CHAPTER 30
"Onii-chan!" Rin's voice rang through the apartment the moment her brother stepped inside.
"What is it?" Renge answered, his voice low and raspy, still carrying the weight of a long shift at his part-time job as a maid.
Rin didn't give him a chance to kick off his shoes. She scrambled to the door, snagging his arm the second he locked it, and practically dragged him toward their room. She forced him into the chair at their shared desk, where the laptop screen was already glowing with the LuvTube interface.
"Watch!" she commanded.
She slammed the play button. The music kicked in instantly, and the vibrant colors of Cerb-3ros filled the screen, their choreography sharp and synchronized.
(Our MV turned out great despite all the problems we had,) Renge thought, watching his own digital reflection move with a grace he didn't feel in his aching limbs.
"That's you, Onii-chan!" Rin pointed excitedly at the screen whenever Renge appeared.
Renge couldn't help but smile every time his sister called his name. He reached over, tapping her shoulder gently with each transition.
"Are we going to keep watching?" Renge finally asked as the video looped.
"Yes~ I want to see you in that idol outfit again..." she laughed, leaning closer to the screen.
"This is the sixth time already, Rin."
"Six? That's a bad number. One more," she demanded, crossing her arms.
"Anything for you, sis."
(21,000 views in the first hour? Not bad at all.)
As the final notes faded for the seventh time, Rin turned to her brother. Her playful energy vanished, replaced by a look of stone-cold determination. Renge felt a familiar stirring in his chest.
(What is it now?)
"Hey," she started, pausing for a beat. "I have a dream."
"I know—getting rich," Renge deadpanned.
"Yes, but I finally found a way!"
"Oh, really?"
"I'm going to be a DikDoker!"
Renge clapped his hands in mock amusement, though a part of him winced.
(Well, this one might actually be hard to achieve.)
"I'll be a Drama DikDoker," Rin proclaimed, her eyes shining. "I'm going to promote us so we can be famous together!"
Renge offered a soft smile.
"And what's the first part of this grand plan?"
"That's the thing!" She took a sharp breath, her confidence wavering for a split second. "I don't know yet~"
Renge reached out, pinching his twin's cheek hard.
"You have a 'plan' but you don't know the steps?"
"Teehee~" was her only response.
Renge stood up, moving a step away from the chair. He shifted into an exaggerated, dramatic pose—feet planted wide, one hand covering half his face, looking like a lady who held the secrets of the universe.
Rin burst into a joyous giggle the moment she saw his antics.
"I, Ren—Renge, the True Princess of Eternal Night, command you..." he paused for an intentional, theatrical beat. "Cover my performance on DikDok."
Rin played along instantly. She stepped forward, bowing elegantly with one foot tucked behind the other.
"Your order will be fulfilled, Princess."
"Let's go to sleep then."
"Yes, onii-chan!"
Satisfied, the two shared their bed as they usually did, the quiet of the apartment finally settling over them as they drifted off.
The next morning, Renge was already moving. He dressed for work, stepping out as a maid on his way to his shift. With a mask covering his face, he boarded the train, blending into the sea of commuters.
It didn't take long for him to notice a passenger a few seats away. The man was glancing at him repeatedly, his eyes squinting as he constantly checked something on his phone. Renge kept his head down, pretending to be oblivious to the scrutiny.
As the car emptied and the crowd of commuters thinned, the man finally gathered his courage. He stood up slowly, approaching Renge with a nervous, shaky smile.
"Excuse me," he said, his voice trembling with a mix of hesitation and fear.
"Hey," Renge replied politely, his voice muffled by the mask.
The man leaned in closer, his breathing heavy as he whispered, "Are you... Renge-chan? Renge-chan of Cerb-3ros?" He swallowed hard, waiting.
Shocked that his cover had been blown so easily, Renge slowly reached up and removed his mask. He offered a professional, practiced smile.
The moment the man saw his face, his excitement boiled over.
"It is you! You're her!"
He fumbled with his phone, holding it up to snap a photo. Renge didn't miss a beat, striking a couple of poses as a service while the man clicked away. A few other passengers whispered amongst themselves, but most remained buried in their own business, unaware of the idol in their midst.
Once he had enough pictures, the man bowed deeply, thanking Renge profusely before scurrying off at the next station.
Renge pulled his mask back into place, his heart racing.
(Someone actually recognized me... not as a maid, but as an idol?)
He couldn't help but giggle at the thought. It was a strange, intoxicating feeling—being almost famous. Like "mini-influencer" famous.
