Log On: KHR Reality

26 - The Café Catastrophe

'Oh no, this cannot be happening.' Kasumi panicked, as she tried all sorts of methods to pull the ring off her finger. She had tried using oil to wiggle the metal object off, using a pair of tweezers, and even resulting to using a hammer to break it off— but it just would not move a single inch.

"Mi-chan~ What are you doing in the kitchen so late at night? Can't sleep?" Nana walked into the kitchen, surprised, as she spotted her daughter rummaging for something in the room.

"I-It's nothing!" She quickly hid her hands behind her back. "I was just trying to look for a midnight snack. Didn't manage to eat too much during the party just now I guess."

"Oh? Alright then, you'd better go sleep right after you do that. You still have school tomorrow." Nana yawned before heading back into her room. Kasumi nodded in response, before heaving a sigh of relief as her mother did not manage to find out what she was hiding. 'Now then... what to do...'

Suddenly, the brunette spotted a white roll of tape at the corner of her eye, as an idea popped into her head.

The very next day...

"Kasumi, what happened to your finger? Did you get hurt?" Tsuna asked worriedly, staring at the huge white bandage wrapped around her finger. It seemed to be... swollen for some reason.

"I accidentally injured myself while sewing last night. Don't worry, it'll heal~!" The brunette waved it off quickly before returning to her delicious breakfast. However, right after she said that, Kasumi started to panic about the set of rings that was currently hidden in her schoolbag for safekeeping. 'I don't think I can ask Reborn or Tsuna about the rings. It did not even exist in the original story in the first place, so if I did ask, it might affect the whole storyline. Wait, there is a possibility that these rings are just normal rings, not the ones that are used to power up the dying will flame. So maybe I'm just worrying about it too much...' She sighed, before poking at the plate of food in front of her.

At the corner of her eye, she had spotted Tsuna looking slightly puzzled at her. Right, Tsuna's hyper intuition could have told him that she was lying. But for some reason, her brother had decided not to pursue it any further. She then turned to look at Reborn, who looked as seemingly unconvinced by her excuse. Knowing Reborn, he might find some way to drag the truth out of her. 'Hopefully not by force', she thought to herself.

"You should hurry up with your breakfast, Tsu-kun, Mi-chan! You're going to be late for your outing!" Nana's voice brought her back to reality. As if on cue, Tsuna let out his signature shriek, before dragging Kasumi by her arm and ran away out of the house. To where, you may ask? Well, it's a long story.

******

"What on earth are they doing here...?!"

The raven-haired, sharp-eyed male glared at the group of friends in horror as he hid behind a pillar, heart racing in panic. Sitting a distance from Kyoya in the cat café he was working at part-time were his younger sister's friends: Mist Girl, Pineapple, the three herbivores Utau addressed as Tsunami, Yato and Sushi, and worst of all... Usagi.

He watched as Utau, who was also working as one of the waitresses of the café alongside him, flashed a cool smile and asked the group in a suave voice, "Welcome home, Masters. How may I serve you today?"

"HIE?! You work here, Utau?!"

"Uwah, Utau-chan, you look so cool and cute at the same time!"

"That's a sleek outfit you have there..."

"Yup. The male outfit definitely suits you pretty well."

He continued to stare as the black-haired rebel, dressed in a smart red Butler outfit, started launching a conversation with them as she took their orders. Despite the white cat ears and tail, she was still all smiles as she continued to write down the orders on her clipboard... probably because she wasn't forced to wear a dress in the first place.