Chapter 37: As a Man, You Can’t Be Irresponsible

"Everyone, please quiet down for a moment!"

Seeing that the crowd was getting a bit out of hand, Ai Oda realized that women in Japan these days had their own desires and pursuits as well. Although women didn’t hold a particularly high status in Japanese society, once they got passionate about something, it was truly terrifying!

Fearing that these women might impetuously storm into the café, Ai Oda quickly raised her voice to them: "However, due to personal reasons, that handsome guy from earlier has already taken leave and stepped out through the side door. He won’t be back at the café until 8:00 PM! So please don’t fret for now, and feel free to visit us anytime after eight!"

"Is that so..."

"After eight o’clock, right?"

"That’s perfect—we can finish shopping before coming back!"

Upon hearing Ai Oda’s words, far from looking disappointed, many of the women actually beamed with joy.

Of course, a fair number of them likely needed to head home first to arrange dinner, while others genuinely intended to go shopping. Coming over to the café for some leisure at that time suited them perfectly.

However, a few idle women were somewhat dissatisfied, clamoring to go inside right away and telling Ai Oda not to block their way.

Who would have thought Quillan-kun possesses this kind of appeal!

Ai Oda marvelled silently in her heart. No wonder her cousin back in America had mentioned that if Quillan came over, he would definitely help resolve all the café’s issues!

Now, not only had the staffing issue for waitstaff been solved by the girls around Quillan, but even the café’s business had taken off like crazy!

Calling it exploding with popularity wouldn’t be an exaggeration. What made Ai Oda even happier was that if the customers who came to spend money were a mix of men and women, the atmosphere inside the café would be much more relaxed. At the very least, she wouldn’t have to worry about the awkward issues that came with having exclusively male customers!

Unknowingly, Quillan’s position in Ai Oda’s mind had shifted from a boy next door in need of her help into an all-powerful hero capable of coming to her rescue!

In the staff breakroom, Quillan took advantage of the brief lull to grab himself some food. He had asked Haruka Himuro and Miyuki Sakurai, learning that they—and everyone else—had already eaten dinner inside the café. He was the only one still starving, which left him slightly irked.

He was annoyed that Ai Oda hadn’t even called him for dinner. In truth, Ai Oda had simply been running herself ragged at the time. Still, if Quillan ever found out that he had been secretly ’sold out’ by her, he’d probably be left with no choice but to helplessly complain about Gavin’s cousin!

After 7:00 PM, customers gradually finished their meals and left the café. Normally, the peak rush hour for the café would have passed by now, but today was different. Whenever a customer left, a new one immediately took their place. What was even more baffling was that the vast majority of these incoming patrons were women dressed very fashionably and boldly!

Ai Oda didn’t bother explaining any of this to Miyuki Sakurai, Haruka Himuro, or the other maid-outfitted waitresses. She simply inquired about Quillan’s whereabouts and rushed straight toward the staff breakroom.

"Quillan-kun, I beg of you, please help me out this time!" Ai Oda blurted out her plea right off the bat, without even explaining what it was about.

Quillan caught the scent of a trap. To be honest, after getting to know Ai Oda over the past two days, Quillan was thoroughly convinced that she had been corrupted by that guy Gavin. She wasn’t simple-minded at all; on the contrary, she was deeply scheming!

Thus, Quillan didn’t agree blindly, asking instead, "Ai-nee, tell me what this is about first."

"Oh, Quillan-kun, can’t you just agree first?"

Ai Oda switched to a pleading tone, swaying coaxingly and looking at Quillan with a delicate, pitiful expression. But Quillan knew that the more she acted like this, the more dangerous it was. How could he possibly agree?

Lest anyone forget, back in America, Gavin couldn’t get a leg up on Quillan either. Of course, Gavin and Quillan were great friends—their bond was beyond question—they just occasionally played jokes and teased each other.

Yet every single time, Gavin ended up losing to Quillan because Quillan could see right through his little schemes every time. That was precisely why Gavin always harbored a sense of playful resentment toward Quillan, and why he went to such great lengths to orchestrate Quillan’s move to an all-girls school and his cousin’s maid café this time around.

Whether Gavin did this out of sheer pettiness toward Quillan, or simply to help his good friend who had always lacked interest in women, was hard to say!

Quillan chose to ignore Ai Oda entirely, making her feel as though her act had completely flopped.

Can’t I even win over a teenage boy?

Ai Oda felt her charm plummeting, and a bit of frustration flared up in her heart. But soon enough, she reasoned it out.

It wasn’t that she lacked charm; it was that this guy Quillan was completely immune to women to begin with!

Realizing this, Ai Oda blushed slightly. As someone aspiring to be a master of cunning, she had actually used the wrong tactic! If word of this got out, she’d certainly be mocked—especially by that cousin back in America...

Left with no other choice, Ai Oda had no option but to put on a stern front and look at Quillan, saying, "Quillan-kun, please be sure to head to the front hall to help serve the customers. This is your job here! Besides, those customers came specifically because of you. As a man, you can’t be irresponsible, you know!"

"Of course I’m a responsible man!" Quillan nodded, then looked at Ai Oda and asked, "But Ai-nee, what do you mean when you say those customers came specifically for me?"

"Well, the situation goes like this..."

Ai Oda recounted what happened after Quillan left the café entrance. Naturally, she omitted the part where she had overheard the conversation between Yoshiko and her friend, gotten a bright idea, and sold Quillan out to attract those female patrons. According to Ai Oda’s narrative, the matter had nothing to do with her at all and was entirely the result of those women’s spontaneous demands!

"It’s really scary, you know, Quillan-kun?" Ai Oda blinked her large eyes, looking at Quillan as she said, "Those guests seem to adore you! They all said you looked way too cute dressed like that, so they demanded to come into the café, and even requested to take keepsake photos with you..."

"I won’t agree to that!" Quillan rejected Ai Oda without a second thought.

Asking him to serve those frantic women? Has Ai Oda lost her mind?

Yet Ai Oda urged, "Quillan-kun, you absolutely cannot refuse! Because if you do, it’s very likely they’ll protest right outside, hang up banners in front of our shop, or even start a full-blown street demonstration!"

Hearing this, Quillan almost fainted on the spot!