The Maid Uniform Proposal
"Let's do that. But first, we need to look for a location for the cafe..."
"Since this is still a plan for the future..."
The cafe hadn't even opened yet, but they had already hired four part-timers. Ariel and Demian, flustered by how rapidly things were progressing when they had only just started planning, looked utterly bewildered. Meanwhile—
"I'm going to be a customer! I'll never win if I do the same thing as everyone else!"
In the midst of this, the clever five-year-old, realizing she couldn't get hired anyway, decided to take a completely different path.
"...No matter how I look at her, that is not a normal child," Mari muttered.
"Just wait ten years, and he'll completely forget about an old lady like you!" Taerin declared.
"Ugh!"
While Mari wore a sullen expression, utterly defeated by the relentless power of a five-year-old, Yunjae looked absolutely overjoyed to have secured his dream job as a cafe part-timer.
"Yes! Please come visit with the Guild Leader!" Yunjae beamed.
"I will, Mister!" Taerin replied.
Watching the incredibly heartwarming scene, Demian let out a soft chuckle.
"At any rate, it's good to see you doing so well. I was a bit worried when I heard about the major incident yesterday."
As Demian brought up the random portal incident, Yunjae nodded. "It was definitely a bit dangerous yesterday."
Seeing Yunjae's face instantly turn serious, both Demian and Ariel flinched.
"Pardon?"
"If I hadn't been there, they wouldn't have been able to stop them."
"...I know they were monsters I've never seen before, but are you saying the Blast Guild couldn't handle them?"
The Blast Guild?
The video of Yunjae had already spread not just across Korea, but worldwide. Naturally, Demian and Ariel had also watched the footage and witnessed the appearance of the new monsters known as Great Demons. Even with all his experience, Demian had been shocked and alarmed by how the portal had opened as if specifically targeting the Blast Guild, as well as the emergence of an entirely unknown species of monster.
But were those imposing beasts truly that powerful?
"Someone of your caliber, Mr. Demian, could probably handle one of them, but a second one would be difficult. They are far stronger than the Exotic Birds."
If anyone else had said such a thing to one of the world's strongest hunters, people would have scoffed. But Yunjae was more than qualified to make that claim.
"...Are they truly that formidable? Those monsters?"
"Yes. They are only slightly weaker than the avatar of Kadmus we fought back then. For creatures of that level to appear in such numbers all at once does not fit any pattern I know of. Someone summoned them intentionally."
Perhaps because they had defeated Kadmus together, everyone stared in shock as Yunjae spoke with unprecedented gravity. He usually avoided even the slightest mention of hunting. For him to speak so seriously about it was highly unusual!
"Does that mean there might be a mastermind behind the random portals?"
"I can't say for sure. But if this was intentional, and if it's only the beginning, things are going to get quite complicated."
His words cast a heavy silence over the room. Part of it was because the usually bright and gentle Yunjae was being so solemn...
"Could it be that Kadmus wasn't the end of it?"
"Actually, there was also Damion, a regressor from fifteen years in the future. He claimed the Earth was destroyed by the Demon Dragon King Halles."
"What? You mean that copycat bastard?"
As a fellow ability user, Demian seemed to know of Damion. But a copycat!
"Ah, aaah! Well, your concepts are a bit similar!"
Yunjae was thrown off by Demian's blunt phrasing.
"Honestly, they're practically identical," Mari chimed in. "You can only tell them apart by the color of their shirts. It's basically plagiarism."
"B-but their detailed backstories are a bit different!" Yunjae protested.
"Eee~? Then he's just a knockoff!" Akemi teased.
"Ah!"
In any case, as the conversation shifted back to Damion, Yunjae returned to his usual flustered self, allowing everyone to relax a little.
"Regardless, I suspect there is something else pulling the strings behind Kadmus and Halles. If they can summon Great Demons on that scale, they wouldn't have needed to summon the true bodies of Kadmus and Halles in the first place."
Everyone's expressions turned grave once more. The mastermind behind the destruction of Earth was still hiding in the shadows! And if they ever revealed themselves, no one but Yunjae would be able to stop them.
"If something like this happens again, the culprit will likely be hiding somewhere nearby. The key location would be somewhere close to where the random portal opens."
"In that case, leave the searching to me!" Akemi declared.
This was the perfect job for a teleporter! Yunjae nodded at her words.
"Yes! If something like that happens again, please look for them, Ms. Akemi. When you do, I will..."
He hated hunting, but this was unavoidable. Even though there was no reward in it for him, Yunjae had made a grand resolution, earning him looks of deep gratitude from Demian and the others.
Feeling embarrassed, Yunjae scratched his head and spoke up.
