David's plan for the day was simple: avoid Sora, avoid emotional damage, and maybe do laundry.
So naturally, fate body-slammed his plans into the pavement.
It began with an innocent enough notification from the H-System:
Random Event Triggered: Maid Café Field Trip (Seiryu Academy Culture Club)
Location: Rose Whiskers Café
Time: 2 PM Today
Participants: Reika Saionji, Sora Minazuki, YOU
David nearly choked on his cereal.
"Excuse me—WHAT."
Event Objective: Participate Naturally
Optional Bonus: Impress Reika While Dressed as a Maid (Yes, You)
He slammed his head against the table.
...
1:58 PM – Outside Rose Whiskers Café
David stood frozen in front of the pastel-pink building. His borrowed maid uniform was tight in unfortunate places, frilly in all the wrong ones, and the headband itched like betrayal.
Reika, wearing a cat-themed maid uniform and a look of pure chaos, appeared beside him.
"You clean up well," she said, sipping bubble tea with one hand and poking his hair bow with the other.
"This is bullying."
She smirked. "Think of it as character development."
Sora walked up seconds later, dressed not in a maid outfit but a butler uniform, sharp and smug.
"…Why is he the butler?" David hissed.
"Because I threatened the club president," Sora replied calmly.
The café door opened.
"Shift starts now, maids!" barked the upperclassman managing the club event.
David shuffled in, dead inside
2:15 PM – Inside Rose Whiskers
The café was full of customers—mostly students who came to support the club. Each table buzzed with excitement and bad cosplay decisions.
David was assigned Table 3.
Unfortunately, so was Reika.
"Okay," she whispered, adjusting her ears. "We're supposed to do a greeting. Together."
David groaned. "I don't—what is the—?"
Reika raised two fingers in a V pose and chirped, "Welcome home, Master~!"
David wanted to scream.
He followed suit, monotone. "Welcome…home…Master."
The customer, a third-year girl with a camera, squealed. "You two are so cute together!"
The H-System pinged.
Mini-Flag Triggered: Shared Maid Humiliation Bond
Affection +2 (Reika)
Rival Jealousy +1 (Sora)
"Of course," David muttered. "Even public shame is romantic now."
3:00 PM – Café Chaos
Things went sideways fast.
Someone spilled soup on the guest list.
The club president tripped over a tail and dislocated a chair.
And then—just when David thought things couldn't get weirder—a group of customers requested a "Moe Dance Battle" between the café's top staff.
Top staff… meaning Reika, Sora, and—because the world was cruel—David.
"Absolutely not," David said, backing toward the kitchen.
"Oh, come on," Reika said, arms crossed, maid skirt swaying. "You've got rhythm."
"I have stage fright. And shame."
"Perfect combo," she grinned.
The H-System forced a pop-up in red:
Mandatory Participation Confirmed
Failure to Comply Will Lower Charisma Stat Permanently
"Ugh. Fine."
The lights dimmed.
The music started.
Sora did a suave finger snap and smooth footwork, winning immediate shrieks.
Reika twirled like she was born in an idol anime.
David? David attempted what could only be described as the mating dance of a flailing raccoon.
Someone threw confetti. Another student dropped their phone recording him.
But Reika was laughing—real laughter, the kind that bent her over and had tears at the edges.
He wasn't mad.
Because for that moment, she was smiling because of him.
The system chimed again.
Special Moment Logged: "Making Reika Laugh Until She Can't Stand"
Affection Boost +3
Sora, off to the side, clenched his jaw.
The crowd cheered.
David collapsed into a chair, panting.
He was sure he'd sprained pride itself.
4:10 PM – Café Cleanup
Backstage, Reika handed David a cold drink. She had wiped off her makeup and ditched the cat ears.
"You're fun, you know that?" she said.
"You say that like it's a problem."
"It is a problem," she muttered. "Because now I can't stop wondering why you're always… right where I am."
David blinked.
"I mean it," she said. "You show up during the library panic, the beach, the gym, and now this café gig. It's almost like…"
She looked him dead in the eyes.
"…Like we're connected. Somehow."
David's heart stopped.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, suspicious. Searching.
But then Sora walked in.
"Reika. Walk home with me?"
David flinched.
Reika looked between them.
"…I'll catch up," she said. "I need to finish cleaning."
Sora nodded, gaze locked on David. "Don't get too comfortable."
He left.
Reika turned back.
"So?"
David met her eyes. "So?"
"What are you hiding?"
He smiled gently.
"Only the end of the world."
Reika snorted. "Lame."
But she handed him her phone. "Text me sometime, raccoon boy."
The H-System pinged louder than usual.
Event Complete: Random Encounter – Maid Café Madness
Unlocked: Reika's Contact Info
Affection Level: 7
Rival Status: Jealous and Plotting
As David walked away under the darkening sky, he felt it:
The game was accelerating.
And Reika was starting to remember things she wasn't supposed to.