It began innocently enough.
(They always do.)
Mr. Tanaka stood before the class, holding a clipboard like it held the fate of the universe.
"All right, students! The cultural festival is next week, and we need volunteers for event committees!"
I slouched into my seat. I was planning to stay very quiet.
Then someone said:
"Hey, Reika should help with the theme café. She's creative."
I made the mistake of looking up.
Boom. Assigned.
So that's how I ended up on the committee for Class 2-B's big event:
"Otherworld Café – A Fantasy-Themed Adventure Experience!"
Everyone turned to me like I was the High Priestess of Fantasy Knowledge.
"Uh," I said, sweating. "I mean, I like fantasy, but I don't really—"
"Didn't you write that story about a moon princess and a duck army?"
"That was… metaphorical," I mumbled.
But it was too late.
I was now the head designer, script writer, menu planner, and ambiance specialist for a fantasy café.
Great.
---
Three Days Later
The classroom was chaos.
One corner had cardboard trees. Another had paper stars strung from the ceiling. Someone brought a fog machine. Kento was hot-gluing fairy wings to his blazer and muttering about becoming a "mystic waiter."
And me?
I was trying to make everything believable without accidentally including anything too real.
"Okay," I said, pointing at the prop list. "No magic spells. No real swords. No glowing eyes. And definitely no cursed amulets."
Aya raised a hand. "Why not?"
"Because it's a school event, not a summoning circle."
She pouted. "But I already named my tray 'The Silver Disk of Eternal Service.'"
I sighed. "Fine. But only if it doesn't talk back."
---
One Day Before the Festival
I was setting up the last decorations—twinkly paper lanterns, soft music, a gently flickering LED candle—when I stopped time for just one second to catch a falling stack of plates.
Unstoppable Reika instinct.
Unfortunately, when time resumed, everyone saw the plates land perfectly upright in my hands.
"Whoa!"
"Did she train with monks?"
"Is she… actually from another world?"
"No!" I laughed nervously. "I'm just really good at catching things! Reflexes! Caffeine!"
Still, the rumors intensified.
Someone installed a sign at the door of our classroom:
"Welcome to the Otherworld Café – Hosted by Lady Reika, Traveler of Realms."
I removed it.
They reprinted it. In gold.
---
Festival Day
Shockingly… it was a huge success.
The decorations looked stunning. The menu was themed with things like "Knight's Cocoa" and "Mageberry Tart." The "waiters" wore cloaks, the "adventurers" got menus shaped like scrolls, and everyone took selfies under the paper moons.
But then… the weird stuff started.
Our fog machine malfunctioned and released a perfectly timed swirl every time I walked past.
Someone's LED candle flickered in Morse code.
A customer claimed their tea "tasted like wisdom."
And a girl swore her toy crystal ball "glowed" when I touched it.
I didn't do anything. I didn't know how. I just served tea and stopped time to adjust a curtain once.
That's it.
But by the end of the day, I'd been dubbed:
"The Lady Beyond the Curtain"
"The Mildly Mystical Maid"
And Worst of All: "The Real Reika from the Real Fantasy Realm"
Even Mr. Tanaka dropped by, took a sip of our "Potion of Calm," and mumbled,
"Suspiciously effective…"
---
That Night
I collapsed into bed.
Just Reika.
Just someone trying to get through school without becoming a local legend.
But deep down…
…okay, it was a pretty fun café.
And I did keep the sign.
Just in case.