— CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! —
It was the sound of the street lights activating, illuminating their way.
Night had finally come, and it had already been a full day since Damon's arrival in this world. Tomorrow would be the Academy's Exam, one that the current him would 100% fail, and he barely had a few hours left...
"Miaow?" (Master, where are we going? It's already so late!)
"Just visiting an old friend. We'll need him to get access to a certain marketplace...."
Friend? Marketplace? At this hour? Seeing his cat's confused expression, Damon couldn't help but chuckle. "In fact, the place we're going is ONLY open at night. That's when shady people come out, and with them tons of opportunities..."
Damon explained as he guided their group through the City's desolate streets as if it were his own background... a very vast backyard for he got lost a couple of times. Still, it didn't take him long to reach his intended destination. Before them stood... what was that?!
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Welcome to the Butler Café!
You'll leave with a smile no matter what!
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It was a building that reminded one of a Victorian-era castle, with soft lighting emanating from inside. From a window, handsome and charming men could be seen cleaning the few remaining tables, ready to close the place up, their last customers leaving, 99% girls.
"Awww... I wish I could stay longer!"
"Pfft-- I'm not that greedy; I just want to live at the Café!"
"Humph, as if! I'm a realist: I'll be satisfied just kidnapping my sweet Prince Loyd!"
A schoolgirl trio giggled as they gossiped, only to freeze as soon as they saw Damon and cat. The duo sure stood out like a sore thumb! Damon looked way too stern and rough for this place. But then, all was quickly forgotten because... CAT!
"Look at it, it's so cute! Look at its tiny paws, they're adorable! Even its patterns are...wait, is that a Fortune Neko?!" They sure knew their stuff! It had barely taken them a second to notice it! Suddenly, Damon went from boring to incredibly dashing in their eyes.
A certain red-haired girl instantly reacted, decisively so...
"Say, brother. I seem to have lost my phone number. Could I have yours instead?"
"...."
"...."
Her two friends looked at the fiery girl with wide eyes. Even now, she was giving Damon a bright smile, her ponytail swaying from side to side as she awaited his response. Shame? None! Her previous statement about wanting to live in the Butler café? Forgotten!
Seeing her enthusiasm, Damon sized her up. There was definitely something special about her... her skin was so goddamn thick! Another thing to note was the dice at her belt. Gambler? No wonder she was interested in a Lucky Cat!
"Sure. 500 Credits."
"...."
The girls were way too shell-shocked to reply. So what if he was a Tamer? One had to know that not only were they cute as heck, but they were all Awakened! That's why they could blow Credits in this place easily in the first place! Who did this guy think he was?!
Damon couldn't help but chuckle, his companion following suit. The girls' faces were so comical! It was as if they had swallowed a mouthful of soap and were turning redder by the second. But just as the redhead's friends were about to stand up for her, Damon's phone vibrated...
— Ding! Received 500 Credits! "~Still waiting for that number!" —
Even Damon's brow raised in surprise, the girl in question grinning. Perhaps he should have asked for a higher number? As for her two friends, they clearly weren't interested. In fact, they were already erupting in protest...
"G-girl, why did you do this?! There's plenty of fish in the sea!"
"Hehe. Fishes? Yes! But Fortune Nekos this cute? NOPE!"
"....."
A certain cat couldn't help but shiver. Luckily, Damon was pressed for time and made a beeline for the Café's door. There awaited them a very nice sign that said "CLOSED!". Seeing this, he pushed the door open, intruding upon the place.
A blond-haired was sweeping the floor with a broom that looked so ancient that it was a wonder it still held together. As he noticed them: "Ah, sorry, Master, but we're already closed. Please come back tomorrow~"
Coming back tomorrow? If Damon had more time, he wouldn't have come here in the first place! Regretfully, he didn't have time to look for an alternative. Instead of leaving, he chuckled. "Closed? Aren't you just about to open? Why don't you get the manager for me?"
The boy looked utterly confused for a second.
"Open? Master, it's 9:00 PM...." He seemed utterly unsure as to Damon's intentions. Was he muddle-headed? Was he joking?... Wait, was he actually trying to pick up a fight?! "Master... I'm 100% sure that we're closing. If you would please come back tomorrow and—"
Except Damon had no intention of leaving.
Seeing its Master's attitude, a certain cat did the same! Not only did it plant its ass solidly on the floor, but it even gave annoyed glances at the blond-haired boy. Master this, Master that, Damon was HIS Master, and no one else! But just as the situation seemed at an impasse...
"What's happening here?" A man in his twenties showed up, his hair as blue as his eyes, his entire being radiating coldness. Then again, it was near impossible to guess an Awakened's age; the aging process being slowed by their very nature.
The blond-haired boy beamed as if he had seen his savior...
"This Master here insists that we're about to open, but obviously it's—"
The change in Blue Guy's attitude was instantaneous. Pressing his hand against his junior's shoulder to stop him, he gave a cold look Damon's way. "Follow me. I'll bring you to see the Manager." It was such a reversal! W-What was this all about?!
On the way, many of the place's employees gawked at them, perplexed. Yet, none said anything, playing their role as Butlers perfectly, their classy suits barely trembling from the shock. It didn't take them long to be led to the heart of the building.
A lavish purple carpet made from Magical Beast fur...
