Manga and Maid Cafe

Our Club activities finally came to an end. Even though I only wrote a little story for the visual novel, at least I got one page of the story. We parted ways after that.

I didn't go straight home, today was the day my favourite manga released a new volume. I can't wait to see what happens after the fight scene.

On the way I also saw a beautiful scene, with many people gathered on the sidewalk enjoying street food. Usually the sidewalks aren't this crowded. There were many children playing, couples walking with their arms crossed, and some elderly people walking along the street with smiles on their faces.

Sometimes I imagine how it would be if my fate was different, like having a girlfriend in high school.

Hehe eh don't think like that, I don't want to be an ordinary person who loves each other blindly like I used to. I believe that women in this world may betray you, but my waifu will never betray anyone.

Damn, I remembered that clichéd scene from the manga I used to read. I continued walking towards my destination.

Finally, I arrived at my destination, heaven, a bookshop. I could smell new books, new books had just arrived and one of them was a new volume of my favourite manga.

"Hey, can you stop standing in front of the gate?!" the bookshop clerk shouted at me.

"Hehe! Sorry, sorry! I'm going in." I said while scratching my head and bowing slightly.

When I entered the building, I looked at the new arrivals section to see if there were any good series worth reading. Luckily, you can look at a sample book before you buy it, so I just gave them a quick read.

Hm, this is an interesting title, "I have been reincarnated in the Reverse World". Let's take a look. Oh, so the main character basically reincarnated into a world where women play an important role in that world.

It seems interesting, oh wait a minute, men play the role of femboys and women play the role of men. Wow, I never knew that such an isekai trope existed.

"Hey!" A voice called out to me, but I was too busy reading this manga.

Hoho, the main character refused to act like a girl and decided to become a man in this world, which he failed to do last time.

"Hey!" A voice called out to me a second time.

Geez, there's a girl acting feminine in this story too. She's so cute, her artwork is good too.

"Hey!" a voice shouted again, then a rattan hit the book.

Oh dear, there is a girl who acts feminine in this story also. She is so cute, nice art too.

"Hei!" a voice shouted again, then the rattan hit the book.

I looked back to see who was hitting the book with the rattan.

Rattan is a type of wood that people here use to make furniture. The furniture is made from a bunch of rattan stems arranged into a piece of furniture. Rattan is also used as a cane, but there is also rattan used as a bat.

"This is not a library! If you want to read books, read them in the library, not in my bookshop," said the woman who owned the bookshop firmly.

"Okay, then I'll buy a book. But not this one," I replied as I closed the book and returned it to the shelf.

I moved to another shelf and picked up the latest edition of my favourite manga. The bookshop clerk returned to her desk and continued reading her own book.

At the cashier's desk, the bookshop clerk was also present. "Oh, so you like this manga? The 4th volume of 'I Got Reincarnated as a Mob Character in a Visual Novel World'? I see you're a fan of that kind of trope, eh?," she commented.

"Yeah, that's my taste, not yours. Can you stop teasing me? I want to go home," I replied.

"Why were you standing in the corner reading a book for half an hour?" she asked.

"Of course I was reading a book," I replied.

"Really? Why were you standing in front of the air-conditioner reading?" she asked further.

"It was just a coincidence. This bookshelf is near the air conditioner," I explained.

"You can read it at home. Why do you have to read it in my bookshop?" she asked.

"I don't want my sister to disturb me when I'm reading manga," I replied, with a hint of annoyance.

"Really? She's a nice person, if I'm not mistaken," she said, raising an eyebrow.

My older sister, Alda. She's always been kind and considerate to me, but ever since she went to the same high school as me. All of a sudden her behaviour changed 180 degrees. Now she's an annoying older sister. I don't know why.

"I'll let you off this time but this isn't a library. Okay, the book costs 500 yen," the clerk said, reminding me of the payment.

I took my wallet from my pocket and handed 500 yen to the bookshop clerk.

