After arriving home, a strange silence met me almost immediately. My stomach tightened up slightly.
"Runa?"
No response.
"Runa, where are you at?"
Checking each room, I searched for the woman. Living room, empty. Bathroom, empty. Kitchen, empty. Balcony, none. She was nowhere to be seen.
"Um..."
Turning around I heard the heavy apartment door slam. In the genkan was a woman who I couldn't recognize at first, but it was no one but Runa, herself. She was wearing something odd. I got closer to see what it was exactly.
A maid dress.
"I think I found a job today," she spoke.
"I can see that... what sort of job, exactly?"
For the life of me, I wasn't capable of figuring out what job would require a woman like her to wear a maid dress.
"Apparently it's called a 'kiss-uh'?"
"Kisa?"
"Yeah."
"What sort of cafe exactly?"
"They called it 'cosplay' or something. Everyone who worked there was dressed all pretty so I looked at it... supposedly they hired me on the spot and gave me this dress. Isn't it a bit much though?"
She held up the frilly skirt to the dress and observed herself with a slightly displeased tone of voice.
"Don't tell me you walked all the way back here in that..."
"Hm? Was I not supposed to?"
"You're pretty dumb for treating me like the idiot, huh?"
She blushed in response.
"It doesn't matter, just get changed out of that thing and wash it. At least you figured out one thing for me, just make sure you don't get yourself fired on the first week."
That was a tall order for someone who has barely any understanding of etiquette. However, I was willing to take my chances. Besides, I have my own things to worry about beforehand.
Things were going to get notably more difficult.