"Do you think it's still not too late for us to sneak away, nya?"
Chloe's usually lively black cat ears were now pressed flat against her scalp, her tail tucked so tightly it was almost glued there, and her whole body was trembling like a sieve.
Beside her, Runoa wasn't doing much better.
"I think… probably not."
Runoa lowered her voice so much that she barely dared move her lips, afraid that the fiend over there might notice her.
"And… just look at her…"
Runoa secretly glanced at the fully armed figure by the entrance, then quickly pulled her gaze back and swallowed.
"She hasn't even taken off her gauntlets…"
"That's the posture of someone ready to make a move at any moment!"
"What if she's already figured out what we look like…"
"Don't say that, nya!"
The moment Chloe heard that, all the fur on her body practically stood on end.
After all, back in the day, the two of them had been famous figures in Orario's underground world.
Black Fist and the Black Cat.
Their mission success rate had been close to one hundred percent.
As long as the money was good enough, they would've dared to pluck two beard hairs off a Guild official.
But there had been one time…
Chloe had let greed cloud her judgment and accepted an absurdly expensive commission, to assassinate Shakti Varma, the captain of the Ganesha Familia, the Elephant God's Staff.
And the result?
Forget the assassination.
Chloe had nearly gotten herself killed.
That night, Shakti had chased her like a stray dog, and in the end she had no choice but to dive into a foul-smelling sewer and hide there all night just to escape.
That experience had become a lingering shadow in her heart.
Even now, although she had washed her hands of that old life and turned into a well-behaved girl working under Mia, that fear carved into her bones had never gone away.
A mouse fearing a cat was simply not something that could be changed.
"How about… we slip out through the back, "
Before Chloe could finish saying slip out through the back,
Bang!
A sharp smack rang out.
A thick arm slammed heavily onto the table in front of the two of them.
"Ow!"
"Eek, nya!"
Chloe and Runoa both jolted so hard they nearly shot into the air.
The moment they looked up, they saw Mia's face, dark as the bottom of a pot, staring down at them.
"I'm talking to you two…"
Mia planted both hands on her hips, and her eyes looked ready to spit fire.
"What are you muttering about?"
"The customers have been in the door for ages, and you're still dawdling over here!"
"Trying to slack off, are you?"
"Want me to loosen your hides for you?"
"N-no, nya!"
Chloe waved her hands frantically, her cat ears trembling even harder while her eyes kept darting toward Shakti.
"Um… Mama Mia…"
"That's Shakti over there, nya…"
"That's the captain of the military police, nya…"
"We… can't we…"
"Can't what?"
Mia's eyes widened, and she cut Chloe off on the spot.
"She's a customer today!"
"Since she walked through that door, she came here to eat and drink!"
"As long as she doesn't cause trouble, what does it matter if she's the captain of the military police?"
"She's not going to eat you, is she?"
After saying that, Mia extended her fan-like hands and flicked each of them once on the forehead.
"Ow!"
"That hurts, nya!"
"Enough nonsense!"
Mia pointed toward the empty tables in the middle of the tavern.
"Get to work already!"
"If you neglect honored guests, just wait and see what I do to you tonight!"
"Y-yes!"
"We're going, nya! We're going, nya!"
Under Mia's pressure, even if they had ten thousand times more nerve, the two of them still wouldn't dare disobey.
All they could do was make miserable faces, brace themselves, and shuffle over step by reluctant step, looking back every few steps.
…
Several heavy oak tables were pushed together.
In the middle of the hall, they formed one huge long table.
There was no helping it.
This group simply had too many people.
Aside from the three major figures, Haimer, Shakti, and Tsubaki, there were also the girls.
Then there was Hestia, who was here to freeload a meal.
And even that wasn't what took up the most space.
The one that took up the most space was the black bear.
The moment Kyoubou flopped down on the floor, its massive body looked like a small mountain of flesh, instantly occupying the space of three people.
The little bear copied it and sprawled down beside Kyoubou as well, looking adorably foolish.
The whole scene was admittedly rather strange.
But in a tavern as tolerant as this one, nobody said anything. On the contrary, quite a few adventurers cast curious glances their way.
Once everyone took their seats, Shakti still looked a little restrained, but under Haimer's insistence, she sat down on his right.
Tsubaki, meanwhile, sat down carelessly on his left.
Hestia had originally wanted to steal the seat beside Haimer, but after being nudged aside by the black bear, she could only sit opposite them with an angry pout.
"Time to order, time to order!"
The moment she sat down, Tsubaki got fired up and swept a hand through the air.
"Runoa! Bring the menu!"