"Here's your book. Happy reading and see you soon," she said, giving me a small smile.

"See you soon," I replied, returning her smile.

She was a nice person, despite her behaviour towards me. I usually went to her bookshop when there were new manga volumes coming out or to buy new manga to read.

I took the book I bought, left the bookshop and went straight home.

I only had 500 yen left, enough for lunch for 3 days at school. It was enough to eat melon bread every lunch.

On my way home, I saw a familiar face in the distance. Was it Ayame? What was she doing in maid's clothes? Could it be that she worked at a maid cafe? This was the perfect opportunity to return the favour.

"Hello, customers! We have a promotion today, 80% off dinner at maid cafe. Come visit us!" Ayame shouted, enthusiastically handing out flyers to passers-by.

I quickly approached her, curious about her new job and what she was doing outside.

"Hello, customer. How are you?" Ayame started talking, then stopped abruptly, realising my presence.

"What are you doing here? You should be home by now," she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"That was my question. What are you doing here, out of nowhere, wearing a maid outfit and promoting this?" I replied, taking one of the pamphlets Ayame offered me.

Ayame tried to pull away, and said, "That's none of your business."

I squinted at her and asserted, "You're acting suspiciously."

"Leave now. It's my problem, not yours," Ayame insisted, trying to ignore me.

In frustration, I turned to leave, and said, "Oh, so you're driving away customers."

But Ayame quickly tugged at my arm, her voice full of urgency. "Wait, wait, wait! It was just a joke," she pleaded.

I stopped, looking at her face with a happy face, "Really?"

"Yes, it is," Ayame confirmed.

With a sceptical look, I relented and suggested, "Alright, I'll eat here. If I'm not mistaken, in this waiter café you can choose the waiter who will serve you."

Ayame hesitated before replying, "Y-Yes."

"I have an idea, how about you?" I suggested.

"No," Ayame replied quickly.

"Ah, so you really drive away customers. In that case, I'll leave," I said firmly.

"Yes, yes, I will serve you. Please come in, customer," Ayame quickly changed her tone, realising her mistake.

We entered the maid cafe where Ayame worked. The atmosphere was similar to a typical maid cafe, filled with boys enjoying their meals, some watching the maids sing, and even some women trying on maid outfits and singing along.

"Here, Valdo," Ayame called out, guiding me to a seat.

"Can you stop being rude to me? I'm a customer here," I retorted.

Ayame grinned and replied, "Here's the seat, customer. I'll be back with the menu. While you wait, you can enjoy the show."

"What a cliched dialogue," I muttered to myself.

"Shut up," Ayame replied in an angry tone before moving from her seat.

I took a moment to look around, observing the scenery and thinking of ideas for the visual novel I wanted to write. Including the maid cafe as a fanservice event might be an interesting addition.

"Hello, customer, here's the menu," Ayame said as she came back and handed me the menu.

I took a quick look at the menu, already familiar with the dishes from the manga I had read.

However, I realised that my money was in crisis at the moment. If I choose to eat here, I might have to skip lunch for a while. But with an 80% discount for today, it might still be manageable.

After looking through the menu, I found something affordable like omurice. It was a cliched choice, ordering omurice at a waiter cafe, making me feel like I was in one of the most common scenes in manga. Nevertheless, I decided to order it, while planning to tease Ayame even more outside of school.

"I'll have one omurice. Do you serve free ocha tea?" I asked.

"Yes, at this cafe, ocha tea is free. Hehe, don't tell me you're broke," Ayame teased.

"Hey, don't say that. I have a lot of money," I replied, even though I knew it wasn't entirely true.

"Liar! I know you're broke. I hope you can pay for the omurice I serve you later," Ayame retorted before leaving my table and going to the kitchen.

While waiting, I anticipated what exciting things would happen at this waitress cafe. I can't wait to see what Ayame does when she's not at school.