Chapter 39: Maid Cafe
Asakura Reiko looked at Sawamura Sayuri, who was sitting across from her and bore a seventy percent resemblance to the Eriri she had seen in photos, and said with emotion, "I never thought we would end up having the same idea."
Sawamura Sayuri ate a piece of sushi and smiled, saying, "This shows that as mothers, our thoughts are very similar. To be honest, even though I understood the situation and knew Eriri wouldn't have any problems going out today and would likely have a great time, I still couldn't resist wanting to check on her."
"Exactly, exactly."
Asakura Reiko also nodded with a smile. "I also decided spur-of-the-moment to follow him after Kaede left the house. To be honest, this is the first time he has gone out alone with a girl. Although I know my son is quite sensible, this isn't an ordinary matter, so it's inevitable to worry a little."
Both women were enlightened parents and would not restrict their children's social lives. If they could find a supportive partner at this beautiful age, it would naturally be excellent.
And judging from the current situation, the subsequent development should be quite stable, provided nothing unexpected happens.
This conclusion was reached jointly after the two mothers exchanged information.
However, since the two of them had unexpectedly met today, they temporarily set aside their intention to follow and observe. They would let their children develop freely, while the two mothers could communicate thoroughly in another capacity.
Sawamura Sayuri thought for a moment and suggested, "Reiko, since we aren't going to follow them, how about we go shopping this afternoon? It's been quite a while since I last went shopping."
"That sounds great."
Asakura Reiko smiled and agreed, "It is definitely time to consider buying some new clothes for spring and summer."
...On the other side, Kaede and Eriri rested for a bit after their meal, and finally paid the bill and left the restaurant.
Once outside, Eriri looked at Kaede and said, "Thank you for paying today."
Shaking his head, Kaede smiled and said, "I brought you to this restaurant, so it's only natural that I treat you."
"Then we can't continue like this at the Maid Cafe this afternoon, we'll split the bill."
Eriri was also a small rich girl and didn't need the guy to pay every time they went out, especially since they weren't in that kind of relationship yet.
Kaede naturally had no objection and agreed.
Returning to Akihabara, the two went straight to the Maid Cafe.
In Japan, Maid Cafes are already a very common type of dining establishment. The only difference is that the servers are all girls, and they all wear maid outfits. After some time, cafes featuring only male attendants and catering to female customers have also appeared.
As soon as they entered, two Maid Ladies politely bowed and said, "Welcome back, Master~~~".
"Oh!!!!"
Eriri was startled and instinctively grabbed Kaede's sleeve, but she quickly became excited.
Kaede didn't show much reaction, as he had expected this kind of opening greeting.
One of the Maid Ladies looked at the two of them and smiled, saying, "Masters, please come inside."
Following the Maid Lady inside, Kaede realized there was a reason why this shop was so popular.
First, the decor was very elaborate; it was obvious that a lot of money had been spent on every detail. Furthermore, the quality of the servers—the maids—was much higher than Kaede had anticipated.
Although they were all wearing makeup right now, Kaede boldly guessed that even without makeup, their average score would still be around 80 points.
It was understandable why the male customers kept pouring in.
After they sat down, the Maid Lady handed them two menus. "Masters, here are our menus. The items on the first page are our signature products!"
Kaede opened it and, sure enough, saw the Maid Special Omelet Rice listed there.
However, having just eaten, he wasn't interested, and he wasn't sure if the omelet rice was genuinely handmade by a maid or if only the ketchup on top was applied by her.
Flipping through the menu, Kaede said, "Then I'll have a glass of Lemon Black Tea, and a slice of Tiramisu cake."
After Kaede finished ordering, Eriri quickly added, "I want Red Bean Milk Tea, and Chocolate Cake!"
"Alright, Masters, please wait a moment~~"
After taking the order, the Maid Lady smiled and left.
Kaede looked at Eriri, who was curiously looking around, and asked with a smile, "I just saw that the menu also has a section for playing games with the maids. Should we order that?"
"We can try it! It looks quite interesting. There are board games, and things like dart competitions."
Eriri flipped to the later pages of the menu, reading the descriptions with great interest. "And I saw that if you win some competitions, you get small prizes, and you can even take a photo with a maid!"
However, looking at the prizes listed, which clearly weren't cheap, Eriri figured that for the cafe to dare offer these game challenges, the maids participating in the contests must definitely have some skill.
Soon, the drinks and snacks arrived. The taste of these items was quite good and matched the price point.
Since she came to the Maid Cafe to have fun, Eriri naturally wouldn't just eat. She immediately called over the maid who delivered the food, and then called over another one, and the four of them started playing a board game.
Kaede was truly not very good at board games, but after they started, he realized that Eriri wasn't good at them either; she seemed to only know the basic rules.
That was good; this way, he wouldn't be the only one embarrassing himself.
After playing one round of the board game and being utterly defeated by the two maids who were extremely skilled at it, Eriri stopped playing. After, as a girl, she managed to get a rare photo taken with a Maid Lady, she happily started eating cake.
Looking at the instant photo in her hand, Eriri proudly showed it to Kaede and said, "Heh heh, you can't be jealous of this."
"I'm not jealous either."
Kaede looked at Eriri's beaming face and said, "I actually think other people should be jealous of me."
"Why?"
Raising a finger and subtly pointing around, Kaede said, "Haven't you noticed? All the customers who come to the shop are men who came with companions. You are the only female here."
"Eh? That's true." Eriri turned her head and looked around, realizing they were all male customers. "Hmm... Am I weird?"
"You don't need to worry too much about what others think, just be happy," Kaede said, looking at the slightly nervous Eriri. "Besides, even if someone you know sees you, you can just use me as an excuse. Just say I dragged you here."
"Wait, you were the one who suggested coming here in the first place!"
"But in the end, you were the one who had the most fun."
Looking at the smiling Kaede, Eriri angrily pulled her NS out of her bag. "You make me so mad! Let's duel!"