Magical Portraits adorning the walls, the handsome Butlers in them alive...
Then there were the deadly runes on the walls, currently deactivated thanks to their guide...
Damon chuckled, seeing all this. He had been right; even in this world, it was the same. He had glanced at the place's menu, and it was utterly regular: cake and coffee. As for the service? It wasn't worth that much! This meant the owner still had his shady side business.
It didn't take long for them to be brought to the guy...
They met him in his office- if that could be called one! A pink hue filled the room, and red candles released exciting fragrances while giving a sultry ambiance. Then there was the bed, so soft and big it looked like Heaven, with countless rose petals on top.
There lay the owner, sprawled out in a very casual bathrobe, abs showing and his slick hair combed backward. Was this a way to receive guests?! If one could describe the place with one word, it would have been "Love-hotel. " Seeing them, he gave a very mischievous smile.
"You've come just in time for the opening, haven't you? Except it's already so late..."
"I'm never early nor late. I arrive precisely when I want to."
"Such confidence! One I'm sure you can't back up..."
As usual, that guy sure loved his conversational "foreplay. " Still, not wanting to spend a year doing this pointless back-and-forth, Damon went straight to the point. "Your portal, let me enter it..."
"Gasp?! Shouldn't we get to know each other first?!" The owner faked a bashful look as he timidly uttered: "I can't just let anyone enter my portal, lest people think me easy. How about you ask me again in a month? Percival can escort you out for now..."
Percival was it? Damon could almost hear a faint snort from Blue Hair, the latter nonetheless showing perfect decorum as he prepared to show him out. But before he could proceed, Damon had already stepped up.
Not giving a damn about the weird atmosphere, he walked right up to the bed. Except, there was something strange about his entire demeanor. It felt... forceful, domineering even?! "Percival can sit his ass down. As for you, let's go."
"Y-YOU!" (X2)
Both Owner and Butler exclaimed at once.
Except Blue Hair didn't wait; he charged forward.
Out of his outstretched hand, an ice sword materialized, glistening with sharpness. Just the aura it emanated was enough to freeze the air around it! The weapon drew an arc in the air, reaching Damon's abdomen. The man wanted to cripple him?!
It was fast, so fast that no one had time to react! Yet Damon grinned. Not only did he not move one bit, but he even glanced provocatively at the owner. He knew the man; as long as Damon remained domineering, the latter would 100% try to recruit him for his bar.
The sword tip finally reached the flesh and.... melted?! At the last second, the red candles adorning the walls glowed more brilliantly than stars while shooting beams of heat and neutralizing the attack! As for the owner, his hand was outstretched his way, his whole body shaking.
"You... I want you!"
"Sorry, I don't swing that way..."
"How about a month? Just a month will do!" (barkeeping)
"A week. That's my bottom line. Plus, I keep the tips." (barkeeping)
That's when the Owner jumped off the bed. Then, before they could even blink, his entire person changed. A lazy, playful guy in a bathrobe? Out of nowhere, he was in a full Lord's getup, already shaking Damon's hand and looking extremely regal- as expected of the "Incubus."
At this moment, two subordinates couldn't help but share a gaze of incomprehension. What the heck had just happened?! Weren't the two about to fight instants ago? Now they were all friendly with one another?! Had they missed a fucking page?!
The owner enthusiastically began walking away, Damon following closely. But just as they were about to leave the room, Damon actually turned back. "Blue Hair. While I'm gone, organize the files about all OUR customers. Make it detailed, and I might forgive you..."
"Who the fuck is Blue Hair...." Percival began, but a deadly look from his boss quieted him down. Only now did he realize what had happened. Had this brash youngster... actually joined their staff?! "F-Fine, I'll do it..." He grumbled, a certain cat radiating Pride.
"Miaow!" (As expected of Master! That half-naked guy's not too bad, too, since he saw how great Master is!)
The two were then brought to a hallway that was obviously a dead end. At the end of it, a curtain hid a large gold-framed mirror, which the owner quickly revealed. Then, the latter gestured toward it.
"After you, handsome..."
"Shall we go?"
Without hesitating, Damon stepped... inside the mirror?! As his body went through, it felt like he was going through a pool of liquid mercury. It invited him in, yet he instantly felt the pressure, as it would forever keep his soul trapped. But even then, he kept pushing.
Then he finally went through~ GASP!
As the air went back into his lungs, he saw a familiar scene.
It was a hallway- the exact same as the one they had just left! The only difference was the color of the rug on the floor. If the previous one had been purple, this one was a deep red and seemed to sway as if there was an invisible wind. Seconds later, the others arrived.
"Miaow?!" (Master... we're still here?! What was the point of this? Why's the floor weird?)
"Hehe, we're still here for sure. It just happens to be a different here."
As Damon cryptically answered, the poor cat couldn't make head or tail of what was happening. But as they proceeded, there were more and more differences. The portraits? Why did they appear more... suggestive? The Café tables were also gone, replaced by Butler cutouts.
"Miaow?!" (Why does it feel like an entirely new building?)
"That's because it is..."
Damon pointed at the sign welcoming the visitors. The original Butler Café wording had been replaced by a completely different one. Seeing this, even the cat that couldn't read instantly felt extremely uneasy.
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Welcome to the Incubus Bar!
Pleasure so intense you'll never want to leave!
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