Dear Heroes, I really am a Villain-Chapter 104: Negotiating with Kiyomi

— Morning —

After a night of rest, Maximilian woke up and resumed his café duties as usual.

The three-day closure had several regular customers asking what had happened, but Maximilian simply responded with better service and improved coffee, explaining that he had taken the time 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 time, Maximilian threw out all the low-grade pastries and restocked with items that were B-grade or higher.

It cost several times 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 home.

But, to her trained eye, Maximilian was still a bit off from being a true butler.

"Are you trying to become a butler? You don’t need to, Max. This is just a regular café, not some 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 become my butler?" Kiyomi joked.

At her comment, Rebecca shot a fierce glare at Kiyomi, who seemed entirely unfazed. That only riled Rebecca up even more. If it weren’t for the presence of other customers, 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 me?" 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. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"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 come 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 something in return.

"What do you need help with?" Kiyomi asked.

"I need training, a training to become a butler," said Maximilian.

"Are you serious?" Kiyomi asked again, frowning as if she’d just heard something 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 mean you want to learn everything a professional butler needs to know? Like, really become one, not just improve customer 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 embarrassment? A secret he couldn’t let others know? Or perhaps something so personal that sharing it would make him feel vulnerable? But what kind of thing could make someone 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 recommend 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 me everything he knows," said Maximilian.

Hearing this, Kiyomi immediately set her coffee cup down and frowned at him.

"Are you crazy, Max? My butler is extremely 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 time, 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 me 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 remembered that compressing time required a lot of energy last time. 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 time 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 nemesis, 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 same 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, someone capable of protecting her in times of danger and serving her flawlessly in times of peace.

"You seem to be in good spirits these days, my lady. Has something good happened?" the butler asked.

He approached with his usual calm smile, the glint of his glasses giving him a scholarly charm.