SesshyxKagomeLover - Huh?
BlindOtakuWriter - Sure that sounds great! I think it's awesome.
13thRebels - That sounds like a great idea for a chapter. If I do happen to write it, I'll give you credit for the idea. If I forget to just remind me.
Dracus6 - I'm working on it.
This is Lotus
This is Saiki
Saiki and Lotus
~Thoughts of others~
The Many Jobs of Mera - Saiki and Lotus' Secret Space
"Hey, we're all going to karaoke after school. Wanna come?"
"Heck yeah!"
"I'm in!"
"Let's make it a party."
While teens chattered and made plans in the background Saiki was busy reading. Or it was more like Saiki was just skimming a book trying to drown out the voices and thoughts of his classmates.
"Hey Hairo, down for some karaoke?"
"Now that exams are down sure!" Hairo said
"Chiyo you coming?"
"Sounds fun!" Chiyo said
The boy who was asking around paused seeing Kaidou and Nendou.
"Uh…" He quickly turned around addressing some other students.
"What are they talking about?" Nendou questioned
"I don't know," Kaidou said
"It's better that you don't," Saiki said
"What about you Mera?"
"Yeah, I already have plans, sorry," Mera said
The doors to the classroom slid open and in came the one and only Teruhashi.
"Oh wow, Teruhashi!" A few guys exclaimed
"What's up, guys?" Teruhashi asked
"You wanna come to karaoke?"
"Half of the class is going and those guys over there too."
Within a fraction of a second nearly every boy was lined up in front of Teruhashi.
"~Doesn't look like Saiki is going. So no.~"
Teruhashi put on an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I can't I have a lesson after school."
Immediately the cheery air turned to despair.
"Oh okay...let's call it off…"
"Well, that sure killed the mood."
When all hope seemed lost the classroom doors were once again opened but this time it was Lotus.
She immediately picked up on the depressive atmosphere and looked around the room with a questioning gaze.
"Uhm...did something happen here?"
The once dead mood was brought back as several guys spotted Lotus.
"You ask her?"
"No, you do it!"
"No dude I can't."
The guys whispered amongst themselves trying to figure out who should ask Lotus to go to karaoke.
Lotus raised a brow before walking over to her desk looking to Saiki.
"What's going on?"
"Karaoke."
"Huh? Sounds fun but I can't sing, so I don't do it."
The guys spent so much time trying to figure out who had the most courage to ask out Lotus that they literally had no time left as the school bell rang and the pink-haired girl left with Saiki.
The two teens made their way a few blocks over to a little shop known as Café Mami. It had become a regular thing amongst the two. They would grab a booth and have a relaxing time enjoying the delicacies that the café had to offer.
It was out of the way so no one from school ever visited it, plus it had the added bonus of serving one of the best coffee jellies in the area. Lotus would always take the opportunity to enjoy something new while Saiki stuck with his favorite, although the girl would often share her dessert with Saiki just to see if he would like something different but so far his number one choice was still coffee jelly.
Now Saiki could always simply just tell Lotus no, and she'd stop giving him samples of her desert, but he didn't because it'd be a hassle. Not because he enjoyed it when Lotus fed him food, definitely not because of that.
Lotus and Saiki sat at their normal booth Saiki, of course, ordered the coffee jelly, while Lotus order some sponge cake. The two sat across from one another waiting for their food. This was normal for the teens but from the perspective viewpoint of others, it appeared as if two students were out on a date.
Finally, when it was time for their food to arrive a rather familiar looking face came running out two trays in hand.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Mera said
The moment the glasses-wearing girl spotted Lotus and Saiki she yelped stumbling backwards the trays falling out of her hands. The platters crashed to the ground spilling coffee, cake, and broken glass. Mera apologized running off to grab some things to clean up the mess.
"What a waste. And it was such good coffee."
"Hey, at least you caught the jelly right." Lotus mused
"I mean why not she'd just have to throw it away," Saiki said
"Good point," Lotus said
Lotus covered her small giggles as she watched the coffee jelly float up and into Saiki's mouth.
"Why didn't you catch your cake?" Saiki asked
"Well, it's already odd enough that the coffee jelly is gone but adding the cake too would be suspicious," Lotus said
Mera came running back a towel in her hand.
"I'm sorry! I'll clean it up and get you two some more just-huh? Hey, where's the coffee jelly?" Mera said
"No idea."
Lotus snorted a bit doing her best to hold back her snickering.
Mera came back rather quickly with Saiki and Lotus's new food and coffee.
"I'm sorry sometimes I'm a bit of a klutz," Mera apologized
"No complaints here."
"It's all good," Lotus said
Mera pulled out a second cup of coffee jelly and another slice of cake.
"Here's an extra cake and jelly free of charge," Mera said
"Are you a god?"
Lotus almost choked on her coffee from laughter.
"Uhm by the way you two…." Mera clasped her hands together in a prayer position. "I'm begging please don't tell anyone that I've got a part-time job as a waitress!" Mera slid into the booth sitting next to Lotus. "If the school finds out they'll make me quit."
"Huh? Why's that?" Lotus asked
"Student jobs are forbidden," Saiki said
"The school doesn't allow students to work and go to school," Mera said
"Huh, that's an odd rule. As long as you're a certain age in many countries you can go to school and work," Lotus said
"And they won't make me quit just this job. There's my morning paper and milk delivery, my nights as a gas station attendant, my weekend works at the restaurant, and not to mention my side gigs as a babysitter, tutor, and flower arranger."
