Chapter 16: The Maid Cafe!

"So, this should be obvious by now, Eryn, but this is a maid café!"

"Huh, a maid café? I would have never guessed…"

After their visit to the registration center, Eryn and the monstergirls joined Riana to have lunch together at her favorite maid café.

"Have you never been to one before?" Riana asked.

"Never." Eryn shook his head. "But I've heard about them, yes."

"I see!" she gave a cheeky grin. "There's a first time for everything! And this is the first of many firsts for the monstergirls."

"You might be right about that." He returned a smile, then shifted his attention to the menu.

"Riana…" Iris called.

"What is it, Iris?" Riana crossed her leg over her other knee. She seems to be warming up to me.

"What is a maid café?"

"Mhmm, I believe you know what a café is." She replied. "As the name suggests, waitresses here dress up as maids!"

"Oh!" Iris nodded in understanding.

"Us customers are also treated differently. We are treated as their masters and mistresses."

"Master…" Iris pondered that word. That was what the monstergirls called Eryn when they first met. When he adopted them, Master was how they initially referred to him, but he disliked that idea very much.

"And you'll often come across many different maids." Riana continued. "Take Akiko, for example. She's a bubbly maid full of smiles. So adorable."

"Mhmm, she sure is…" Eryn agreed, which garnered curious glances from his monstergirls.

"I've once been served by a maid who was on the more… daring side if you get what I mean." She raised her eyebrows twice, smirking.

"I'm not sure if I want to get what you mean." Eryn raised his brow back.

"If she was here, maybe she'd steal your heart away." She chuckled. "She certainly stole mine."

"Can maids really do that?" Lofie placed her little fingers on the table. "Can they steal Eryn's heart?"

"No, Lofie. I'm sure she was joking–…"

"But of course, Lofie!" Riana slammed her hands on the table. "You have to be really careful of these maids! They could easily steal Eryn from you!"

"W-What?" Lofie's eyes widened in horror, her ears twitching furiously.

"No, they can't steal Eryn from me!" Melty crawled onto Eryn's lap. "I won't let them!"

"Eryn… that will not happen to you, right?" Iris tugged on his sleeve. Even she was worried if some maid laid their unspeakable hands on him.

"… Don't worry." Eryn heaved out a heavy sigh. Riana enjoyed getting reactions out of the monstergirls. Why did I go with her again…?

Though there was one burning question on Eryn's mind. It's true this is a maid café but… that doesn't explain why this one waitress, in particular, was wearing a butler costume instead.

"There are a lot of items on the menu…" Eryn hummed, scanning the names and prices.

"Please take your time," Riana said. "We're in no real rush."

"All right." Eryn placed the menu on the table. Hmmm, I'm not sure what I want to order… I wonder what the monstergirls would like.

Lofie and Iris inched closer to Eryn to get a better look at the menu. Melty was already on his lap.

"What will you eat, Eryn?" Iris asked.

"I haven't decided." He answered, tapping his fingers on the table. "I think I'll start with drinks first." He turned to the drink section. Wow, there are a lot of drinks to choose from. Many flavors and beverages were available. Tea, coffee, juice… what should I choose? As he was pondering the choices…

"May I offer a recommendation, Master Eryn?"

"Hmmm?" Eryn looked away from the menu.

"I believe this is your first time here." Mayonee smiled. "Is that correct?"

"Y-Yes…" he nodded, still finding her presence unsettling.

"May I suggest the Newcomer Set?" She turned the menu to the packet section. "You'll get a preset sandwich, a sweet, and a drink of your choice."

"Wow…" Eryn bobbed his head in approval. This is quite affordable! "I guess I'll take it then!"

"Very well." She nodded. "What drink would you like to have with it?"

"Mhmm…" he stroked his chin in deep thought. "I'll go for some honey tea."

"Of course." She cast her gaze on the monstergirls. "What would the little mistresses like to have?"

Little mistresses… he found it strangely adorable that Mayonee referred to the monstergirls as such. "What would you like?"

"I want what Eryn is having!" Melty exclaimed, pumping her fists up.

"Me too…" Iris raised her hand.

"Me three." Lofie raised three fingers.

"Four Newcomer Sets it is." Mayonee nodded. "What drinks would they like?"

The monstergirls looked at Eryn for help. He responded by holding the menu in his hands.

"Feel free to pick from this list." He pointed to the drink list. "There are a lot of options."

"There are so many…" Lofie's eyes darted around the list, thinking of what to choose.

"I want…," Melty leaned into the menu and chose whatever sounded delicious to her, "… strawberry juice!"

"Can I have this… vanilla bubble drink?" Iris pointed at the label.

"Eryn, Eryn." Lofie tugged his jacket. "Can you choose for me?"

