[Thank you for your report, Ciel. I have given the details to Tina and have PMC to secure all papers in the area. What do you want to do now?]

  “Rest. I will return to Rakuen Academy and welcome the new students. There is only Luna and I who can welcome them, you know? The others are… Well, I don’t think they can face new people.”

  [Ah, you’re right. I will take care of the rest, so you can clock out now.]

  “Okay. Good luck with your patrol.”

  I ended the communication with Sibyl and took off my earphone.

  Finally I had an excuse to skip my job in student council. But now, I had to face the next problem that haunted me.

  Standing in front of a slightly dipidated building, with cracks on the wall and holes on the roof, I swallowed nervously before stepping inside the gate.

  Face me with Sybil, the strongest Esper in the Academy City, and I wouldn’t be afraid. However, Luna… She was… different.

  “I have prepared my excuse. I am able to face that demon wearing the face of a beautiful girl.”

  After steeling my mind, I took a step forward only to freeze when cold blue eyes met with mine. A girl around my age stood under a withered tree, arm crossed and feet tapped against the ground repeatedly. Her green hair was tied into a double bun.

  From the frown in her face and the way she looked at the burnt part of my uniform, it was clear that she was pissed.

  “So?” She asked coldly, scrutinized me from top to bottom, waiting for my expnation.

  I ruffled my hair and looked to the side.

  “Well, I was caught off guard and a paper exploded right in my hand. It’s not my fault this time that my uniform got burnt.”

  “... Sigh.” Luna sighed and held her head, “We have no money to fix your uniform anymore, you do know that right? All the money the main student council gave us and your reward already went to buy the new student uniform as well as fixing the css. Our budget this month is already in the red!”

  No budget?

  Did we use that much money already?

  As a vice-president of the Cypherion Student Council, I was given incentive so I could focus on my duty, study, and development of my Esper ability.

  The money was by no means a little. I was given 25 thousand Sis monthly. In my old world, it was equivalent to 10 thousand dolrs.

  Also, I got more than 200 thousand Sis from winning the tournament a while back.

  And she said we used them all already?

  “Really?”

  “Yes.” Luna nodded and then ruffled her hair, “The renovation cost more than I thought. Not only that, those three people actually bought something with the money! Aaargh! And you will need a new uniform too. Why does everyone spend so much money when we’re so broke?”

  This time, I couldn’t help but hold and shake my head too.

  These people! How could they use the money?

  It was meant to be used for our monthly meal as well. If there was no money, how could we eat? What could we use to buy groceries and pay for electricity?

  Still, at least some of the money went to renovation. I was curious how many new students we had so I asked Luna, only to be met with her averting her gaze.

  “Luna, why did you look away? How many new students did we get this month?”

  “...ro.”

  Her voice was too small to the point I couldn’t hear her. I leaned closer to listen better.

  Noticing that I couldn’t hear her well, she gritted her teeth and repeated.

  “Zero! Some of them ran away saying that they would enter another school after seeing our building’s condition. Those who stayed took a look inside and decided to move too after meeting that guy! Aaah! Hahaha…Hahaha! Should I just destroy the school? Hey, Ciel. Tell me. Should I?”

  A strange aura emanated from Luna as she ughed crazily. When she became like this, it would be wise to step back and wait for her to calm down.

  Just like I thought, she exhaled a sigh a few seconds ter and facepalmed.

  “There is no other choice… Ciel, introduce me to that pce. I will accept your proposal from a month ago.”

  Hearing that, I narrowed my eyes and asked in a serious tone.

  “Are you serious?”

  Nodding slowly, Luna looked at me with resignation in her eyes, “I don’t want to do it, but we have no choice. You have done enough and gave us all your money, so it’s my turn to work.”

  I could rete to that. I also didn’t want to rely on other people too much. Even now, I tried my best to repay my debt to my savior who took me in when I was confused about being dropped in this new world.

  That’s why…

  “Alright. Let’s go to that pce.”

  Where the nightmare and dream merged becoming one.

  ***

  “Welcome home, Master and Mistress~”

  Upon arriving at the location, a maid with cute and frilly clothes greeted us while posing cutely. Looking past her, I could see a cafe interior decorated with mostly cute things and other maids servicing customers.

  If you guessed that this was a maid cafe, then you’re correct. And I was one of the regurs here.

  “Ah, Ciel! You came again.”

  The maid who greeted us beamed when she realized it was me. Then, she looked back for a second before cpping her hands.

  “Sorry, we didn’t know that you would come so your usual seat is used. Do you mind if you use another one for now?”

  “No worries, Aria. I am here to meet the manager because I found someone interested to fill the empty spot.”

  “You found someone?” The blue-haired maid finally realized Luna who stood behind me while fidgeting nervously, “Wow, she’s so cute! Please follow me. I will take you to the manager.”

  Saying that, Aria walked inside. I followed her with Luna trailing right behind. We were taken into the staff only area and stopped in front of an office door.

  Aria knocked on the door softly.

  “Manager, Ciel is here to meet you. He found someone willing to fill the position.”

  “Ask him to enter.”

