Saturday, 7:00 a.m.
Takumi Yuuya stepped out of his bedroom and saw Kawasaki Saki already sitting on the sofa.
"Good morning, Kawasaki-san."
"Good morning, Takumi…"
"Just Takumi is fine."
"Good morning, Takumi."
"I didn't eat much this morning. You can just make something simple, then we'll go out together to buy the maid outfit."
"Yes, please wait a moment," Saki replied, bowing slightly before heading to the kitchen.
Takumi looked her over.
A plain white long-sleeve T-shirt.
Blue jeans.
Simple, yet somehow accentuating a girl's figure.
Saki suddenly glanced back.
Takumi met her gaze with a smile.
"Disgust level from Kawasaki Saki +10"
A notification popped up on his virtual screen.
Saki didn't say a word and entered the kitchen.
Takumi then went to the bathroom to wash up.
Breakfast consisted of toast and a fried egg.
Takumi had previously bought some jam.
Bread with jam wasn't bad at all.
After eating, Saki cleaned the dishes.
Then, they set out.
The sun shone brightly, a gentle breeze brushing their faces — perfect weather for a trip.
Saki parked her bike in the garage.
She followed Takumi silently, not asking where they were going to buy the maid outfit.
On the way, Takumi encountered some stray cats. He pulled out his phone and snapped a few photos.
He picked the best ones and sent them to Yukinoshita Yukino.
A few minutes later:
"Affection from Yukinoshita Yukino +10"
Takumi smirked.
Good. Cats always generate affection points.
Yukino's love for cats far outweighed her dislike for him.
At the shopping center.
There was a store specializing in anime character costumes and props.
Of course, they had maid outfits.
Takumi chose a very traditional one.
Saki took the outfit to the fitting room.
A few minutes later, she emerged, and Takumi's eyes widened.
"Not bad. How much?"
"15,000 yen."
"Add the shoes and hair accessories."
"That's 20,000 yen."
"And get four more sets of the same."
"O-okay."
The store clerk hurried to fetch them.
Saki turned to Takumi.
"Two sets should be enough, right?"
"I might hire another maid," he said with a hint of meaning.
"Do I need to quit then?"
"No. If there's another maid, she'll probably live at my house."
"Disgust level from Kawasaki Saki +10"
Saki didn't respond, turning her head instead.
They bought five maid outfits in total, then stopped by the supermarket for ingredients.
Back home, Takumi put the groceries in the fridge and turned to Saki.
"I don't feel like eating at home today. Do you know any nearby restaurants? I'll treat you."
"I usually cook myself. When I eat out, it's just set meals or fast food."
"Then let's find a nice restaurant. By the way, do you have any friends? If any are really pretty or cute, I can invite them too."
"I don't have friends."
"Brothers or sisters?"
"I have a younger brother and sister."
"Never mind the brother. Take your sister with us — it'll be more lively. Afterwards, we can go to an amusement park."
"Okay."
Saki hesitated briefly, then agreed. Though her sister was mature and understood her part-time work, going out would make her happy.
Takumi, though clumsy in some areas, was mostly harmless. Last night he had even escorted her home, proving he wasn't a bad person.
They rode to the Kawasaki household.
Before entering:
"Remember, in front of your sister, you can't say you're working for me. Just say you're helping me with my studies, okay?" Takumi reminded.
"I… I understand," Saki replied, a little stunned.
"Go get her. If you need to change, you can do that." Takumi secured the bikes.
"Got it," Saki said, opening the door.
Takumi waited outside, pulling out his phone.
Instead of messaging Yukino, he sent a message to Zaimura Eriri:
"How's the drawing going?"
"Disgust level from Zaimura Eriri +20"
Takumi grinned. 20 points in one go. What a good girl.
Both Yukino and Saki could learn a thing or two from her.
A few minutes later, Eriri sent a picture.
The character sketches were done: three characters.
Blonde twin-tailed heroine, wealthy exchange student.
The heroine's childhood friend, a bespectacled otaku.
Not exactly like real people, but extremely similar in character design.
Eriri's frustration wasn't with the designs but the plot:
The rich exchange student plans to invest in a game with the otaku. The otaku happily wants the childhood friend to be the game's illustrator.
Then the rich student sets a condition: she wants to be the male lead and the childhood friend as the female lead.
Under the guise of developing a game, the student and heroine go on dates while the otaku films them for reference.
Eriri, with her account as Kashiwagi Eri, could completely imagine how this plot would unfold.
What scared her more:
This plot might actually become reality.
If Takumi tells Aki Rumiya he'll invest, Rumiya will definitely agree.
If Takumi adds a personnel requirement… Rumiya will come straight to her.
Looking back at Takumi's story, this was a threat.
If he demanded something excessive, she might transfer schools just to make him pay.
But Takumi's request was her specialty — something she could complete easily.
So she had no choice but to draw the requested manga storyline.
If she didn't, Takumi could expose her identity, and she'd face transferring.
Even if her father had enough influence to keep her at Sobu High…
What would other students think? What would they say?
Thinking about it, she knew she couldn't handle the pressure.
The more she thought about Takumi, the angrier she became.
Seeing the message, she clenched her fists.
"Disgust level from Zaimura Eriri +20""Disgust level from Zaimura Eriri +20""Disgust level from Zaimura Eriri +20"
Three notifications in a row.
Takumi blinked.
What? System glitch?
"Target's disgust level has reached the maximum. Host, please ensure personal safety."
Takumi sucked in a breath.
Maximum disgust? Personal safety warning?
What should he do?
Wear a helmet at school on Monday?
Buy some body armor?
Should he get a full anti-stab suit?