— Morning —
After a night of rest, Maximilian woke up and resud his café duties as usual.
The three-day closure had several regular custors asking what had happened, but Maximilian simply responded with better service and improved coffee, explaining that he had taken the ti off for training.
The answer satisfied their curiosity and left them feeling pleased, especially since the enhanced service and higher-quality coffee made them feel like nobles being served by a personal butler.
Of course, this was only from the perspective of laypeople. If actual nobles, professional judges, or people in the industry received this level of service, they would have offered Maximilian several critiques.
Maximilian was aware of this as well, so he treated the experience as part of his training.
By afternoon, a familiar regular entered the café, Kiyomi Kingsley, the foodie who had once made a big fuss about the butter cake.
The first thing she did upon entering was check the pastry fridge. She saw only Grade B pastries, nothing too fancy, and noticed that the prices were slightly higher than before.
Seeing this, she nodded in satisfaction and placed her order for a coffee and one of the cakes from the fridge.
After receiving Kiyomi’s feedback last ti, Maximilian threw out all the low-grade pastries and restocked with items that were B-grade or higher.
It cost several tis more, but it was the only way to ensure no one would be eating powdered insect innards disguised as flour.
Maximilian personally served the coffee and cake to Kiyomi.
She also noticed a change in his posture and eye contact as he served her. It felt like she was being served by a personal butler in the comfort of her ho.
But, to her trained eye, Maximilian was still a bit off from being a true butler.
"Are you trying to beco a butler? You don’t need to, Max. This is just a regular café, not so VIP lounge in a five-star hotel," Kiyomi said as she waved her hand, signaling that Maximilian could drop the act.
"No, Ms. Kingsley, you misunderstood. I’m training myself to be as butler-like as possible," Maximilian replied.
"Oh? This is very interesting. Why are you training? Do you want to beco my butler?" Kiyomi joked.
At her comnt, Rebecca shot a fierce glare at Kiyomi, who seed entirely unfazed. That only riled Rebecca up even more. If it weren’t for the presence of other custors, she might have yelled at Kiyomi already.
"Oi, Rebecca, why do you look like you’re about to take a dump?" Ricardo asked from his seat at the counter, clearly noticing Rebecca’s expression.
Rebecca glared at Ricardo, who simply shrugged with a smirk and continued enjoying the cake in front of him.
Kiyomi took a slow sip of her coffee and tasted the cake. She nodded in satisfaction before turning to Maximilian.
"Your skills are improving. Do you want to work for ?" Kiyomi asked, trying her luck again.
This irritated Rebecca even more, but there was nothing she could do except glare and grit her teeth in frustration at the smug, wealthy woman.
"No, I must decline, Ms. Kiyomi," said Maximilian.
)
"Too bad," Kiyomi replied with a smile. She never expected him to agree in the first place.
"But..."
The unexpected ’but’ from Maximilian made Kiyomi pause and turn toward him.
"I think I need your help. And in return, I’ll teach you my Bajiquan," said Maximilian.
"Huh?" Kiyomi was stunned. She had only co here to enjoy a good cup of coffee and think about how to contact Max’s brother; she never expected Maximilian to need her help, let alone offer to teach her sothing in return.
"What do you need help with?" Kiyomi asked.
"I need training, a training to beco a butler," said Maximilian.
"Are you serious?" Kiyomi asked again, frowning as if she’d just heard sothing absurd.
"Yes, I’m serious," Maximilian nodded.
"I don’t think you need to. If it’s just about improving the service at your café, what you’re doing now is already more than enough," Kiyomi said.
"No, I need all the knowledge and skills a real butler has," Maximilian insisted.
"You an you want to learn everything a professional butler needs to know? Like, really beco one, not just improve custor service?" she asked.
"Yes," Maximilian nodded.
Kiyomi let out a sigh and sipped her coffee again, trying to calm herself.
"What for?" she inquired.
"I have my reasons," said Maximilian.
Hearing this, Kiyomi knew that he didn’t want to talk about it.
