Maid Cafe

"Take this! Don't you dare get careless, Etsuka! This next attack of mine is going to be the craziest one yet!"

Nakanishi Jiro sat cross-legged on the floor, his body swaying back and forth as he gripped the game controller.

Behind him, Amikura Mako sat on the edge of the bed, propping her head up with a look of helplessness.

What is this? How did Nakanishi even find out...

She never expected this; she had thought she would be able to spend the first day of summer vacation alone with Etsuka to grow closer.

Yet, somehow, Nakanishi Jiro had found out and come running over, making a fuss about wanting to challenge Etsuka to a duel in King of Fighters.

At first, Etsuka hadn't paid it much mind, chatting with Amikura Mako while he played, but as time went on, he realized Nakanishi Jiro's gaming skills were getting better and better.

He gradually became absorbed, his entire focus shifting to the game, leaving him with no time to pay attention to Amikura Mako.

Amikura Mako sat alone on the edge of the bed like someone who had been abandoned, looking lonely and forlorn.

"Ah, I lost again!" Nakanishi Jiro dropped the controller in total frustration, his face turned toward the ceiling with his mouth wide open in defeat.

"Just a lucky break." Horikita Etsuka patted Nakanishi Jiro on the shoulder. "You were so close to beating me again; I have a feeling I'm definitely going to lose the next round."

"No~" Nakanishi Jiro looked at Horikita Etsuka and said in a breakdown, "I finally get it now. This is the tenth time! Every time you say you won by luck, and every time it's by just a hair. Is bullying a noob that fun for you?"

Horikita Etsuka rubbed his nose with a guilty conscience. "That's not it at all, really. Every time, I thought I was about to die."

Amikura Mako asked curiously:

"Is Nakanishi not good at games?"

"No, no, no!" Nakanishi Jiro quickly shook his head to deny it, pointing at Etsuka. "It's clearly that Etsuka is just too good at gaming, not that I'm bad."

Nakanishi Jiro made it clear that one could question him on anything, but one could not question his gaming skills.

Amikura looked at Nakanishi Jiro with suspicion.

Nakanishi Jiro couldn't stand being looked at with such doubt regarding his abilities, so he held out the controller to Amikura and said, "If you don't believe me, Amikura-san, why don't you give it a try?"

"Huh? Me?" Amikura looked at the game screen. "But I don't know how to play this game."

Etsuka said with a smile:

"It's fine, you can give it a try. It's just for fun anyway."

"Um, alright." Amikura took the controller and knelt beside Etsuka, her small feet in white socks twitching slightly.

Seeing his scheme succeed, Nakanishi Jiro's mouth curled into a smirk.

Heh heh, Amikura, let me show you the cruelty of the real world. Don't blame me! Who told you to question my skills?

Round 1, Fight!

The game began.

Amikura operated her character with a serious expression.

And Etsuka's expression was also extremely focused as he played.

Nakanishi Jiro nodded, sipping his drink.

At the start, the character Etsuka controlled kept pressuring Amikura, her character's health bar constantly dropping as she could barely manage to defend.

Nakanishi Jiro nodded in satisfaction again and took a sip of his drink.

He swallowed, then looked back.

Amikura's character had won, pulling off a comeback with a sliver of health left!

"What the hell! This isn't right, is it?!!" Nakanishi Jiro's face was full of disbelief; if he hadn't already swallowed that mouthful of drink, he probably would have spat it out.

"Oh yeah!" Amikura Mako's eyes curved into crescents as she clenched her small fist to cheer for herself.

"Not bad, you actually managed a comeback against me." Etsuka smiled and held out his palm for a high-five.

"Heh heh, you know it." Amikura Mako proudly reached out her small palm and slapped it against Etsuka's.

The high-five between the two seemed to spark a connection, so bright it made Nakanishi Jiro unable to keep his eyes open.

"Etsuka! You're playing favorites!" Nakanishi Jiro said indignantly. "You were so fierce when you fought me! But you were attacking so slowly in the beginning against Amikura!"

Hearing Nakanishi Jiro's words, Amikura felt a warmth in her heart. This feeling of being treated specially made her feel very happy.

Girls are emotional creatures; as long as they feel they are being treated differently from others, they will usually feel very happy because it signifies that they are special.

Words like "only" or "unique" will always make a girl feel happy.

Etsuka spread his hands. "Less talk, more practice if you're bad."

If you think this book is good, please remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

"Wow! Damn it!" Nakanishi Jiro could only let out a roar of unwilling frustration.

As noon approached, Amikura suggested going out for a meal.

Nakanishi Jiro, with his heart set on returning to the dorm to practice his skills and wash away his shame, left in a huff.

With that, only Amikura and Etsuka were left to eat together.

They walked side by side down the hallway, maintaining a polite distance of one fist between them.

"By the way, Etsuka, how about we go pick out some clothes after we finish eating?"

Kurakara suddenly quickened her pace, turned around to face Etsuka, and walked backward with her hands behind her back as she asked him.

"Sure, but what do you want to eat?"

Etsuka wasn't very picky about food; as long as it filled his stomach, it was fine, but he still added, "It would be best to have a proper lunch, though."

"A proper lunch, huh... hmm..." Kurakara lowered her head and began to think seriously.

Just then, a girl dressed in a maid outfit standing at the entrance of a shop to solicit customers noticed Etsuka, her eyes lighting up as she skipped over to them.

"Moshi moshi~ two masters, are you interested in dining at our maid cafe?"

Etsuka and Kurakara, who was still deep in thought, were both taken aback.

"Sorry, we don't have any plans for that right now," Kurakara hurriedly waved her hands to politely decline.

"Eh~ is that so?" The maid showed a disappointed expression. "We happen to have a special promotion today, what a pity."

She pointed to the promotional sign at the entrance of the restaurant, which read:

"Limited Time Only! Meals 50% OFF!"

(Limited time offer! 50% off meals!)

"Fifty percent off?" Kurakara subconsciously looked at Etsuka and, noticing that he didn't seem interested in the maid, spoke up:

"Etsuka, we're in luck. How about we eat here?"

Etsuka raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Are you sure?"

Kurakara tilted her head in confusion. "Have you been to a similar place before, Etsuka? Is the food not good?"

"That's not it."

"Is the service bad?"

"Not that either. I should say... the service is better than you could imagine."

"Then why..."

"Forget it, you'll find out once you experience it yourself."

Without waiting for Kurakara to continue asking, Etsuka gently tugged on her sleeve and walked into the shop.

"Welcome, Master~!"

As soon as they entered, two girls dressed in maid outfits bowed in unison to greet them, and Kurakara's face turned bright red in an instant.

Etsuka, however, remained expressionless.

The maid cafe was composed entirely of white, pink, and black, with many girlish dolls stuck to the walls; even the tableware was pink and delicate.

After the two sat down facing each other, a maid wearing a mask with her purple hair neatly tied up walked over.

For some reason, her body trembled slightly before she quietly handed over the menu.

"Master, please order..."

Etsuka looked at her masked profile with a hint of confusion.

Kurakara, meanwhile, was focused on the menu, starting to choose her meal.

Before long, the order was placed, and the maid took the menu and hurried toward the kitchen.

Etsuka remained looking at the maid's retreating figure, lost in thought.

Watching him like this, Kurakara couldn't help but pout, seemingly regretting having entered this shop, but in the end, she said nothing.