Feeling a little hurt, Tanaka Masao brought Eriri to the maid café he had been curious about for a long time.
By now, the two of them had taken off their masks so they wouldn't draw unnecessary attention.
Dressed in typical otaku fashion, they blended in easily with the surroundings.
"Welcome home, Master, Miss."
Eriri sat down, shook her head helplessly, and sighed.
"I really don't understand why you boys are so obsessed with maids."
While she complained, Tanaka Masao was still scanning the menu, unsure of what to order. Eriri, however, ordered smoothly and without hesitation.
"One strawberry cake, one glass of juice—no 'delicious magic' needed."
"Yes, Miss."
The maid wrote it down, then turned to Tanaka Masao with a gentle smile.
"Master, this is your first time here, isn't it? Would you like me to recommend something?"
Tanaka Masao put the menu down and nodded. "Sure."
Since reputation is everything in a maid café, the waitress didn't push expensive items. Instead, she suggested the classic heart-shaped omelette rice with a glass of orange juice.
When she left, Eriri chuckled.
"Heh, I didn't expect you to be so nervous your first time here. Did the cute maid leave you dazzled?"
"The maid is quite cute."
Tanaka Masao nodded. The owner must be strict—the girls working here were all attractive, easily a 7 out of 10.
Still, he wasn't about to be swayed. After all, he spent his days around plenty of beautiful girls.
In class, there was Kawasaki Saki. After school, he was often with Yukino Yukinoshita. On weekends, he spent time with Eriri.
All three were school beauties, their looks easily a 9 out of 10.
Thinking about this, Tanaka Masao felt his life wasn't bad at all.
He added calmly,
"I'm not the type to get obsessed, but that kind of exaggerated friendliness at a first meeting just makes me uncomfortable—it lacks a sense of distance."
Eriri blinked at him in surprise.
"You… know about a sense of distance?"
"Of course I do."
"Heh" Eriri sneered.
"If you really knew, you wouldn't have talked to me the very first time we met. Then I wouldn't be stuck accompanying you now, and I could just enjoy my quiet otaku life at home."
Tanaka Masao didn't take her words to heart at all.
Tsundere, just listen to what they say in reverse, and translate it.
[Thanks to you recognizing me at that time, I can accompany you like this now, it's really enjoyable. ]
Well, even if Eriri is not a tsundere, she won't say that.
······
Soon, the food arrived.
The maid set everything down carefully.
"Miss, here's your cake and juice. Master, your omelette rice and juice."
Instead of leaving, she pressed her hands into a heart shape over the omelette rice and began a playful little chant.
"Delicious! Moe, Moe, Kyun! (Become delicious! Moe, Moe!)"
With that, she bowed politely.
"Please enjoy your meal, Master, Miss."
As the maid walked off, Eriri rested her chin on one hand, eating her cake with the other, and asked curiously,
"So, how's the 'delicious magic'? Did the omelette rice taste any better?"
Tanaka Masao was still replaying the scene in his head.
"I can't say it actually tastes better, but after experiencing it myself, I think the performance alone was worth the money."
Eriri, surprisingly, didn't argue.
"You're right. Not everyone could pull off something like that."
She admitted to herself that she could never bring herself to do something so embarrassing.
As he ate his omelette rice, Tanaka Masao thought to himself:
[Kawasaki wants to earn money for tuition. With her looks, she'd be an incredibly popular maid.
Though I can't imagine her acting shy… her cold, disgusted look would actually be even more attractive.]
Of course, Kawasaki Saki would never agree to something like this. She might work as an ordinary waitress, but she would never play the bubbly, customer-charming maid role.
Seeing him lost in thought, Eriri frowned.
"What are you thinking about? Don't tell me you're plotting another story for your book."
Tanaka Masao snapped back and smiled mysteriously.
"Guess."
Eriri scoffed coldly.
"Hmph, of course you are. You're such a perverted fat otaku, always in heat, with nothing but dirty thoughts in your head."
Realizing she was speaking a bit too loudly for the setting, she lowered her voice so only the two of them could hear.
Tanaka Masao sighed helplessly.
"Eriri, why do I feel like, in your eyes, I'm nothing but my book?"
Eriri narrowed her eyes.
"Why? Do you have anything else to show?"
"Of course. When…"
But before he could continue, it hit him—neither he nor the original owner had any particular specialty. Even the sketchbook wasn't really his.
"I can't think of one right now, but there will be."
Eriri gave him a flat, dead-fish stare. Without saying anything, her meaning was clear.
[Pathetic.]
That look stung. Tanaka Masao clenched his fists under the table and thought bitterly,
[I do have a talent—endless stamina and energy. I wonder if Eriri dares to test it?]
But since this was a gift from the system, he couldn't exactly announce it, so he kept quiet.
[Don't get mad. Eriri's a tsundere. You have to flip everything she says.
She must actually think I'm amazing and secretly respect me.]
…But staring into her eyes now, even Tanaka Masao couldn't fool himself.
He lowered his head and ate instead. Still, he wasn't planning to back down so easily, so he asked,
"Eriri, are you heading straight home after this?"
"Why? Do you have something in mind?"
"I was planning to stop by the arcade for a bit. Want to join me?"
"The arcade, huh…"
Eriri thought for a moment. "It's been a while. Fine, let's go."
At school, she kept up the image of a graceful, sunny lady, so naturally she never went to arcades.
Most of her time was spent drawing. And after falling out with Aki Tomoya, she no longer had otaku friends, so she rarely visited arcades alone.
Meanwhile, Tanaka Masao lowered his head, a sly grin spreading across his face.
[Eriri, when we get to the arcade, I'll beat you until you're crying.]