Watching Ye Xinglan summon the Slime monster over, Xiaoxi felt a surge of anxiety.
She should have warned Ye Xinglan in advance not to come to the café today. Who would’ve thought she’d take advantage of the Slime standing in for her to order maid service?
Although Xiaoxi was worried now, there was nothing she could do. After all, “Sirius” and Ye Xinglan didn’t know each other. Ye Xinglan was just a normal customer in the shop—what right did a stranger like her have to interfere?
But Ye Xinglan had been practically living with her for nearly a month by now, so she must be familiar with her. The Slime monster could only mimic simple actions and would definitely get exposed!
“What’s wrong, A Lang? Is there something over there?”
Xiao Keke noticed Xiaoxi’s unease and followed her gaze before smirking.
“Don’t mind those two. Just a couple’s little game. They love showing off their affection in public.”
Xiaoxi said nothing. All she could do now was pray that Ye Xinglan wouldn’t say anything strange that would blow their cover!
What Xiaoxi didn’t notice was that the Slime, after responding to Ye Xinglan’s call, immediately lit up—like a cat spotting silvervine—completely drawn in.
“What are you just standing there for? Come give me a leg rub… Waaa, why did you suddenly walk so fast?”
The Slime didn’t speak but became noticeably more lively as it approached Ye Xinglan, sizing her up from head to toe.
Sniff sniff… sniff sniff…
Like a puppy, the Slime sniffed at Ye Xinglan’s nose, leaving Ye Xinglan at a loss.
“You… sit. What’s so good-smelling on me?”
“You smell… nice.”
The Slime’s answer flushed Ye Xinglan’s face instantly. Though she usually took advantage of the maid service to boss Xiaoxi around, this was the first time the Slime had been so proactive.
Even though Ye Xinglan knew they had to pretend to be a couple outside, the Slime’s initiative threw her off balance.
Seeing the Slime obediently sit close and snuggle up to Ye Xinglan, Xiaoxi was momentarily stunned. This Slime monster… was surprisingly quick to adapt?
She had thought the Slime would respond stiffly to Ye Xinglan’s requests and be exposed quickly. She never expected the Slime to be such a good actor.
But Xiaoxi soon sensed something was wrong. The Slime was now constantly rubbing its head against Ye Xinglan’s arm, making a purring sound like a kitten kneading milk—except it didn’t sound human at all.
Did Ye Xinglan have something on her that attracted the Slime?
Frowning, Xiaoxi knew that Slime monsters were generally docile, but this one’s overly lively behavior was suspicious!
“Xiao, Xiaoxi, what are you doing? You’re not taking revenge for me bossing you around, are you?”
“…I like you~”
The unexpected response caught Ye Xinglan completely off guard, her mind overheating. Xiaoxi’s voice was sticky-sweet, and her eyes began to whirl.
“Even though we’re pretending to be a couple outside,” Ye Xinglan lowered her voice so only the two of them could hear, “you don’t have to act this much! Anyone can see we’re a real couple now…”
But “Xiaoxi” ignored Ye Xinglan entirely, clinging closer. Ye Xinglan froze before shoving her away.
Though faint, she’d sensed a surge of magical energy slipping out uncontrollably from the other person’s body—this was definitely not Xiaoxi. This was a monster!
Still, after realizing the one clinging to her wasn’t the real Xiaoxi, a trace of disappointment crept into Ye Xinglan’s heart.
At this moment, Xiaoxi and Xiao Keke both couldn’t help but stand up. Seeing the Slime still disguised as herself pressing against Ye Xinglan, Xiaoxi suddenly couldn’t stay seated.
Xiao Keke also sensed something was off. After Ye Xinglan pushed it away, the Slime could no longer maintain Xiaoxi’s appearance. Its body began to twist and contort, gradually returning to its original form.
A monster!
The thought exploded like thunder in Xiao Keke’s mind. She exchanged a glance with Xiaoxi, and both instantly made the same move—pretending to be terrified as they ran out of the shop.
Though there were no other customers besides them, Ye Xinglan, and the Slime, and Slimes themselves couldn’t physically harm ordinary people, this was a monster incident—they had to respond immediately.
Soon, the magical girls [Little Red Riding Hood] and [Sirius] arrived to subdue the monster.
Ye Xinglan had already hidden behind the counter beside Su Ying. Though she felt nothing inside, she put on a frightened expression when the magical girls came in.
By now, the Slime had completely lost Xiaoxi’s form, reverting to its gray, shapeless, gelatinous original self. Inside the mass, a core-like object was faintly visible.
This was the true form of a Slime monster. Unlike the slimes in most works, real Slimes are monsters composed of negative magic energy. Negative emotions cause the magical aggregates to take on gray or black dark tones.
That’s why most monsters tend to be black or gray in color.
Xiaoxi’s teeth itched with frustration, but she forced herself not to smash the Slime with a punch, cooperating with Little Red Riding Hood to restrain it.
After all, though D-rank magical girls could subdue Slimes, they weren’t always capable of destroying one with a single punch. Xiaoxi didn’t want to reveal any more flaws.
“Little Red Riding Hood, go check if any customers in the shop are injured.”
But Little Red Riding Hood just stood there, frowning at the Slime Xiaoxi had pinned to the ground.
She suddenly realized something—if the person posing as the older sister in the shop was actually a monster, then that meant the older sister and Sirius hadn’t actually appeared together today.
And why would a Slime suddenly disguise itself as the older sister working in the café? Of all days, it had to be the day she brought Sirius to the café? Thinking back to when Sirius instinctively stood up to welcome customers…
She knew Slimes would incapacitate humans and then impersonate them, but now she wasn’t worried about the older sister’s safety at all. Instead, a possibility dawned on her—she was being set up by the older sister!
“What’s wrong, Little Red Riding Hood? Why aren’t you moving?”
Xiaoxi grit her teeth, urging Little Red Riding Hood on, hoping to buy time during the monster handling to think of a new excuse.
But Little Red Riding Hood remained unmoved, narrowing her eyes and staring straight at her.