Chapter 9: The Real Superpower Is Money Power

“So that’s what they call ‘not quite lovers’?”

Kaori Onishi spoke to herself.

“Well… for someone like Yuuki-kun to even be friends with Senpai is already a miracle. You should seize the opportunity.”

Jiang Jian Yue noticed that Kaori-chan had a bit of a natural black-hearted vibe.

Words like “someone like him” and “miracle”—aren’t those a bit hurtful?!

She turned her head and saw Yuki Asahi looking completely unconcerned.

Clearly, he thought the same.

She couldn’t tell if he was belittling himself or elevating her status.

Uncle, I’m easy to get along with!

It’s all the damn aftereffects of transmigration that made me friendless for over ten years!

No matter how turbulent her emotions were inside, they couldn’t show on her face.

She decided to stand up for Yuki Asahi at this moment.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

“Eh?”

The other two had big question marks floating above their heads.

Because she spoke in Mandarin.

Jiang Jian Yue repeated it in Japanese, then continued.

“Jiang (yuuki) is a man of courage (yuuki).”

No one responded to her joke.

The silence was deafening.

In the icy trenches of society, no one understood her humor.

Farewell, this merciless world.

“Eh hehe, Senpai really likes puns, huh.”

Kaori Onishi laughed softly to diffuse the awkward atmosphere among the three.

“Um, then I won’t disturb you two any longer. Goodbye!”

The energetic girl waved, hopping away and turning back every five steps, leaving the two abnormal high school students crushed by the weight of youth.

A warm feeling spread inside, and the corpse-like pallor faded a little.

“Senpai just spoke in Mandarin, right? It sounded so standard.”

After all that commotion, Yuki Asahi relaxed a lot and initiated the conversation.

Remembering yesterday’s authentic Chinese cuisine, Jiang Jian Yue was tagged as a “Chinese expert” in his mind.

“Not really.”

Jiang Jian Yue shook her head.

Her Mandarin carried a Jiangzhe Accent, so it couldn’t be considered standard.

***

Lunch time.

Yuki Asahi was led to an open-air Western Restaurant he’d never heard of before.

Located on the top floor of a Hotel, just looking at the decor downstairs made it clear this wasn’t a place an ordinary family could afford to dine.

It seemed the place was even reserved, with only the tables near the central Aquarium set with tableware, and the others moved aside.

Yuki Asahi was more nervous than last night.

After sitting down, he placed his hands flat on his thighs and sat up straight, looking so proper that Jiang Jian Yue wanted to laugh.

A Waiter brought over the Menu, but Yuki Asahi’s eyes weren’t on it—they were on the Waiter’s strange outfit: a hooded Fantasy Costume, seemingly padded at the shoulders, making the already burly Waiter appear even more imposing.

Why are the uniforms so weird?!

As if sensing the customer’s confusion, the Waiter explained.

“Today is Fantasy Theme Day, so all staff are dressed like this.”

He gestured formally toward the other side of the table.

Not far away, two Waiters in full plate armor had stood stiff and solemn since sitting down, now bowing toward them.

“So there are people inside!”

Yuki Asahi mumbled, lowering his head to look at the Menu.

This was the first time he’d seen a restaurant like this.

The Menu was a clipboard booklet, each page filled with handwritten foreign words and no prices listed.

Yuki Asahi couldn’t read any of it.

Lowering the Menu, he sneakily glanced at Jiang Jian Yue across the table.

He saw her calmly pointing at items on the Menu before handing it back to the Waiter.

Their eyes met in the air.

Yuki Asahi quickly lowered his gaze and, unsure, spoke hesitantly.

“Uh… ah, this…”

He really was too young, too thin-skinned.

Jiang Jian Yue, who also didn’t understand the Menu, took a small sip of the juice the Waiter brought, frowning.

Why is it real juice?

I miss artificially flavored sweet drinks.

After ordering, the appetizers arrived quickly.

Tuna the size of a Pulse bottle mouth mixed with unrecognizable ingredients—refreshing to the taste.

Then, plates of various dishes, each only a few bites, were served.

Jiang Jian Yue found them delicious but couldn’t identify most of the ingredients.

It was actually her first time eating such high-end Western cuisine.

The fanciest Western food in her past life was Pizza Hut—even fast food counts as Western food.

Three Waiters remained stationed around the restaurant—two Knights and one Mage.

Yuki Asahi suspected the two Knights were just for atmosphere; full plate armor seemed too cumbersome for serving food.

He’d never seen a medieval Knight lord carry dishes, either.

Waiters couldn’t exactly eat their fill, but at least they weren’t starving.

However, a certain Bald Man lurking in the restaurant suffered.

He looked longingly at the dishes in front of him, clutching his stomach.

The portions were so tiny, a few bites could finish them, and he swallowed countless times.

A stomach trained by modern three-meals-a-day couldn’t resist the temptation of food.

No choice, this was already the least crowded it would get—there wasn’t much time left…

He glanced around, gave up on the two heavily armored Knights, and moved behind the Mage.

He pulled a syringe from his pocket and, like feeding bait to a cockroach, squeezed out a bean-sized lump of solid, sticky substance to attract the Petri Dish Insect on his arm.

The insect happily used its mouthparts to enjoy lunch.

Not long after eating, it began to shake its limbs excitedly.

Soon, its body swelled at an unnatural speed.

He then tossed it onto the Waiter’s back, becoming visible the moment it left his body.

The insect seemed to appear out of thin air.

The Waiter felt a weight on his back, sensing something behind him.

Then, the insect brandished its blade, stabbing hard into his back—the sharp edge pierced the cloth but could go no deeper.

What?

The Bald Man’s eyes widened.

Before he could react, he felt the world spin.

When he came to, he was staring up at the sun, a fully armored Knight pinning him by the stomach.

Another Knight drew the sword at his waist and sliced the still-stabbing insect in half.

He then threw down the sword and dove at his companion with a roar.

Bang—

“Puha!”

The Bald Man’s eyes rolled back, nearly fainting.

The Waiter dressed as a Mage broke out in cold sweat, tearing off his robe as several anti-stab plates sewn together fell to the floor.

He stepped back twice and accidentally crushed a small insect crawling out of the corpse.

Yuki Asahi, who had just put a piece of cod in his mouth, choked and stood up, covering his mouth.

Jiang Jian Yue held a wine glass, swirling it slightly.

If not for knowing it was just a special juice, her elegant attire would have been even more intimidating.

An Armwatch was forcibly removed by a Knight, revealing the Bald Man’s figure to everyone.

Several young men in suits rushed into the restaurant, and in the blink of an eye, the Bald Man’s hands, feet, and neck were all cuffed.

“Let me go! You… you have no idea what a huge mistake you’re making. I’m saving your lives, you bastards!”

The Bald Man regained his senses and screamed with all his might.

“There’s no time… no time…”

Oh? Is there more to this story?