Pieces of Childhood Memories

Chapter 18 - EHHH?! A Maid Cafe?!

After Raimon finished practicing, finally they all went to the club room. "So then, Kino, who's our opponent in the next match?" Endou asked.

"It's Shuuyou Meito," Aki replied. She took her notebook, opened it, and read the information in it. "Let me see... Shuuyou Meito is known as the weakest team of all the participants in the Football Frontier. It is said that even before the day of the match, they didn't practice, instead they spend their time in a maid cafe!"

"EHHHH?" All of the members of Raimon shouted, excluding the members who likes to act cool. (ex: Gouenji, Kyuujou, etc.)

"A... maid... cafe...?" Endou said, he didn't believe what he just heard.

"A maid cafe?" Megane asked enthusiastically. "That's interesting... Endou! Let's go to the maid cafe right now!"

"Go to the maid cafe...now?" Endou asked. Megane nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course! If we go to the maid cafe, we might learn a thing or two about Shuuyou Meito!" Megane explained enthusiastically. "So, let's go to the maid cafe now!"

"A-Are you sure?" Endou asked, blushing. From the looks of it, he never came to a maid cafe before. Megane nodded enthusiastically again.

"O-Okay..." Endou agreed to go to the maid cafe. All of the boys looked at Endou with an 'are-you-serious' face.

"A-Are you serious, C-Captain?" Kabeyama asked Endou as he blushed. Endou nodded.

"Megane's right, maybe if we go to the maid cafe, we might learn something about Shuuyou Meito! So... let's go to the maid cafe!" Endou said to Kabeyama.

"EHHHH?" All of the members of Raimon shouted again, excluding the members who likes to act cool. (ex: Gouenji, Kyuujou, etc.)

"According to Otonashi's notebook, this is where the maid cafe is," Aki said, pointing to the maid cafe building in front of her. The Raimon boys just remain silent, staring at the lovely maid cafe building in front of them.

"S-So... this is what a maid cafe looks like," Endou said as he stared at the maid cafe building.

"So, are we going in or not?" Megane asked the team enthusiastically. "Come on, let's go in now!" Then he quickly ran towards the maid cafe building.

"I guess he's the only one in our team who didn't feel nervous about this at all," Kabeyama said. All of the Raimon soccer club members nodded.

"Why are you all feeling nervous?" Kyuujou asked the team, confused. "Just go inside, have a seat, order, and eat."

"Talking is way easier than doing it, uncool boy," Someoka said to Kyuujou. Kyuujou just sighed.

"You're the one who's uncool," Kyuujou told Someoka, then he went towards the maid cafe.

"H-He really did what he said!" Kurimatsu said as he pointed at Kyuujou.

"Wow..." All of the members of Raimon said, excluding Megane, Kyuujou, and the members who likes to act cool. (ex: Gouenji, etc)

"Hmph," Someoka said. "He may not be nervous to go inside, but I bet that when he sees the maids, he will be nervous! Just you see." Then everyone that haven't came inside the maid cafe observed Kyuujou carefully.

"Welcome, master!" The maids greeted Kyuujou when he went inside. Kyuujou smiled at the maids.

"Thank you," Kyuujou said to them without feeling nervous.

"Hmm... only one person?" One of the maids asked Kyuujou. "Or do you have friends that come with you?"

"I have some friends from the soccer club," Kyuujou said to them as he pointed at his friends. "How long are you going to stand there? Just come here," he said to Raimon.

All of Raimon members nodded. "Kyuujou-san is very amazing," Shishido whispered to Shourin. Shourin nodded.

After all of the members of the Raimon Junior High soccer club sat on the table, the maids gave them the menu. "What would you like to order, master?" one of the maids asked Endou.

"Er.. I... I'll order..." Endou said, blushing. "The Pink..."

"Oh, the Pink Heart-Throbbing Milk Tea, isn't it?" The maid said. "Okay then, master!" Then the maid left. Endou sighed. I was so nervous back then, he thought. Then he looked at Kyuujou.

"What would you like to order, handsome master?" Another maid asked Kyuujou.

"Hmm... I would like one Pink Maid Parfait, please," Kyuujou replied.

"Okay then, handsome master!" Then the maid left. Everyone except Megane was so amazed.

"Well, I should get going," Kyuujou said. Then he left the maid cafe.

