Stepping out of Dengeki Bunko, Cao Shuang suddenly felt that all the exhaustion of the past few days had paid off! At least the money was in the bag! From now on, he wouldn't have to worry about where his next meal was coming from. He could even afford to drink Coke without diluting it with extra ice or water!
In short, he had finally gained a solid foothold in Japan.
At 2:30 PM, he boarded the Shinkansen home. Since it was still early and he had specifically taken the day off anyway, why not head to Akihabara? It was a place he'd always wanted to visit but had avoided due to his empty pockets.
He had been dying to try out the maid cafes there! He'd heard they were a major local specialty. Back when he watched anime, he always wondered what the service was actually like. Now, it was time to make that dream a reality.
When he arrived in Akihabara, his first impression was that it was massive—and man, there were a lot of shut-in otakus! The place was overflowing with 2D elements and dizzying amounts of merchandise. It was truly a paradise for the geek crowd.
"Too bad the prize money hasn't hit my account yet, otherwise I'd buy a few galgames to take home."
With very little cash left in his pocket, a massive shopping spree was out of the question. He could only window-shop for now.
However, Cao Shuang found himself hesitating in front of a maid cafe. It was easy to talk a big game about exploring one, but standing at the entrance was a different story. His skin wasn't quite thick enough yet.
Forget it! What do people live for? To hear a sweet Japanese girl call them 'Onii-chan'!
Just do it! Full send!
"Welcome home, Master!"
The maids at the door bowed in unison with impressive vigor, giving the freshly emboldened Cao Shuang quite a fright. His newfound courage instantly plummeted. Watching it in anime and experiencing it in reality were two completely different things; the "second-hand embarrassment" (social death) was real.
Led by a maid to an empty table, Cao Shuang wanted nothing more than to bury his head in the menu like an ostrich. Fortunately, there were no acquaintances around; otherwise, where would he hide his face?
"Has Master decided? Nana-chan recommends the omurice, and today's special 'QQ-Nene-Tastes-So-Good-Super-Delicious-Mepu-Tea'!"
She's good! That one "Master" made Cao Shuang feel like he was floating. This trip was definitely worth it.
"I'll have the omurice and that milk tea then."
"Oh? Master, we don't have 'plain milk tea' here. It's the 'QQ-Nene-Tastes-So-Good-Super-Delicious-Mepu-Tea'!"
Cao Shuang froze, looking at the cute young maid with a doubtful gaze. I suspect you're trying to troll me.
"Hahaha, I'm just teasing my cute Master. One omurice and a milk tea, coming up!"
It was rare for such a good-looking guy to walk into the shop; she couldn't resist messing with him.
After that, Cao Shuang experienced a scene that defined "social death." He had to recite a cute "magic spell" to make the omurice taste better! He was left mentally scarred... he'd have to think long and hard before deciding to come back to a maid cafe.
The omurice was okay—standard quality, a bit sweet, but edible.
While he was eating, the cafe got busy. Since they were running out of space, a maid asked if he'd mind sharing his table with another guest. Cao Shuang said it was fine; he was planning to leave as soon as he finished anyway.
Then, led by a maid, a girl wearing a tracksuit so dated it was painful, with blonde hair tied in twin tails, sat down across from him. Cao Shuang couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as his mouth twitched. The world was truly small.
"Cao Shuang-kun!! Mmf!"
The blonde twin-tail girl clearly recognized him too. Her eyes widened as she blurted out his name, but she immediately realized the situation was bad and slapped her hand over her mouth.
Cao Shuang let out a helpless sigh. He had planned to just pretend he didn't know her and leave quietly, but this blonde Ojou-sama just had to make things awkward.
Obviously, the person sitting across from him was Eriri.
At school, she was the glamorous mixed-race Ojou-sama, one of the undeniable "unreachable flowers." But who would have thought that behind the scenes, Eriri was just a dork in a tracksuit who, like any other otaku, loved roaming Akihabara?
Judging by the bags of loot next to her, she had clearly just finished a major shopping haul.
"I... I... You... You..."
Eriri was so panicked she could barely get the words out.
Seeing her like this, Cao Shuang had no choice but to keep playing along and pretend he didn't recognize her. He looked at her with a confused expression.
"Um, do I know you?"
Eriri blinked, stunned. Then she realized that in this outfit, she did look very different from her school self. Furthermore, although they sat next to each other, they rarely actually spoke. It was perfectly normal for him not to recognize her.
Relieved, Eriri forced an awkward smile. "Sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else. I thought you were a friend of mine."
Hey, hey, Ojou-sama, that excuse is way too weak. Isn't that a bit too obvious? I'm the only international student at our school named Cao Shuang. It's not like it's a super common name. You're basically telling me you know exactly who I am.
But to save her some face, Cao Shuang nodded as if he accepted the reason. He settled the bill and left the cafe.
Whew.
Eriri let out a long breath, convinced she had successfully bluffed her way through and avoided being caught by a classmate.
"I didn't expect to run into Cao Shuang here. Is he part of the otaku culture too? He doesn't look the part. With that face and how dressed up he is, it looks like he just came back from a banquet. Huh? What's this?"
Eriri suddenly spotted a document Cao Shuang had accidentally left on the table.
It wasn't that she meant to pry, but the words "Dengeki Bunko Signing Contract" were written in huge, glaring letters.
Is it Cao Shuang's? Or did the previous guest leave it?
Eriri thought about it and opened the contract. She discovered it really was Cao Shuang's signing contract, and the work being signed was the light novel that had been gaining some buzz online recently: Your Lie in April.
Eriri's jaw dropped in shock!
This was huge! The novel Your Lie in April was actually written by her classmate—the guy who sat right behind her and never spoke to her!