Chapter 21: The Tactical Maid Cafe

The school cultural festival arrives. The air is crisp. Class 2-B hosts a cafe. It is not a normal cafe. It is a tactical maid cafe. The students vote for this. Ryuu Kuroda hates this idea. He hates crowded rooms. He hates loud music. He especially hates costumes.

Ryuu hides in the back kitchen. The kitchen is small. The kitchen is hot. Steam rises from the large pots. He wears a black chef uniform. The uniform is very tight. It restricts his movement. He stands in front of a cutting board. He holds a large kitchen knife. The metal blade gleams.

He chops onions. The onions are very strong. The acidic juice hits his eyes. His eyes burn terribly. Tears stream down his pale face. He tries to blink them away. He fails. He just cries silently. He breathes heavily through his teeth. His throat is dry. His prominent facial scar stretches tight. His terrifying "Resting Murder Face" activates. He looks like a crying demon.

A normal student walks into the kitchen. The student carries empty dirty plates. The student sees Ryuu. Ryuu holds the large knife. Ryuu cries violently. Ryuu glares at the cutting board.

The student freezes completely. The plates rattle loudly.

"He weeps", the student whispers in pure terror.

"I chop onions", Ryuu tries to say. His throat locks up. He only emits a dark, raspy growl.

"He weeps for his fallen enemies!", the student screams. "He remembers the bloody street wars!".

The student drops the plates. The plates shatter into tiny pieces. The student runs away.

Ryuu sighs. He lowers the knife. He wipes his tears with his dark sleeve. He just wants to cook eggs. He cracks three eggs into a glass bowl. He grabs a wire whisk. He beats the eggs quickly. He focuses entirely on the yellow liquid. He ignores the loud noise outside.

Outside the kitchen, the classroom is loud. Desks are pushed together. Pink tablecloths cover the desks. Chloe walks between the tables. She wears a bright pink maid outfit. The skirt is very short. White frills cover her shoulders. She carries a small notepad. She smiles brightly at everyone.

"Welcome to our base!", Chloe cheers loudly.

She writes down food orders. She draws little hearts on the paper. The male students blush deeply. They order the most expensive items. Chloe is a massive success.

Reina Arisugawa stands near the entrance door. She is the Disciplinary President. She also wears a maid outfit. Her outfit is entirely black. It reaches down to her ankles. It looks very traditional. It also looks highly tactical. She wears her red armband. She holds a heavy silver tray. She holds it like a shield.

Her sharp emerald eyes scan the room. She evaluates every single customer. She looks for hidden weapons. She looks for rival gang members. She guards the cafe strictly. She protects her legally bound fiancé. She protects the Kuroda Syndicate.

The classroom door slides open forcefully. The loud chatter stops instantly. Three massive students step inside. They wear different school uniforms. They wear dark jackets. They are the leaders of the Northern High Delinquents. They are very dangerous. They look very angry.

The main leader steps forward. He has a shaved head. He has a thick gold chain. He glares at the room.

"Where is Boss Kuroda?", the leader barks loudly. "We challenge him today".

The classroom falls completely silent. The normal students shake in fear.

Reina steps directly into his path. She blocks the large doorway. She raises her silver tray.

"You enter restricted territory", Reina states coldly. "State your official business".

The leader sneers at her. He looks at her maid outfit. He laughs loudly.

"We want service", the leader mocks. "We want the special omurice. We want Boss Kuroda to serve it".

Reina narrows her eyes. Her brilliant mind races rapidly. She calculates the tactical threat. She assumes they want to poison the food. She assumes they want a close-quarters assassination.

"He sits at table four", Reina commands. "Do not make sudden movements".

The three delinquents sit down. The small desk groans under their heavy weight. They fold their thick arms. They wait aggressively.

Chloe skips over to the kitchen window. She slides the glass open. She slides a paper ticket across the metal counter.

"One special omurice!", Chloe announces happily. "For the scary men at table four!".

Ryuu reads the ticket. His hands tremble. He hates serving customers. He hates scary men. He just wants to go home. He wants to play his mobile gacha game. The daily login bonus expires soon. He pours the beaten eggs into a hot pan. The hot oil sizzles loudly. He flips the yellow omelet perfectly. He slides it onto a clean white plate.

He grabs a red plastic bottle. The bottle contains sweet ketchup. He needs to draw a cute picture on the eggs. The maid cafe rules strictly demand this.

His hands shake violently with social panic. He tries to draw a smiling cat. The ketchup squirts out too fast. The red liquid splatters across the yellow eggs. It looks messy. It looks very violent. It does not look like a cat. It looks like a bloody crime scene.

Ryuu panics more. He tries to fix it. He draws sharp red lines. It makes it look much worse. He gives up completely.

He picks up the white plate. He grabs a silver fork. He walks slowly out of the safe kitchen.

The bright classroom lights blind him. He squints his glowing eyes. His prominent scar stretches tightly. His terrifying "Resting Murder Face" activates at maximum power. He breathes heavily. He walks toward table four.

The three delinquents watch him approach. They see his dark chef uniform. They see his terrifying face. They see the plate in his hand.