But why? Was it embarrassnt? A secret he couldn’t let others know? Or perhaps sothing so personal that sharing it would make him feel vulnerable? But what kind of thing could make soone like him, a martial artist of this caliber, feel that way?
And why would it involve learning how to be a butler?
She couldn’t figure it out.
After a minute of contemplation, Kiyomi finally nodded.
"Deal. When do you want to start?" she asked.
"As soon as possible," said Maximilian.
"How long can you commit to learning? If it’s more than two years, I could recomnd a prestigious butler school to you. Tuition would be free. If you want a formal degree and the qualifications of a high-class butler, though, it takes at least four years, including the internship," Kiyomi explained.
"I only have, at most, two months," said Maximilian.
"Then it’s impossible. If you’re serious about becoming a real butler, there’s a short-term certification course, but honestly, with your current level, you already qualify for that. Two months just isn’t enough," Kiyomi said, shaking her head.
"You don’t need to worry, Ms. Kingsley. You said you have your own butler, right? Just have him teach everything he knows," said Maximilian.
Hearing this, Kiyomi imdiately set her coffee cup down and frowned at him.
"Are you crazy, Max? My butler is extrely serious about his profession, and he hates people who want to learn just for fun," she warned.
From her perspective, it really sounded like Maximilian was just playing around, especially after hearing that he only had two months to dedicate to training.
"Who said this is just for fun? Ms. Kingsley, don’t worry. As for the ti, I have a solution," said Maximilian.
Hearing this, Kiyomi let out a sigh.
"Suit yourself, if he grilled you until you want to cut your ear off don’t tell I didn’t warn you." Said Kiyomi.
After negotiating with Kiyomi, Maximilian turned back to the counter and communicated with Atherna.
{Athel, the Temporal Overlay—can it be paid with Villain Points?} he asked.
He rembered that compressing ti required a lot of energy last ti. That’s why he asked if he could pay with Villain Points instead—he wanted to reserve the energy blocks for Atherna to manifest in the real world and to upgrade the system’s level.
[Yes, it can. Compressing one month into a single day costs 5,000 VP, and compressing one year into one day costs 100,000 VP. You have two months of normal ti to prepare, so I advise you to choose the first option—it’s much cheaper. (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ]
{Thanks, I’ll do that.} Maximilian replied with a smile.
Unbeknownst to Maximilian, the smile he subconsciously let out was witnessed by Rebecca. It made her feel sour inside.
What’s so great about being a butler? Hmph! You want to be that rich lady’s butler so badly you can’t even keep it to yourself!?
What’s so good about being rich? They’re all just thinking about money and exploiting people!
Rebecca pouted as she thought to herself, then her mind began to wander in a strange direction.
What if I were rich too? Would he listen to my every command if he were my butler?
Rebecca started to imagine.
—
In an opulent room covered with fine velvet rugs, silk curtains woven with golden thread veiled the moonlit night sky.
A woman in a red dress sat on a luxurious couch, sipping wine as she admired the moon from her private penthouse, at the top of a skyscraper that belonged solely to her.
That woman was none other than Rebecca. She was the richest woman in the world, owning an entire city-state and holding a seat among the leaders of the UEC.
She was beautiful, smart, and wealthy, the most powerful CEO on the planet.
Tonight, her mood was better than usual. She had just bought out the entire Kingsley Group, which once belonged to her nesis, Kiyomi Kingsley. Now, she had demoted Kiyomi to a toilet cleaner... in her own company.
"Hahahahaha!" Rebecca laughed aloud, swirling her wine while gazing at the full moon through the crimson tint of her glass.
Yes... the sa color as the blood of her enemies.
Behind her, her butler was preparing tea and a butter cake that he had baked himself.
Her butler was not just a master of etiquette, but also a powerful martial artist, soone capable of protecting her in tis of danger and serving her flawlessly in tis of peace.
"You seem to be in good spirits these days, my lady. Has sothing good happened?" the butler asked.
He approached with his usual calm smile, the glint of his glasses giving him a scholarly charm.
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