, I mean, how do you manage not to die before you get home? Because I can't seem to do it."
At your words, she just shrugged. "Unfortunately, aside from wearing more comfortable shoes, there's no magic secret I can recommend. But don't worry, sooner or later, you'll get used to it and it'll become much more bearable."
That sounds pretty pessimistic, but you suppose her words make sense, since unlike you, who hasn't even been working for a month yet, she has several months of experience under her belt, so she knew what she was talking about. Though that only made it clear that your situation wasn't going to get any better, and all you had left to do was learn to endure it, which, in a way, is pretty depressing.
"This isn't exactly what I wanted..." you muttered softly, your tone resigned. "But I guess, at least for now, it's okay."
"Right... You wanted to become an idol, didn't you?" Hana asked, tilting her head to one side, in a gesture of curiosity that you can only describe as quite adorable, especially coming from her. "How's that going? Have you made any progress?"
"None," was your quick, almost automatic response. "Just another rejection."
Your biggest dream for as long as you could remember was something so simple and predictable—becoming a famous idol. But not for something as superficial as the desire for attention, but for a much deeper and, to you, more important reason. At one point in your life, you went through a horrible moment, the death of a loved one in a tragic accident. An event that led you into a severe depression, from which you nearly didn't escape in time. And it was them, the idols, who pulled you out of that abyss by enchanting you with their personalities, their beautiful voices, and the smiles that spread happiness throughout the world.
The young and impressionable you inevitably ended up wanting to be like them, and so, in an attempt to imitate them, you started practicing and studying tirelessly, day after day, without stopping, just to fulfill that desire. But the irony of life hit you when you were rejected by each and every one of the talent agencies you approached.
Some of the reasons they gave you were that, primarily, you lacked the necessary charisma, and your singing voice, although good, needed a lot of practice.
Part of it was your own fault, or so you assume, since in your excitement, you were too impatient and went to the auditions without being properly prepared, which ended up resulting in nothing more than embarrassment and disappointment.
"Oh come on, don't you think it's too soon to give up?" Hana gave you a little tap on the shoulder, trying to cheer you up. "You still have plenty of opportunities to succeed."
But your response was limited to giving her a doubtful look. "How?"
"Well..." She fell completely silent for a moment, thinking about her next words. "If the agencies don't want to exploit your talent, why not do it yourself?"
"Being an independent idol? You mean that?" It's an option you had considered more than once. But it seemed too overwhelming due to all the problems you'd have to overcome. Being independent, or at least starting that way, meant practically starting from scratch, without any publicity or sponsors to help with expenses. "I don't know... That sounds like something too difficult and that would require too much investment..."
Money moves the world, and unfortunately for you, it's not something you have in abundance.
"I guess you're right..." Hana murmured, more to herself than to you. "Anyway, it was just a suggestion. But no matter what you decide, I'll support you as your friend."
The warmth in her words took you by surprise and brought a genuine smile to your face, something rare for you, and therefore something quite special that only she and your mother could bring out of you. You knew you had her support, but hearing it that way filled you with a sense of gratitude and happiness that you couldn't express with words. "Thank you... That really means a lot," you said softly, hoping your voice, normally devoid of emotions, could convey the feeling.
She smiled at you, then, with a hint of mischief in her voice, added, "You're much cuter when you smile like that, when you're not pretending."
In that moment, you didn't fully understand her words, so you turned your head to look at your reflection again, which hadn't changed at all since the last time you looked at it. The only difference was that your lips formed a small smile that, although almost imperceptible, didn't look fake or forced—it was authentic and genuine. It looked so similar to the smiles you usually show the customers, but at the same time, there was something about it that made it different and unique, though you couldn't quite put your finger on what that was.
You'd have to figure it out later…
...
The work is done, so you have the rest of the day to do whatever you want. You have a little money to spend after all, or you could just stay at home and rest.
[ ]Go to a karaoke
-[ ]Go alone
-[ ]Go with Hana
[ ]Go shopping
-[ ]Go alone
-[ ]Go with Hana
[ ]Explore the city
-[ ]Go to a nearby park
-[ ]Just wander around
