—

"Welcome home, Master. May I ask what your sign is?"

Usui Takumi glanced up from his dog-eared copy of Tolstoy as the Idiot Trio stormed noisily inside Cafe Maid Latte, grinning from ear to ear. They fumbled out of their winter jackets and crowded their favorite table, eagerly anticipating the day's events. Wednesday was "Zodiac Sign Day," and so Usui sighed. 'Here we go again...'

"Erika-san! My sign! Cancer!"

"Mine's Aquarius! Hey, is this some sort of a compatibility game? Where's Misa-chan? Is she an Aquarius too?"

"Misa-chan's a Libra, like me!" screamed Ikkun the closet otaku as he groped inside his school bag and produced a rather large, ancient, black Astrology book. He quickly scanned the pages and read loudly, "See, Libra people are diplomatic and urbane! See how Misa-chan reforms our school with her strong sense of justice and wonderful ideologies!" Usui gaped at him as actual tears streamed down his face. "Misa-chan belongs with me, for we are both idealistic and peaceable!"

"No! She's a Cancer!" protested Kurotatsu loudly as he grabbed the book from his friend. "A Cancer!" he declared again, his fingers shifting down to find the corresponding personality traits. "Cancers are emotional and loving, and...and—yeah, protective and sympathetic!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO! MISA-CHAN IS DEFINITELY AN AQUARIUS! FOR WE ARE BOTH INDEPENDENT AND INTELLECTUAL AND— !"

"Ah, Shiroyan-kun, please, please, calm down," interrupted Satsuki, Maid Latte manager, as the Idiot Trio grabbed and tore the book apart, arguing over with whom Misa-chan was most compatible. "See here, it's not really how Zodiac Sign Day works. Wait, please listen— Kurotatsu-kun! Do not hammer Ikkun down! Wah!"

Meanwhile Usui Takumi calmly took a sip from his coffee and asked Erika-san, who was just passing by, what the racket is all about.

"Ah, it's the Zodiac Sign Day, Usui-kun," she offered good-naturedly. "Today's event is to find the master most compatible with our maids! Satsuki-san has been paired off with Hatsushiba-kun, one of our regulars; Honoka-san is most compatible with Miura-kun and Subaru-san," she turned her head to the left as Subaru, the girl with the glasses, curtsied in front of one of the Idiot Trio, "Kurotatsu-kun sure looks great with Subaru-san, eh?"

"Hn."

"Misa-chan still hasn't found her Master, Usui-kun," Erika added with a smile. "So may I ask what your sign is?"

"My sign?"

"Erika, can't you stop hitting on him for more than five minutes?"

The college student who worked part-time at Maid Latte blushed at her friend's insinuation, but Honoka only glared at Usui, never taking her eyes from the boy. "Yeah, well, your zodiac sign."

"It's a secret."

The girls sighed, their excited curiosity crumbling. "So much for compatibility. Well, we still need to find a Leo."

He quirked his eyebrow and asked, "Why a Leo?"

Honoka laid the paper out on Usui's table as she pointed to the daily horoscope for Pisces. "Misa-chan is a Pisces, and it says here to 'Watch out for a Leo. The first you meet today could hold the key to your romantic destiny."' She pushed the paper away, pouting. "But we've been asking everyone who entered the shop and not a single person has been a Leo!"

Usui risked a glance at Misaki, her face partially obscured by a lock of hair as she set a tray down to accommodate another customer. His eyes locked on the tiny blurb of newsprint, his face pale, his gaze hopeful.

"Well, I am a— "

"Excuse me, could I get a refill?"

Usui turned to the customer who had interrupted him, a semi-regular high-schooler with brown hair and a strong affection for anything edible, Shintani Hinata. Misaki turned and greeted him warmly before taking his glass and casting a wary glance at Satsuki as she turned to fill it up.

Honoka was watching the boy, too, though he didn't notice her until she piped up, "Excuse me, Master Shintani, what's your sign?"

"I'm a Leo..." he said with awkward hesitation. "Why?"

"Yeah, well, Misa-chan is yet to find a Master most compatible with her, and so we've been asking everyone who entered here," Honoka declared, ignoring Usui's sudden choking behind her as Shintani turned to look at Misaki with surprise, his eyes sweeping over her pretty face, gorgeous hair, lithe body. Her face brightened as she grabbed a very surprised Misaki who had been leaning against the counter and shoved her towards the boy. "Misa-chan! You wouldn't guess what we've found! Someone's the same sign as— "

Usui Takumi slammed his hand down on the newspaper and yanked it and the girls' attention back to him.

"Hey!" he growled. "I was here first!"

—

omake

Usui: Hehehehehe.

Misaki: Wait, what?

—

Idiot Trio: Shirakawa Naoya (Shiroyan), Kurosaki Ryuunosuke (Kurotatsu), Sarashina Ikuto (Ikkun)

Maid Latte: Satsuki, Honoka, Subaru, Erika