"Oh?" He turned to her. "Don't you want to choose anything you like?"

"It's okay." Lofie gave him a thumbs up. "Whatever Eryn chooses will taste good."

You're putting too much faith in me, Lofie… Eryn chuckled. Hmmm, I think she'll like this one.

"How about this chocolate milkshake?" Eryn pointed to it. "Is that fine with you?"

"Very fine!" Lofie bobbed her head, her dog ears bouncing with her.

Nodding, Mayonee made a mental note of their orders before turning to Riana.

"I'll have this omu-rice set with orange juice," Riana said. "The usual."

"Please allow me to make sure. Four newcomer sets, an omu-rice set, honey tea, orange juice, vanilla bubble drink, strawberry juice, and a chocolate milkshake."

"That's right."

"Very well." Mayonee turned to Eryn. "Master Eryn, I believe you have vouchers in your possession?"

"Oh, right!" Eryn took the vouchers out of his wallet. I almost forgot about this… how did she know I have it on me? He handed it to her. "Can I redeem them?"

"Of course." She explained as she accepted the vouchers. "With these vouchers, you'll get a 25% discount off your order."

"Wow, that's neat."

"How lucky, Eryn." Riana grinned.

"We will begin preparing your order." Mayonee bowed herself at the waist, then disappeared into the kitchen.

"Riana, I've been meaning to ask something…" Eryn leaned on the table after the butler was out of their vision.

"What is it?"

"This is a maid café, right?"

"… Oh." Riana's eyes widened in realization. "You must be wondering why Mayonee's wearing a butler costume."

"Right."

She briefly raised her shoulders. "Well, I don't know."

"Huh?" Eryn blinked. "You don't know?"

"I've never bothered to ask her, honestly." She smacked her lips. "And she's never brought it up."

"Huh, I see…" Eryn reclined back in his seat. Weird. She seems to fit right in with the other maids. I suppose it's none of our business… still, he couldn't shake his curiosity away. The other maids don't seem bothered by it. Maybe this is part of her job?

"That… woman." Iris twiddled with her fingers. "She… scares me."

"She scares you?" Eryn wrapped his arm around Iris. She's afraid of Mayonee…? "Why's that, Iris?"

"I don't know…" Iris leaned on Eryn for reassurance. "I'm sorry, Eryn. I don't know how to explain it."

"Hey, it's okay." Eryn gently stroked her hair. "Sometimes, we can't explain these feelings."

"Mayonee's a unique person, I'll admit." Riana hummed. "Even I wasn't quite used to having her service, but she's a sweet and polite butler!"

"I think so, too."

Even though Mayonee exuded this mysterious aura, her behavior was definitely genuine. Eryn didn't sense anything malicious about her. But Iris… she sensed something off about her, huh? It struck him as odd that neither Lofie nor Melty mentioned any similar remarks. Maybe it's because Iris is the eldest…

"So, you come to this café often?" Eryn asked.

"Yep!" Riana nodded. "The prices are affordable, the waitresses are cute, and the place is comfortable."

"Sounds like you enjoy this cafe."

"I do." She grinned. "It's where I can unwind after a long day."

"Nice to hear that…" Eryn hummed in understanding.

"You know…" Riana stretched her palms towards him on the table. "We have a lot to catch up on. It's been years since we last talked."

"Years…" Eryn averted his eyes, drawing his hands to hers. Time flies by so fast, huh?

"I know you have your own reasons for… living on your own." Riana sighed, taking hold of his hands. "Ever since that day…"

"… It's been tough," Eryn said softly. "Been trying to do what I can to… move on."

"They would be proud of you, Eryn." Riana squeezed his hands gently. "I know I am."

The monstergirls silently paid attention to their conversation. They noticed that Eryn seemed… sentimental. Whom was Riana referring to? Was it someone dear to Eryn?

What they also understood was that Eryn might have cut contact with his sister for several years. What led him to that decision? There were so many things they didn't know about their owner.

"Your sister is here for you." She gave a warm smile. "You can always rely on me."

"Yeah…" he replied with a timid smile. "Thanks, Riana."

"Eryn can also rely on us!" Melty grabbed his hands. "We're here for you too!"

"Mhmm…" Lofie nuzzled her head into his chest.

"Because that's what family is for!" Iris added, wrapping her arms around him.

"… And of course, you have your monstergirls," Riana added.

Ever since that day many years ago, Eryn had shut himself off from everyone. It's been so long that… I can't remember what exactly happened. Perhaps the memory was so traumatizing that he buried it in the deepest depths of his mind. But I could never forget how it made me feel…

But as he looked at the monstergirls' faces, he somehow knew that everything would be okay. Now that they were officially adopted, he had a family to look after. A family that he would try his darndest to make happy.

I won't let them experience the pain of losing a parent.