"Hello! Have you seen this woman!?" I asked the nearest police officer at the intersection, showing him my phone with Sera's cosplay picture in it. I would like to provide a casual picture, but the only image I have of her is from the pictorial
The police squinted his eyes to the image, pinching his chin. "Boy, are you delusional? It's like some AI-generated image."
"Why did you say that!? My sister is lost!"
"Your sister? Shizu-sama?" The policeman laughed harder than an ostrich's cry, his deepened voice insulted me the most. He tapped my shoulder and comforted me, "Wake up to the real world, brother. There's too much in life other than games."
Why do I keep encountering FCO5 weirdos!? They somewhat appear in the worst times. Is this the only game everyone plays? Why did I turn to someone I thought was reliable?
My eyebrows furrowed, and more will create flames in it. I brushed his hands off me and replied, "I'm not playing games, sir. Even more, you should do your job properly." I walked away, stomping my feet, though the right foot only made sounds of plastic crushed onto the ground.
"Hey, kid! You're too disrespectful to elders! Didn't your parents teach you good manners?"
"Hmph! I know your station, and everything here's recorded. I would gladly bring my mother and my sister later. It turns out this isn't the first time I was involved in your questioning. Don't run off later, and thanks for violating the law," waving my hand and showing my back, I walked away.
He was the one being disrespectful! I'll never tolerate it, especially when he badmouths my mother. It was only proper to give people a mirror where they could reflect on themselves. I wasn't in the wrong. I had pure intentions, but that creep showed his fake-friendly card and joked about the matter.
When I was sure he was out of my view, I ran. I approached every store we passed, hoping that she would have nostalgia for the place and wait for me. I even asked the curry store staff that we met earlier and asked if she saw Sera returning, but I didn't hear a positive response.
For ten minutes, I circled the electric town, tiring my legs in the search and I only mistaken two hooded blonde-haired girls for Sera. Soon, my right knee started feeling pain like it was being gripped by clawed hands. My doctor never recommended me walking tirelessly, but losing her is my fault. She already knew how dangerous this place was, and I don't want to repeat what happened in the alley.
That's right! I might find her at the convention already. We were already heading that way and she might have searched for directions.
Feeling confident, I stood tall and clenched my jaws inside my closed lips to ease the pain. However, the moment I reached the event venue, the judges were already introduced. In the massive crowd, I removed my sunglasses to wander my eyes for a clear search, but I never saw a hooded blonde-haired girl. I didn't see Sera anywhere.
"Hello, did you see this girl?" I asked a random Otaku who was also in the audience at the event.
"Woah! Is she a participant? I'd love to see her."
"No, she's my sister! She's lost. Did you see her?"
"Hey, bro, are you on drugs? Shizu-sama doesn't have any Otaku siblings. She only had goddess siblings. Go back to read the lore, you newbie normie."
"You too!? You think I'm kidding!? When you lost your sister, did you also feel what–" I stopped when I felt his hand pushing me back. Lately I realized, I fell down the ground backwards. The pain in my right leg multiplied, like it was suddenly dipped into hot water.
"Yo, that's what you get for pushing against my boundaries, normie! Get away from me and wake up from reality. I'm not a delusional Otaku like you. I still have a life, you know."
So that's how everyone sees me, a delusional background character who's just being pushed away for being true. I admit. Sera's beauty was so otherworldly that no one would believe she was affiliated to me. This society… no, this world harbors adherent danger from appearances. They thought highly of her in the image, but when Sera seeked help on the streets to get back home, no one helped her.
I clenched my fists, gritted my teeth, and stood up on the ground, hissing from the pain. There would be no point in staying here if she wasn't here yet. I wouldn't waste time fighting against pointless people if the judges in the event are already being introduced.
Luckily, we were last in line. I don't know if luck blessed me or if it was the product of submitting the application lately. We would be performing next to Mimirin soon, hence our fate would meet backstage. But for now, I need to rush while in pain.
I suddenly realized there was one place I hadn't visited yet when I noticed the brochure falling out the side of my bag.
***
Earlier, after handing posters to the public, the three elf maid cosplayers went up the stairs towards the door that leads to a maid cafe. Currently, there are no customers, hence all the maids gather at the hall, unmasked of their personalities. Just after they closed the entrance, a hooded blonde-haired elf followed.
In a second, the energy transformed from gloomy to lively. The ring of the bell when the door opened made the maids' faces smile with hospitality. They all faced the customer and greeted her with a warm welcome, "Good morning, Goshujin…sama?"
Their wide eyes soon squinted, and their lively tone fell down. Isn't she just another worker? That was what their faces told her. Sera, who just ventured into unknown elven territory, gasped and stepped back, expecting to feel hope, but what she felt was uncertainty instead.
Her hand resting over her chest, she removed her hood and asked with a polite tone, "Uhm… Hello, fellow elves… May I inquire about what you do here?" Her hands squirmed. The visual of the maids having fun made it difficult for Sera to ask about her way home.
