The flow of people on the shopping street grew even denser after noon.
Ling Ling followed behind Ye Fengxue, savoring the crepe in her hand.
The sweetness of cream and strawberries melted on her tongue. It seemed a bit too sweet—but she didn’t hate that level of sweetness.
Ever since she became a girl, she suddenly felt she had developed “Sugar Dependency Syndrome.”
In her previous life, she hadn’t disliked sweets, but she hadn’t had any particular attachment to them either. Now, though, she’d find herself stopping in front of convenience stores when she spotted a new strawberry daifuku, her gaze unconsciously drifting toward it.
It was as if her body had arbitrarily installed a preference module.
While biting the edge of the crepe, she silently complained in her mind: ‘This body might have had its sweetness resistance parameter maliciously lowered at the factory.’
“Ling Ling, focus on walking.”
Ye Fengxue said without turning around, her steps still carrying that brisk rhythm unique to a young lady.
Ling Ling stuffed the last bite of crepe into her mouth, expressionlessly crumpled the wrapper into a ball, tossed it into a roadside trash can without even a crumb sticking to her fingers, then jogged two steps to catch up with Ye Fengxue.
“Lady Ye, you still haven’t told me what we need to discuss.”
“I’ll tell you when we get there.”
“Which shop?”
“The café around the corner up ahead. Their mille-feuille is pretty famous. We’ll sit there and talk slowly.”
Ye Fengxue’s tone sounded casual, but Ling Ling noticed her hand gripping the bag strap tighten again.
From the moment they met until now, this was already the fourth time she had repositioned her bag.
Ling Ling silently noted it: something that could make Lady Ye this tense was probably far from a “casual chat.”
‘Looks like another troublesome matter…’
She muttered in a voice only she could hear, then followed behind Ye Fengxue, preparing to cross the street toward the café.
It was while waiting for the traffic light that she suddenly felt a gaze.
Not the kind of curious look an ordinary passerby would cast, but a gaze like a hunter spotting interesting prey.
As Unit Zero, who had been instilled with a vast amount of combat knowledge by the “Cradle,” her sensitivity to such gazes had long been etched into her instincts. She paused for a moment, then continued walking as if nothing had happened.
“What’s wrong?” Ye Fengxue turned back.
“Nothing, let’s go.” As Ling Ling spoke, her peripheral vision swept toward the open-air café on the second floor to the right.
Behind the gaps in the potted plants, a hint of pink swayed gently.
A pink-haired girl was resting her chin on her hand, smiling at her. Her gray pupils curved into crescent moons, and the arc of her lips carried a cat-to-mouse sort of composure. A lollipop stick dangled from the corner of her mouth, the white plastic rod gently swaying.
Their eyes met for less than a second before Ling Ling looked away.
But the impression from that moment was enough to set off alarms in her mind.
The other party might have been a beautiful girl with pink hair and gray eyes, but the way she looked at Ling Ling was exactly like someone who had found an interesting toy—a “pleasure seeker.”
She hoped it was just a coincidence that the girl had spotted her. If someone like that ended up clinging to her, her daily life would be totally screwed.
‘Don’t let it be what I’m thinking.’
She muttered softly, then sighed inwardly, quickened her pace, and caught up with Ye Fengxue.
The café was at the corner of the shopping street, a small shop on the second floor of an old building. The wooden signboard read “Cat’s Home” in three characters, the lettering worn blurry by time.
Climbing the old wooden stairs, pushing open the door, a bell let out a crisp ring. A mixed scent of coffee beans and old book pages wafted toward them.
The shop wasn’t large—only seven or eight tables. By the window, you could see a panoramic view of the shopping street.
Bookshelves along the walls were packed with old books, most of them paperback novels clearly read many times over.
And an orange cat was curled up at the bottom shelf, sound asleep, its tail twitching occasionally.
Ye Fengxue chose a corner seat, ordered two lattes and a slice of mille-feuille, then leaned back in her chair. Her jade-green eyes stared at the flow of people outside the window, and she remained silent for a long while.
Ling Ling didn’t push her to speak. She just picked up her latte and took a sip. The flavor was a bit bitter—not quite suiting her current tastes—but the caffeine hit was decent.
