Chapter 1: The Maid of a Summer Day
The downtown shopping district was as lively as ever during summer vacation, bustling with the energy of a festival.
Men in business suits hurried through the crowds in polished leather shoes, weaving effortlessly between pedestrians. One glanced at the luxury watch on his left wrist and quickened his pace. His meeting must have been coming up soon.
A young couple emerged from a famous department store, visibly struggling with the sudden transition from cool air-conditioning to the sweltering heat outside. The girl dabbed at the sweat on her boyfriend’s forehead with a handkerchief. They looked so close, so comfortable together—it was hard not to envy them.
Groups of high school girls strolled down the street, laughing and chatting, each carrying a cup from a well-known coffee chain. Even the oppressive summer heat couldn’t dampen their spirits.
As I walked through the ever-crowded district, I suddenly stopped.
My gaze had been drawn upward to a giant screen mounted on a building.
It was broadcasting the final game of the National High School Baseball Championship.
The camera focused on the seventh batter.
Yoshiki Kishiwara.
His position—third baseman—along with his grade and former middle school, appeared in subtitles beneath his name.
The reason I’d stopped was simple.
I knew him.
A baseball player I recognized was standing in the batter’s box.
Stopping abruptly in the middle of a busy street earned me an irritated click of the tongue from a balding, pot-bellied salaryman behind me as he brushed past. Normally, I would’ve been annoyed enough to click my tongue right back.
Today, though, I couldn’t have cared less.
I found myself staring at an amateur baseball player the way someone might stare at a celebrity.
I wasn’t the only one.
A couple of older men had also stopped to watch. They looked like the kind of guys who lived for high school baseball. Keeping some distance from them, I continued watching the screen.
Clang!
The metallic crack of the bat rang out through the speakers, followed immediately by the excited voice of the commentator.
The ball shot cleanly through the gap between third and short and rolled into left field for a base hit.
The screen showed him overrunning first base.
The face of the seventh batter—the third baseman who had just recorded a hit on the national stage—was lit up with joy.
“That kid was selected for the Under-15 national team, wasn’t he?”
One of the older men muttered while staring at the screen.
“Ah, right. Kishiwara, wasn’t it? The catcher who could really hit… Huh? Didn’t it say he was a third baseman just now? Wasn’t he a catcher?”
“I heard this story somewhere. There was this incredible pitcher on that Under-15 team. Can’t remember his name though… Anyway, Kishiwara was always his catcher. Then that pitcher injured his shoulder and quit baseball.”
“Hmm.”
“Apparently Kishiwara said he wouldn’t form a battery with anyone else, so he switched positions.”
“Wow. Still, even after changing positions, he became a starter at a powerhouse school and made it all the way to Koshien. And now he’s getting hits in the championship. That’s impressive.”
Listening to their conversation, I quietly walked past them.
“Oh, I remember now. The pitcher’s name was Kou Morigami.”
My body twitched.
Hearing my name unexpectedly, I instinctively turned around.
But the two men weren’t paying attention to me at all. Their eyes remained fixed on the giant screen.
I let out a small sigh.
Then I faced forward and resumed walking through the concrete jungle of the city.
The sounds of an excited baseball broadcast mixed with the endless cries of cicadas clinging to the roadside trees.
The summer sun poured down relentlessly. Simply standing outside was enough to draw sweat from every pore. My body was beginning to send faint warnings, urging me to replenish the water I’d lost.
“Please stop by!”
Gradually, the sounds of baseball faded behind me.
In their place came an incredibly cute voice.
It was the kind of voice that sounded oddly familiar—an anime-like voice so adorable it made you do a double take.
For a moment, I wondered if a voice actress happened to be nearby.
Curious, I looked toward the source.
I was wrong.
It was a maid.
A maid in a frilly, adorable uniform was handing out flyers beneath the blazing summer sun.
A maid café, huh?
I’d never been to one before.
And I was thirsty.
Maybe this was as good a chance as any.
The thought crossed my mind, and I found myself walking toward the girl who was diligently passing out flyers.
“Welcome to Maid Café Maid☆In! Here you go—”
Just as I reached out to take one—
She froze.
Completely.
For a split second, I genuinely wondered whether time had stopped for everyone except me.
Maybe I’d read too many light novels and manga.
Of course, time hadn’t stopped.
The cicadas were still chirping.
The distant cheers from the baseball broadcast were still audible.
The only thing frozen was the maid standing in front of me.
Something was clearly wrong.
So I looked more closely at her face.
“…Ohira?”
I never could have imagined running into her here.
Yuki Ohira.
The student council president at my school.
Her trademark silver hair flowed all the way down her back, beautiful and fragile enough to be compared to a world of silver snow. Some people claimed her hair alone was a work of art.
Her features were refined and dignified, carrying both strength and conviction, yet somehow retaining a gentle femininity.
Her figure was equally stunning.
That slim waist and graceful legs were undoubtedly the result of hard work, though her generous chest might have been a gift from the heavens.
She possessed the kind of beauty that felt unreal, like a fairy who had wandered in from another world.
Among the students, there were even people who called her Titania, the Fairy Queen.
At school, she was known for her strict demeanor as student council president.
She never hesitated to reprimand anyone who broke the rules.
It didn’t matter whether the offender was a troublesome student or even a teacher.
Because of both her beauty and her unwavering sense of responsibility, she was incredibly popular throughout the school.
And that same girl—
Was wearing a maid outfit.
More specifically, she was wearing a maid outfit while handing out flyers.
For the record, it suited her absurdly well.
“M-Morigami-kun…!?”
At last, time resumed for her.
And the first thing she said was my name.
Apparently, she was just as shocked by this encounter as I was.
But almost immediately, she straightened her posture and forced her usual dignified expression back onto her face. Holding out the flyer properly, she declared:
“M-M-Maid Café… M-M-Maido… d-d-d…”
I take that back.
She was completely panicking.
Her face had turned bright red.
I accepted the flyer and awkwardly bowed my head.
“Th-thanks.”
Still flustered, she leaned closer and spoke in a tiny voice.
“P-Please… I-I-I’m begging you…”
It didn’t take long for me to realize she wasn’t talking about advertising the café.
She meant something else entirely.
And so, in that concrete jungle at the tail end of summer, I found myself face-to-face with Titania, the Fairy Queen—
wearing a maid outfit.
