Hey. I Can Be Cute.

Kurumi guided the two women to their seats, their business attire looking out of place in the magical realm Kurumi created.

Little Shit perked up at the newcomers, but I grabbed his tail before he could waddle over. "Stay. We're not doing tricks for likes today."

Kurumi floated over with our menu - a single sheet of paper with three items hastily scrawled in her loopy handwriting. Omelet rice, omelet rice with ketchup art, and omelet rice deluxe (basically the same thing with a squiggle of mayo). Plus, sodas.

"Ryū-chan! They're ready to order!"

I didn't budge. Maybe if I stayed still long enough, she'd get Sae to do it or something.

"Ryū-chan!" more insistent this time.

Ugh. I forced myself toward the table, plastering on my KaiKool smile. At least at KaiKool, I got paid for this kind of performance.

"Welcome to Class 4-B's maid cafe. What can I get for the two of you today?"

"Two omelet rices with ketchup art and sodas, please," one of them said with a polite smile. I jotted it down, though we all knew there wasn't much to remember.

Something bugged me though. They seemed... happy? Like they actually wanted to be in this disaster of a maid cafe.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking... what made you guys come here?"

They exchanged glances and laughed.

"Made us? We came because we wanted to!" The one in the gray blazer leaned forward. "We're Ikuka alumni. Class of '19. When we heard the school was still doing Bukasai..."

"We had to come see it!" her friend finished.

"Did your class do a café too?"

"Yeah, we did a butler café! Went all in: cuffs, vests, even had pocket watches. I think mine's still lying around somewhere."

"Oh my god, remember how Hikaru and Miko got way too into it and started reenacting scenes from… what was that BL anime called? Lovelest?"

"And Natsuki-chan had the whole school swooning. God, I almost confessed too!"

Little Shit squeaked and wiggled against my back, probably picking up the mood. But the alumni barely noticed the noise. They were lost in memories of their Bukasa: sewing vests the night before, fighting over who serves which guest, and holding a ‘Best Butler’ vote.

"I'll get your orders started," I said, meaning it this time.

I headed to the corner of the classroom, where Koyuki stood behind the food cart, and handed her the order slip.

While Koyuki got the food ready, Sae glided over to the alumni's table with two glasses in hand. I watched as she poured their sodas with the finesse of a fine dining server. Each stream arced perfectly, not a single drop spilling. The alumni looked just as impressed as I was.

When Koyuki brought over the omelets, Kurumi skipped beside her. "Do the thing!" she whisper-shouted, thrusting a ketchup bottle into Koyuki's hands.

I peered over her shoulder, bracing for the worst. The ketchup lines started out ominous - jagged lines that could have been the start of "death is inevitable" or "the end is nigh." But then they curved and looped into something else entirely:

--May your post-graduation life continue to shine brightly

...followed by a doodle of a star.

"That's... surprisingly cute?" I blinked at Koyuki.

"Hey. I can be cute."

Eventually, the two alumni emptied their plates and began to gather their things. Gray Blazer paused, still chewing the last of her meal.

"Ah! By the way, I'm Ayaka," she said then nodded toward her friend. "And this is Mei. Thanks for having us!"

Mei offered a gentle smile. "Make sure to treasure your time here at Ikuka."

After we waved them goodbye,I made my way to their table and began clearing the dishes. Little Shit peered over my shoulder at the empty plates, probably hoping for leftovers. But these alumni had cleaned their plates completely - a proper send-off to their old school.

I paused, dishes in hand, as my gaze drifted to the window. The autumn sun painted long shadows across the courtyard, and for a moment I could almost see the phantom of students rushing between classes, friends sharing lunches, clubs practicing... a past full of life and warmth, the kind Ayaka and Mei carried in their eyes when they talked about Ikuka.

I wouldn't have that.

There wouldn't be a version of me, years from now, coming back to smile at these halls. No 'remember when' conversations, no yearbooks, no reunions. Just the slow burn of everything ending before it ever fully begins.

But then I heard Kurumi shout "I got this!" as she tried to stack empty plates and glasses, and Koyuki stomping after her. Sae watched them from across the room, pretending to be annoyed, but she didn't bother hiding that smile tugging at her mouth.

I'd never get the kind of nostalgia Yumi and Mika had. But that was okay because right now, this exact second, I had this. 

The bell for last period jolted me from my thoughts.

"I doubt anyone else is coming," Koyuki said, already untying her apron. "We should start cleaning up."

"Awww, already?" Kurumi's shoulders slumped.

I found myself sharing her disappointment. God, since when did I care about school events ending early?

***

I stretched up on my tiptoes, reaching for the last paper streamer above the door. Who needs this many for a one-day cafe anyway?

Thud

The door rattled in its frame. Not a knock - more like someone had walked straight into it.

"Did you guys hear that?" I glanced back at the others.

Koyuki froze mid-sweep, her eyes fixed on the door. Even Sae looked unsettled.

Thud. Thud.

"Maybe it's just the wind?" Kurumi twisted her apron between her hands. "We did leave that window open in 4-A..."

THUD

The whole door frame started to shudder.

I climbed down the ladder and approached the door. If some idiot was playing a prank, I'd rather deal with it now than let them drive us insane.

I grabbed the handle and yanked the door open.

Eh?

A figure towered in the doorway, its body formed entirely of those white crystals we'd been seeing everywhere. The same kind Sae found at Seven Flags. But this... this was different. The crystals stuck out in jagged angles, forming long, thin limbs that reached way above my head.

Where its face should have been, there was only a smooth, featureless surface that caught the light from the setting sun and scattered it into a thousand broken reflections.

The thing had no eyes, but somehow, I knew it was staring right at me.