Chapter 86

"Here, Yun. We're about to storm Claude's shop."

(Here, Mew. I'm hiding in a position where I can see your situation. I'll give you instructions as needed, over and out.)

Just a friend chat, right? I thought while the open-air terrace and the leather and cloth armor shop in front of me, which is now also operating as a cafe, came into view.

I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and stepped into the shop—

"Welcome to the Comnesty Cafe and Clothing Store!!"

The energetic greeting from the staff made me stop in my tracks. The shop, which had been renovated to look more like a cafe, was currently not very busy, either due to the time of day or because the cooking skills hadn't fully permeated yet.

(Why don't you sit at the counter first?)

(Acknowledged.)

I replied in a voice too low to be heard and took a seat at the counter inside the shop.

"Welcome, are you a first-time customer?"

I hesitated for a moment but nodded honestly.

"Here's the menu, then."

The staff member who handed me the menu was two people, both real players. A kind-looking young man in a waiter's uniform called out from inside the counter, and a stylishly dressed waitress with a calm demeanor was conferring with him. The young man was Latem, and the woman was Cariyan. Claude had found some rare people who wanted to run a cafe and provided them with a location. As a result, a cosplay cafe was completed. The cafe part operates like a regular cafe, and people who need clothing can try on items or place detailed orders while using the cafe. The cafe is run by players who are specialized in cooking. There's also a cake maker named Fior, but she seems to be absent at the moment.

I pretended to choose seriously from the menu while observing my surroundings.

(Claude seems to be in the back. How do we call him out?)

(Here, Mew. We'll use Relay communication to summon him, over and out.)

That should work. The plan is for me to infiltrate in this form and follow Mew's instructions to tease Claude. The constraint is that I should speak as little as possible, and if I do, Claude shouldn't hear my voice. In other words, it's a challenging task to tease Claude using only my gaze and actions.

But more importantly...

(I'm losing to the gazes of the staff and customers. Can I go home now?)

(What are you saying now! Hino-chan finds it amusing.)

That's right. The gazes of the customers and staff are focused on me. The two staff members are staring at me and whispering. "What a rare sight," "She's quite young," and so on... Well, that's fine.

"Excuse me, the menu, please."

I raised my hand and chose a drink.

"This, co(Cut it! ...)..."

I stopped mid-sentence, causing Cariyan to tilt her head in confusion. Why did Mew call out "cut" at this moment?

(Act childishly here. Order hot chocolate, and specifically the store's specialty, triple-sweet hot chocolate... and make your voice fade out at the end, as per my instruction.)

"Co?"

"Co, cocoa. The triple-sweet one... please."

"Yes, understood."

Ugh, the part where my voice fades out is embarrassing. It's not that it fades out because I'm embarrassed, but it's embarrassing because I aimed for it.

(What's this? The last instruction... am I the one being teased?)

(No, it's impression management. A girl who orders cocoa shyly is more approachable and comforting than one who orders coffee. We... and Relay, are trying to... Hey, Relay! What, ah, sorry, sorry, go ahead. Ah, don't touch there, hyaa!?)

What are you doing? You guys look like you're having fun. I thought while waiting for the cocoa.

The cocoa that arrived soon was in a small cup with a fluffy white whipped cream on top.

I held it with both hands and took a deep breath. After all the commotion, it felt like a brief respite.

(It seems Claude is about to come out. Pretend you're not interested, Luka-chan says.)

As instructed, I put down the cup, took a book from my inventory, and opened it. The scene of reading a book while having tea in a cafe seemed to resonate with some of the customers, as I could hear murmurs.

Then, the target, Claude, sat at the counter with Kutsushita on his shoulder.

"Really, 'come out' is a bit rough. But I was thinking I needed a break anyway."

"Again, you were stressing out. What kind of perverted equipment were you making this time?"

"Rude. It's September now, but in a month, it will be Halloween season. I was just making some themed equipment in anticipation."

I perked up my ears at this insider information and glanced at Claude, who noticed me and looked back. I quickly returned my gaze to the book when the next instruction came.

(The next instruction is to ask the staff to bring 'a hot milk for that lovely cat'... from Tobirou.)

What, like in a night bar? And the target is Kutsushita...

I raised my hand slightly and whispered to Latem.

"Could you bring a hot milk for that lovely cat..."

He looked puzzled for a moment but then smiled beautifully, bowed, and started preparing the hot milk. He warmed the milk in a small pot. Claude and Cariyan were still chatting.

Latem, with his youthful appearance, would likely become a nice middle-aged man with age. Ah, Latem in his forties with a mustache and some gray hair... that would suit him. I'm not that dissatisfied with my own face, but compared to Tak, I'm often told I have finer features and a more feminine look, so there are things to consider.

While listening to the sound of the milk being heated, I held up the book. When it was ready, Latem brought it over.

"Here's your hot milk."

"I didn't order it."

"The cute young lady over there asked for a hot milk for the lovely cat..."

(Sister, try to act as disinterested as possible...)

Following the instruction in my ear, I endured the gazes of Claude and Cariyan and focused on the text in the book. I was probably looking expressionless due to the tension.