"R-right away…"
Holding the menu, Runoa did her best to keep her body turned at an angle so Shakti wouldn't see her face directly. The movement was so awkward it looked like half her body had gone numb.
"Bring us every signature dish in the shop!"
"Roast meat! Stew! And Mia's special fruit wine!"
"And make all of it the biggest portions!"
"And one more thing!"
"For these two little guys…"
Tsubaki pointed at the black bears lying on the floor.
"Bring out a few barrels of your best honey ale! And two huge pork chops too!"
"Roar!"
Kyoubou seemed to understand and immediately lifted its head, letting out an excited low growl.
"A-all right…"
Runoa kept writing while retreating as fast as possible, looking as though she wished she could vanish into thin air.
On the other side, Chloe wasn't idle either.
She floated over like a ghost, carrying a large platter of bread and appetizers.
The moment she set the platter down, she was already preparing to flee.
"Um…"
Suddenly, a cool, clear voice rang out.
"Wait."
"Nya?!"
All the fur on Chloe's body instantly exploded outward, and she turned around stiffly.
Shakti was looking at her, brows slightly knit.
"We need… fruit juice."
"That child is probably not old enough to drink."
As she spoke, Shakti pointed at Warabi.
Before Warabi could hurriedly clarify her actual age,
"Ah… y-yes, nya!"
Chloe immediately nodded again and again.
"I'll go get it! I'll go get it right away, nya!"
With that, she bolted off faster than a rabbit.
Seeing this, Shakti looked a little puzzled.
"The waitresses in this tavern…"
"Why do they all seem a little strange?"
"They're probably just shy."
Haimer suppressed a laugh and casually brushed it off.
…
Before long, fine food and drink began arriving like flowing water.
The table was instantly piled high with fragrant roast meat, golden crispy bread, and rich, savory stew.
"Cheers!"
Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together.
With that crisp ring, the atmosphere instantly surged to its peak.
"To our first great victory!"
"Cheers!"
Tsubaki shouted loudly.
Glasses struck one another with a bright, clear sound.
At that point, the mood of the feast fully came alive.
"So good! So good!"
Hestia was starving. She had a drumstick in one hand and a chunk of bread in the other.
"This roast meat tastes amazing!"
"Haimer, eat some too!"
Even while eating, Hestia still tried to shove food into Haimer's hands.
Then, in the next moment.
Crash!
A sharp sound shattered the cheerful atmosphere.
A figure carrying a tray of drinks had stumbled.
Several glasses of fruit wine spilled out at once.
Although none of it splashed onto the guests, it still spilled all over the floor.
"Ah…"
That figure hurriedly bent down, panicked, and tried to clean it up.
"I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry!"
Everyone turned to look.
It was a girl with pale ash-gray hair and a white apron.
Syr Flova.
At that moment, she was crouching on the floor, gathering up the broken pieces, a trace of panic still on her face.
"Syr?"
"What happened?"
Seeing the scene from behind the counter, Mia frowned.
She had noticed from earlier that Syr seemed distracted, her eyes constantly drifting toward that long table.
"You're not looking too good."
"Are you feeling sick somewhere?"
Mia walked over and pulled Syr to her feet.
"N-no…"
Syr lowered her head, her gaze a little evasive.
"Maybe… I just didn't sleep well last night. My head feels a little dizzy…"
As she spoke, Syr lightly pressed her temple. The fragile look she wore made it hard to keep scolding her.
"So I was wondering… could I ask to leave early?"
"I want to go back and rest for a while…"
Mia stared at her for a moment.
Although her instincts told her things weren't that simple, looking at Syr's obviously unsettled state, she finally waved a hand.
"All right, all right."
"If you're not feeling well, then stop making trouble here."
"Go back and lie down."
"Runoa can clean up this mess."
"Thank you, Mama Mia…"
Syr let out a breath of relief.
She stood up and dusted the dirt from her skirt.
Then, in the instant she turned toward the curtain leading to the back kitchen, she glanced back as though by accident.
Her eyes swept over the crowd and quickly landed on the long table where Haimer sat.
He was turned slightly to the side, speaking to Hestia across from him, and clearly hadn't noticed the commotion over here at all.
It looked like she hadn't been noticed by him.
Only then did the tension in her shoulders ease a little.
A trace of lingering fear flashed in her eyes.
Then she didn't stay any longer and disappeared quickly behind the curtain leading to the back kitchen.
…
"Honestly."
"Not a single one of them ever lets me relax."
After muttering that while watching Syr leave, Mia returned to the counter.
Only the green-haired elf ice beauty in the tavern had noticed the change in Syr's eyes before she left.
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