"Really?!" Mahiru's eyes widened in surprise. "I actually attend that school too." She blinked, taken aback by the coincidence that Shido would transfer to her school.
"Wow, what a surprise," Shido chuckled. "What year are you in, by the way?"
"I'm in my first year." Mahiru replied casually.
"I see… that's a pity." Shido said, a playful grin tugging at his lips.
"Pity? Why?" Mahiru tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Shido laughed, his tone light and teasing. "I thought I'd have a beautiful senpai to look up to. Guess it's a pity."
Mahiru's cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink, and she let out a small huff. "Mooo, Itsuka-san, don't tease me!" she said with a pout, her voice tinged with embarrassment.
"I'm just stating the truth." Shido replied with a sincere smile.
"I didn't expect you to have such a slick tongue," Mahiru said, recovering from her embarrassment as a playful smile danced on her lips. "I wonder how many girls have fallen for your sweet words. Hmm?"
"None," Shido replied without missing a beat. "I don't say things like that to other girls."
Mahiru's smile brightened, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh? Are you saying you only say those kinds of things to me?"
"Well... Yeah." Shido nodded. It was the truth and he didn't actually lie since it was the first time he flirted with someone in this world.
Mahiru was stunned by his straightforward reply. For a moment, her mind went blank, then a sudden warmth surged to her face. Her cheeks turned a deep shade of red as she looked away, clearly flustered. She hadn't expected Shido to admit it so honestly, and yet… she could tell he wasn't lying.
"Shido-san… please don't tease me like that." she murmured, her voice soft and bashful.
Realizing he might've gone a little too far, Shido rubbed the back of his head with an awkward chuckle. "Sorry, I guess I said a bit much. Anyway, I should get going now and you should too, right? You wouldn't want to be late for school."
"Whose fault do you think it is?" Mahiru huffed, shooting Shido a playful glare, still blushing slightly from earlier.
"Haha, I'm sorry, alright?" Shido said, raising his hands in surrender.
"I don't hear any actual remorse in your voice, though." she replied, narrowing her eyes, though a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Shido laughed again, and this time, Mahiru couldn't help but join in.
The two walked together for a little while, chatting lightly as the morning sun warmed their path. Eventually, they reached the point where their routes diverged, and with a brief wave, they went their separate ways.
...
After parting ways with Mahiru, Shido wandered through the city for a while, taking in the sights and sounds of Tokyo. Eventually, he found himself standing in front of a family restaurant called Wagnaria. A nostalgic smile formed on his face.
'A family restaurant, huh…' he thought. 'Kotori would love this, especially in her little sister mode.'
With that thought warming his heart, he stepped inside. The automatic doors slid open with a soft whir, followed by a cheerful pin pon sound signaling a customer's arrival.
Almost immediately, a waitress with short brown hair approached him, her expression was bright and energetic.
"Good morning! Welcome to Wagnaria!" she said with a beaming smile.
"Yes," Shido replied with a nod.
"Great! Let me lead you to your table," she said, gesturing for him to follow.
She guided him through the restaurant to a cozy table near the window, where the morning light gently spilled across the tabletop.
"Here you go." she said with a smile.
"Thanks." Shido replied as he took his seat, settling in comfortably.
...
"...Is that all for your order?" the waitress asked, confirming once more with a pleasant smile.
"Yes, that's all," Shido nodded politely.
"Alright! Please wait a few minutes," she said before heading back to the kitchen to place his order. Once done, she returned to the floor, continuing her cheerful work serving other customers.
Shido leaned back in his seat, his eyes wandering around the restaurant. 'It seems like a pretty normal place... but it's cozy. Kind of relaxing, actually unlike the original series.'
It was a bit different from what he remembered in the anime.
However, Shido immediately retracted his words when he saw the other waitress in this family restaurant.
One of them was even talking even when their was no one in front of her.
"Welcome."
"Table for one?"
"Right this way."
"Here's our menu."
"Thank you for your patience."
Shido look at this scene speechlessly "What the heck." He couldn't help but swear when he saw this.
However, he quickly caught up and activated his observation haki. With it he saw a transparent person in normal clothes ordering food while the waitress answered him like nothing was wrong.
"A ghost?"
Shido was dumbfounded as it was the first time he had seen a ghost however, the waitress seemed to be not aware that her customer was a ghost. However, Shido didn't tell her since she might not even believe what he was saying and look at him strangely.
Just as Shido was thinking about the waitress who can see ghost, he suddenly heard a commotion broke out at a nearby table, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned his head slightly and saw a grumpy-looking middle-aged woman, clearly unhappy, arguing with another waitress with purple hair that is tied into a twin-tail and rested on her shoulders.
"Excuse me! This coffee is weaker than before!"
"My apologies." The waitress only apologies and continued smiling, as though the woman's complaint didn't faze her in the slightest.
"What are you grinning about? Why don't you try showing me a little sincerity?" The other woman was annoyed by her nonchalant attitude especially the waitress smiling face.
However, the waitress reply made them at loss for words including Shido. The waitress drop large stacks of money on the table which seemed to be over a few millions.
"I apologize for the inconvenience." the waitress said, her smile still intact as she casually tossed the money onto the table to show her sincerity.
The woman was completely stunned, her words caught in her throat.
"Come here, Kamakura!" The waitress with short brown hair hurriedly came to the purpled hair waitress called Kamakura and dragged her on the side.
She put a hand on her head and sigh helplessly as Kamakura always do unthinkable things. "Kamakura, what do you think customers are?" The short brown haired waitress asked her.
"What do I think? The ignorant masses?" Kamakura however, only replied directly with her usual smiling face which pissed off the brown haired waitress even more.
"Well, Kamakura-san have a weird perspective so don't blame her too much, Miyakoshi-san." The waitress that serve the ghost earlier came towards them while delivering a set of dishes and glasses.
"I don't want to hear that from you." 2x
Both Kamakura and Miyakoshi replied in unison, their voices almost synchronized as they gave the ghost-seeing waitress an incredulous look.
"They are as lively as in the anime." Shido shook his head and smiled wryly as this restaurant filled with very unique individuals.
However, even though he already know who they are, Shido was still curious about their stats so he activated his scan and look at their profiles and stats.
Name: Miyakoshi Hana
Level: 8
Age: 16
Height: 157 cm
Measurements (B/W/H): 78/58/80
Class: Waitress
STR: D
VIT: E++
AGI: E+
INT: E
CHA: C+
LUK: D
Threat Level: E++
Affiliation: Wagnaria
Name: Muranushi Sayuri
Level: 5
Age: 19
Height: 160 cm
Measurements (B/W/H): 74/57/79
Class: Waitress
STR: E
VIT: E
AGI: E
INT: D+
CHA: C++
LUK: E+
Threat Level: E
Affiliation: Wagnaria
Name: Kamakura Shiho
Level: 7
Age: 19
Height: 154 cm
Measurements (B/W/H): 81/59/83
Class: Waitress
STR: E
VIT: E
AGI: E
INT: E+
CHA: C+
LUK: D+++
Threat Level: D
Affiliation: Wagnaria