"Holy crap that's a lot!"
"Making her quit seems humane."
"To be honest my family's poor," Mera admitted
"I think everyone already knew that. After all her lunch is just rice with a pickled plum. Her gym uniform has someone else's name on it. Also, if you look closely one of her glasses is missing a lens."
"Let's also add the scary look she's sporting right now while she's staring at our food." Lotus pointed out.
Mera's mouth was open, and she had a rather large amount of drool slipping out, so much in fact that it was creating a small puddle on the table. Her eyes held this crazed glint as she stared down at the food on the table. The puddle of drool was slowly making its way towards Lotus, so she simply slipped under the table sitting next to Saiki on his side of the booth, which went unnoticed by Mera as she was entranced by the food.
Saiki slid his coffee jelly over to Mera which quickly snapped her out of her hunger trance.
"Oh I'm fine you two can go ahead and eat." Mera waved a hand, forgetting to wipe the drool away from the side of her mouth.
"You're hard to ignore, besides your drool ruined it."
Mera's overflowing amount drool had not only dropped on the table but also Saiki's jelly. He loved the stuff but not that much.
Lotus gave a small smile as Saiki didn't have to offer the desert, despite the fact Mera ruined it with her drool, he could have simply thrown it out, but he didn't. Lotus slid her cake over to Mera, offering her dessert up too.
It didn't take that much persuasion before Mera dug into the desserts. The moment the delicate food touched her tongue she let out a cheerful hum of delight.
"It's so good. I feel like I owe you two my life. To be honest all I had to eat yesterday was ice."
"If our desserts are the price of your salvation then so be it."
Lotus smiled patting Saiki's shoulder. "Don't worry next outing is on me. Order as much coffee jelly as you like."
"I'm supporting everyone in my family so that's why the school can't find out about my jobs, okay."
Mera scooped up another spoonful of coffee jelly but it slipped off the spoon.
"Huh?! Three second rule."
Mera lent her head down slurping the coffee jelly off the table.
"Okay, we won't tell."
"Yeah, there's no way I can. But...I really hope these tables were cleaned well."
"Thanks you guys," Mera said
Lotus and Saiki left the café Mera waving to them from the window.
"Well as long as Mera wants to keep her job a secret that means no one will know about the café. It'll continue to be our little spot, right Saiki," Lotus said with a smile.
"Our spot huh…"
The teens were only a few feet away when the bell of the café rung and Mera greeted the new patron.
"Wait was that?"
"Saiki wasn't that?"
Mera trembled nervously before the man who had entered the café, Coach Matsuzaki.
"C-Coach Matsuzaki!"
"Young lady are you working here?" Coach Matsuzaki questioned
"It is him."
"Saiki."
"Sorry I don't think there's anything I can do to help her."
"Are you working here or not, yes or no?" Coach Matsuzaki asked
Mera continued to stutter terrified.
"Saiki." Lotus grabbed Saiki's arm pulling him back and closer to her.
He made no struggle as his mind briefly went blank due to his sudden close proximity to Lotus.
"Saiki your the only one. You're the only one who can help Mera. I know you can do it."
"You know the rules right. No matter how good a student your job is...nothing to worry about. You're working hard Mera." Coach Matsuzaki said
"Eh?" Lotus blinked at the sudden 180 of her teacher.
"Thank you so much sir," Mera said
"Well I'd like to order parfait," Coach Matsuzaki said
"Coming right up!" Mera said
"Saiki did you-?"
Lotus, who still hadn't let go of Saiki's arm, looked at him seeing he had pulled out one of his antennae.
"I said that I'd keep my mind control powers sealed but I guess I made another change in the world. Not a big one though hopefully, it won't change too much though." Saiki said
"Saiki….you're awesome!" Lotus cheered throwing her arms around the boy.
Once again Saiki's mind went blank as Lotus's warm body wrapped around his own. His hands were out, and he was thrown back into a memory of this happening before.
Lotus was about to pull away from the hug until arms wrapped around her.
"Huh?...Is….Is Saiki hugging me back?"
Before Lotus could fully register the embrace Saiki let go and pulled away. He adjusted his glasses and started walking down the street. Lotus stayed in place stuck in a trance of sorts, her cheeks tinted with pink.
"Are you coming?"
Saiki's voice drew Lotus out of her trance.
"Y-Yeah. Wait for me, Saiki!"
"Hey, we're all going to karaoke after school wanna come!"
As if the day was put on repeat students planned a get together after school inviting almost everyone in class. Kaidou and Nendou were still left clueless about the entire thing.
"Hey, Mera are you in?"
"Thanks but I have to work after school today," Mera said
"Then instead of karaoke how about we go to your workplace and keep you company."
"That'd be great!" Mera said
Next Teruhashi made her way onto the scene.
"Ah, Teruhashi were all going to where Mera works you wanna come?"
"Well, today I might be…"
"~Saiki's not going is he?~"
"Hey, Saiki says he wants to come, too."
"Saiki? Sure, why not?"
"Who said that?"
"-I'm in! Let's go!" Teruhashi exclaimed
"Really!"
"Sweet!"
"Hey what's going? We finally gonna get together after school and hang?" Nendou asked
The atmosphere of the room went from 100 to 0 at Nendou's words.
"Nendou wants to come?"
"Let's just cancel."
"Wow, that sure killed the mood."