"Grandma, I'm off for work, then." Sakuno said, adjusting her uniform which says Cake Café. "Take care of yourself."

"You too, don't work yourself too hard." Sumire said weakly from her bed.

"I'm not tired at all." Sakuno smiled. "Get well soon, kay?"

She ran out of the room, heading towards the Aging Bar. Her grandmother had been sick for quite some time now, and had stopped working too. Dad's income could only barely support the whole family; there was no way they could pay grandmother's hospital bills.

But Grandma is definitely going to be okay! We just need eighty thousand dollars for the last treatment that the doctor said and she will be healed! Sakuno thought as she bit her lips. Eighty thousand dollars…is quite a huge sum of money…But she had found a job that earns her about three hundred dollars a week, depending on how many customers she managed to serve. She had saved up to about five thousand dollars now, but…it's still not enough…

"Hey Sakuno? Going to your cake shop?" The nurse from the customer's service asked.

"Yeah." She answered.

The first job Sakuno found was the cake shop. After all, Sakuno had always been very good at baking. However, working at the cake shop did not earn her much money. She might need to work in the cake shop for five years to get enough money. Five years…grandmother cannot hold for five years!

That's why Sakuno quit the job and found her a new one. But she did not tell anyone about this. She did not say anything about her new job. She even tried her best to hide the fact that she got a new job by keeping her cake shop uniform and wearing it around. That's because if she said it…it would be very embarrassing…

"Ah Sakura, you arrived!" Manager Carrie smiled. "You're still wearing that cake uniform? Go on and get changing!"

Sakuno nodded, still panting slightly, as she rushed to the changing room. She took out her uniform, and wore her blue, tube top dress and her mask to hide her identity. She did some quick make-up and tied her hair into a ponytail.

"Quick, Sakura, room 536, Mr. Carabella and his friends ordered six. Go and entertain them."

Sakuno nodded as she walked towards the room.

Before opening the door, she took a deep breath, and put on the greatest smile she could managed.

She opened the door.

"Hey Mr. Carabella." She said in the voice she had inherited from all her other colleagues; a what they called, sexy voice. "Are you bored? Wanna play?" She walked towards the group of guys as one of them wrapped his right arm around her waist, his left groping her breasts.

That is her job, and that is why she could never, ever tell anyone about this.

XxXxX

"Your next customer is in room 583. He's a newbie, so make him happy." Fanny winked. "If he managed to stay more than 1 hour, and become a regular customer, Carrie is going to double the money for it."

"Double?" Sakuno's eyes lit up. Double the money for a customer…means…she gets to serve one less customer throughout her life in the bar! She must do well for this particular customer! Sigh…oh how she hates this job…but this is the only job that could earn her that much money. "I'll give it my best." She said, smiling as she tidied her hair and added on some more make-up.

She adjusted her mask, and walked towards the room, putting on the greatest smile she could ever manage.

She opened the door. "Hi, cutie…"

Her smile vanished.

His green hair, sticking out messily of his signature hat, with tiny sweat drops at its end like morning dew on the ends of the leaves. A bag of tennis racquets lay next to him, and a grape-flavoured ponta planted itself on the table. He blinked his cat-like eye as he glared at Sakuno disapprovingly.

Ryoma-kun! Why…why is he here? Why would he be at a bar? Part of the reason she had accepted this job was because she was sure that no one she knew would come here and recognise her. I mean, why would they? The Aging Bar is known for the female prostitutes…

She bit her lips. So why is Ryoma here? It couldn't be that… he had suddenly taken an interest… No, impossible, Ryoma is not that kind of guy. He is just so innocent; all he ever thinks about was tennis. Furthermore, if he wants a girl to hang out with, all he needs to do is to ask; any girl in the entire school would gladly agree. After all, he is the most popular guy in school. Maybe Ryoma is just here because someone invited him or something. But in that case…he would never be a regular customer, and she can forget about getting a double…

"Who are you?" Ryoma asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

"I'm…I'm your…erm…I'm here to serve you. Aren't you a customer?" Sakuno stuttered. Damn, why is it that whenever I'm with Ryoma I will stutter? She forced a smile, and tried to look as natural as possible. Smile, Sakuno! Even if you can't get a double, but at least make him stay for thirty minutes, or Carrie won't count him in! "Are you alone, cutie?" She said, leaning close to Ryoma.