The maids interpreted it differently though. The moment she revealed her face enhanced by makeup, their eyes all reflected a sparkling glow. Her face was the perfect imitation of a forest elf, and her ears seemed not to have any attachments. The three maids in front of each other, nodding behind a hidden understanding. Soon, the leader of the three approached Sera with a smile.
"Missy? Perhaps you're the new hire! May we know your name?"
"I'm, Sera. By the way, what do you mean by 'new hire?'"
"Oh, don't be shy, Sera! We're all young as you are, and we know why you're here! I'm Arisa, and I'll guide you through everything! I might be the best at guiding newbies here."
From what Sera understood, Arisa knew her intentions, due to the fact that they all see themselves as fellow elves, but she never realized that these elves are just cosplayers. She surely would've doubted it if she was talking to a human, but since she finally found a group of the same race, she irrefutably gave her trust to them.
"I knew it! I knew I could trust my fellow elves. By the way, what lineage are you all from? I'm from the Pencyne Kingdom," Sera exclaimed with enthusiasm.
"Woah! You're taking roleplays seriously, sis! Calm down, luckily we have the elves theme. I hope we can attract more customers," Arisa uttered.
"Customers? Are you doing business here?"
"Of course! We're a maid cafe, and we, elves, will do everything to serve our masters. You'll also be a part of it. I'm sure you'll do fine!"
"Really?" That doesn't sound like how the elves act. But fine! If I could go back home, I'll follow their instructions. But I need to do something first. Sera thought before uttering, "But I need to tell Kou-nii first where I am."
"That goes later, Sera-chan! Let's start practicing our lines now! The customers will soon enter. Let us get you dressed up first."
***
It's almost half past an hour since I forced myself to walk from the park towards the maidreams cafe. The place is just right before the Akihabara station, but one thing's strange… It was fully packed! The line extended across the L-shaped road, up to the Radio Kaikan building.
Was this usual for a maid cafe to be full? There are too many maid cafes around here for competition, but why are all of the customers lined up here? What could be the reason? Also, that long line gave me nostalgia; the start of the change in my life I thought was a disaster, but I sacrificed a precious item in exchange for pursuing my dreams even once.
For now, please forgive me, Shizu-sama, the other gods and goddesses. I need to jump inside urgently, and I don't have any more time. My leg seriously cannot handle the long line anymore.
My hands ready to pick-out my Shogaisha Techo from my pocket, I witnessed a maid elf cosplayer managing the line before the narrow stairway. She was the one that handed me the flyers earlier, the one who had the name tag written, 'Arisa.'
Approaching her, I asked, "What's with the line? What's happening here?"
"Goshujin-sama! You came back! Are you also a fan of FCO5? We suddenly had a collaboration with one of the famous characters from the popular game, and it's only an offer available for the day! Everyone's favorite goddess will serve her customers a Moe Moe Kyun!"
Moe Moe my butt! "Just who is that goddess? Answer me quickly! I'm in a hurry."
"Woah! Calm down, Goshujin-sama! Though I would like to serve you quickly, there are many other masters waiting in line. We highly suggest waiting in–"
I halted her sentence by giving her my opened ID, showing my disability. Seeing my condition, her eyes withdrawn. However, she responded with a phrase that eliminated one of my chances to resolve this problem easily.
"I completely understand your situation, Master! I would like to provide you with priorities, but I'm afraid our other masters will be angry not only at us, but at you too. This will cause a massive ruckus since we don't have priority lanes."
"There's a reason I need to go there! You don't understand my situation!" I shouted like an irate customer, gathering all the attention from the line. Sure, Arisa tried to hold her anger by drawing slow and steady breaths, but her clenched fists told me she was ready to punch me. Though she didn't respond, the people in line threw insults at me.
"Hey, loner weeb, don't you think you're being too personal? You got all the guts to shout at a pretty young lady only doing her job!"
"You're the one offending the maid, dumb cunt! Are you even a man!? Shouting at a woman was already a threat, and the law won't forgive you!"
"Why are you doing that to our Arisa!? Don't you know how precious her kindness to everyone was? She didn't deserve it, and you're one hell of an insensitive turtle!"
Shaking my head, I urge myself to a fixed mindset. I will never give up! To heck with my image! All I care about now is Sera's safety! The career comes next. These people don't know everything that I've been through. They don't know how much bleeding I endured from a misstitch. No one even knows how much time and savings I invested to craft the perfect costume usable only for this day.
I don't care what others think!
On this day, all I see is Sera and me!
I brushed everyone off my way and fought my way up the narrow staircase. When I opened the door, I saw Sera pressing a container of cream over a customer's omelet and cutely exclaiming, "Moe moe–"
"SERA!"
I got everyone's attention. Every maid's job halted, like time suddenly stopped. However, when I saw Sera in the maidreams dress, I got all puffy red. On the other hand, the moment her gaze met mine, her eyes sparkled. Losing the grip on the container, she rushed at me and shouted,
"K–Kou-nii!"