"Snap out of it, Nishikata! Where should we go first?" Akira Miyamura waved a hand in front of Nishikata Naoto's blank face.

"…Bookstore first?" Nishikata scanned the street, then pointed toward a shop on the left.

Akira followed his finger. It was a three-story bookstore, glass windows plastered with anime stickers, and a cluster of colorful gachapon machines lined up out front. Two life-sized, glowing Action Kamen standees guarded the entrance.

Total Akihabara vibes. If Kojima Shin were here, Akira thought, he'd probably be posing right next to those standees.

"Let's go see if they have any good manga."

As they reached the entrance, Akira suddenly stopped. "Wait, Nishikata—are you buying proper manga?"

Nishikata's only answer was to smack Akira's arm and walk ahead, steps just a bit quicker than before.

Akira grinned. "We're teenage boys, it's not like I can't guess."

The glass doors slid open with a shhhk, a mechanical chime playing overhead. Only the front desk clerk looked up—everyone else was lost in their manga.

Akira skimmed the floor directory:

1st floor: New Releases, Seasonal Picks

2nd floor: Genre sections—Shōnen, Shōjo, Seinen, BL—complete with anime standees at the stair landing

3rd floor: Used manga, dōjinshi, and R18 titles locked behind glass (ID required)

"Nishikata, find anything?"

He located Nishikata on the third floor, looking crushed in the dōjinshi section.

Nishikata shook his head. "Let's go somewhere else."

Akira's eyes flicked to the R18 case nearby but he didn't comment. Under the staff's watchful gaze, the two left empty-handed.

Besides, even if he bought something, Shouko would confiscate it in two days—assuming she didn't find it the same night while poking around his room.

The rest of the afternoon was a tour of Akihabara's greatest hits—skipping duplicate stores, lingering far too long in the arcade.

Finally, Akira checked his phone. 4:31 PM.

"Alright, Nishikata. Time for today's main event."

"Huh?" Nishikata blinked.

"Let's hit a maid café. Rest, afternoon tea, then we head back. We're in Akihabara—can't skip it."

"Uh…" Nishikata hesitated.

Akira patted his arm and pointed at one across the street. "Come on, my treat. Order anything you want, just don't waste food."

Nishikata quickly caught up. "Thanks, but I'll pay." He wanted to go, sure—but the idea of being fussed over by cute maids made him nervous. Get full chapters from n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net

"Welcome home, Master!"

Before they even reached the door, a neko-style maid in a purple uniform with cat ears appeared.

Nishikata froze, heartbeat spiking. Still time to run?

Akira caught the frantic look. Don't look at me like I know what to do. Normally, he'd either nod politely or let Shouko handle it—but neither worked here.

He pointed at the maid's headwear. "Those cat ears really suit you—they're cute."

Universal rule: if you don't know what to say, compliment something they're wearing. (Risk of backfire increases with poor "character design.")

The maid's smile warmed. "Thank you, Master. Your outfit today is very cool, too."

After a brief chat, she moved to greet new arrivals.

Akira gestured for Nishikata to open the café door.

Nishikata hovered there, peeking through the gap—lace skirts swishing, cat ears bobbing, the scent of omurice and strawberries drifting out.

"Nishikata… you really think you can see clearly through that crack?"

"No! I wasn't peeking!"

Akira just opened the door himself.

"Welcome home, Master!" chorused the maids inside.

They nodded to a green-haired maid at the front desk, then found a four-person table. A gray-eared maid approached, carrying a pink quill pen and two pieces of paper.

"What's this?" Akira asked.

She handed him the pen. It was the "Master Contract" — sign in katakana and choose a special title the maids would use for them.

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