"Sorry to keep you waiting, Master!"
The maid café's service was impressively professional. It didn't take long before Miss Kano, with her signature twin tails, came dashing back up the stairs. Her little leather boots tapped against the steps as her hair bounced up and down, painting a picture of cuteness in motion.
The set meal that Jingu Yō had ordered turned out to be an omurice, served with a drink and a few small sides. Kano carefully set down the dish on the table—it was a golden-yellow omelet wrapped lovingly around rice, visually irresistible.
After placing it down, she looked at him and asked,
"What kind of animal do you like, Master?"
"Uh… dogs, I guess."
Yō answered without hesitation. Dogs were his favorite—loyal, dependable creatures. He didn't mind cats, but they just didn't strike the same chord.
"Got it~!"
Kano took out a small ketchup bottle and began drawing a simple, cute dog on the omurice. Then she decorated the plate with a few hearts and wrote the phrase HEART of HEART in English.
Yō looked at her work with mild admiration—it was genuinely well done.
Just as Kano was about to put the ketchup away, Yō suddenly said,
"Can you add 'Onii-chan' right here?"
He pointed at an open spot on the plate.
Kano's cheeks flushed a faint pink, but she still smiled and obediently wrote "お兄ちゃん" in ketchup, her fingers surprisingly deft.
Then, she clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and began chanting something under her breath—like a magic spell. She ended by pointing her finger at the dish and declaring with mock seriousness,
"May it taste amazing!"
The adorable little ritual made Yō chuckle. Kano followed suit with a giggle of her own.
"Well then, if you need anything else, please ring the bell on the table, and I'll be there right away."
She gave a slight bow, picked up her tray, and turned to leave, ready to greet the next customer.
Yō gestured for Aki Tomoya to eat, then picked up his own spoon and took a bite of the omurice.
It was good. In fact, it was better than what most restaurants served. Kano's cooking skills were legit. Whoever she ends up with someday was going to be a lucky man.
The food might've cost five or six times the normal price, but it felt worth it. Yō and Aki, both having worked up an appetite, quickly focused on finishing the meal.
After they'd eaten their fill, Yō patted his slightly bloated stomach, took a sip of Calpis, and turned to Aki.
"Aki-kun, do you know where I can buy tools for drawing manga in Akihabara?"
"Huh?"
Aki blinked in confusion, but quickly responded,
"There are plenty of places here that sell that kind of stuff. What exactly are you looking for?"
"I need professional manga manuscript paper, pencils, erasers, ink, technical pens, dip pens, student nibs, G and maru nibs, cutters, all the traditional hand-drawing tools. Also, a graphic tablet and pro-level illustration software."
Yō rattled off the list like a seasoned pro. Anyone else would've been completely lost, but Aki was a hardcore otaku with a childhood friend who drew doujinshi. He got it.
And in a country where copyrights were taken seriously, even the illustration software had to be bought legally—no pirated downloads.
"I can take you to some places. So... are you planning to start drawing manga?"
Aki's eyes lit up, voice rising with excitement.
"I've studied art for years. Lately, I've had a bunch of ideas I want to get on paper. I figured I'd try drawing them myself."
Yō said this with a straight face. It wasn't a complete lie—he had studied art for years. But those "ideas" in his head were just plagiarized stories from the world he came from.
"Whoa! I thought you were gonna make fan comics or something. Didn't expect original content!"
Aki stood up and began waving his arms as if he were pitching an idea.
"When it's done, please let me read it! I'd love to see it!"
He was the kind of otaku who truly respected original creators.
"Sure, sure…"
Yō shrugged, already used to Aki's overly enthusiastic energy.
"Let's not waste time then. If you're done eating, I'll take you to some places with good quality and decent prices."
"I don't really care about the price. I just want top quality."
Yō replied with the ease of someone who had just stepped into wealth. Bargaining over a few thousand yen felt cheap now.
He got up and prepared to leave. This had been his real reason for coming to Akihabara—maid cafés were just a bonus.
Just as the two were getting ready to head to the register, a slow, mournful melody drifted through the air—soft, sorrowful, and hauntingly beautiful.
They both paused and looked toward a small stage in the corner of the café. It was Kano. She stood alone, singing into a microphone, surrounded by a sea of glowing sticks waved by her fans. It felt less like a café performance and more like an idol showcase.
Her voice carried a deep sadness, laced with emotion, almost as if she were about to cry. That trembling warmth in her tone pierced the heart—an echo of loneliness that struck chords in anyone listening.
Some of the otaku in the audience had tears in their eyes.
When the song ended—only four minutes long—Yō and Aki exchanged glances. Both were taken aback.
Aki took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Yō spoke first, a hint of genuine admiration in his tone.
"She's really something. Honestly, she's on par with professional vocalists. Her technique's still rough in places, but emotionally? She nailed it."
"Senpai, are you into music too?"
"I've played piano since I was a kid."
Even after reincarnation, Yō still retained all his knowledge and muscle memory.
They didn't talk much after that. They went up to the register, paid the bill, and made their way to the exit.
Just before stepping out, Yō turned around for one last look.
Kano was still surrounded by glowing sticks and fans, but she spotted him—gave a bright smile, and waved her hand as if to say, Come again, Master.
He waved back.
But he never asked for her number, or her contact info. Even now, despite having been reborn into a life of wealth and opportunity, he still felt a trace of that familiar inferiority—like girls that radiant were forever out of reach.
He wasn't yet the man he aspired to be.
To win the things he never could before…
Yō would have to grow.
Grow into the person he most desperately wanted to become.