“That idiot Yuuma, he really pisses me off!”
Recalling Yuuma Tsugumu’s arrogant attitude just moments ago, Akiba Sakura felt her anger boiling over.
When she first saw Yuuma Tsugumu walk in, Sakura had been internally panicking.
She’d already blurted out “small fry” and was mentally preparing for the ultimate social death.
Yet, to her surprise, her maid disguise had been so successful that even a guy like Yuuma hadn’t recognized her!
But she never expected him to follow up by asking her to perform that ‘Love Magic’.
‘I’ve never been humiliated like this in my entire life. No way… I have to get back at him!’
“Sakura-chan?”
Just then, Niijima Yukina arrived at the front counter.
Seeing Akiba Sakura’s troubled expression, she hurried over, concern in her voice.
“What’s wrong? Are you still having trouble accepting this character persona? But then again… it’s not exactly a positive trait and doesn’t really fit with being a maid. Perhaps we should—”
“No, Manager—”
Akiba Sakura raised a hand to stop Niijima Yukina from continuing, a fiery spark seeming to ignite in her eyes.
“I think this persona suits me perfectly, so there’s no need for you to worry!”
“Oh? Is that so…”
Seeing Akiba Sakura’s suddenly combative spirit, Niijima Yukina felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
“Sakura-chan, the Raw Coconut Latte for Table 6 is ready!”
“Mm-hmm—”
‘In that case, I’ll deal with you using the methods of a bratty girl, Yuuma Tsugumu!’
Akiba Sakura picked up the cup, the outer corners of her eyes tilting up slightly into a sly crescent shape.
A clearly mischievous smile played on her lips as she plotted how to tease that arrogant guy next.
—
Yuuma Tsugumu was currently leaning on one hand, idly scrolling through his smartphone, still savoring the fun of ‘teasing’ the maid earlier.
A faint, almost imperceptible trace of smugness even lingered at the corner of his mouth.
Only when Akiba Sakura quietly placed the Raw Coconut Latte on the table did he finally look up.
His gaze settled on her.
“Thank you—”
“Oh ho? The small fry master actually knows how to say thank you. I never would’ve thought!”
Akiba Sakura deliberately drew out her tone, the tail end laced with sarcasm.
Then, under Yuuma’s slightly puzzled gaze, she slowly leaned closer to him, bending forward slightly right beside him.
The sudden close proximity made Yuuma instinctively shrink back.
Seeing this, Akiba Sakura didn’t straighten up.
Instead, she doubled down, leaning right next to Yuuma’s ear.
Her voice was low, carrying undisguised mockery.
“Could it be that the ‘Love Magic’ from earlier made the small fry master more polite?”
The tips of Yuuma’s ears instantly flushed a faint pink.
He was thrown off balance by her sudden closeness, his phone nearly slipping from his hand onto the table.
Frowning, he looked up to retort, but met Akiba Sakura’s eyes, curved into crescents, filled with playful taunting.
“You… how can you call a guest ‘small fry’…”
“Oops, sorry, sorry~ It seems the small fry master doesn’t like being called ‘small fry’~”
Akiba Sakura straightened up, placing her hands behind her back and tilting her head slightly.
A feigned look of apology was plastered on her face, but the amusement in her eyes hadn’t diminished in the slightest.
“But didn’t the ‘small fry master’ enjoy my service just now? Otherwise, why would you ask me to do such a strange gesture?”
As she spoke, she deliberately mimicked the ‘Love Magic’ hand gesture from before, wiggling her fingertips slightly.
Her tone grew even more provocative—
“Should I give the small fry master another round? Maybe it’ll make you even ‘more polite’—”
“Sure!”
To her shock, Yuuma actually nodded with a smile, then pointed at the Raw Coconut Latte.
“Since our maid has decided so, why not do it again?”
“Huh?”
The confident, mischievous grin on Akiba Sakura’s face froze instantly at the corners of her mouth.
She had calculated this perfectly—Yuuma was always so serious and proper.
He definitely couldn’t handle this kind of sticky, slightly teasing close-range joke.
If she just leaned in a bit closer, made her tone a bit more suggestive, then this guy in front of her would surely blush and become flustered.
Then, with a few casual jabs, she could make him too embarrassed to speak, getting back all the humiliation she’d suffered earlier.
But she never expected the situation to take such an unfavorable turn.
“You… you’re serious?”
Akiba Sakura subconsciously took half a step back.
The eyes that were once full of provocation now revealed a flicker of panic again.
Yuuma put down his phone, resting his hand on the table.
The hint of a smile at his lips became particularly clear.
“Of course I’m serious. After all, it was the maid’s own suggestion. How could I possibly refuse?”
His tone was unnervingly earnest, but the words left Akiba Sakura completely unprepared.
Originally, Sakura had planned to follow up with that light, flirtatious voice, saying things to make him blush, then deliberately brush against him lightly to see him panic.
But now, meeting Yuuma’s gaze, she was the one who started feeling unsure of herself first.
Her movements began to stiffen.
“Who… who said I’d really do it?!”
Akiba Sakura muttered under her breath, “I was just saying it casually.”
“Just saying it casually?”
Yuuma wore an expression of someone enjoying the show.
“That wasn’t your attitude just now. ‘Small fry master’ this, ‘Love Magic’ that, with such a cocky tone. Why are you backing down now?”
The Yuuma before her now bore no resemblance to his usual proper self.
Sakura, caught off guard by his counterattack, felt a bit dazed.
But she bit her lower lip, unwilling to admit defeat just like that.
So, steeling herself, she put on that annoying bratty girl act again—
“Who… who says I am?!”
She placed her hands on her hips, chin slightly raised, deliberately using a confrontational tone, trying to overpower him with sheer attitude.
“Backing down? Not at all! I just think a minor character like you, a small fry, isn’t worthy of me performing Love Magic again!”
But Yuuma wasn’t buying it.
He suddenly reached out and touched Sakura’s hand.
“Holy crap!”
Akiba Sakura jerked her hands back from her hips as if burned, hopping back a small step.
Her voice wavered slightly.
“What the hell are you doing? Don’t just suddenly start touching people!”
Looking at this Yuuma who dared to actively touch a girl, Akiba Sakura felt for the first time that he seemed somewhat unfamiliar.
He hadn’t been this bold before when she was the one initiating contact!
Thinking this, Akiba Sakura gradually calmed down, her heart filled with confusion and a tinge of displeasure.
‘Does this guy actually prefer unfamiliar girls he doesn’t know over me?’
“Don’t be nervous.”
Yuuma shook his head with a laugh, then sat back down and picked up his coffee.
“I was just joking.”
‘Just joking…’
Hearing Yuuma’s words, Akiba Sakura frowned, suppressing the urge to punch him twice.
‘If that’s how it is, I’m definitely going to find a way to put you in your place!’
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