She reached for the sugar packets, adding a full four packets to her coffee. After stirring it well, she took another sip.
Mm, barely drinkable.
Watching her actions, Ye Fengxue’s tightly knit brows finally relaxed a little. “The way you drink it completely ruins the coffee’s original flavor.”
“Sweet enough is fine.”
“…You really are a weirdo.”
“That’s the seventh time I’ve been told that.”
“You count every time?” The corner of Ye Fengxue’s mouth lifted slightly. The subtle tension that had lingered since they met finally eased a bit.
Ling Ling set down her coffee cup and calmly looked at her with her crimson eyes.
“Can you tell me now?”
Ye Fengxue took a deep breath, leaned forward slightly, and folded her hands on the table.
This was a posture she often used during Student Council meetings—the stance of announcing something important. The ease from their earlier banter had vanished from her jade-green eyes, replaced by a seriousness that Ling Ling rarely saw.
“It’s about the Ye Family.”
Ye Fengxue’s voice was very low, audible only to the two of them.
“The informant my father planted among the collateral branches sent back information the day before yesterday—my uncle, Ye Qinghai, has completely burned bridges. He plans to make a move at next month’s family meeting. The intelligence confirms that behind this trap, it’s not just the collateral branch. My uncle has brought in outside help.”
“What kind of help?”
“Phantom Night Company.” Ye Fengxue tapped the table lightly with her fingertip, lowering her voice even further.
“It’s one of the largest underground supernatural ability organizations in the Third District. On the surface, they do energy business, but behind the scenes, they’ve always been involved in illegal supernatural weapons and trading of human experiment materials.”
“Senior Qian Dai mentioned this to me before—when I saw that intelligence, I knew my uncle was pushing for cooperation with them.”
Ling Ling was silent for a few seconds.
The name Phantom Night Company wasn’t unfamiliar to her. She’d come across it several times while organizing files for the Countermeasures Section, and every appearance came with a “High Risk” tag.
Not long ago, when she went to the Third District to investigate the remnants of the Cradle, she had traced a trail to one of Phantom Night Company’s transit warehouses. Those guys’ security level was a cut above ordinary gangs—they had at least three B-rank or above ability users stationed there.
“What about your father’s side?” Ling Ling asked.
“My father has an S-rank ability user willing to stand with us. But if Phantom Night Company really sends out all their forces, the situation will be hard to predict. And—”
Ye Fengxue bit her lip, a trace of hesitation flashing in her eyes that Ling Ling had never seen before.
“—And I’m thinking about taking a leave of absence from the Academy for a while.”
Ling Ling didn’t speak. She just watched her quietly, knowing there was more to come.
“Ever since I was little, everything in my life has been arranged for me—studies, ability training, socializing, even possibly inheriting the Ye Family in the future… All of it is part of the family’s plan.”
“I’ve long been tired of this kind of life.”
Ye Fengxue looked down at the latte art in her cup; the milk foam had already blurred into the coffee. “But tired as I am, it’s still my home. My father is still there. So this time, no matter what my uncle has prepared, I’ll go back and face it.”
Ling Ling picked up her coffee cup and took another sip.
After all that sugar, the originally bitter latte had lost all its bitterness and become cloyingly sweet instead.
Sunlight from outside shone through the window onto Ye Fengxue’s profile, coating her black hair in a pale gold light.
Her expression still maintained the composure expected of a young lady, but deep in those jade-green eyes lurked a resolve that would charge even into an abyss.
Ling Ling looked at her and sighed silently in her heart.
Usually, she’d blush furiously at Ling Ling’s teasing, putting on that tsundere “I’m number one in the Academy” act.
But when it came to real trouble, this young lady was clearer-headed than anyone.
She knew her uncle had brought in outside help, knew the situation was uncertain, knew going back might be dangerous—but she still decided to go, because it was her home, and her father was there.
This tsundere young lady, deep down, was stubborn like no other.
“…So you came to consult me.” Ling Ling picked up her coffee cup and took another sip.
“Yes.”
Ye Fengxue nodded, looking straight at her as she spoke.
“Because you’re one of the few people I can trust.”