Hanamachi, Meru Maid Café.
In a corner of the café sat a girl dressed in a dark Lolita style. Her skin was fair and delicate, and she wore a rare hime-cut hairstyle. Her small, refined face was quite cute and beautiful.
But what drew the most attention was the vivid tear mole beneath the corner of her left eye, adding a touch of allure to her otherwise adorable appearance.
Gokou Ruri sat at her seat, both nervous and expectant. Her posture was proper, and she held a brand-new, unopened book tightly in both hands on her lap.
Every time she looked at the unopened book in her hands, a faint smile would appear on her face.
This was her debut book, and also the first one published with the help of Miyabi-sensei. When she received it from the editor, her first thought was that she absolutely had to share this joy with Miyabi.
"Is there anything you need?"
At that moment, a blonde girl in a maid outfit came up to her and asked.
"I'm still waiting for someone, please wait a moment."
Although the blonde maid's attitude did not seem very good, Gokou Ruri still responded politely.
"Tch! If you're not ordering, what are you doing sitting here!"
The blonde maid clicked her tongue in annoyance and turned away without hesitation.
What kind of attitude is that!
Gokou Ruri looked at the blonde's departing figure with an unpleasant expression, thinking that before leaving later, she would definitely file a complaint.
She had never seen a maid with such poor service!
"What's wrong? You don't look too well."
Following the seat Gokou Ruri had told him, Sato arrived in front of her and was somewhat surprised to find that her expression did not look very good.
Just last night, when Gokou Ruri called him, the excitement in her voice had practically overflowed. Yet in less than a day, her expression had become so unpleasant.
"Senpai!"
Realizing that Sato had arrived, Gokou Ruri quickly stood up nervously and bowed.
"No need to be so tense, sit down first."
Sato gestured for her to sit and continued, "Did something happen?"
Although Gokou Ruri tried her best to maintain her image in front of Sato, thinking about what had just happened still made her a little angry.
"There's actually a maid with such a bad attitude?"
After hearing Gokou Ruri's indignant account, Sato frowned slightly, his brows filled with surprise.
Then his gaze swept across the maid café, and he quickly locked onto the figure she had described.
But… why did that figure look so familiar?
Soon, the maid turned around, and Sato caught a glimpse of her profile.
The moment he saw the blonde maid's face, his expression changed. After a brief moment of shock, it turned into realization.
Th-this person… why is she here?! But if it's her, then it does make sense.
"Master, is there anything you need?" a soft, cute voice suddenly sounded at the table.
Sato looked up, and his gaze met the girl's amber eyes.
The gentle smile on the girl's face froze for a moment. She stared blankly at Sato, and soon panic appeared in her eyes.
She quickly bowed to Sato. "I'm very sorry about what happened last time!"
Sato thought for a moment, then looked at her. "You're Nana-chan?"
"Yes!"
The girl pressed her lips together and nodded. After taking a deep breath as if making up her mind, she looked at Sato and said, "That's the name I use here. My real name is Minami Kotori. I'm very sorry I didn't thank you last time."
Last time…
Sato recalled it and quickly remembered.
"You mean what happened on that rainy day?"
He looked at the soft and cute girl in front of him with some surprise. That rainy day had been quite a while ago. Even he had forgotten about it, yet she still remembered.
He remembered that he had casually helped three girls block the splash of water from a passing car. The Nana-chan in front of him had seemed unwilling for him to see her, hiding behind the other two girls the whole time.
To him, it had only been a trivial matter. He had never expected thanks from them, so he had not cared at all.
Minami Kotori pressed her cherry-colored lips together and softly said, "Because I don't want my friends to know that I work here as a maid, so… anyway, I'm very sorry I didn't thank you in person last time!"
"It's fine, it was just a small thing."
Sato smiled casually.
Seeing this, Minami Kotori let out a small sigh of relief. She had always felt uneasy about not thanking him in person due to her overreaction last time. Now that it was finally resolved, it felt like a weight had been lifted from her heart.
Gokou Ruri quietly watched the scene. It seemed that in his everyday life, Miyabi-sensei had quite a bit of interaction with girls.
On the other side, having resolved her lingering concern, Minami Kotori's smile returned. She sweetly said to Sato, "Master, is there anything you need?"
Sato glanced at the blonde maid in the distance and thought for a moment. "Can you have that blonde maid come serve us?"
The smile that had just appeared on Minami Kotori's face stiffened. She pressed her lips together and looked straight at Sato with her amber eyes. "Is there something wrong with my service?"
Noticing that her expression was off, Sato quickly explained, "Of course not. It's just that the blonde maid is someone I know."
"Someone you… know?"
Minami Kotori was momentarily stunned, and soon a trace of sympathy appeared in her heart.
Come to think of it, today was also a bit early in the day, someone's first day, and she had already run into someone she knew…
"Then please wait a moment!"
After Minami Kotori turned and left, Sato turned back and immediately saw Gokou Ruri's astonished expression.
"S-Senpai knows that maid?!"
Sato revealed a playful smile. "Of course. She's my neighbor. I didn't expect to run into her here either."
"Just now, I was wondering what kind of maid would have such a terrible attitude. The moment I saw her, I immediately understood!"
After all, she's a fallen angel!