I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

"No, we just arrived too." Yui waved enthusiastically, seemingly eager to take over the next part of the itinerary.

"Speaking of which, what does 'combat' refer to?"

"Oh, so you asked Hiratsuka-sensei to persuade Kawasaki-kun, but it failed."

"And it was a critical hit."

Hachiman added, "Boyfriends and things like marriage..."

Qinglai raised an eyebrow knowingly. "I see. So, where are we going next?"

“It’s a shop not too far from the school. According to Hachiman, he has already found an expert,” Yukinoshita glanced at Hachiman and received a nod of approval from him. “So we’re going to go to the shop to inquire.”

Is the source of this information reliable?

"It was Kawasaki Taishi who said it. He seems to have received a call from the shop owner asking about Kawasaki."

Hikigaya walked beside Totsuka.

Passing through the school and student housing area, you arrive at a more bustling shopping street. The number of pedestrians has increased significantly. Looking around, you can see many students wearing various school uniforms. However, what is even more eye-catching than the school uniforms are the maid cafe waitresses dressed in maid outfits, standing at the entrance of shops or on the street handing out flyers. With their long and smooth legs and curvaceous figures, boys who have never seen the world would find it impossible to resist the charm of these mature older women.

Kiyoshi glanced at the two men, his gaze somewhat unfocused, but he did not make any impolite moves.

That was somewhat unexpected.

"Eek—! Kiyoyori?!"

When the group stopped in front of a shop, Kiyora heard a familiar voice.

"Eri...?" Her bright blonde hair was so striking that she was easily spotted. She was wearing the Toyosaki Academy uniform, without her black-rimmed glasses, and accompanied by two other students from the same school. "What are you doing here?"

"These are my lines, right? You, you, you... you're not working here, are you?!" Eriri's face suddenly turned red. Kiyoshi could roughly guess what she was thinking without even having to think.

"No way would I have gotten this result? Eriri is the one who should be trying to seduce Rin with her maid outfit!"

Eriri rushed forward without regard for her image, forcefully grabbing Kiyori's cheeks with both hands. "Huh? Kiyori, what were you about to say?!"

"You've lost your mind."

Thinking that his face was being pinched, Qinglai was unable to speak clearly.

"what?"

Kiyoyori rubbed the cheek that Eriri had released:

"Your image is ruined."

In order not to reveal her otaku nature, Eriri always maintains the persona of an elegant young lady at school, which is completely different from her usual appearance at home, where she wears sportswear and looks sloppy.

Eriri stiffened, immediately took a step back to straighten her appearance, and gave the two classmates behind her a polite smile, "This is my cousin, Tachibana Kiyoyori, who is currently studying at Soubu High School."

“These are my two classmates, Ishizumi Kiyoshi and Satomi Azusa. They were curious about the newly opened maid café, so we came to check it out today.” Eriri turned her gaze to the group behind Kiyoyori. “Aren’t you going to introduce them, Kiyoyori?”

Kiyoshi introduced the senior colleagues one by one, saying, "We are here today for a commission."

"A commission?"

Eriri gave Kiyori a strange look, knowing that Kiyori always disliked getting involved in troublesome matters.

"It's just like a club activity."

Eriri nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

"Um, aren't maid cafes usually only for men?"

Yuihama looked at the male-to-female ratio of the two groups. It could be said that the presence of women far outweighed that of men. Even with the addition of Zaimokuza who had just appeared, there were only three boys. Moreover, Totsuka was even more beautiful than the girls.

So, Totsuka's gender must be Hideyoshi, right?

“Yes, that’s mostly the case, but this place is a little different, which is why we came here,” Eriri pointed to the sign at the entrance, which read “Girls are welcome to enter as well.” “They have different themes every day, and even on weekdays, you can try on maid outfits, so there are basically no gender restrictions.”

“However,” Kiyotaka walked into the shop, where a wooden sign with large yellow characters read, “Today is women only.”

"Huh?!"

The three boys, who had been full of enthusiasm, immediately looked gloomy.

“Oh, I see,” Yuihama glanced at Hikigaya regretfully, “Then Zaimokuza and Hikigaya will have to wait for us outside.”

Wait a minute, it seems like we forgot someone.

"Damn it! Now we can't see Totsuka's maid outfit?!"

Zai Muza knelt on the ground, his knees drooping in resentment. Hikigaya, who hadn't expected this, immediately showed an even more disappointed expression.

"Please, Tachibana," Kiyoritomo Hikigaya blinked, "please send me a picture of Totsuka in a maid outfit!"

"Hachiman!"

Chapter 30, Section 88: Maid or Butler?! Welcome back, Miss!

"Welcome home, ladies."

As soon as they entered, two "boys" dressed in tuxedos stood on either side. Their cheerful smiles made the girls blush and their hearts race. Their deliberately lowered voices stirred the girls' budding hearts. One of the "boys," with black hair, had an exceptionally handsome face. His slightly upturned lips and gentle eyes made Eriri and Yui blush instantly.