After enduring for a while, the action came from the other side. Latem was standing in front of me, so I looked up from the book.

"Miss, the cat's representative has sent you our store's famous cheesecake and a refill of cocoa."

"Ah, thank you?"

Because of the unexpected gesture, I accepted the cheesecake and cocoa refill. I could hear the interest in the cake from my ear, but I ignored it and took a bite.

It was soft and sweet, with the unique flavor of a cheesecake. It was delicious and wouldn't make you fat even if you ate a lot, which is the ideal for women. Of course, overeating wouldn't affect the real world, and I would still get hungry in reality... During this time, I could hear the persistent interest in the food from my ear. No, you can eat it later, right?

(There's movement on the target's side. Be cautious.)

Just as I received this message, I finished the cake. At the counter, Kutsushita, who had finished the milk, walked over to me.

"Hey," he said in a relaxed voice, looking at me.

(It seems Kutsushita has taken an interest in you. The next instruction is to play with Kutsushita and attract Claude's attention, from Relay...)

Play? What kind of play? There's no cat toy... I twirled my index finger in front of my nose, and Kutsushita caught it with both hands.

I couldn't help but let out a small "Oh!?" Kutsushita then brought the captured finger to his mouth and started nibbling on it gently.

(Healing. Healing, but... why am I getting the same kind of gaze?)

I felt the plan was already falling apart, but I was told to continue. I enjoyed Kutsushita's gentle nibbling for a while, and when he got bored, he let go and climbed onto my head, resting his front paws on my head and his back paws dangling with my long black hair.

Looking at myself in the full-length mirror in the shop, I thought I looked quite ridiculous.

(Whoa, Relay! What are you getting excited about!? Not yet! Ah, you can't hold it!? Ah, Claude is also making a move!)

It seems there was also a commotion on the other side. I took a sip of cocoa with the cat on my head. Claude, who had been out of my line of sight in the mirror, was indeed making a move.

His sudden and unexpected action drew everyone's attention to him, not me.

"Meow~"

It wasn't Claude's voice. It was a mechanical sound.

Claude's head had been replaced with something else. It looked like a mask inspired by an Egyptian golden mask. The face was human-shaped, but with cat ears and an awkward balance, giving it a surreal appearance. I was speechless.

(What a terrible costume... says Kohaku. Indeed, that's not good.)

I agree. It looks like a joke.

"Uu, meow~"

(My head is exploding!?)

The mechanical sound was followed by the golden cat-ear mask splitting into four pieces and falling to the floor, releasing white smoke. It felt more like the release of restraints than an explosion, but I was so surprised that I fell off the counter.

"Ugh!"

I let out a stifled groan as a white, bandage-wrapped head emerged from the smoke. The eyes glared down at me.

This... a mummy man? I thought in shock just as a voice in my ear instructed me to (—faint!) so I promptly flopped over.

"What are you doing to the customer!"

While lying on the floor with my eyes closed, I couldn't see the situation, but I understood through Mew's live commentary.

Cariyan swung a tray at Claude, sending him flying against the wall. The customers were criticizing the situation. I was lying on the floor, and I could feel Kutsushita licking my cheek. After continuing the act of being unconscious for a while, someone picked me up, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Cariyan.

"Are you okay, sir? I'm sorry, our perverted idiot..."

"Ah, no, I'm fine."

Claude was sitting in a corner of the shop in a mummy man costume, being lectured by Latem. It seemed the roles of staff and landlord had been reversed. "Perverted idiot" was a harsh term, but he had brought it upon himself.

Kutsushita was giving him cat punches to the knee, and the atmosphere in the shop returned to a healing one.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to try on the Halloween costume."

"Is that so?"

I replied normally but felt a bit tired. The mummy man's performance was too over-the-top. I wished he had chosen a more subdued costume.

"I didn't expect you to be this surprised. I'm sorry, Yun."

"It's fine. It's not that bad..."

What did he just say? I wondered if it was a double leak from Mew, but I quickly heard a strong denial.

I frowned and asked,

"How long have you known?"

"Since I recognized the outfit as one of mine. I thought you had found a new one and wanted to compete, so I showed you the new Halloween costume."

I put my hand to my forehead. You knew from the start!

I sighed. The plan had failed.

---

A thread on a bulletin board that promised to become a legendary post.

"Hey, a black-haired girl just entered the cafe." "Let's take up a position where we can see inside." "No good, she's already surrounded by six little girls." "Calm down, there's another best spot!" "Good job! Let's also find out why six little girls are there." "What?" "She's playing with a cat." "Meow~" "Meow~" "Umeow~" "She likes cats, calm down." "Her natural face is the most beautiful I've seen." "Whoa, I'm getting a nosebleed. A little girl playing with a cat is the best." "The black-haired beauty is having her slender fingers licked by a black cat." "Licked." "Licked." "I get what you guys are seeing with your dirty eyes." "How many times does he need to surprise us?" "A cat on her head!?" "What a rare combination." "I was born to see this." "What's that creepy object?" "The shop owner is a cat?" "What a disgusting cat ear." "That's not a cat!" "What happened next?" "It exploded!?" "It broke!?" "The contents were bandages!"

From a thread that was still heating up—