Ryuu stops at their table. He looks down at them. His throat is incredibly dry. He wants to say "enjoy your meal". He opens his mouth. Only a dark, raspy growl comes out.

He places the plate on the table. He places it down too hard. A loud clack echoes in the silent room.

The delinquents stare at the food. They see the violently splattered red ketchup. They see the sharp, jagged red lines.

"What is this message?", the leader whispers in horror.

"It is a direct threat", a subordinate pales. "He paints a bloody massacre".

Ryuu holds the silver fork. His hand shakes. He accidentally points the sharp prongs at the leader.

"Eat", Ryuu rasps softly. He just wants them to finish quickly.

The leader stares at the sharp silver fork. He stares at the bloody ketchup. He stares at Ryuu's glowing, unblinking eyes. The leader completely breaks under the intense psychological pressure. He misunderstands the entire situation.

"He demands we eat our own defeat!", the leader screams.

"He holds a tiny silver trident!", the subordinate cries out. "He plans to pierce our vital organs!".

Ryuu blinks slowly. He tilts his head. He holds the fork awkwardly. He does not understand their loud yelling. He just wants to go back to the kitchen. He takes one step backward. He accidentally bumps into a wooden chair.

The loud scrape of wood on the floor sounds like a gunshot.

The three delinquents jump violently. They scramble out of their seats. They trip over the pink tablecloth. They fall onto the floor.

"We surrender absolutely!", the leader wails loudly. He bows his shaved head against the floor tiles. "Your bloody warning is perfectly clear! We leave your territory forever!".

They crawl frantically toward the exit. They push the sliding door open. They run down the hallway. They scream in pure terror.

Ryuu stands perfectly still. He holds the plate of ruined omurice. He holds the silver fork. He sighs heavily. He is very tired. He just wants to eat the eggs himself now. He turns around slowly.

Reina Arisugawa stands nearby. She holds her small leather notebook. She clicks her silver pen. She writes furiously. A deep red blush covers her flawless cheeks. Her emerald eyes shine with profound pride.

"Flawless intimidation tactics", Reina notes aloud.

Ryuu looks at her blankly.

"You utilize psychological culinary warfare", Reina continues. "You serve them a visual representation of their own brutal demise. You force a total surrender without throwing a single physical punch".

Ryuu looks down at the ketchup. It still looks like a bad cat to him.

"The Kuroda Syndicate reigns supreme", Reina declares proudly. "You defend our base perfectly. You truly are a magnificent king".

"I want to go home", Ryuu mutters softly.

"A tactical retreat to the safehouse", Reina agrees quickly. "A highly wise decision. You constantly remain vigilant".

Ryuu walks back into the kitchen. He places the plate on the counter. He grabs a spoon. He eats the eggs in silence. The cultural festival continues outside. He ignores the loud music. He ignores the cheering students. He just survives another terrible day. He pulls out his phone. He opens his mobile game. He claims his daily login bonus. He feels a tiny bit happy. He hopes tomorrow is very quiet. He knows it will not be quiet. He is the terrifying demon boss.

The kitchen door opens again. Chloe bounces into the room. She holds five more paper tickets. She smiles brightly at him.

"Boss!", Chloe cheers. "We have more scary customers! They heard about your bloody warning plate! They want to submit to you!".

Ryuu stops chewing. He stares at the paper tickets. His glowing eyes widen in pure panic.

"They want the exact same meal", Chloe explains happily. "They call it the 'Executioner's Omelet'. It is our most popular item now!".

Ryuu drops his spoon. The metal clatters loudly against the bowl. His heart hammers violently against his ribs. He cannot escape his reputation. He cannot escape the misunderstandings.

"I cannot cook that", Ryuu rasps nervously.

"You must!", Chloe insists. She points at the tickets. "They wait in absolute terror. They want to pay the protection tax".

Reina walks into the kitchen. She stands next to Chloe. She nods firmly.

"We must supply the demand", Reina commands. "It is basic syndicate economics. You establish dominance. Now you must collect the absolute tribute".

Ryuu looks at his terrifying fiancée. He looks at the chaotic foreign maid. He looks at the red ketchup bottle. He sighs deeply. A long, exhausted sound leaves his dry lips.

He picks up the pan. He turns on the stove. The blue flames ignite. He cracks more eggs. He beats them furiously. He pours the liquid into the hot oil. He flips the omelet. He places it on a clean plate.

He grabs the red ketchup bottle. He squeezes it violently. The red liquid splatters everywhere. He makes sharp, jagged lines. He makes it look incredibly messy. He makes it look like absolute chaos.

Reina watches him work. Her eyes glow with deep admiration.

"The rapid mass production of psychological terror", Reina whispers softly. "Your efficiency is truly terrifying".

Ryuu ignores her. He plates five more meals. He places them on a large silver tray. He prepares to face the terrifying crowd again. He hates his life. He truly hates the cultural festival. He walks out of the kitchen. The entire classroom falls completely silent. They stare at the demon boss. They stare at the bloody plates. Ryuu just wants a quiet weekend. He wants to sleep forever.