"What can I get you, Master?" Iris asks one of her customers at the maid café — a charming boy with jet-black hair and mesmerizing blue eyes.
Around his neck, he wears one of those lockets that open to reveal a photo — in his case, a beautiful woman in her forties with burgundy hair. It's made of black metal, with strange symbols engraved on it.
In that maid outfit, Iris is a huge draw for customers. Many people go there just to be served by her, and the black-haired boy seems especially interested in her.
"I'd like an ice-cold beer… and to see you after you get off work."
Iris makes a slight grimace — partly because of the request for a beer so early in the morning, and mostly because it's clearly an invitation to a date.
"For the beer, I need an ID to make sure you're at least twenty. As for the other thing… I don't think my boyfriend would be very happy if, instead of going back to him after work, I went on a date with a customer. Don't you think, Master?"
The boy pulls out his ID and hands it to Iris.
"Jace Lance… twenty-two… all right, everything's fine — I can serve you the beer. And… out of curiosity, why do you want to see me after my shift?"
Jace shrugs.
"Oh, what's the point of knowing? You're taken, and I'm a decent guy — I'd never dare flirt with a girl who's in a relationship."
"If it's flirting, no. But if it's just a quiet walk between friends… I'm sure my boyfriend would understand."
Iris adds with a mischievous wink.
She leans toward him so much that the neckline of her maid outfit reveals more than it should. Her voice turns warm and irresistibly sensual — and so does her gaze.
"How about going somewhere secluded… far from prying eyes? You know, people talk too much, and I wouldn't want anyone to misunderstand — especially my boyfriend."
Jace grins with satisfaction.
"That's exactly what I had in mind."
Iris's shift ends at 2 p.m., and then she starts again from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
As soon as her morning shift ends, Jace is outside the maid café waiting for her.
"You're even more beautiful now than in the maid outfit. Believe me, that wasn't easy," Jace says.
"You're such a flatterer — it's just a normal white T-shirt. Hey… you're not trying to seduce me, are you?"
Yet, judging by Iris's teasing smile, she doesn't seem too displeased.
"I just like simple things, that's all."
"What a shameless liar… anyway, where were you planning to take me?"
"It's a surprise, my dear. Just follow me. I chose a place far from prying eyes, just like you asked."
Iris smiles at him, and they walk side by side through the streets of downtown Ashiya.
During the walk, they laugh and joke like lifelong friends. Yet, despite what this kind of date might suggest, neither of them makes any physical contact. Not even their fingers brush by accident.
Even so, they both seem eager for the moment they reach that secret place.
Forty-five minutes later, they arrive at an old industrial complex abandoned for decades. Around them, rows of deteriorating warehouses stretch for hundreds of meters, and not a soul is in sight.
"A pretty unusual place for a first romantic date. But one thing is certain — whatever happens here, no one will ever find out," Iris comments.
She looks around, as if searching for something in particular.
"Didn't you say it was supposed to be a normal walk between friends? If you keep saying things like that, I might start getting cocky. Anyway, it's the most isolated place in Ashiya — you couldn't have picked anything better."
Iris suddenly stops, while Jace keeps walking.
"A perfect place to do what we need to do…" he adds as he keeps walking.
"Yeah, I couldn't have asked for better…"
And suddenly... WOOOSH!
Jace steps aside from a purple energy sphere hurled at him, as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
"Didn't they teach you it's rude to attack from behind?" Jace mutters casually. There's no hint of surprise in his voice.
When he turns around, his eyes — now scarlet — fix on Iris in her succubus form.
A purplish aura swirls around her, and huge demonic wings spread from her back.
"You've got guts to face me alone, little girl. I'd be tempted to tell you 'you have no idea who you're dealing with,' but if we've gotten this far, I guess you know very well."
As he speaks, a wound opens in his palm, and his blood forms into a massive axe.
"My brother has suffered enough because of you, and I won't let you hurt him again — not after everything he's done for me and my sisters!"
The energy around Iris turns into a devastating storm, so intense it cracks the asphalt and nearby buildings.
"You'll pay for all the pain you've caused my family, Jace Lance! I… I'll wipe you off the face of the Earth with my own hands!"