"Um... so, I have one favor to ask..."
"Yes! Please, ask anything!"
"We'll help with whatever we can!" Ariel added.
Both Demian and Ariel already felt deeply indebted to him for saving their future ten years from now.
Taking a deep breath, Yunjae shouted, "I'd really like the uniforms to be maid-themed!"
2
It was time to clock out.
"But why are you two coming with us?" Mari asked.
"Eee~? What do you mean why? Of course we're coming along!" Akemi replied.
The commute home, which used to be just Yunjae and Mari, now included Akemi and even Suyeon.
"I get why you're here since you always drop by, but why Ms. Suyeon?" Mari questioned.
"Ah, aaah! Are you coming to visit our place? We haven't even bought all our furniture yet!" Yunjae panicked.
"Eee~? Still?!"
"Ah, no, it's not that..." Suyeon chuckled softly, waving her hands in dismissal.
Indeed, Suyeon was not the type of person to show up at someone's house uninvited. As she shyly shook her head to clarify, Akemi proudly declared:
"Yunjae said he's going to live there for fifteen months just to spite the real estate agent!"
"Yes! I have to stay there for the full fifteen months!" Yunjae agreed firmly.
"So, instead of renting a single room, I figured it'd be better to live with Suyeon! We're going to be roommates!"
It seemed Akemi was truly planning to move in right next door to Yunjae and Mari.
"But still, isn't your current place way better? Same goes for you, Ms. Suyeon."
There had to be a massive difference between the luxury homes of top-tier ability users earning billions of won and the modest place Yunjae and Mari had rented from Myeonggu.
When Mari questioned if they really needed to go that far, Akemi shrugged. "It's just an officetel anyway, so it doesn't really matter! Besides, this sounds way more fun!"
"Yes!" Suyeon agreed, nodding with a smile.
Mari tilted her head, wondering if they were truly serious.
"Are you really planning to move, Ms. Suyeon?"
"...I wanted to try living a more lively life. Since I can finally touch other people now."
The Saint's Gloves she had received from Yunjae had completely transformed Suyeon's life.
"As long as I won't be a burden..."
Of course, someone who had lived in absolute isolation, practically shut away from the world for her entire life, couldn't suddenly become bold overnight. Still, seeing her make an effort brought a warm smile to Mari's face.
"No, of course you won't be a burden! It's completely fine!"
If there was anyone among the ability users as polite as Yunjae, it was Suyeon. Akemi was friendly, but she was definitely eccentric.
"Thank you so much!"
"There's no need to thank me. It's nothing."
"Still..."
Hearing Suyeon's joyful voice, Mari chuckled, realizing just how similar her polite speech patterns were to Yunjae's.
"By the way, Yunjae, why have you been so quiet?" Mari asked, noticing his unusual silence.
"Ah, aaah! It's nothing! Really, nothing!"
Seeing him fluster so dramatically, Mari raised her voice. "You're thinking about the uniforms again, aren't you?"
She didn't even need to look to know.
"Ah! But I never expected them to actually give me the choice!"
He had only made a suggestion, but Ariel had readily agreed, saying, 'Then you should choose them, Mr. Yunjae.'
"You really are a closet pervert! Why of all things did you have to bring up maids?"
"But maid outfits are pretty!"
As a Gothic Lolita enthusiast who had already mastered the aesthetic, Akemi took Yunjae's side, causing Mari to shake her head in exasperation.
"That's only because they suit you!" Mari retorted.
"Ah, aaah! They'd look great on you too, Ms. Mari! You're tall and slender, so you'd look good in anything!"
Thump!
Mari's face flushed red at his words. Why did hearing that make her heart flutter so much?
"W-why would something like that suit me?! It wouldn't! Maybe Ms. Suyeon, but not me!"
Embarrassed, Mari quickly deflected the attention to Suyeon.
"That's true! I'm really looking forward to it!" Yunjae agreed.
"B-but a maid uniform is a bit embarrassing..." Suyeon murmured.
"The first time is always the hardest, but it's easy after that! A maid outfit is just the basics!"
It seemed Akemi was planning to drag her new roommate straight into the world of Gothic Lolita fashion.
"Then before we head home, why don't we visit one of my favorite shops to look at uniforms?" Akemi suggested.
"Yes! Let's do that!"
Akemi, thrilled to discuss her area of expertise, and the secretly perverted Slender Forearms were now completely in sync.
"They haven't even secured a location yet, and you're already shopping for uniforms?!" Mari sighed.
"Ah, aaah! I'm just trying to be extremely thorough!"
Mari couldn't help but burst into laughter at his excuse.
"...We've only managed to buy a single vanity table so far," Mari added.
