“Which lucky master, she wondered, would be the recipient?”
In the kitchen, a maid was preparing omurice for a customer.
Tucked inside each omurice was a small card.
Most cards simply read ‘Thank you for your patronage,’ yet a select few held special rewards.
For instance, one prize, a collaboration with the adjacent clothing store, offered a complimentary cat-ear maid outfit.
“I’m quite fond of that cat-ear maid outfit myself. How wonderful it would be if a lucky master won it and then gifted it to me!”
“Is that so?”
A dispassionate voice suddenly cut through the air, causing the maid’s hand, clutching the spatula, to tremor.
“Master, this is the kitchen where maids prepare meals. It is not a place for guests.”
The maid quickly advised.
“I know!” The intruder was a white-haired girl with an utterly expressionless face.
“I am not a customer here.”
“Then are you a new maid? Why aren’t you in uniform?”
“I am not a new maid, but I do require your maid outfit.”
No sooner had the white-haired girl finished speaking than the maid detected a faint, sweet aroma. Her vision blurred, and she promptly lost consciousness.
****
“Masters, your meal is ready!”
This time, a white-haired maid wearing a face mask arrived. She spoke as she placed the dishes and cutlery before Shiori and Qianye.
The maid’s movements were remarkably precise, devoid of any superfluous gestures. Yet, it was her voice and demeanor that struck Shiori with an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
“Please enjoy your meal, Masters!”
The white-haired maid bowed, then prepared to depart.
“Wait!” Qianye called out, stopping her.
“You must be new, aren’t you? Did you forget something?”
“…”
After a brief silence, the white-haired maid produced a packet of ketchup from seemingly nowhere, then meticulously drew a ‘LOVE’ symbol on both their omurice dishes.
“Let me infuse the masters’ love into the dish! O, meal, become delicious! Moe, moe, kyun!”
With a perfectly flat tone, she uttered saccharine lines while performing ‘magic’ over the omurice with both hands—a spell meant to enhance the food’s flavor. Finally, she formed a heart shape with her hands, directing it towards Shiori.
‘Is this the maid cafe’s magic to make food delicious? How should I put it? It’s a bit embarrassing!’
Beside her, Shiori’s eye twitched involuntarily. This so-called ‘magic’ to make food delicious was, to put it mildly, utterly baffling.
“The magic is complete. Please enjoy your meal, Masters.”
Stating this calmly, the white-haired maid again attempted to turn and leave.
“Hold on!” Qianye spoke up once more, halting her.
“By the way, don’t you also offer a maid feeding service here?” Qianye asked leisurely, glancing at the service menu.
“Qianye, the maid feeding service costs more than the meal itself,” Shiori quietly reminded her.
“Who cares? It’s not like I’m paying anyway.”
“Uh…”
Qianye’s single sentence effectively cut off all of Shiori’s subsequent words.
After all, Qianye was right; the date expenses were indeed covered by Ratatoskr.
They couldn’t possibly expect Shido to pay out of his own pocket to date a Spirit! His meager funds wouldn’t be able to cover the cost!
“Alright, then, Maid, you feed Shiori, and Shiori, you feed me…”
“No problem!”
Before Qianye could finish, the white-haired maid preemptively scooped a spoonful of rice and brought it to Shiori’s lips.
“Master, say ‘Ah’!”
“Ah… mmph!”
With the atmosphere so thoroughly set, Shiori had no choice but to comply, even if she didn’t want to eat. The moment she opened her mouth, the maid spoon-fed her.
“Shiori, it’s my turn! Ah!”
Qianye similarly opened her mouth wide and exclaimed, “Ah!”
“I have no choice!”
Shiori sighed helplessly, then likewise scooped a spoonful of rice and fed it to Qianye.
“Mmm, the rice Shiori feeds me is truly delicious.”
“Is that so? Ahahaha… mmph!”
No sooner had Shiori fed Qianye a spoonful than the white-haired maid, seizing Shiori’s inattention, fed Shiori another bite.
“Ah!”
Then, Qianye opened her mouth wide again.
Shiori fed Qianye another bite.
The white-haired maid fed Shiori another bite.
Shiori fed Qianye another bite.
The white-haired maid fed Shiori another bite…
And so, after what felt like an eternity, the humiliating feeding ‘play’ finally concluded.
“Ah, it’s finally over!”
Shiori lay back in her chair, rubbing her stomach. She couldn’t recall the taste of the meal; only the endless feeding remained in her memory.
“Kyuun, congratulations, Master, you’ve won!”
The white-haired maid announced in a completely monotone voice, picking up a card from Qianye’s plate and handing it to her.
“This is a prize from the store’s collaboration with the adjacent clothing store. You can claim a cat-ear maid outfit there.”
“Eh, really?” Qianye took the card and read the text, confirming it was indeed true.
“Then I’ll give it to Shiori!”
Qianye handed the card to Shiori.
“Eh? For me?”
“Yes, after all, Shiori looks best wearing a maid outfit.”
“Wait, why do I have to wear it?”
“Because if Shiori does, my affection will definitely skyrocket due to your cuteness.”
Qianye clasped her hands together, adopting a pleading posture.
“Please, Shiori-chan.”
“!!!”
Shiori’s eyes widened. She desperately wanted to refuse Qianye’s request. Wearing women’s clothes was already profoundly embarrassing for her; donning a maid outfit would undoubtedly multiply that sense of shame.
However, if it was truly necessary for the capture mission, Shiori considered that she could, perhaps, make such a sacrifice.
“Then… alright! Is it okay if I agree?”
Shiori pondered for a long time, ultimately deciding that for the grand endeavor of capturing Spirits, she should cast aside all notions of dignity. Shiori agreed.
“✌🏻 Yay!”
“No!”
Qianye was overjoyed, but the white-haired maid disagreed with the request.
“This is her card. She is the winner; it cannot be given to someone else.”
“Ah?”
Shiori gazed at the white-haired maid in astonishment. She had never imagined a maid at this cafe could be so assertive.
Qianye looked up at the white-haired maid. Her heterochromatic red and green eyes met the maid’s sapphire-like gaze, and then Qianye revealed a profoundly meaningful smile.
“Very well, then. I’ll leave Shiori to you for now!”
Qianye said, picking up the card and simply walking away.
“What’s going on?”
Just as Shiori felt a surge of confusion, she suddenly caught a whiff of a peculiar fragrance. Then, her vision blurred, and she fainted.
****
“Idiot Shido, wake up, Onii-chan!”
Kotori’s voice crackled through his earpiece. Shido slowly opened his eyes, and what greeted his vision was…
Origami Tobiichi, adorned with a four-leaf clover hair clip, a hint of light makeup, a blue low-cut tank top, a brown knitted cardigan, a blue mini-skirt, and women’s athletic shoes.
“Origami, why are you wearing my clothes?”
“I wish to awaken Shido’s masculine consciousness, thus requiring stimulation.”
Origami stated blandly.
“If you’re seeking stimulation, then you must see it through to the end!”