The ride to Mia’s workplace, Cafe Hape, was fairly brief. Despite her previous panic, Mia remained calm behind the wheel.

  As I looked out the window of the car, many sights passed by: a plane soaring far above overhead, the monorail zipping on the towering bridges, television displays silently playing news articles and advertisements.

  Mia adjusted the mirror at the head of the car to look at me, giving me a warm smile as if natural routine.

  When I looked towards her reflection in the mirror, she quickly spoke.

  “I’ll try to make sure the girls don’t tease you too much this time.”

  Her words left me confused, distracting me from the glass I was about to look at. Then I remembered the energetic enthusiasm of the female staff when I visited the cafe on my first day on Earth.

  “Ah. We’ll have to walk from here..” Mia declared as she parked the car and began to exit the vehicle.

  Looking out the window once more, I found that we were in some kind of parking garage.

  Towards the corner of my eye, my faint reflection stared back at me with a grin. But before I could fully react, Mia quickly opened my door and pulled me out of the car.

  “Come on, lil bro. We’re already a little late as it is.” She said, making a slight pout as if to lighten my mood.

  “Okay.” I replied, letting her pull me along.

  Without further unnecessary delay, she guided me along the streets.

  Whenever she’d see my gaze wander towards a glass pane on a store’s display, she quickly pull me closer.

  “Don’t get lost now.”

  Finally we arrived at the cafe. The words “Cafe Hape” still written clearly on its sign just as it was the previous time.

  The bell above the door chimed as Mia pushed it open and led me inside. Warm light spilled across polished wooden tables, the smell of roasted beans wrapping around me like a blanket.

  “Mia! You’re late!” One of the girls called, her face pouting slightly. Seeing her auburn hair and puffy cheeks, I remembered her instantly: it was Hati. Her face quickly relaxed, however, as her eyes flicked to me.

  “Yoiya!? You brought Yoiya with you?”

  The customers all jumped at her sudden proclamation of surprise. Another girl appeared, the one with brown hair and a gentle smile Lois, bowing multiple times as she quickly apologized for Hati’s sudden outburst.

  She then approached us, lightly chopping Hati’s head and admonishing her.

  “Don’t yell out suddenly like that when we have customers, Hati.”

  Her stern expression and attitude vanished instantly, however, and she quickly closed in to hug and nuzzle me to near death from the left.

  “Yoiya, Yoiya, Yoiya! I’m so glad you’re back, cutie!”

  Hati puffs up her cheeks again and she approached me with haste, mimicking Lois’ actions onto my right side.

  Mia let out a small growl. “Hey! Give me lil bro some space!”

  “Oh? ‘Lil bro’, is it now?” Lois said teasingly to Mia, pulling me closer against her, my face against her chest. “It’s only been two weeks and you already claimed this cutie for your own? How strangely quick of you, Mia. Back in school, you never had any interest in boys.”

  Another growl, this time slightly louder. Mia’s cheeks were the ones to puff of this time. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot against the floor.

  “W-well. It’s won’t be official for about another six months, but he’s still family to me!”

  Unable to react, or breathe for that matter—not that I really needed to as a voidborne— I found my body being yanked into three different sets of breasts consistently. Eventually, I was stuck in a tug-of-war between three girls.

  “Give him back, you two!” Mia shouted.

  The customers gawked with dazed looks on their faces. They seemed to be just as dumbfounded by the scene as I was.

  ~This is getting to be a bit much…

  I let out a sigh, my fingertips gathering mana as I prepared to coat my wrists with water to slip out of their grips.

  Though, I found my spell to be unnecessary as the third and final maid stepped in, her voice stern and chilling.

  “What are you girls doing?”

  Instantly, the girls let go of me and turned to face the maid. Her black hair flowed long, seeming to cover the entirety of her backside. It was none other than Serbi, the owner’s daughter.

  The girl smiled at us and spoke with commanding tone.

  “Lois. Hati. Please apologize and tend to the customers. You’re still on the clock.” Her eyes then turned towards Mia. “Mia. You’re thirty minutes late. Hurry up and get changed into uniform in the back. I’ll tend to your brother for you.”

  “Yes ma’am.” The girls said in tandem, their heads bowed apologetically. The girls quickly scattered across the cafe, immediately following Serbi’s instructions.

  Now left alone, I found myself on the retrieving end of Serbi’s piercing stare.

  It sent chills down my spine, her amber eyes reminding me of the angel from my visionary dreams.

  Though my worries were unfounded, as Serbi gave me a smile and instantly gave me a big hug.

  Dumbfounded, I was utterly speechless and unable to react.

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  She nuzzled her cheek against mine. “I’m so glad to see you again, Yoiya cutie.” Her pampering did not last long, however, as she hastily grabbed my wrist and straightened her posture.

  “Let’s get you seated.”

  She lead me to a small booth in the corner of the cafe, next to the staff entrance.

  “Would you like something to drink? Coffee — Ah I suppose you’re a bit young to be drinking coffee. How about milk or juice, instead?”

  “I’ll take the milk…” I said, nervously looking around and fiddling with my fingers.

  “Alright. I’ll bring it right to you. Please give me a moment.”

  Serbi walked away, headed to the a machine behind the counter. From there, I watched from afar as she grabbed a cup and poured some milk from a jug into it.

  She swiftly made her way back to me, being careful not to spill it. Setting it on the table, she sat down across from me.

  “How has life been with Mia?.”

  I looked up at her. Serbi’s smile was blinding, even more so than Mia’s. She seemed genuinely happy to see me.

  “It’s been pretty good, I guess. She’s taught me a lot.”

  “That’s good to hear. Have you picked up any hobbies?”

  “Hobbies? I guess… reading and video games?”