Ryoma moved away, disgusted. "My friend asks me to come. He might be your whatever customer, not me."

Sakuno almost sighed in relief, but stopped herself; she cannot give away her identity. So, Ryoma came here because of his friend. He really was invited. He did not come here by himself. Whew, I knew it; Ryoma is not that kind of guy.

"So, where is your friend?"

"I don't know. He's late." Ryoma said, irritated. "I don't know what he's up to, bringing me here, of all places…" Ryoma was murmuring to himself. He peeked at the clock hanging above the door, and frowned in frustration.

"Why don't you call him?" Sakuno said, fearing Ryoma would just walk out on her.

"I didn't bring my phone…" Ryoma said.

"I can lend you mine." Sakuno said, then she regretted. Ryoma might recognise her phone. But since when do Ryoma notice anything about her, let alone know what her phone looks like. But nevertheless, it's better to be safe than sorry. No matter what, she must never let Ryoma know who she is. Never. Or she's done for.

"I mean…I…I…can let you use the phone in the bar…but you might need to pay…thirty cents or so." Sakuno quickly said. Damn it I'm stuttering again! Sakuno thought as she flushed. Why does she always have to stutter around Ryoma? She was perfectly fine with her words whenever she was with her other customers! She had better stop stuttering lest Ryoma find her familiar, and her life would be ruined...

Ryoma thought for a while. "Okay." She sighed as she quickly rushed out of the room to get the phone.

"Carrie, let me borrow this for a while, sorry!" She said as she grabbed the phone off the table and brought it over to Ryoma's room.

"Here you go."

Ryoma took the phone and dialed a number.

"Oi, Momo-sempai, where are you?"

"Oh Ryoma, how are you liking that place?"

"Hurry up and get here!"

"Oh no, Ryoma, this is set up for you especially. You've been practising hard lately, and you've been ignoring all the girls that come to you! Yeah, so take this chance and relax, and hang out with that girl I helped you ordered. You just can't keep playing tennis, you just can't."

"What the fuck? So you arranged this for me? Are you crazy? I'm getting out of here."

"What? Oh come on, you just can't Ryoma, Sempai spent quite a lot of money on..."

He slammed the phone down angrily before Momoshiro couldfinish his sentence and grabbed his tennis bag, preparing to leave. "Freak him, waste my goddamn time..." He whispered under his breathe, stomping towards the door.

Sakuno stared in shock. Ryoma's leaving already? But…but…only ten minutes has passed! Carrie would definitely not count him in! I need the money! Without thinking, Sakuno shouted after Ryoma desperately. "Ryoma-kun!" And she regretted.

She held her breathe in dread as Ryoma turned around and stared at her. "How do you know my name?" He asked.

Damn it, why did she had to go and shout Ryoma's name like that? It's just one customer, she could easily earn the money back. Why did she had to call out for him like that and risk everything that she had planned. Oh man, I hope I didn't get him to be suspicious! She needed him to stay longer, but she could not expose her identity like that too. Now what...Sakuno bit her lips as she thought harder. "Mou, how would I not know you, Ryoma-kun, you are really famous around here you know." She flirted. "The tennis prodigy." She smiled coyly, hoping that this would trick Ryoma successfully.

Ryoma rolled his eyes, and turned to leave.

Sakuno panicked. Why is Ryoma always in a rush? "Wait, wait, don't leave! Wanna buy some more ponta?" She suggested, peeking at the clock. Just twenty more minutes, Ryoma, please just stay for another twenty more minutes! "I'll also get you a towel if you want." She winked.

"What do you want?" Ryoma asked finally, irked.

Sakuno fidgeted a bit. Maybe she should just tell him, and hope that he would help. "Ryoma-kun, it's just that…we get paid by the number of customers we serve, but we won't get paid if our customers leave so fast. So…just stay for a while longer…please? You've only stayed for 10 minutes. Just another 20 minutes?" Sakuno implored.