  “You heard her. I will leave first then, I still have jobs to do. Bye.” Aria walked away while waving her hand.

  Sighing, I knocked the door reluctantly. To be honest, meeting the manager in the office always made me feel a bit odd, but I had no choice.

  “Manager, I am entering.” I announced my presence and pushed the door.

  The reason behind my reluctance, a pink world, greeted us. Floor, walls, bookcases, desk, couches, even the ceiling, everything was dominated by pink. Even the posters of girls posted on the walls were also dominated with pink.

  Sitting behind the desk, Manager turned to us upon hearing the creaking of the door. Her pink hair tied in a twintail swayed slightly. An impressive asset that couldn’t be hidden by her maid outfit swayed when she moved.

  “Oh, you’re here. Is she the one?” Her sharp, blue eyes looked at Luna as if she was looking at a prey. “Tall and athletic. Her face is definitely a pass, but we need to change that hairstyle. Yes, she will do. Good job, Ciel.”

  She assessed Luna immediately without hesitation. Luna got so surprised that she tried to shield her body with her arms. A futile attempt, seeing how much area her arms could cover.

  I often wondered if the manager knew any tact at all. She didn’t try to hide her desire to get girls to work for her.

  “Hey, Luna. Introduce yourself.” I quietly whispered as I elbowed her.

  “O-oh, right. Cough. My name is Luna from Rakuen Academy. N-Nice to meet you, manager.”

  “Her voice is cute too. Alright, hired!”

  Tak!

  The manager smmed the desk with her hand and grinned. No hesitation at all in her words as if she already knew Luna from inside out.

  “Huh?”

  Even Luna was surprised by the manager’s decisiveness. Hiring someone in Cypherion usually involved an interview and background check to ensure the new employee never had any trouble or w breaking record.

  It sounded simple, but on this isnd where Espers gathered, and students who loved to use their powers anywhere, not breaking the w was pretty hard. Fights often broke out and facilities often got destroyed.

  The hiring procedure was simple. The manager took out the contract and had Luna read it. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sary.

  “Being a maid is rough, you know? It’s normal to get paid that much. I just hope you can work hard.” The manager said, “Also, I only accepted you since Ciel introduced you. If you mess up, I will have him take the responsibility.”

  “Yes, please do so!”

  “Hey!” I retorted at their words. Why should I take responsibility if Luna messed up?

  Anyway, Luna agreed readily and signed the contract. She would start working tomorrow. Because she was still a student, her shift would start in the evening, 4 hours of work everyday so as to not bother her study.

  After everything was finished, I pnned to return to the dorm and ze around. However, the manager stopped me.

  “Ciel, you stay here for a minute. I have something to talk about with you.”

  I looked at her straight in her eyes for a second and nodded. Then, I told Luna to return first and stayed with the manager.

  When she left, I sat before her and raised my eyebrows, prompting the pink-haired manager to speak.

  “Were you hurt anywhere? That explosion was pretty strong, no?”

  “...!”

  Suddenly, the manager asked such a thing. The atmosphere became heavy, an exact opposite to the lightheartedness of the pink room. She leaned against her hand and pyed with her hair.

  I mentioned that every job required a background check when they hired a new employee. Manager was a strange person by nature, but that didn’t mean she didn’t do her homework. She wouldn’t trust anyone even if I recommended them.

  The only reason why she skipped the background check, despite meeting a new employee, was simple. She already knew everything.

  “The Resistance got you good, huh? 56 new students already pulled their registration and left Cypherion after realizing that it’s not just flower and Psion in the Academy City. Also, our sales decreased tely due to the rumors flying around here. To be honest, I am a bit troubled.”

  Anywhere I go, troubles always follow.

  In a year that I lived in Academy City, I had more near death experiences than the 18 years I lived before. Having experienced that, my instinct of trouble was honed to the point I could smell them just by a simple hint.

  “What do you want me to do, manager?” I sighed in resignation.

  Maid Cafe ‘Angel’ Manager, Ameri Newman. A terrifying, fox-like woman who had one of the vastest information networks in Academy City. She even knew about me being attacked two hours ago without moving away from this room.

  How did I get acquainted with such a woman, I myself didn’t understand. She just suddenly appeared in my life at one point when I dealt with The Resistance.

  Because I also owed her debt, I often received her request to pay them.

  I can’t believe she’s just two years older than me. This is why I want to fade in the background. I rolled my eyes and listened to her.

  “Don’t worry, it’s nothing hard for you. Also, if you do well with my request, I will give you information about your attacker and why they spread those papers. Honestly, my request is also reted to that. Isn’t it convenient for you? Sibyl will be troubled if you don’t accept my request.”

  My interest rose hearing that.

  Reted case? Maybe The Resistance’s pn was more intricate than what I expected. And she had to bring up Sibyl to convince me.

  I don’t like the fact that I can’t help but dance in her palm.

  “Let’s hear it.” I said, ruffling my white, tangled mess of hair.

  “I know you will say that. You’re the best man ever, Ciel.” Ameri giggled, her eyes narrowed like a fox.