“Excuse me—” Night Sakura raised her hand and waved toward the counter.
A waitress dressed in a Magical Girl uniform trotted over, clutching a menu. Several badges of different Magical Girls were pinned to her apron, and she wore a sweet smile.
“How can I help you?”
Night Sakura flipped the menu to the dessert page and pointed to the picture of the pudding with Lightweaver's silhouette. “This Lightweaver Pudding... if we order it, will a Lightweaver cosplayer serve it to us?”
“Yes!” The waitress's eyes lit up, clearly enthusiastic about the topic.
“This is our special service—whichever Magical Girl's dish you order, the corresponding cosplayer will personally deliver your meal.”
“Just now, another customer ordered the strawberry parfait. When Meruru her—the cosplayer personally delivered it, everyone was taking photos. It was super popular!”
“In that case, one Tsukiyohime Special Black Coffee.”
Night Sakura closed the menu, handed it back, and added, “Wait, let's also add a Meruru Strawberry Parfait.”
“And four Lightweaver Puddings,” Amamiya said flatly from the side.
“Four?” Kohinata counted on her fingers. “One for you, one for me, one for Night Sakura, and one for the Store Owner—wait, Amamiya, don't you dislike sweet things?”
“I felt like having some today.”
The waitress quickly scribbled it down in her notepad and turned to walk toward the kitchen. Night Sakura rested her chin in her hand and scanned the café.
While queuing earlier, she had seen several waitresses cosplaying as Magical Girls carrying trays back and forth between the tables, but she hadn't spotted a Lightweaver yet.
“Four Lightweaver Puddings, one Tsukiyohime Special Black Coffee, one Meruru Strawberry Parfait—”
The waitress tore off the order slip and handed it through the kitchen window, then turned to Rei, who was checking the whipped cream near the dessert station. “Rei, the guests at Table 9 asked if ordering the Lightweaver Pudding means a Lightweaver cosplayer will serve them.”
“Lightweaver?” Rei set down her bowl of whipped cream, wiped her hands on her apron, and leaned out from behind the dessert counter. “Didn't Kurokawa drag Tian Gong away earlier? Hasn't she returned to the classroom?”
“Not yet.” The waitress checked the schedule on her phone and shook her head.
Rei pulled out her phone, her fingers flying across the screen.
After sending the message, she slipped her phone back into her pocket, picked up the bowl of whipped cream again, and gave the waitress an assuring gesture. “She'll be right back. Go serve some water to Table 9 first, and tell them Lightweaver is preparing backstage and will be with them shortly.”
【Tian Gong—the guests at Table 9 ordered four Lightweaver Puddings and specifically requested a Lightweaver cosplayer to serve them! Where are you? Hurry back and save us!】
Qiluo Tian Gong was still holding the empty cup from the caramel latte she had just finished.
She looked down at Rei's message on her phone, which was followed by several anxious emojis and a string of exclamation marks.
【On my way.】
Who in their right mind would order four of the exact same pudding at once?
Qiluo slipped her phone into her pocket, slipped out through the back door of Yuki's maid café, and walked quickly down the corridor toward the Class A classroom.
The corridor was packed with people in front of the stalls. She squeezed past a few girls taking selfies with crepes, her mind still turning over that number.
The number four gave her a very bad feeling.
The moment Qiluo pushed open the back door of the Class A classroom, Rei rushed over from behind the dessert counter and handed her a tray with four puddings neatly arranged on it.
The caramel surface gleamed with an amber luster under the lights, and each pudding was paired with a mini star made of chocolate.
“You're finally back!”
Rei helped her adjust her collar and wig, walked around her to make sure her look was perfect, and then clasped her hands together, her tone as solemn as if she were entrusting her with a vital mission.
“The guests at Table 9 have been waiting for you for a long time. Remember to speak in Lightweaver's tone: stay cool and aloof, keep your words brief, but make your movements gentle. We're counting on you for this table!”
The café was even more crowded than when it first opened. Almost every table was occupied, and the sounds of chatter, laughter, and clinking dishes blended together.
And Table 9 was a booth by the window, in a very similar position to where she had just been sitting at Yuki's place.
She could already see the people at that table.
Kohinata was leaning over the table, poking at the ice cubes in her cup with a straw, making a clinking sound.
Amamiya was flipping through a pamphlet she had bought from a handicraft stall. Her cat-ear headband sat perfectly straight on her head, in stark contrast to her usual cold expression.
Night Sakura leaned in close, whispering something to Misa Tachibana.
The Store Owner was wearing cat ears too.
Misa Tachibana, who usually spoke so softly yet kept those three problem children perfectly in line, had a pair of fluffy cat ears perched on her head.
Why were they here?
They did this on purpose, didn't they!
Qiluo knew instantly that Night Sakura must have ordered it the moment she saw the Lightweaver Pudding on the menu.
Qiluo carried the tray toward Table 9.
Night Sakura was the first to notice her.
She had been leaning over the table talking to Misa Tachibana, but as her peripheral vision caught a silver-white figure approaching, her voice trailed off mid-sentence.
Her gaze swept over the newcomer's wig, skirt, and cold face. She slowly sat up straight and nudged Kohinata, who was still poking at her ice, with her elbow.
Amamiya also looked up, her gaze lingering on Qiluo for a moment before she closed her pamphlet.
“Pardon the intrusion. Here are the four Lightweaver Puddings you ordered.” She placed the tray at the edge of the table, her voice even colder than when she was transformed as Lightweaver.
“Four Lightweaver Puddings.”
Qiluo placed the tray by the side of the table and served a pudding to each person.
She gently placed the fourth pudding in front of Night Sakura, set down the tray, and bowed slightly. “Please enjoy.”
Night Sakura looked up at Qiluo, a highly meaningful smile playing on her lips.
Kohinata stared at Qiluo's face for a long moment, then looked down at the chocolate star on the pudding, her mouth forming a small 'O' shape.
“Thank you,” Misa Tachibana said, looking up to meet Qiluo's gaze.
Her gaze was calm and gentle, but like Night Sakura's, it held a faint, subtle trace of amusement.
She reached out to pull her pudding closer and picked up her spoon, gently cracking the caramelized surface.
Qiluo held the tray to her chest and bowed slightly, preparing to leave, when Night Sakura's voice caught up with her from behind.
“Wait a moment—” Beneath her mask, Night Sakura's eyes curved into anime-like crescents.
“Classmate, your cosplay is incredibly spot-on. Your aura is so similar, and even your tone of voice is exactly the same.”
“I'm just a regular part-timer,” Qiluo said, holding the tray to her chest and tilting her head slightly.
This angle allowed her wig to cover half of her face, blocking Night Sakura's overly sharp gaze.
“Please enjoy your desserts. Call me if you need anything else.” She took half a step back, preparing to leave, but Kohinata suddenly sprang up from her seat and rushed over, her eyes wide and round like a small animal discovering something novel.
“Wait! Are you really not the actual Lightweaver? I'm a huge fan of Lightweaver, could you give me an autograph?” She was already rummaging through her pockets for paper and a pen.
Qiluo took a step back, but Kohinata took a step forward, and the notepad was about to be shoved into her hands.
“Hinata,” Misa Tachibana spoke. Her voice wasn't loud, but Kohinata stopped instantly.
“She still has other tables to help.”
Only then did Kohinata notice that other customers around them were starting to look over. She sheepishly pulled the notepad back and sat down, though her eyes couldn't help but follow Qiluo's retreating figure.
Rate on N.U.
