Chapter 55
That restaurant with the delicious steak is near Turin Plaza. Of course, compared to the steak, I prefer their afternoon tea snacks. Qifeng and I used to go eat there often. I also went with Sister Aijieliya and… That person.
That was several years ago. Back then, Sister Aijieliya wasn’t at all like the “big sister” figure she is now! On the contrary, just like That person, she seemed like she would never grow up.
To think I was only ten at the time. The three of us would sit at a table, and people would probably think we were all minors. They often bickered at the table, and every time, I would just silently hold my teacup and watch them.
Ahem, I’m getting sidetracked… Let’s not talk about That person. In short, I like to share places I think are good with Lian Qi, so this time I brought her here.
“Excuse me, I’d like one afternoon tea set.”
Lian Qi and I found a booth and sat down. I didn’t even need to look at the menu as I spoke to the waitress with a smile.
The servers at this restaurant all wear maid outfits. The waitress helping us take our order has black hair and is very cute. Thank goodness I’m wearing my Magic Academy uniform today and not a maid outfit, otherwise it would feel like we were clashing.
“Huh? You’ll be full just from afternoon tea?” Lian Qi, sitting across from me, glanced at me.
“Their afternoon tea snacks are just really delicious,” I said with a smile.
“You really are a typical little girl who loves sweets.”
Being told that by Lian Qi, I, as a boy, feel quite ashamed. But speaking of which, I really can’t resist exquisitely presented little snacks… On this point, Qifeng and I see eye-to-eye, but she’s a real girl.
Lian Qi put down the menu and said, “I’ll have a steak, medium-well, with black pepper sauce.”
“Right away, customer.” The waitress smiled and noted our orders in her notebook.
After we finished ordering, the waitress left and Lian Qi whispered to me, “The waitstaff at this restaurant all wear maid outfits. I thought I’d walked into a maid café.”
“Maid café?”
“Yeah. In my original world, those kinds of cafés call all their customers ‘Master’.”
“…I can’t believe your original world actually has restaurants that satisfy that kind of customer demand?”
“Speaking of which, you haven’t called me ‘Master’ in a long time.”
“…No.”
Seriously, Lian Qi. Would it really make her happy if I called her ‘Master’? I, the dignified Saintess, am forced to call her ‘Master’. The sense of humiliation brought on by that status gap makes it incredibly difficult for me to say…
“You’ve only called me ‘Master’ three times in total, huh? Once was after reminding you that you lacked a maid’s self-awareness, once was as punishment for being late, and the last time was when you begged me not to strip your clothes off.” She said with a smug smile, resting her chin on her hand.
“You actually kept track of something so shameful…” I blushed and turned my head away, too shy to look at her.
By the way, I just noticed there are a lot of couples sitting at the next table, huh? Lian Qi and I aren’t going to be mistaken for a couple too, are we? I’m a boy—! Wearing girls’ clothes is one thing, but being mistaken for someone’s girlfriend by passersby is really shameful, okay?
If only the person sitting across from me would change into the same girls’ uniform as me. Then people wouldn’t misunderstand. Besides, she’d probably look really cute, right? For a moment, my imagination ran wild again about Lian Qi in girls’ clothes.
“Waitress! You, come here!”
Right behind Lian Qi, in another booth two tables away from us, I saw a gray-haired boy with his back to us waving at the black-haired girl who had just taken our order.
That back looks a little familiar, hmm? Could it be one of the student council members, Ivan, nicknamed “Little Tyrant of the Silver Spear”?1 fix move footnote to first use of name
How can we run into them just by grabbing a meal? Isn’t this a case of “enemies often cross paths”?2
“Why does his voice sound like the guy who hit on you and Qifeng in the cafeteria last time?” Lian Qi asked me. I nodded at her.
I saw the waitress walk over.
“Excuse me, sir, is there anything I can get you—”
“My brother lost today, and I’m in a bad mood. Why don’t you sit down and have a drink with me?”
I saw his table was covered with all kinds of dishes, but none had been touched. It seemed like he just ordered them in a fit of pique.
The waitress, who had been approaching with a smile, froze when she heard him say that.
“I’m sorry, sir… The restaurant’s rules state that employees are not allowed to drink with customers.”
“To hell with your rules.”
Ivan cursed, and one of his lackeys slammed the table! It startled the waitress— “Do you know who our young master is? Him asking you to drink with him is doing you a favor! Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!”3
…I can’t believe these people are so domineering even outside of school. I heard Qifeng say before that Ivan was the most despicable character among the junior students in her year. Relying on the fact that he’s a rich second generation, he even acts lawlessly outside of school.
Also, also, that girl from last time also said Ivan’s hobby is toying with women. I’m afraid he’s taken an interest in this waitress in a maid outfit today, hasn’t he?
After hearing their conversation, Lian Qi stood up impatiently, walked straight over, and pulled the waitress away.
What did I just say? Enemies often cross paths! Lian Qi stood exactly where the waitress had been, hands in her pockets, facing Ivan with a “what can you do about it” posture.
“Why is it you?”
“Yeah, it’s me. How can I run into you guys just by grabbing a meal? What bad luck,” Lian Qi said coldly.
“You dare meddle in other people’s business!” One of the lackeys stood up and lunged at Lian Qi. Lian Qi used only one hand to pin him against the table and grind his face into it.
In order not to destroy the restaurant, Lian Qi didn’t use her explosion magic.
Seeing this, the other two lackeys also jumped up from the sofa and rushed at Lian Qi. She unleashed her crystal-red magic and sent a kick. One person was kicked into the air, knocking over the other, and both of them lay struggling on the ground.
Ivan took a sip of wine, put the glass down heavily, and stared at Lian Qi with his eyes narrowed to slits.
“This is outside, not the school, oh Dis-ci-pli-na-ry Com-mit-tee Mem-ber. Aren’t you overstepping your bounds a bit?”
“Oh? I’d also like to remind you that this is outside, not the school. Did you think you could blot out the sky with one hand just like you do inside the school?”
“What business is it of yours if Laozi4 plays with women outside of school? If you push Laozi, I’ll buy this damned restaurant! When the time comes, they’ll be Laozi’s employees, and Laozi can play with them however Laozi wants.”
Eek! Ivan actually made such a ruthless threat?
“Fine by me. Go ahead and buy it then.”
Lian Qi snorted contemptuously and pointed right at him, confronting him head-on.
“If you don’t buy it today, I will! When that time comes, you’ll be harassing my employee. Let’s see if you still dare to say I’m meddling!”
Footnotes
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银枪小霸王 (Yínqiāng Xiǎobàwáng): “Little Tyrant of the Silver Spear.” A common wuxia/fantasy nickname, implying arrogance and power. ↩
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冤家路窄 (Yuānjia lùzhǎi): A Chinese idiom meaning “enemies’ road is narrow,” or “it’s a small world for enemies.” ↩
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敬酒不吃吃罚酒 (Jìngjiǔ bùchī chī fájiǔ): A Chinese idiom meaning “to refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit,” i.e., to refuse a polite offer and invite a harsh punishment. ↩
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老子 (Lǎozi): An arrogant, informal way of saying “I” or “me,” literally meaning “old master.” It’s used to assert dominance. ↩