The sudden silence between the two plunged the air into a deathly stillness. Xiaoxi froze on the spot, caught between sitting and standing.
Seeing Xiaokeke’s eyes widen more and more, Xiaoxi had the urge to punch herself twice over.
Was she a pig-headed fool? How could she reflexively stand up to greet a customer the moment someone entered the shop?
No, no, no—stay calm. It was just a small slip-up, and there was still room to recover…
Meanwhile, the newcomer, Ye Xinglan, glanced curiously at the unfamiliar girl, a flicker of caution flashing in her eyes.
She instantly recognized her as a Magical Girl. After all, Ye Xinglan had come into contact with so many transformed Magical Girls that it was impossible not to recognize one.
“Ah, Sister Xinglan!” Xiaokeke temporarily shifted her gaze away from Xiaoxi. “You came today too. Where’s my big sister?”
“Xiaoxi’s not here yet? I thought she left half an hour ago. Could she be late again?”
Half an hour ago… Keke subtly glanced at Sirius. Calculating based on Sister Xinglan’s timing, her big sister, who left half an hour ago, should be arriving at the café right when Sirius was supposed to meet her.
“You two chat; I’ll sit over there.”
Ye Xinglan gave a brief greeting and purposely took a seat a little away from the two of them. She didn’t know if that Magical Girl was a friend of Xiaokeke’s, but she didn’t want too much interaction with her.
At the same time, Xiaoxi quietly sat down, her eyes fixed on the menu, showing no intention of meeting Xiaokeke’s gaze.
Heh, can she just pretend nothing happened?
Of course not. So Xiaokeke’s suspicious voice took on a hint of decisiveness.
“Alang, what was that just now?”
“J-just… occupational hazard, haha…” Xiaoxi raised a hand to wipe sweat. “Actually, I’ve been working part-time as a waitress. When I saw someone enter, I reflexively stood up.”
Xiaoxi could only come up with such a flimsy excuse on the spot, but Xiaokeke didn’t push her with a hard accusation. Instead, she quietly crossed her arms and listened to Xiaoxi’s explanation.
I’m just watching you pretend—go on.
“I’ve been a waitress for several years now and have been working recently, so it’s natural to form muscle memory.”
“Several years? But I heard from Miss L that Alang, you just transferred from Beihua City to Xiahaishi recently?”
“Well… after coming to Xiahaishi, I found a new part-time job. Before that, I’d been a waitress for several years back in Beihua City.”
Xiaoxi forced out a sigh, trying to patch up her story: “I have no choice. My family’s never been well off since I was young, so I have to find extra jobs to help support the family… The Magical Girl Association’s monthly salary isn’t quite enough.”
Xiaoxi then showed Xiaokeke her WeChat balance. There was no point pretending here—she really was poor.
Though the excuse was logical, Xiaokeke just smiled quietly while staring at Xiaoxi. That smile made Xiaoxi’s heart feel uneasy.
Help me out! Where’s my teammate? Is my teammate not here yet? We’re about to do a group fight!
Just then, a cute figure in a maid outfit emerged from behind the counter, giving the two a sweet but slightly stiff smile.
“Dear guests, may I take your order?”
Big sister?!
Xiaokeke stared wide-eyed at the “Xiaoxi” standing by the table, momentarily at a loss for words.
She looked at Xiaoxi, then at Sirius. Now these two were undeniably both in front of her—meaning Sirius’s words earlier were true?
Although big sister’s tone was a bit unfamiliar, not as casual as usual, Xiaokeke understood—after all, big sister was working now. She couldn’t always chat idly while on the job.
At this moment, the real Xiaoxi sitting opposite Xiaokeke exhaled deeply.
Luckily, her teammate was still playing along to support the group fight, or she might have had trouble keeping up the act just now.
Xiaoxi thought her plan was perfect. Since Sirius would be chatting with Xiaokeke, which was quite random, she had to play Sirius herself.
And the “Xiaoxi” waitress could be perfectly played by the Slime Monster. After all, just taking orders and serving tea was a simple task that the Slime could handle for a short time without issues.
“Uh… big sister, let’s look around a bit more. I’ll call you later.”
Xiaokeke stammered, then drooped her head a bit as she raised the menu. Good thing she hadn’t pushed Sirius too hard earlier, or this huge mix-up of mistaken identity would have been super embarrassing!
Watching the Slime’s retreating figure, Xiaoxi smiled in satisfaction. Looks like her onboarding training had been a success—no worries about problems now.
Xiaokeke took a deep breath. She was publicly treating Sirius to afternoon tea today to thank her. Since big sister and Sirius were not the same person, she should at least treat her properly.
Xiaokeke and Xiaoxi were similar in this regard—both unwilling to owe others favors.
“By the way, Alang, I recommend this one. There’s an interactive performance too.”
Pointing at the menu item called Heart-Throbbing♡Omurice (with a delicious spell), Xiaokeke looked expectant.
Xiaoxi felt a bit troubled.
That really wouldn’t do. The Slime could only imitate simple actions. It had taken a lot of effort yesterday to train the Slime to be a qualified waitress. Taking and serving simple orders was okay, but this was beyond its capabilities!
“Well… I’m not really a fan of omurice.”
“I see,” Xiaokeke looked at the menu and switched to another dessert with a delicious spell attached. “How about this one?”
“I can’t really accept this either.”
“Then this one…”
Xiaokeke went through several desserts, all politely declined by Xiaoxi. Seeing Xiaokeke’s disappointed expression, Xiaoxi now wanted to bonk that brat on the forehead.
You’re really looking forward to seeing your dear sister act cute in front of you, huh? Can’t you just order some normal dessert? You crazy otaku!
“Well…” Xiaokeke forced a smile. “How about you just pick whatever you like? I’ll pay today.”
Didn’t expect Sirius to be so picky. She didn’t like a lot of things.
Xiaoxi finally relaxed, casually looking at a few items that didn’t require extra interaction, then waved the Slime waitress over.
This should be fine. Xiaoxi breathed easier, planning to switch back with the Slime right after afternoon tea was over.
But just then, Ye Xinglan, sitting a bit further away, waved the Slime over.
“Xiaoxi, why are you late again today? Punishment: come over here and massage my legs! Let me see… I’ll buy you half an hour of maid service first!”
Crap! Xiaoxi froze. How had she forgotten Ye Xinglan was in the shop too?
Maid service was so random—there was no way the Slime could handle that!