>28< Kirino's Offline Meetup

Chapter 28: Kirino's Offline Meetup

The buzzing vibration of the phone woke Zaimokuza up immediately. Groggy, he answered the call.

"Hello, who's this?"

"Are you seriously still sleeping? It's already 10 AM," came an irritated yet familiar voice from the other end. Zaimokuza glanced at his phone screen and saw the name he had saved as "Little Sister Fanatic."

"Oh, it's you, Kirino? What do you need so early?" If Kirino ever found out Zaimokuza had labeled her as a "Little Sister Fanatic," she'd undoubtedly lose her temper.

As for Zaimokuza calling Kirino by her name directly, that was simply because they were friends who often gamed together.

"Tch, well, I have something to talk about." Kirino, on the other end of the call, fiddled awkwardly with her hair.

"So, what exactly do you need? If it's something I can help with, I'll try my best," Zaimokuza said, stifling a yawn.

"Really?" Kirino asked, her tone brightening. It was clear she was pleased with his response.

"Actually, you remember last time when I asked you where I could make some in-game friends? I found a chatroom and joined it. And, well... they're planning an offline meetup at a café in Akihabara today. So, I was wondering..."

When she got to her request, Kirino's voice became hesitant. After all, it was the first time she'd ever asked a boy to go somewhere with her, even if it wasn't a date. Still, she couldn't help feeling self-conscious.

"Ah, I see. You're worried those people from the chatroom might be pretending to be girls to bait others, right?" Zaimokuza quickly figured out why Kirino wanted him to go with her.

"Yeah... something like that," Kirino sighed, relieved that he understood.

"Alright then, how about this—if you call me 'Big Brother,' I'll consider going with you. Deal?" Zaimokuza teased, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"Big... brother?! You pervert! What are you thinking?!"

"Hmm, even though you left out the 'dear' part, I guess it's passable."

"Huh? No way!" Kirino's frustrated, teeth-grinding voice came through the phone. Zaimokuza had no doubt that if she were in front of him right now, she'd probably kick him a few times.

"Alright, alright. I've already agreed to go with you, so stop focusing on the little details. So, which café are you meeting at?"

With a sigh of defeat, Kirino replied, "The café is called 'Chayu,' it's in the center of Akihabara."

"Chayu, huh? I actually ate there yesterday."

"Really? Sounds like you know the place well then. Alright, we'll meet there at noon. Just sit and keep an eye on me. I'm going to get ready now. Bye-bye." With that, Kirino hung up the call.

Zaimokuza sighed in exasperation and slowly got up to start his day.

After spending half an hour freshening up, he decided to skip breakfast and played on his computer for a while.

Only after it was past 11 did he finally hop on his motorcycle and head towards Akihabara.

...

In front of the "Chayu" maid café in Akihabara, two young women dressed in maid outfits were handing out flyers to passersby.

"Kotori-chan, how's your idol group coming along?" Asumi Kominami asked curiously, glancing at Minami Kotori.

Wearing her maid outfit, Kotori's gentle and refined demeanor stood out, making her the perfect example of a maid.

"Asumi-senpai, our group has grown to nine members now! We're currently training for our next event," Kotori answered cheerfully.

"Really? That's great! Keep it up, and let me know when you have your first concert, okay?" Asumi encouraged her.

"Of course! I'll be sure to let the manager and everyone at the café know when we do!"

Just then, the loud roar of a motorcycle engine abruptly echoed down the street, drawing everyone's attention.

The bike screeched to a halt right in front of the "Chayu" café, kicking up dust that caused the two maids to cough uncontrollably.

"Cough, cough—hey, you jerk!" Asumi, clearly annoyed, was about to march over and give the rider a piece of her mind.

But before she could, the rider took off his helmet and greeted them with a grin.

"Yo, Kominami-senpai, good afternoon. I'm here to check out your café today."

Seeing it was Zaimokuza, Asumi swallowed her rising anger and instead rolled her eyes in frustration. "You idiot, can't you ride more carefully?"

Hearing Zaimokuza's familiar voice, Kotori began to panic. She quickly covered her face with the flyers she was handing out, trying to hide from his gaze.

Zaimokuza stared at the maid hiding behind the flyers, confused.

Following his gaze, Asumi turned to Kotori and asked, "Kotori, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Kotori felt utterly mortified. She hadn't even spoken, and the situation had already gone downhill.

Zaimokuza, now curious, asked, "Kotori? Could it be Kotori-senpai?" He leaned forward, trying to get a look at her face.

Panicked, Kotori tightly gripped the flyers and responded in a deliberately altered voice, "Kotori? What, who is Kotori? I don't know."

Her clumsy English was far from convincing, and Zaimokuza turned to glance at Asumi, who was biting her lip to keep from laughing.

Realizing what was going on, he sighed and swiftly pulled the flyer away from Kotori's face.

"Ah!" Kotori let out a soft cry, sounding like a small, helpless kitten caught in the act.

With his deadpan expression, Zaimokuza stared at Kotori, who awkwardly smiled back under his gaze.

Embarrassed, Kotori began explaining. "I wanted to change myself when I first joined the group, but... I didn't want people to know that I was working here."

"Oh, I see. You should've just said so. I'm not the type to go around telling everyone," Zaimokuza said, shrugging.

"I... I don't know why. I just reacted without thinking," Kotori muttered, still flustered.

"But honestly, the way you tried to cover it up was hilarious! Haha!" Zaimokuza couldn't hold back his laughter as he recalled the scene. Even Asumi, standing nearby, couldn't help but giggle behind her hand.

Puffing her cheeks in annoyance, Kotori glared at Zaimokuza.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, Senpai. I promise I won't laugh next time," Zaimokuza apologized, though still trying to stifle his grin.

Kotori let out a sigh of relief when she saw that Zaimokuza had apologized. But in the next moment, his follow-up comment left her speechless.

"Unless I can't help it, hahaha!" Zaimokuza burst out laughing again, making Asumi laugh along with him.

Kotori glared at Zaimokuza with a look of mild resentment, mentally adding another mark against him.

...

Just then, a tall girl, easily over 180 cm, dressed like a typical Japanese otaku, entered the café. She wore large glasses that obscured her face and a light green shirt. Leading a group of other girls, she walked right in.

Zaimokuza immediately recognized the girl Saori Makishima.

He found Kirino and glanced at her, but Kirino looked back at him with confusion, clearly not recognizing him.

Remembering why he was there, Zaimokuza quickly waved goodbye to the two maids and found a seat where he could discreetly observe the group.