"B-But the Pink Maid Parfait hasn't been ready yet!" Kabeyama reminded. But Kyuujou didn't hear him, he just left the maid cafe.

"I guess he's leaving because he's too nervous," Someoka said to the team.

"I don't think so," Endou shooked his head. "He's really amazing, that Kyuujou." The others except Someoka nodded, agreeing with what Endou said. Someoka sighed. Everyone thinks that he's amazing... except me, Someoka thought. Why? Why is he amazing?

Then suddenly, there's something really surprising not long after Kyuujou left the maid cafe. While Handa was deciding what he wanted to order, a maid asked him, "What would you like to order, master?"

"I-I..." Handa nervously said. But when he looked at the maid... he gasped. The maid was... someone that Raimon knew!

"A-Akiyama-san?" Handa asked the maid. The maid was Yoko! The other members of Raimon was also surprised.

"What are you doing here...?" Endou asked Yoko. Yoko grinned.

"I worked part-time here, hee hee!" Yoko giggled.

"But why?" Handa asked. "And why you never came to see Raimon practice anymore?"

"Well, I'll tell you the whole story. I heard that your next opponent is Shuuyou Meito, and I figured that you will come here, because this is Shuuyou Meito's favorite place and you wanted to learn something about Shuuyou Meito," Yoko explained. "So then I worked here, so that I could meet you all! You know, onii-chan said that he will follow me wherever I go so I can't talk to you guys, but I guess he's too embarrassed to come to this maid cafe... So then he won't follow me here, right?"

"Oh... okay..." Handa said as he sweatdropped. This girl is so strange! he thought. Then he looked at Yoko's necklace. "Akiyama, may I ask you something?" he asked Yoko.

"Yes, what is it, normal-looking master?" Yoko asked Handa back. (PS: He's one of the most normal looking person in Raimon, don't you think so?)

"That necklace, is it something very important to you?"

Yoko gasped. "How do you know?" she asked.

Handa smiled. "You wear it everyday," he replied. "By the way, who gave that to you? Is it Kyuujou? He wore the same necklace as you are."

E-Eh..? Yoko thought. How should I answer this question...? "Er... who's Kyuujou?" Yoko asked him. Actually, she knew who Kyuujou is, but she pretended to don't know him.

"He's a new player in Raimon, he's very amazing at playing soccer!" Handa said to Yoko as he smiled.

"Oh... okay..." Yoko said. Shinichi's smile looks familiar, Yoko thought. But I have a feeling that he's not the boy/girl from my memories...

-Flashback-

"Umm... why are you crying, little girl?" a girl asked Yoko. She was really worried about her, from the looks of it.

"A boy hitted and kicked me! It... hurts..." Yoko answered as she cried.

"Are you bleeding?" the girl asked again.

Yoko nodded. "Y-Yes..." she said as she showed the injury on her right leg. "Here it is..."

"Who did this to you?!" The girl asked.

"It's-"

"It's me," Hitotsuji said. "My name is Hitotsuji Yuji, just so you know."

The girl was very furious to that Hitotsuji person. Then she turned to Yoko. "Is this the one who kicked and hitted you?" she asked.

Yoko nodded. "Yes.." she said, sobbing.

"Don't worry, I'll help you so you won't be hitted and kicked by this Hitotsuji Yuji person anymore!" The girl said, smiling.

Yoko smiled. "H-Hontouni...? A-Arigatou..."

"You're welcome..." she said. Then she turned back to Hitotsuji. "Let's settle this! You and I will take turns guarding the net and kicking the ball! If I can score one point past you, then you must stop bullying this girl!"

"Sounds fine to me," Hitotsuji replied. "And I will win, for sure! If you can't win the match, then I'll torture you and your friend! You wouldn't want that, do you?"

"...Please...be...careful..." Yoko said. She was really worried about the girl. Will she be alright? she thought.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" The girl smiled as she ran towards the pitch.

-End of Flashback-

Another strange memory... Yoko thought. Why was the person a girl? Wasn't the person who stopped Hitotsuji from bullying me a boy? But why... Argh! It's so confusing!

PS: Well, chapter 18 ends here~! So... another strange memory! Why is it a GIRL who appeared in Yoko's memories, not a BOY? Find out in the later chapters!