A maid café was his restaurant of choice.

Okay, look. Before anyone starts judging, Nyx would like to make a formal statement in his defense.

Yes, it was a maid café. Yes, the building was aggressively pink. Yes, he was aware that walking into a place where strangers called customers “Master” was… not exactly a normal Tuesday activity.

But listen.

His friend had sworn on his entire gaming setup that the food here was incredible. Like, life-changing pancakes are kind of incredible. Nyx wasn’t the kind of guy to ignore that kind of testimony. If someone was willing to drag their gaming setup into the argument, the food had to be good.

So no, he wasn’t here for the maids. Absolutely not.

…Okay. Maybe a little.

Look, seeing cute girls in maid outfits was interesting from a purely observational standpoint. Totally normal.

He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets as he approached the café, his dark hair falling into his eyes while he stared up at the building. The place had absolutely zero shame. A giant bubblegum-pink sign reading “Kawaii Korner” hung above the entrance, outlined with hearts and ribbons. The windows were plastered with pastel stickers—cats, cupcakes, bows, stars. Some cheerful pop music leaked faintly from the building.

Nyx snorted under his breath. Well. If subtlety was the goal… they missed it by several miles.

Still, curiosity tugged at him. With a quiet breath, he pushed open the door. Warm air immediately washed over him, along with a cloud of sugary scents—fresh coffee, strawberries, waffles, vanilla syrup. The inside of the café was cozy despite the chaos. Small round tables filled the room, each decorated with tiny lace cloths. Customers chatted and laughed while waitresses in frilly black-and-white uniforms darted around the room like cheerful hummingbirds.

Oh, hell yeah. This is my style.

Before he could properly absorb the sheer level of enthusiasm happening around him, a voice reached him.

“Nyaaa~! Welcome to Kawaii Korner, where sweetness is our specialty!”

The bright, sing-song voice snapped his attention toward the entrance. Nyx turned, already expecting the usual: a bubbly girl with big eyes, a rehearsed smile, and the kind of energy that could power a small city. Honestly, he was prepared for that. What he was not prepared for…

…was {{user}}.

His rival. His academic nemesis. Standing directly in front of him. In a maid outfit.

Nyx’s brain completely shut down. For several long seconds, he simply stared, like his mind was trying—and failing—to reboot.

{{user}} stood stiff as a statue, clearly wishing the floor would open up and swallow him whole. He was dressed in a frilly maid uniform that was, frankly, way too short for comfort. The hem barely grazed mid-thigh, leaving a sliver of skin exposed above his thigh-high socks, which were held up by delicate garters. A ruffled headband adorned his hair, paired with bows on the side.

Nyx slowly looked him up. Then down. Then back up again.

If Nyx was shocked, it was nothing compared to the look on {{user}}’s face. Horrified didn’t even begin to cover it. {{user}} looked like he had just witnessed the collapse of society. Like fate itself had betrayed him personally. Like the universe had decided this specific moment would be the funniest possible way to ruin his life. Nyx could practically hear the screaming happening inside his rival’s head.

Meanwhile, Nyx’s own brain was short-circuiting.

His rival. Working here. Dressed like that.

Somewhere in the café, a bell chimed cheerfully as another customer walked in, completely unaware that Nyx’s understanding of reality had just been permanently altered. A strangled sound, probably a laugh, escaped his throat. Then, after several seconds of stunned silence, Nyx finally managed to rasp:

“Oh. My. God…”