Feeling emotionally bruised, Tanaka Masao led Eriri to the maid café he'd been fantasizing about for weeks.
He was running on empty, desperately in need of a recharge from some cute maids.
They'd taken off their face masks to blend in, and their standard-issue otaku clothes made them fit right in with the local crowd.
"Welcome home, Master, Young Mistress," a maid greeted them with a bright smile.
Sliding into her seat, Eriri let out a resigned sigh.
"I truly don't understand the male fascination with maid cafés."
While complaining, and before Masao could even decide what to order from the menu, Eriri placed her order with practiced ease.
"A strawberry cake and a fruit juice, please. And hold the 'delicious magic'."
"Understood, Young Mistress."
The maid scribbled down the order, then turned her warm, professional smile to Masao.
"Is this your first time visiting, Master? May I offer a recommendation?"
Relieved, Masao put the menu down. "Please do."
True to the establishment's reputation for good service, she suggested the classic heart-shaped omelet rice and a fresh orange juice—a standard, safe bet for a newcomer.
Once the maid was out of earshot, Eriri smirked.
"Heh. A first-timer huh. I should have known. What's the matter? Already flustered by a cute maid?"
"Well yes, she is cute," Masao admitted.
The maids here were undeniably attractive, a solid seven out of ten, likely a hiring requirement. But after daily exposure to the nine-out-of-ten beauty of Kawasaki Saki in class, the aloof perfection of Yukinoshita Yukino after school, and the tsundere charm of Eriri on weekends, he had built up a high tolerance.
His life was surprisingly blessed in that department.
"It's not about being flustered," he clarified. "It's the instant familiarity. The complete lack of personal space is just... unfamiliar to me."
Eriri stared at him, her expression one of incredulity.
"You know about personal space?"
"Of course I do!"
"Heh~" she scoffed. "If you had any concept of personal boundaries, you never would have spoken to me that first time. Then I could be at home right now, living my best reclusive life, instead of being dragged into a maid café."
Masao simply smiled. He'd long since learned to decode Eriri's tsundere speak. Her complaints were just a front; he chose to interpret them as her roundabout way of saying she enjoyed his company.
She probably meant 'Thank goodness you recognized me back then, so I can be with you like this now. I'm really enjoying it.'
Soon, their orders arrived.
"Young Mistress, your cake and juice. Master, your omelet rice and juice," the maid announced cheerfully.
But she didn't leave. Instead, she positioned her hands over Masao's plate, forming a heart shape. With a playful sway, she chanted,
"Oishiku na~re! Moe, moe, kyūn!"
With a final bow, she said, "Please enjoy your meal!" and finally took her leave.
Propping her chin on one hand, Eriri scooped up a bite of cake.
"So? Did the 'magic' work? Is your Omurice infinitely tastier now?"
Masao, who had been momentarily mesmerized by the performance, took a bite.
"I can't confirm a change in flavor," he mused. "But the experience itself was worth the price. I get the appeal now."
For once, Eriri didn't argue.
"I'll give them that. It takes a certain kind of courage to perform such an... earnest act in public."
She knew she could never muster that level of shamelessness herself.
As he ate, Masao's mind wandered.
'Kawasaki wants to earn extra money for tutoring... With her looks, she'd be a wildly popular maid. I can't picture her being sweetly shy, but a maid serving customers with sadistic contempt? That would be a unique draw.'
It was a fun thought, but he knew it would never happen. Kawasaki Saki might work a part-time job, but she'd never stoop to the interactive performance required of a maid in a maid café.
"Spacing out again?" Eriri's voice cut through his thoughts. "Don't tell me you're concocting another doujinshi plot."
Masao snapped back to reality, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Guess."
"Hmph." Eriri snorted, leaning in to whisper sharply, "You're just a hopeless, perpetually horny otaku whose brain is 90% filled with scandalous scenes."
Masao sighed in mock despair.
"Eriri, is that really all you think I am?"
"What else is there?" she fired back without missing a beat.
"Well, I—" he began, but then stopped.
When he thought about it, neither his current self nor his past life self had any particularly impressive talents. Even his doujinshi skills were borrowed. "...I'm sure I have other qualities. I just need to discover them!"
Eriri fixed him with a deadpan stare, her eyes conveying a simple, devastating message: You? Seriously?
The look hit its mark. Masao felt a familiar sting to his pride.
'I have that 'Boundless Energy' talent,' he thought, gritting his teeth. 'I wonder how she'd react if I ever showed her that, hehe. But it wasn't exactly a talent he could demonstrate on the spot.'
He took a deep breath, employing his usual defense mechanism.
'Don't take it personally. She's a tsundere. This is just her way of showing she cares. That look of pity is actually one of deep admiration.'
One glance at Eriri's unimpressed face told him that even his self-deception had its limits. He gave up and focused on his food, but he wasn't about to end the afternoon on a losing note.
"Hey, are you heading straight home after this?" he asked casually.
"Why? Got something else planned?"
"I was thinking of stopping by the arcade. Want to come?"
"The arcade..." Eriri considered it. It had been a long time since she's been to an arcade.
At school, she maintained her pristine, popular-girl image, which didn't include public arcade visits. And since her fallout with her former friend, Aki Tomoya, she rarely went alone. "It has been a while. Sure, why not?"
As he finished his meal, a triumphant smile crept onto Masao's face.
'Just you wait, Eriri,' he thought. 'At the arcade, I'm going to reclaim my honor. I'll wipe the floor with you.'
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