The sudden obstruction made Utaha Kasumigaoka pause.
She glanced at Eriri, who was rapidly disappearing ahead, reaching out as if to stop her, but could only watch her leave.
"Honestly."
Seeing Eriri swallowed by the crowd, Utaha placed a hand on her hip and sighed:
"Did I tease her too much?"
Utaha murmured to herself, then turned to see the petite, adorable white-haired maid holding flyers before her.
Facing the white-haired maid's smiling face, Utaha couldn't help thinking:
'Are maid cafés this competitive nowadays? Hiring such cute girls to hand out flyers?'
Though mentally praising the girl's cuteness, Utaha outwardly declined:
"Sorry, I've no need to visit a maid café."
While tempted to say recruiting someone like her to advertise a maid café was a mistake, Utaha couldn't bring herself to be so rude to a stranger - especially such a cute girl.
Having politely refused the invitation, Utaha moved to walk past, but the white-haired maid suddenly shifted position, blocking her path again while examining her with surprised eyes.
Seeing this, Utaha Kasumigaoka frowned and said, "I believe I've made myself quite clear, haven't I?"
"When I first caught the scent, something felt off. Turns out it really was the smell of a fellow kin."
The petite white-haired maid bared her fangs, her voice brimming with excitement:
"My name is Maria Naruse. Which clan do you belong to? I'd never heard of any compatriots in Japan before. Could you be one of the legendary Descent species?"
'Maria Naruse... clan... compatriot... Descent species? Am I being mistaken for someone else?' Utaha's mind raced as she assessed the situation and considered her options.
To encounter someone from the supernatural side just by passing through Akihabara? The odds of that were absurdly low.
Before she could respond, Maria Naruse suddenly narrowed her eyes, her purple pupils reflecting an eerie glow.
Utaha clutched her forehead with a pained grunt, then looked at Maria with undisguised alarm.
Maria wore an expression of satisfaction at this reaction, crossing her arms as she said:
"Hoho, so your psychic powers have indeed awakened."
"It was worth hinting to your companion to leave quickly."
Maria parted her lips to reveal small fangs, regarding Utaha with an ambiguous smile:
"No need to be nervous. As your senior from the same race, my 'allure index' is two whole tiers above yours."
'Allure index? What the hell?' Utaha was dumbfounded by the bizarre terminology.
"But who would have thought there'd be awakened kin in Japan? And judging by your condition, your awakening seems quite advanced. Could you be the offspring of some seniors enjoying themselves abroad? Or perhaps a rare Abyss Descent specimen?"
Maria rubbed her chin, muttering to herself.
While secretly sending a distress call to Luo Shu through their internal comms, Utaha adjusted her shoulder bag strap and forced composure:
"I don't understand what you're talking about. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."
With that, Utaha moved to step past Maria.
"Oh? Are you sure you want to leave just like that? Don't you want to understand why you're special?"
At these words, Utaha, who had just passed Maria, suddenly froze in her tracks.
Noticing this, Maria's lips curled into a pleased smile.
Unseen behind her, the momentarily stilled Utaha suddenly found her vision blurring - the surroundings becoming layered and distorted, colours leaching into monochrome.
Within this grey, overlapping world, an indistinct figure seated on a high-backed chair smiled at her, its eyes obscured.
[I understand.]
The words reverberated in Utaha's ears before her vision snapped back into focus, her relief palpable.
"Changed your mind about leaving?"
Maria clasped her hands behind her back, cheerfully stepping to Utaha's side:
"In that case, care to visit a maid café?"
Sensing Luo Shu's watchful presence bolstering her confidence, Utaha finally responded.
Tossing her hair, she flashed a charming smile:
"Gladly!"
...
Dreamland Maid Café.
As the door chime tinkled upon their entry, several cheerful voices called out in unison:
"Welcome to Dreamland~~" xN
"It's me!"
Maria Naruse casually waved a greeting:
"Prepare room number six."
After saying that, she turned to Utaha Kasumigaoka and said:
"I'm going to change clothes. Wait for me in room six."
"Yes, Lady Maria." A sweet-looking maid smiled gently and said to Utaha: "Please follow me."
"...Oh."
Utaha stared blankly at the maid before her, her eyes curiously scanning the numerous customers inside the café.
Come to think of it, this was her first time visiting a maid café, so she couldn't help feeling somewhat intrigued.
As she observed her surroundings, Utaha closely followed the maid up the stairs to the second floor, eventually arriving at the innermost room adjacent to the fire escape.
"Please wait here, miss. Lady Maria will join you shortly."
With the guiding maid's farewell, Utaha examined the so-called room number six.
Contrary to expectations, room six differed from the Western-style café downstairs, instead featuring a traditional Japanese tatami room.
The low table at the centre more closely resembled a conference table for business discussions—the kind Utaha often encountered when her editor invited her to certain restaurants for meetings.
Utaha changed into indoor slippers at the entryway, stepped onto the tatami, knelt beside the table, and murmured:
"So, my kin, and that Naruse Maria... what exactly..."
Just then, with a swift motion, the flower-and-bird-patterned wall opposite Utaha suddenly slid open, and Maria Naruse cheerfully bounded in.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
Utaha's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Maria Naruse.
Or rather, at the demonic goat horns on her head and the heart-shaped tail swaying behind her:
"Ah, this form really is the most comfortable!"
Maria stretched her shoulders and sighed contentedly before turning to the dumbfounded Utaha with a mischievous grin:
"No need to be so surprised, right? You must have realised it too—that Succubus bloodline within you~~"