The pretty maid nodded. "I understand. Please wait a moment, masters. The food will be served right away."
And indeed, "right away" meant just that here. In less than three minutes, two pork cutlet rice bowls, one heart-shaped omelet rice, and a strawberry sundae were delivered. The serving efficiency was impressive.
When serving the omelet rice, the maid performed a little "magic" to make the food taste better. Simply put, it was an act of cuteness. This was a standard service, meant to make the customers—otaku men and women—happily spend money. After all, maid cafés sold the experience of maid service.
Before transmigrating, Kael had seen this scene many times in anime. But in anime, the production team added small special effects.
Seeing it in real life, however, Kael found it awkward. Even though the maid was pretty, the performance still made him cringe.
Marin and Saki, on the other hand, didn't mind. They ate while commenting on the café. They praised the environment, the good service, and the maids' professionalism. Most importantly, they admired the maid uniforms, saying they looked beautiful and worth trying. That last comment came from Marin.
Kael partly agreed with her. The food here was indeed good—the pork cutlet rice was delicious, the fried pork wasn't greasy, the sauce had a unique flavor, and combined with vegetables, the taste was rich. No wonder it cost twice as much as outside. Besides the maid service, the food was clearly a selling point. Overall, it was worth the price. No wonder the café was crowded.
The only disappointment for Kael was that none of the maids were characters he recognized. In many anime, heroines often worked at Akihabara maid cafés for various reasons. For example, Kotori Minami from Love Live, or Faris from Steins;Gate, or Misaki Ayuzawa, the student council president turned maid. There were also countless others who worked as maids for fun. But Kael hadn't seen any of them here. It was a pity.
Then again, Akihabara had more than a dozen maid cafés, maybe more. Not seeing those "special" maids was normal. It was like Toyogasaki Academy—not every class could have a heroine. Sometimes meeting heroines required luck. And today, Kael's luck was average.
After lunch, Kael prepared to pay, but Marin and Saki insisted on splitting the bill. In the end, Kael convinced them with: "I'll treat you at noon, you treat me at night."
While he went to pay, Marin and Saki waited outside. But when Kael stepped out, he saw them being harassed by several blond punks. More precisely, Marin was being harassed.
The punks surrounded her, grinning. "Hey, hey, want to grab a drink with us?"
"We know a place with great taste."
"Yeah, let's hang out and be friends."
As they spoke, they reached out to grab Marin.
Smack!
Before they could touch her, Marin slapped their hands away. "I don't know you. Don't touch me!" she said firmly.
Marin might dress like a gyaru, but she wasn't like the open, playful girls of Akihabara. Faced with these clearly ill-intentioned punks, she resisted strongly.
"Ow!"
One blond rubbed his reddened hand, his expression turning cold. His companions also grew hostile.
Marin and Saki, frightened, stepped back. After all, they were just ordinary high school girls. Facing these serious delinquents, they panicked.
The blond raised his swollen hand and said coldly: "You have two choices. First, come with us, be friends, and I'll forgive you."
"If you refuse, I'll slap you back."
He sneered. "Bitch, you don't want that pretty face ruined, do you?"
Marin's eyes widened in fear, but she didn't give in. She forced herself to say: "I warn you, we have a friend. If he comes, you'll regret it."
The punks burst out laughing. The blond laughed even harder. "So your friend can fight? Where is he? Let me see him!"
The next second, a hand suddenly grabbed the blond's head from the side and slammed it down. His face smashed into the ground with a dull thud. His nose bone shattered, blood splattered. The impact knocked him unconscious instantly.
His companions were shocked. One even cried out in panic: "Big Brother Hayato!!!"
Kael held the blond's head down, his eyes flashing as he looked at the panicked punk. "You just said his name is Hayato?"
The punk, intimidated by Kael's cold gaze, stepped back involuntarily.
Kael lifted the blond's head, examining his face. Though his nose was broken and his face swollen, Kael could still recognize him. It was indeed the blond Hayato—the very culprit from Metamorphosis who dragged Saki into darkness.
Kael had wondered where he would appear. With Tokyo's massive population, finding him wasn't easy. But who would have thought he'd encounter him here in just a few days? It was truly "searching high and low, only to find him effortlessly."
Perhaps this was the pull of story characters.
But then Kael noticed something strange. Hayato hadn't targeted Saki yet. Instead, he went after Marin. Why?
Looking at both girls, Kael understood. Compared to the obedient Saki, Marin's gyaru style made her not only prettier but also easier prey.