"Are all six of you together? Please follow me."

"Ladies, would you like me to hang up your backpacks for you?"

The excessively attentive service truly made the six girls feel like princesses. Although three of them were indeed princesses, they did not "keep" housekeepers at home.

"So handsome!"

Yui covered her face with her hands, and the skin peeking out from between her fingers had turned bright red.

The two girls who came with Eriri also showed the same smile as Yuihama. Although they came to try on maid outfits, they seemed to have gained something extra today.

Qinglai looked with great interest at the "butlers" who were providing services at other tables. Each of them was a charming "gentleman," and every smile and gesture of theirs captivated the hearts of the female customers.

Eriri, true to her reputation for perfect appearances, quickly regained her composure and began to observe the shop's butler with a discerning eye. "Hmph, Kiyoyori, what do you think about hiring a high school student as a butler?"

She whispered in Qinglai's ear.

"Is Eriri finally going to give up on Tomoya-senpai? I'm so relieved."

"Idiot, you idiot! Why did Tomoya's name have to appear at this time?!"

Kiyoyori shrugged. "Speaking of which, Eriri, didn't you think the black-haired butler who greeted us just now was a bit strange?"

Eriri glanced around and saw that the handsome butler was serving at another table, but no matter where he moved, he always kept his back to their table. Even when he passed by, he deliberately avoided eye contact with them, as if he was hiding from something.

"It is a bit..."

Kiyoshiro quickly glanced at Yukinoshita, who was sitting calmly in a chair. Yukinoshita seemed to be looking at the black-haired butler with a questioning gaze.

"Eri, shouldn't this kind of shop allow customers to request specific services?"

Kiyoshi revealed a malicious smile.

Eriri waved knowingly, and a butler with a braid immediately came over. "What would the young ladies like to order?"

“I’d like to request a specific service,” Eriri said with a perfect social smile, an essential social tool for a “young lady.” “What’s the name of that black-haired butler? Can I request her service?”

Eriri's actions attracted the attention of the other three girls, who concluded in their conversation that the butler was the most handsome. Eriri, however, simply said what they were too shy to say aloud.

"Huh? You mean Saki-kun?"

"So your name is Saki-kun?" Kiyori picked up the conversation, making a wronged expression and blinking. "Could you please have her come? Saki-kun has been avoiding us, but we all like her very much."

The long-haired butler hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes, ladies, please wait a moment."

A moment later, the black-haired butler, with a polite smile, walked out stiffly, carrying six glasses of lemonade. She walked to each person, bent down, and placed the lemonade in their hands.

"I'm very sorry, ladies. I was just busy with work earlier. I didn't mean to avoid you. Please forgive me."

She looked at the six people with pleading eyes, and the other three quickly surrendered. But the remaining three were not ordinary high school students who had never seen the world.

"Hmm, Saki-kun is indeed very popular, but this compensation is really not enough. How about Saki-kun offers something else? For example—"

Kiyoshi revealed an ambiguous smile, and as Saki's smile became more and more stiff, Kiyoshi's smile became more and more unrestrained.

"For example, our Ice Queen seems to have something she wants to ask you."

Saki followed Kiyori's gaze and saw Yukinoshita; his smile vanished.

Yukino sighed helplessly, "Stop teasing me, Tachibana-san."

Qinglai picked up the lemonade to signal himself to shut up.

"Long time no see, Ayuzawa-kun. I didn't expect you to be working here. The clothes suit you well," Yukinoshita's lighthearted words were a bombshell to Ayuzawa, who was deliberately hiding his identity while working. "However, I do have something I want to ask you."

“Yukinoshita…” Ayuzawa, whose name was called, gave a wry smile. “I never expected you to come to a maid café.”

"Eh?! Do Yuki and Saki know each other?!"

"We studied Aikido together before, but it's been a long time since we last met."

"The last time we met must have been before you went abroad... I never expected you could recognize me at a glance."

Compared to Ayuzawa, who was disguised, Yukinoshita was obviously easier to recognize. After all, her fairy-like aura and exquisite appearance that was unforgettable at first glance had always been stored deep in Ayuzawa's memory.

Strangely enough, Yukinoshita is clearly from a wealthy family, while Ayuzawa's family is very poor, and she even has to work part-time to help support the family. Yet, the two still got to know each other and maintained intermittent contact while Yukinoshita was abroad.

"What would you ladies like to order?" Ayuzawa once again flashed her business smile, and now that she was recognized so readily, she no longer held back.

"I just wanted to ask—"

"Wanting answers without any reward is the behavior of bad children, young ladies."

Ayuzawa raised his index finger to his lips and gave a wicked smile.

"Ha..." Yukinoshita sighed and pointed to the picture on the menu. "Then please give me a latte."

"I understand, Miss, please wait a moment."

Ayuzawa bent down. "Well then, you can ask now."

"Do you have a girl named Kawasaki Saki in your shop?"

Under the snow, he opened the door and asked directly.

No.