  “Manga and RPGs, right? Typical boy stuff, huh?” Serbi let out a chuckle. “Mia was always a bit of a tomboy.”

  ~So reading and gaming are considered common hobbies for mortal males in this world? I’ll make note of this.

  “Hey!” Hati and Lois shouted out, coming over to the table, their fists to their sides. “No fair! We want to talk to Yoiya too!”

  “Girls. I wanted to ask about today’s costume theme. It’s a bit-” Mia came through the staff entrance with a flustered look on her face. Her voice immediately trailed off as she noticed I was sitting at the table there.

  Looking her up and down, she appeared to be wearing a tight bodysuit of some kind that exposed her thighs and arms. At first, it reminded me of some of the ‘mecha suits’ that I would see in some of Mia’s manga but this was clearly different. As my gaze finally reached her head, I noticed floppy bunny ears.

  “It’s Bunny Girl Day. We voted on this theme as punishment for forgetting about Nekomimi Maid Day last time, Mia! Hehe!” Hati yelped with a playful giggle.

  “But you guys aren’t wearing any-!”

  “I forgot.” Lois blurted out.

  “Totally forgot.” Hati chided in.

  “Mhm.” Serbi said, averting her gaze.

  “G-guys!!!”

  “But you look so gorgeous, Mia!” Hati shouted, hugging her from the side.

  Serbi let out a cough.

  “Ahem. Okay. I think that’s enough loitering around for now, girls. Get to work. We don’t want to keep the customers waiting. Hati, Lois, you keep slacking off you’re wearing bunny outfits, too.”

  “Huhhh!?” Hati and Lois shouted in protest.

  …

  The hustling of customers had died down, leaving only the natural coziness of the cafe behind.

  The warm lights had dimmed and only the subtle sounds of squeaky mops remained.

  I looked to the side, where Mia and the rest of the cafe’s staff huddled together and chatted as they each leaned against their janitorial utensil.

  “So what gave you the idea to make me wear a bunny outfit of all things anyways?” Mia questioned Hati, her face seeming to show relief— likely glad to be wearing normal clothes again.

  “Eh? Obviously because you have killer assets.” Hati replied with a blank expression as if Mia just asked a rhetorical question.

  “I thought it was because Serbi said Mia really liked bunnies.” Lois spoke up.

  “Eh? You believed that, Lois? There’s no way Mia would like something as cutesy as bunnies. Not our all-star miss-graduated-early Mia.”

  “You still on about that, Hati?” Serbi said rather sternly, almost as if she was reprimanding her for bad behavior again.

  “Our Hati has always been rather envious of Mia ever since we met in high school. Don’t worry though, Mia. I’ll never hold any grudges against you for leaving us two years early.” Lois said with a smile so bright that you’d think it was fake.

  “Your valid envy aside, it was no lie that Mia likes bunnies. She would always play with them as a kid when our families went on vacation to the states in the summer.”

  “I guess you would know, Serbi. You are her childhood friend, after all.” Lois giggled softly. Though, this time her smile seemed to twitch a bit.

  “I would appreciate you to keep your jealousy in check as well, Lois. If you ever want to know more about your precious Mia, you can always ask me.” Serbi said, closing her eyes as she enjoyed a cup of tea by the counter.

  “And I would really appreciate if you guys didn’t talk about me like I wasn’t here. Haha…” Mia chuckled nervously. She could likely sense the tension between the girls as well.

  ~Human relations sure seem complicated.

  As I continued to listen in, the girls eventually began to reminisce about their days in highschool. They’d mention stuff like how Mia helped their class win the sports festival, manga reenactments in the theatre club, or how they’d spend their time during lunch together. From there, they went further into the past and began to talk about junior high and thats when—

  Mia spoke up. “Actually! Speaking of junior high, Yoiya’s going to be attending the same school we went to starting tomorrow!”

  “Oh, really? He has his work cut out for him once they find out he’s related to you, Mia.” Hati laughed.

  I stared at them, their voices trailing off as my mind dwelled on Mia’s words.

  ~The same school that Mia went to?

  My mind began to wander as I pondered what I might encounter tomorrow. And with my mind— my eyes.

  Behind the counter, glass kettles sat. Familiar faces grinned at me, sending chills down my spine. Quickly, I averted my gaze to the windows, but the reflections betrayed me there as well.

  I looked down at the table, my mind spinning in endless circles. It felt as if my mana was being drained directly from my body, leaving me cold and empty.

  “Yoiya?”

  Mia’s voice sounded distant at that time.

  “Yoiya.”

  The second time snapped me out of it, however, as she had quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet.

  “It’s time to go.” She told me, with a smile.

  “Is something wrong?” Serbi asked.

  “Oh no. It’s nothing. I think he’s just nervous about tomorrow.” Mia replied.

  She kneeled down to meet my gaze, and then gave me a big hug while whispering in my ear. “Don’t worry. You got me here. And perhaps these three, too. You’ll be fine.”

  I found myself calming down for a moment and my gaze lifted. Though behind Mia, I met Serbi’s gaze. It seemed to be concerned, but also had a hint of chill to it.

  ~Did she notice?

  “Alright, we’ll be going now.” Mia said to the others.

  As we left, Hati and Lois gave me big hugs, seemingly upset to let me go. Serbi, however, gave me a pat on the head and softly spoke a simple request.

  “Take care of yourself, okay?”

  I gave her a simple nod in response, unable to find the words to respond to her kindness.

  We waved to them through the window from outside for only a moment after leaving, as Mia seemed insistent on leading me away from windows.

  Walking down the quiet streets, other mortals murmuring as they pass us by, I found myself thinking yet again. But this time—

  ~Maybe I can belong in this world.

  —My thoughts were filled with a little hope for the future.