"A-already...?" Suyeon asked, surprised.
"Yes. I have no idea when we'll finish buying the rest."
Suyeon let out a soft laugh. It was amusing how Yunjae, the absolute epitome of introversion and indecisiveness when it came to furniture, could be so outspoken about something like maid uniforms.
"A hundred percent maid aesthetic might be a bit too niche, right?"
"Ah! I prefer something that just hints at it! Like, is it a maid uniform or not? Just a subtle touch!"
Watching the two of them immediately dive into a passionate discussion, Mari and Suyeon smiled again.
"What a bunch of idiots, seriously."
"...Still, it's a bit exciting. I've never worn anything like that before," Suyeon admitted.
Since she had always worn nothing but black, this drastic change of pace seemed secretly appealing to her.
"Well, as long as it looks pretty."
Mari felt the same way. In the past, she had dressed like a total tomboy, rarely ever wearing skirts. She realized that although her personality was the exact opposite of Suyeon's, they actually shared quite a few similarities.
"If we're going to do this, leaving it entirely up to those two feels a bit risky, doesn't it?"
"Yes. That might be..."
If they had to wear it, wouldn't it be better to choose it themselves? Deciding they had no choice but to tag along, the two of them followed Yunjae and Akemi out onto the main street.
At that exact moment—
Honk!
A car horn blared.
"Huh?"
Standing right in the middle of the road was a woman draped in a tattered, ragged cloak that covered her like a hood.
Honk!
The horn blared again, but the woman didn't budge. It was as if she had lost the ability to process her surroundings, or perhaps she simply had no intention of moving out of the way.
"She's going to get hit!" Mari cried out in panic.
"Eee~!"
Just as Akemi was about to use her teleportation—
"Huh?"
Whoosh!
Before anyone could blink, Yunjae dashed forward and grabbed the woman.
Flash!
In a movement so swift it looked like teleportation itself, Yunjae scooped the woman into his arms and leaped back to the sidewalk.
"Are you alright?"
He had moved so fast that even his companions were left dazed. The driver who had honked his horn drove past, rubbing his eyes in confusion as if he had just seen a ghost.
They all knew Yunjae possessed extraordinary power, but his reaction speed was truly mind-boggling. Faced with a sudden crisis, his instincts had taken over to save her.
"Are you awake?"
"Hey, wake up!"
Mari quickly rushed over to the woman cradled in Yunjae's arms, raising her voice.
"Did she lose consciousness?"
The woman lay completely still in his arms, making it seem as though she had fainted.
"Hehe!"
But at that moment, a soft giggle escaped her lips.
Although her face was still hidden beneath the tattered hood, the slight curve of her lips threw everyone off.
"Yunjae!" she called out.
"Ah! How do you know my name?!"
Startled, Yunjae widened his eyes and stared down at the woman in his arms.
While everyone knew the alias Slender Forearms floating above his head, almost no one knew his real name, Lim Yunjae—unless they were from the Blast Guild. Even then, most of them called him "Mr. Slender Forearms" instead of his actual name.
There was no way this woman was with the Blast Guild. As Yunjae tilted his head in confusion, wondering how on earth she knew his name, she giggled once more.
"Did you forget about me?"
Her tone made it absolutely clear that she knew him.
"Pardon?" Yunjae stammered, growing even more flustered.
"Huh? Someone you know?" Mari asked.
"Ah, aaah! There's no way I'd know anyone here!"
Having returned to Earth after fifty-seven years, any friend from his past would have to be an elderly person by now. This woman had a voice and hands that were far too young.
"I guess you really have to see me to know."
With that, she threw off the tattered cloak covering her face.
Whoosh!
The rags fluttered up into the air, and—
"Ta-da!"
Her platinum-blonde hair cascaded down, revealing the face hidden beneath. She didn't look weak or unconscious at all; in fact, she beamed with a bright, energetic smile, as if she had been playing a prank all along.
"Ah!"
"Eee~! She's so pretty!"
"She really is!"
Mari, Akemi, and Suyeon all gasped in admiration. Suyeon was undoubtedly a great beauty, but compared to this woman, she almost looked plain.
She possessed a flawless figure and perfect skin. Her face, filled with a playful charm, exuded beauty, sensuality, and even cuteness all at once.
If anyone had ever wondered what true beauty looked like, she was the living answer. She looked so ethereal she didn't even seem to belong to this world.
"Ah!"
As Yunjae's eyes widened in recognition, she gave him a bright, beaming smile.
"Do you remember me now?"
As her soft hand playfully caressed his cheek, Yunjae's face flushed bright red, and he cried out:
"Ah, aaah! Auntie Rosa?!"