“If a cute and quiet girl like you served them, it probably didn't end there. Not just etiquette, but those type of things and these type of things... were forcibly trained into you, perhaps?”
Louise gave a graceful bow. Louise's only weapons were that smile and the bow.
“Kuh! What a cruel story! A cute girl like you... But how did a servant like you come to work at this store... I see! I got it! You got tired of that forcible master who was trying to get you to do those type of things and these type of things and ran out of the mansion, right? But the debt left behind by your parents still remains. To return the money, you're desperately working. Something like that, right?!”
Louise smiled while looking at the customer. Being gazed at like that by Louise's jewel-like reddish-brown eyes, the customer, as if enchanted by some spell, wanted to loosen the string on his wallet.
“What a poor child. Hmm, then use this to help repay your debt. By the way, well, those type of things and these type of things... are what kind of things? Please tell me. Okay?”
The customer, who believed in his own delusions because of Louise's demeanor, would give Louise silver and gold coins. The moment she got it, she ran at full speed back into the kitchen, squatted, and let out a rough breath. Her forcing herself to be courteous and her act that caught people's sympathy felt like leprosy, so Louise decided to hit Saito, who was washing dishes, for now. Doing so, she felt a bit refreshed. Then she rushed back to the table.
Afterwards, it was time for her “job”. It was the information gathering entrusted to her by Princess-sama. She didn't want to lose at the tip race, but this job was more important.
Sitting beside the customer, she asked
“Geez, they say it's a war. You'd get tired of this...”
“Pretty much so. They behold her as a ‘holy woman’, but how about the government!”
“What does that mean?”
“I'm saying that that ignorant princess can't govern this country!”
He was insulting Henrietta, but she firmly endured it. She had to hear all kinds of stories from him.
“Like that battle in Tarbes... it was like we won by chance! I'm not so sure about next time!”
“Is that so...”
Just like that, Louise slowly collected the rumors in the town. The drunkards liked to discuss about the situations in the world. When Louise brought up the subject to interest them, they would start criticizing the government as if they were waiting for her to ask. The drunkards would talk about the government as if they had become a cabinet minister.
“Besides, it’d be better for the country if Albion governed us, right?”
If such an outrageous opinion was said,
“I'm saying we should hurry up and attack Albion!” such a brave opinion would jump out.
Someone,
“There's a rumor that the army will be strengthened! The taxes will increase again! They've got to be kidding us!”
said this and,
“Can the current armaments protect the country? I wish they'd hurry and organize the armada!” a completely opposite opinion comes up.
Anyways... putting it together, the popularity Henrietta received for defeating Albion at the battle of Terbes seemed to have started to darken.
'The war remains unfinished... Looks like the depression will continue. Henrietta is young. Can she guide this country well from now on?' Was the anxiety everyone was feeling.
It's probably a painful story to Henrietta, but I have to properly report to her... Louise thought.
Like that, Louise started collecting tips and information but...
Jessica's tip collecting was simply unmatchable.
Anyway, Jessica was good at making customers think “She has fallen for me.”
Louise started to observe how Jessica did things. If you do not know the enemy, you cannot win the fight.
Jessica would first act cold to the customer she chose.
She placed the food in front of the customer while looking angry. The customer was surprised at that attitude.
“Hey, what's this, Jessica? Aren't you in a bad mood?”
Jessica glared at the customer with cold eyes.
“Who were you talking to earlier?”
Whether you call it a skill or otherwise, that jealousy was godly. After all, it really looked like she was jealous. At that moment, the customer misunderstood and thought that she was in love with him and currently very jealous.
“Wh-what... Cheer up.”
“It's nothing... You like that girl, right?”
“Stupid! The one I love the most is you! Come on...”
He said and tried to hand over a tip. But Jessica brushed away that money.
“It's not money! What I want are kind words! What you said before... was that a lie? I was really serious! What?! I don't care anymore!”
“There's no way that was a lie.”
The man became desperate and tried to soothe Jessica.
“Please cheer up... You're the only one for me. Okay?”
“You say that to everyone. Just because you're a bit popular with girls...”
No matter how you looked, the man did not have a popular face. Usually, he would not believe such flattery. But condemning words were coming out of Jessica's mouth. In a way that seemed as if she did so unintentionally. The man was completely tricked.
“I'm not popular! Really!”
“You're right. The only one who would think to kiss your lips is me.”
“That's right. Very much so!”
“Hau... But I'm tired.”
“What's wrong?”
“You know, right now, we're doing this stupid race called a tip race. I don't really care about tips but... I'd get scolded if I only get a small amount.”
“If it's tips, I'll give you some.”
“It's okay! You give me kind words, so it's okay! In exchange, I'll get mad at you if you say the same thing to other girls, got it?”
Then she looked upwards at him. With this, the man was completely defeated.
“Hah... But it is really tiring to give flattery for the sake of tips... Because honestly revealing your feelings to the person you love and flattery are different...”
“I understand. I'll give you this, so don't go sucking up to other people. Okay?”
“I said it's fine! I don't need it!”
“It's my feelings. My feelings.”
The man made the refusing Jessica take the tip. “Thank you” Jessica whispered embarrassedly and grasped the man's hand. The man then tried to get that Jessica into going on a date with him.
“Then, today, when the store's closed...”
“Ah! This isn't good! The food will burn!”
After she got what she wanted, there was no need for him anymore. Jessica stood up.
“Ah, hey...”
“Let's talk again later sometime! Don't look at other girls amorously!”
Turning her back on the man, Jessica stuck out her tongue. Everything was just acting.
After Jessica left, the customer turned to his friends and went, “Iyah, getting jealous like that...”
Louise was completely impressed. The truly fearsome techniques of a town girl that made Kirche look like a child.
Her coaxing ability, that would make people wonder how many ways she had for showing jealousy, allowed her to collect tips as if she swept them up with a broom.
Jessica wasn't really outstandingly beautiful. But... she was at the border of the line that made men think “At this level, maybe even I can do something.” These type of girls tend to be more popular in the world compared to the people that were peerlessly beautiful.
Louise, who had been observing, met eyes with Jessica. Jessica grinned and showed Louise her placing the tip in between her cleavage.