Ryoma stared at her, with an are-you-joking-who-do-you-think-I-am-why-should-I-waste-my-time-on-you face. She sighed and crossed her fingers. Who was she trying to fool? Why would Ryoma stay just because she puts up this puppy face and explained herself? Ryoma won't agree. He would probably just walk out of here, coolly and passively, the way he always did. After all, Ryoma probably just wants to practise his tennis. Who is she to compare herself to the importance of tennis to him? She just had to serve another customer. She can't get money easily by just asking someone to stay longer, someone who would not do anything to her, someone who would not touch her everywhere, kiss her everywhere, and demand her to take off her clothes, or even taking them off themselves... Money do not come easily I guess.

"Alright." Ryoma said, sitting back on the sofa. "I'll stay. Get me two bottles of ponta though."

Wait, what?

Sakuno stared at Ryoma. W…what did he say? He's staying? Ryoma is staying? But...why would he? Didn't he just said that he was wasting his time here? Am...am I hallucinating...?

Ryoma frowned, as he repeated his order again. "Did you hear me? I said, get me two bottles of ponta." He rolled his eyes. "Make it quick, since I'm helping you."

"Y...yes sir." She said, happily, smiling her widest, truest smile ever. So Ryoma did agree to stay on, just to help her. He's so nice…I can't believe it… Sakuno could almost feel tears coming out. Ryoma is a kind-hearted person after all. The first time she met him, didn't he also helped her out in the train? Sakuno jumped cheerfully towards the door, remembering Ryoma's request.

"Fanny, I need two ponta." She called out.

Fanny laughed. "Well done, Sakuno." She said, as she passed her two bottles of ponta. "Here you go."

Sakuno took the ponta and put them on the table in front of Ryoma.

She raised her head, and saw Ryoma staring at her intensely. Ryoma hardly notices her, so this stare kind of scares her a little bit... "Yes, cutie?" She asked.

"What…did she call you just now?" Ryoma asked, eyes not leaving her one bit.

Sakuno's mouth opened slightly unconsciously. Oh, damn it...Sakuno could feel a sense of dread crawling into her stomach. Shit, Fanny is the only one that knew her real name, and she probably called her 'Sakuno' instead of her fake name 'Sakura'. Damn it, did Ryoma hear Fanny just now…oh man…no now, after she had made Ryoma stayed here without suspecting anything. Why did this have to happen after her plan worked out smoothly? This is bad...what should she do...?

"S...She called me Sakura, that's my name, why?" Sakuno said, trying to lie her way out. "Why, cutie, are you trying to know my name because you like me?" She winked.

Ryoma frowned, leaning closer. "Don't lie, I heard Sakuno." He said, staring at her adamantly.

"Sakuno? Who's that? Your girlfriend?" Sakuno lied, trying not to stammer or blink her eyes too much. "Oh come on, if you keep thinking about your girlfriend like that, I'll get jealous. Hearing her name even when I'm around. How about this, if you like that Sakuno so much, treat me like her then, since our names are about the same." Sakuno said, slightly forcing out her smile. She's getting nervous, and she had better not stutter and giver herself away!

"Take off your mask." Ryoma ordered. Seeing no movement, Ryoma reached his hands out to peel off the mask. As if by instinct, Sakuno slapped his hands away immediately.

"I…You're…you can't take off my mask…it's a rule…so that our identities would be protected…to prevent stalkers from stalking us. If you are going to peel it off, I'm going to ask security to throw you out." Sakuno said, stammering. Shit, why am I stammering again?

Ryoma stared at her for a while, shrugged and then went to drink his ponta.

He did not look at her anymore after that. After twenty minutes, he left the room hastily, not even looking back.

Sakuno blinked, unable to comprehend. Does this means he's not suspecting anymore, or what? Well, hopefully it's the former, Sakuno thought as she crossed her fingers, while preparing for the next customer, who is in room 610.

XxXxX

end of chapter! reviews! :D