Night had fallen, and the city lights were beginning to flicker on.
Helenz Hill was not a bustling town. On the contrary, it had an air of "ancientness" and "peace."
Or to be blunt, it was a historic old city.
As a result, even though there were still some pedestrians on the streets after nightfall,
the ancient town was much quieter than modern cities, and there was little in the way of nightlife.
However, tonight, a kissaten on a fairly busy street was busier than usual.
"Wow, he's like a prince!"
"Hey, did anyone get his contact information?"
"Hit on him? Such a good opportunity, how could you miss it?"
"I don't know, but one thing's for sure, he must be some nobleman's son!"
"Should we go offer him a drink..."
Inside the clean and tidy shop, although night had fallen, there were still many guests who refused to leave.
And these guests all had one thing in common -
They were all women from the town who had come after hearing the news!
Among them were students, white-collar workers, and even married women.
At this moment, they seemed to be chatting and laughing, or drinking tea and reading, etc.
But a part of their attention was involuntarily focused on a figure by the window, their eyes flickering with his every move.
This old shop, named "Snack Time," was well-known in the town, but because the owner, Qi Zhuren, was uncertain about his opening hours and would often slack off, so besides some regular customers,
generally, there wouldn't be many guests left after nightfall.
Occasionally, some white-collar workers or married women who liked to have afternoon tea would come in and stay for a while if they happened to find the shop open.
But a situation like this, where it was already dark and the guests were still there, was rare.
However, as the store manager, Hiiragi Ayako was happy about it, after all, the old shop hadn't been this lively in a long time.
"What?! You're not coming back tonight?"
【Yes, I need to stay at the stables and help out, so that's it. 】
"Wait for me, Takahiro—"
【Beep… beep…】
“……”
At this time, behind the counter, Hiiragi Ayako, who was mixing drinks while on the phone, sighed helplessly after seeing the phone on the table hang up.
Forget it, forget about this "block of wood"!
Someone who only has racing and horses on his mind, should just be "lonely"!
"Manager, are you ready yet?"
"Yes, I'll be right there."
Although it was a bookstore and kissaten, because of her leisure time and mood, the old shop also offered drinks and dishes.
Even if it couldn't compare to restaurants, simple omurice or salads were still available.
It was just that there were too many customers, making it a bit overwhelming for Hiiragi Ayako, who was the part-time manager, waitress, bartender, chef, pastry chef, and accountant, let alone the only maid in the store, Hisaki Misaki.
Normally, because there weren't many guests, the two of them could handle it.
But today's sudden surge in business was something neither of them had anticipated.
"Whew… Misaki, go get some rest after you finish, I'll leave for a while."
"Okay～"
It wasn't until a few moments later, after clearly stating that the kissaten was about to close, that those female customers reluctantly left.
And Hiiragi Ayako, who had been busy all afternoon, finally breathed a sigh of relief and went upstairs to the living room, planning to take a relaxing bath as usual.
【So, you're planning to abandon me and not come back?】
“…How could that be possible, it was clearly you who ‘chased’ me away, okay? ”
【Alright, who made me just a ‘local wife’… 】
Listening to the resentful voice on the phone, Luo Chen, who was currently on the phone with a mature witch, suddenly felt like rolling his eyes.
It was clearly her who was incompetent, how did it become his fault now?
But after finishing his call with Lucula Zia, Luo Chen noticed that the once bustling kissaten was now much quieter, with only Hisaki Misaki cleaning up and packing things away.
"Misaki, where's the bathroom?"
"Upstairs, turn left～"
Even though he had become a Shikigami Slayer, he hadn't yet reached the stage of "Bikoku."
So after the pink-haired girl pointed out the direction, Luo Chen left his seat and headed upstairs.
‘Turn left… left… should be here?’
The house had three floors, with the first floor being the kissaten, and the second floor being bedrooms and guest rooms.
Besides being clean and tidy, there wasn't anything particularly special about it, so Luo Chen didn't pay much attention to anything else, and after confirming, he directly opened the door.
"Click～"
"Splash… splash… splash…"
“……”
Couldn't it be that coincidental?
But just like the experience of countless male protagonists, as expected, an unexpected event occurred.
Perhaps he had inherited the fate and treatment of a "male protagonist," anyway, the "opening kill" arrived as scheduled.
When Luo Chen opened the door and walked in, he found that someone had already "preempted" the place and was currently immersed in their own world, oblivious to his arrival.
Naturally, it was the beautiful doctor, Hiiragi Ayako!
At this moment, the beautiful doctor was facing away from him and busy with her own things.
No, it should be that she noticed someone had come, but she didn't pay attention and mistook the person.
"Misaki? You're just in time, come and help me～"
At this moment, Luo Chen felt like a pop-up window appeared before his eyes:
Choice 1, leave silently.
Choice 2, agree naturally.