His muffled, squeaky noises soon caught the attention of the other commuters. Renge tensed as he realized several pairs of eyes were fixed on him.
(Come on, Renge—act normal!)
He frantically dug a manga out of his bag and buried his face in it, pretending to read. He flipped the pages over and over with performative intensity until, eventually, the other passengers lost interest and looked away.
When the train finally reached its destination in the south, Renge stepped onto the platform with a massive breath of relief.
(Woooh... that's crazy.)
He rushed toward work, his excitement overflowing. He giggled and hummed as he walked, jumping occasionally in a daydream, completely oblivious to the world around him. When he reached the entrance of Atelier Karina Maid Cafe, Haru was already there. She abandoned her customers and sprinted toward him.
"Renge-chan, congratulations!" she squealed.
"Thank you, Haru-chan!"
The two grabbed hands and jumped in circles right in the doorway, their shared joy radiating through the entrance.
Then—a sharp, practiced sound of someone clearing their throat cut through the air.
The two went silent in an instant. They turned slowly, their hearts sinking as they faced the woman standing behind them.
(Manager Minami!)
She stood there with a heavy frown, her arms crossed. Renge and Haru could only swallow hard, their knees trembling as they waited for the lecture. But Minami didn't say a word. Instead, she reached out, grabbed both of their hands, and dragged them inside.
She led them straight to the staff room and kicked the door shut. She took a slow step forward, looming over them while they braced for the worst.
Then, with a sudden, sharp breath, Minami lunged. She wrapped her arms around Renge in a fierce squeeze.
"Congratulations, Renge!" she declared, her voice bursting with genuine pride.
Renge beamed, hugging her back tightly. Without being told, Haru piled into the embrace. The three of them jumped in a chaotic huddle, cheering and laughing in the cramped room.
The celebration was cut short by a loud, impatient knock from the outside.
"Hey! Is this cafe even open?" a customer yelled.
They sprang apart instantly.
"Yes, we are!" Minami yelled back, her professional mask sliding perfectly into place as she rushed back to work.
Work resumed, but the atmosphere had shifted. Throughout the shift, phones occasionally caught Renge in their sights. Whenever he spotted a lens pointed his way, he didn't just ignore it—he leaned into the role. He would pout his face, marching over to a customer to playfully scold them with a theatrical, high-pitched huff. The regulars, delighted by the attention, would respond with their own exaggerated apologies, bowing or cheering as he reprimanded them.
Seeing the reaction it sparked, some customers began intentionally triggering their camera shutters with loud, artificial clicks just to summon him. Minami and the owner watched from the sidelines, letting the chaos slide; since Renge didn't mind the spotlight, it was simply good for the cafe's energy.
"Don't worry, creatures of light," Renge declared, standing tall before his regular circle of otakus. He extended his hands, his voice dropping into a melodic, commanding tone that hung over the table. "I don't care how many hours it takes. I don't care how long I must stay over. I am going to be here with you." He reached out as if to embrace the entire room. "Now, the first thing that we're gonna—"
Ring.
The sharp chime of an alarm cut through his grand proclamation.
"Oh, it's four o'clock already!"
Renge's regal posture vanished in a heartbeat. The "Princess" was gone, replaced by a blur of motion as he scrambled away, leaving his "creatures of light" hanging mid-sentence.
Once the shift was officially over, he left the frills of the cafe behind and headed straight for the Inferno Talent office in the central district.
There was no grueling rehearsal waiting for them today. Instead, the moment they stepped into the lobby, Renge and his fellow idols were greeted by Mio and a gathering of the office staff.
Mio stepped forward, carefully balancing a decadent chocolate cake. Perched on top was a custom-made, three-headed dog crafted from frosting.
"Surprise!" she cheered.
"Woah, thanks!" Kiyomi said, his eyes widening at the sight.
"That looks so cute~" Miyu added, leaning in to admire the detail.
(Oh, it looks so good. I want to eat it right now!) Renge thought, the long hours at the cafe finally catching up to his stomach.
"Congratulations on hitting 100,000 views on your MV!" Mio announced, her voice filled with genuine pride.
Renge froze.
(100,000 in a single day?)
"No way..." he whispered, the sheer scale of the number sinking in.
The rest of the evening was a blur of celebration. They spent the day basking in their first real achievement, the weight of the previous weeks finally lifting. As they shared the cake and watched the view count continue to climb, a single thought echoed in Renge's mind.
(Hard work really does pay off.)