Kuāng Sān took the last sip of her today's special, her small face flushed, and she hugged the Latte to her chest, stroking its soft fur. Her fingertips sank into the cat's fluffy pile, and Latte, rolling onto its back, purred like a tractor. The tip of its tail hooked onto her falling hair strands, tying them into a bow.
"Meow~" The soft cat's meow made Kuāng Sān more addicted to petting. Latte also struck various poses, acting cute and coquettish. For a moment, Xǔ Mò couldn't tell who had fallen into the gentle embrace.
"Another one," Kuāng Sān said, shaking her empty cup. Xǔ Mò refilled it, took a few red sugar cubes from the sugar bowl, and added them to the coffee. After stirring, the coffee's color gradually shifted towards burgundy.
Kuāng Sān picked up the cup and took a sip. A warmth flowed through her body. In this coffee, she tasted a familiar yet strange flavor.
"Shopkeeper, who exactly are you?" Kuāng Sān's gaze towards Xǔ Mò held a hint of curiosity. Sugar cubes made with Spirit Energy containing the Fire Attribute—who was this shopkeeper?
"I'm just an ordinary barista," Xǔ Mò replied, wiping a coffee cup.
"Heh, If you don't want to answer, then forget it. May I ask what this child's name is?" Kuāng Sān didn't intend to press further. She petted the cat's belly and changed the subject.
"Latte."
"I see. As expected of a barista's cat. Thank you for the hospitality then." Kuāng Sān stood up and walked to the door. However,just as she was about to leave, she found Latte blocking her way.
"What's wrong? Are you reluctant to let me go?"
"No, I think it's because you haven't paid yet."
Play is play, fooling around is fooling around, but trying to dine and dash? Not a chance.
Kuāng Sān's expression froze. That's right, Xǔ Mò never said this meal was on him. As a customer, she naturally had to pay.
"Alright, how much?"
Xǔ Mò handed the bill to Kuāng Sān. She glanced at it, and her expression froze again. She looked at the amount on the bill in disbelief.
Two special drinks cost ten thousand yen, averaging five thousand yen per cup. This was outright robbery...
"This price... isn't it a bit expensive?"
"Where is it expensive? It's always been this price. You get what you pay for. I think you understand this principle."
Xǔ Mò crossed his arms. The coffee made with Spirit Energy sugar cubes could strengthen the body, prolong life, and beautify the complexion for ordinary people. It could also have certain effects on Spirits. So where was it expensive?
Xǔ Mò even felt the price was quite reasonable, unlike some unscrupulous merchants. At least his products actually worked.
"But I don't have that much money on me right now." Kuāng Sān spread her hands helplessly. In reality, shadows began to spread beneath her feet.
"No money? Then offer something as collateral." Xǔ Mò had already noticed the shadows under her feet but didn't think she could escape.
Dark red Spirit Energy spread from under her feet, reaching Xǔ Mò's feet. The dark red Spirit Energy coiled around Xǔ Mò's ankles like a venomous snake. Seizing this opportunity, Kuāng Sān's body quickly merged into the shadows. She waved at Xǔ Mò, showing a triumphant smile.
"Goodbye, Shopkeeper. And Latte-chan, we will meet again..."
But the next moment, her smile froze on her face. Kuāng Sān's pupils contracted sharply. She saw a silver-white light emanate from Xǔ Mò's palm. He tore open a Spatial Rift with his bare hands and appeared before her in the blink of an eye.
When Xǔ Mò arrived in front of Kuāng Sān, her lower body was already completely submerged in shadows. Xǔ Mò quickly grabbed her lace waistband and gently lifted...
"Whoosh—"
The moment Kuāng Sān was pulled out of the shadow, her black silken legs drew a clumsy arc in mid-air. The flintlock pistol that had just slid out of her sleeve was twisted into a pretzel by Spirit Energy chains.
Before she could react, chains made of Power of Space bound Kuāng Sān like a zongzi.
Shock and panic flashed through Kuāng Sān's pupils, but soon an unprecedented sense of shame turned into a blush that surged onto her cheeks.
Three minutes later, Kuāng Sān, bound like a zongzi by spatial chains, was thrown onto the sofa. Xǔ Mò slowly removed her lace blindfold, revealing her left eye, a golden clock face wet with emotions of shame and anger.
"I didn't expect this, you're quite chuunibyou."
"You! You scoundrel!"
A large amount of dark red Spirit Energy erupted from Kuāng Sān's body. A giant golden clock face faintly appeared in the void, causing the spatial chains to hum.
"Bang!"
Kuāng Sān broke free from the restraints. Her attire transformed into Divine Power Spirit Garment - Number Three. Zaphkiel appeared behind her, and a long and a short flintlock pistol appeared in her hands.
She pointed the muzzles at Xǔ Mò. Dark red Spirit Energy gathered in the barrels, forming Spirit Energy bullets. The hour hand of Zaphkiel behind her pointed to the seventh hour.
"Bullet of the Seventh!"
As Kuāng Sān pulled the trigger, the Bullet of the Seventh instantly struck Xǔ Mò's chest. The next moment, Xǔ Mò's own time was frozen. Although his consciousness remained, his body was unable to move.
Next, Xǔ Mò would face Tokisaki Kurumi's revenge...
Was this really the case? No, this was merely Kuāng Sān's final delusion before being punched unconscious by Xǔ Mò.
The real plot was that the Bullet of the Seventh misfired and didn't shoot. The released Spirit Energy was swallowed by an inexplicable force. While Kuāng Sān was stunned, Xǔ Mò teleported behind her and slammed his fist, the size of a sandbag, onto Kuāng Sān's head.
Dare to fight in a café, did you know whose territory this was?
Xǔ Mò blew on the white steam rising from his fist. Kuāng Sān, having taken the punch, was now lying flat on the floor, fast asleep like a baby.
At this moment, new entries appeared in the ledger.
'Collected 223 Spirit Essence (Time)'
'Collected 146 Spirit Residue (Time)'
'Special Mission Complete, Shop Experience +30'
Xǔ Mò carried the girl's body to the sofa and then began to draft a contract for labor compensation.
Compensation for the shopkeeper's mental distress, compensation for the cat's mental distress, compensation for damage to the café's facilities, compensation for the café's reputation, and compensation for disrespecting the shopkeeper's authority by trying to dine and dash...
After a moment of thought, he added two zeros to the original compensation amount.
"Done!" Xǔ Mò took the contract and pulled one of Kuāng Sān's unconscious hands, placing a fingerprint on the contract.
The next second, the contract turned into a beam of light and flew into the ledger. Simultaneously, a new name appeared in the 'Staff' column.
'Tokisaki Kurumi (Temporary Worker)'
'Debt Amount: Yen'
'Collateral: 20% Spirit Energy, Bullet of the Seventh'
"Huh, this works too?" Xǔ Mò hadn't expected the ledger to accept collateral, nor that the contract he casually scribbled would be recognized.
However, it wasn't over yet. The text on the ledger continued to increase.
'First absorption of Spirit Energy of Time, Café basic facilities increased!'
'Underground Time Room added!'
'Time flow rate ratio between the Underground Time Room and the outside world is 30:1'