Chapter 62: The Maid Café and the Masked Stranger

“Huh? Wasn’t this supposed to be a dessert place? What happened? Last time, I couldn’t make it due to an accident, but now it’s suddenly a maid café?”

“Could I have come to the wrong place? Yet, I distinctly remember this being the correct address.”

“Hiss! Never mind, I should just leave.”

“My reason for wanting to depart wasn’t anything complex; it was simply the sight of the words ‘maid café’ that involuntarily brought back memories of being forced into a maid outfit myself.”

“That was a dark chapter I’d rather not revisit. Don’t make me relive it over and over again!”

Just as I was about to turn and depart, Huang Beifeng suddenly grabbed my arm. “What’s wrong? You’re already here. Are you trying to back out?”

Tilting her head, she gazed at me, her other hand clenched tightly into a fist. It seemed that any hint of my desire to leave would be met with a punch directly to my head.

‘Hiss! It’s not that I wanted to renege on anything; I simply wished to avoid recalling that humiliating past!’

‘It’s utterly mortifying. Couldn’t you grant me this one simple wish?’

‘Besides, there must be other dessert shops around. There’s no need to cling to this one; can’t we just go to another?’

Though my thoughts were sound, seeing Huang Beifeng’s grip on my arm and her unfriendly glare, I realized that suggesting a change of venue now would be futile. I could only grit my teeth and step inside.

As for how to prevent myself from recalling that dark history, I would simply have to devise a plan.

Stepping into the maid café, it was exactly as I had imagined. True to its name, every server was a beautiful young woman in a maid uniform.

However, whether there would be any ‘cute girls with big dongs’ like myself remained to be seen.

We found a seat near the window, and no sooner had I pulled Huang Beifeng down than a lovely young woman in a maid uniform approached our table.

“Welcome, Master. Would you care for coffee or tea, or perhaps some small desserts?”

Judging by her words, she must be a server. Ordering was entirely up to Huang Beifeng; my sole responsibility was to pay.

Watching her select several desserts and various other miscellaneous items, I wringed my heart, glancing at the dwindling balance in my Z-Pay account.

‘She truly shows no mercy. Today, I’m going to bleed money.’

‘Ugh, my entire allowance for the month will likely be spent here. No! I wanted to save up for some figures!’

Despite my fervent internal cries, I couldn’t stop Huang Beifeng’s smile from twisting into something devilish.

‘In the days to come, I might even need to find a part-time job just to replenish my allowance and cover their extra meals.’

‘Ugh. I had originally planned to save money for figures, but it seems I’ll have to find a part-time job after school instead.’

As Huang Beifeng handed the ordered menu to the server, I quickly calculated. Surprisingly, Huang Beifeng still had a shred of conscience; knowing I had only a meager allowance left, she had at least left me with one yuan.

‘Such incredible conscience, my foot!’

‘Fine, fine. I’ll just have to find a part-time job during the holidays. Otherwise, once my allowance is gone, I’ll truly be eating dirt this month, let alone buying any figures.’

After placing the order, Huang Beifeng simply sat there, doing nothing. She didn’t even touch her phone, merely observing her surroundings.

She even cast a few glances at my somewhat dejected self, perhaps discerning something in my eyes.

Suddenly, she rose from her seat and walked directly toward the counter.

I wasn’t particularly curious about her intentions; after all, her abrupt movement had startled me.

‘Why would she suddenly stand up for no reason, startling me so?’

Her action had genuinely surprised me, distracting me from wondering what she was up to.

It took me a good while to collect myself. By then, Huang Beifeng had already reached the counter, presumably chatting with the server there.

Due to the distance, I couldn’t make out what they were discussing.

However, Huang Beifeng seemed to have taken out her phone. I distinctly remembered paying already, so why was she pulling out her phone again?

Moreover, simply showing someone her phone would have been one thing, but why was she pointing towards me? I was utterly intrigued, wondering what exactly she was doing.

Before long, presumably having finished her conversation with the server, Huang Beifeng’s lips curved upward slightly, a faint smile playing on her face as she walked back.

“What’s up? Why so happy? Is there some special promotion?”

“Nothing. I just felt like smiling.”

With that, she plopped back into her seat, quietly awaiting the desserts we had ordered.

‘I suppose after this meal, we’ll have to find another place. But, considering my appetite, perhaps not.’

‘If only my appetite were larger, I wouldn’t be so delicate.’

Before our desserts arrived, I noticed a somewhat familiar figure.

‘Don’t assume it’s Senior Mo Yuyan again; it couldn’t possibly be such a coincidence, could it?’

It truly wasn’t her. The familiar figure that appeared, to be honest, wasn’t someone I knew well.

I had only briefly met them once; as for their identity, I had no idea.

The one who arrived was the person in the mask and cloak. We had met again, at a different time but the same location. What did they intend to do this time?

‘If they also intended to order food, they would surely remove their mask, revealing whether they were male or female.’

‘But why had they chosen a seat right next to ours? There were so many other empty tables; why here?’

As they settled down, perhaps due to their attire and the unsettling, unknown material of the ghost mask covering their face, no server approached them before their intentions were clear.

They simply pulled out a compass-like object, holding it in their palm as they sat there silently.

‘It looked utterly peculiar. What exactly were they doing? Was it some kind of cosplay event?’

‘Were their companions secretly filming them?’

‘How truly odd.’

As they continued to sit in silence, they suddenly gripped the compass in their hand and tucked it back into their pocket.

‘Was that it? Were they finished?’

‘How strange. What exactly were they doing?’

‘Wait, ugh, suddenly, my consciousness began to blur.’

‘My head felt so heavy, so dizzy. What was happening?’