"Hmm, it actually looks pretty good on me~"
Mio gazed at her reflection in the mirror—herself dressed in a maid outfit—and nodded with satisfaction. Not a trace of embarrassment.
Before transmigrating, she'd worn plenty of outlandish costumes as an actress. A mere maid outfit was nothing.
"It really does look good." Eriri couldn't help but agree. At that moment, she felt the urge to draw Mio into one of her doujinshi, though she managed to suppress it for now.
"Shall we head out then, Master~"
"Why are you so good at this?"
Eriri really couldn't figure Mio out anymore. Most girls would be flustered enough just putting on a maid outfit—where did Mio get this natural ease? She had every reason to suspect Mio had worked part-time at a maid café before.
The two stepped out of the changing stall. The maid attendant was still waiting outside and had naturally overheard their exchange.
But there wasn't a hint of judgment in her gaze—only pure excitement.
Eriri, already numb to being misunderstood, didn't even bother reacting this time. She simply returned to their table with Mio.
Eriri glanced at the maids in the café, then back at Mio in her maid outfit. A thought suddenly struck her: maybe she didn't need to come here at all. She could've just brought Mio home and had her change into a maid outfit there.
As if remembering something, Eriri quietly pulled out her phone. "Shirai, can I take a few photos?"
"Of course. Master can take as many as you like, and I'll strike whatever pose you want. If possible, please send me copies afterward."
"No problem."
While Mio posed for Eriri's photos, the System's voice rang in her ears once again: "Host, I know you probably don't want to hear my voice right now, but what can I do? You know how it is, right?"
Not again!? Mio's smile stiffened for just a moment.
Now she felt like the increased luck card was even scarier than the punishment cards.
At least it only lasted a day. If it were like this every day, she couldn't even imagine.
"Don't worry, Host. Since Eriri's conquest rating isn't that high yet, the mission difficulty won't be too high either. This time, please find a way to feed Eriri at least ten times before leaving the maid café. Success may reward you with Eriri series cards or item rewards. Failure will result in drawing a punishment card."
The mission really wasn't that hard, but she still couldn't help sighing.
Seeing Mio's expression shift from cheerful to melancholic in an instant, Eriri instinctively wanted to ask what was wrong. But before she could formulate the words, Mio had already returned to her previous smiling self, as if that flash of helplessness and dejection had never happened.
"Sawamura-san, are you done taking photos?"
"Mm." Eriri acknowledged and started flipping through the dozens of photos she'd just taken.
She'd only planned to take a few shots for her collection. How had she ended up taking so many?
It must be because Mio was so cooperative. That's why she couldn't stop herself.
Yeah, that had to be it!
While Eriri was rationalizing to herself, she suddenly noticed Mio offering her a small piece of cake on a fork, held right up to her lips.
"What······ are you doing?"
"This is a special service I only offer while wearing the maid outfit~"
"That's······ really not necessary." Even without looking around, Eriri could feel the stares from everyone nearby.
"Sawamura-san was the one who asked me to put on the maid outfit, so you need to take responsibility, okay?"
"I······"
Eriri blinked, then under Mio's watchful gaze, slowly opened her mouth.
Fine. There's no one here who knows me anyway.
At first, Eriri thought Mio was just doing it on a whim. But after she swallowed that first bite, Mio immediately forked up another piece and brought it to her lips.
She really couldn't understand why Mio was so interested in feeding her.
Then again, she'd already taken that first bite. A few more wouldn't make a difference, right?
Perhaps Mio's feeding display was a bit too eye-catching. Some customers who didn't know the situation started asking the staff if the café offered such a service, leaving the maid attendants quite exasperated.
After Mio had fed Eriri the entire slice of cake, the maid who had helped Mio change earlier quietly approached.
Mio had expected she was going to be reminded about being mindful of the atmosphere or something. But when the maid actually spoke, she discovered the real purpose—the maid wanted to know if Mio was interested in working part-time here, and offered her a very attractive wage.
Though there were plenty of beautiful maids here, Mio still declined.
With the System on her case, she really didn't have the energy to take on a part-time job.
Hearing Mio's answer, the maid said with some regret, "That's a shame. If you ever change your mind, feel free to come find me anytime."
She even handed Mio a business card.
"Will do."
After the maid left, Eriri said with a laugh, "Looks like you've got real talent for being a maid."
"If it were being a maid at Sawamura-san's house, I'd accept without hesitation."
With Eriri's level of skill, trying to tease her? She was a hundred years too early.
After finishing their meal, Mio changed back into her regular clothes and left the café with Eriri.
During the meal, Mio had considered ending today's outing early. But she quickly realized that even if she went home now, the strong luck effect would persist until midnight. Triggering missions was unavoidable.
Better to stay by Eriri's side. At least Eriri's conquest rating was relatively low, so even if missions triggered, they'd be easier to complete. Plus, she could use this chance to explore more of Akihabara.
Actually, Mio still had a [Slacking Off Card] that could prevent missions from triggering for twenty-four hours. But by the time she remembered it, half the day had already passed. Using it now felt like a waste.
Better to save it for next time she encountered a situation like this.
······