The Sam-Headed Weirdo

Bai Luoming took March 7th's hand and lifted the heavy windproof curtain in front of the door.

Only then could the two see the complete scene inside the shop. The shop was not large, with four or five wooden tables and chairs arranged somewhat crampedly, the wood surfaces bearing the patina left from years of wiping.

March 7th sniffed, finding the rugged style quite novel, and looked around.

Bai Luoming looked around and felt that this place was very similar to those hole-in-the-wall restaurants that only opened in the middle of the night in the backstreets of the university town in his previous life. Even the few empty wine bottles in the corner looked so familiar.

His gaze casually swept across the store until he saw the people inside, at which point his expression froze.

Behind the bar stood a slender girl, wearing an ordinary dark-colored work uniform with a linen apron with a bear pattern on it. She was holding a plate in front of the grill.

At first glance, she has the air of a girl next door, but above her neck, she wears an exaggerated silver-white mecha helmet.

Looking at the strangely dressed boss in front of him, Bai Luoming subconsciously said something.

"Holy crap, Sam the monster."

His voice wasn't loud, but in the empty room, it was loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.

Upon hearing this, Firefly, who was holding a plate, trembled and almost dropped it. However, Firefly reacted quickly, flicking her wrist to steady the plate.

At this moment, Firefly had her back to the two of them. Upon hearing Bai Luoming's words, she was suddenly startled, thinking that someone had recognized her as Sam. But she quickly realized that she was all too familiar with that voice.

March 7th slapped Bai Luoming's arm in an annoyance, complaining, "What nonsense are you talking about? Who calls someone that?"

After saying that, she quickly took a step forward and sincerely apologized to Firefly's back. "I'm sorry, boss, my friend doesn't think before he speaks. If he scared you, I apologize on his behalf."

The girl turned around. She looked at March 7th through her blue-tinted goggles, then her gaze fell on Bai Luoming. She lingered for two seconds before finally shaking her head.

"It's fine."

Then, Firefly walked to the bar, pulled out a manila menu with its corners curled up from under the bar, and handed it to the two of them.

The dishes were listed in standard language, with neat and elegant handwriting. Each dish name was accompanied by a simple drawing of a small chili pepper and its portion size.

Bai Luoming took the menu, glanced at it briefly, and then shoved it into March 7th's hands.

"Come on, you fed me so much just now, I'm full of everything now."

"That's because you're not good at fighting." March 7th took the menu with a straight face, found a table against the wall, sat down, and began to seriously study the dishes on it.

Bai Luoming pulled out a chair and sat opposite her, his gaze falling on Firefly beside him.

By this time, he was basically certain that the owner of the shop was Firefly. He hadn't expected that the shop wasn't just making up stories; it really was Glamoth Veteran Barbecue.

But the question is, why are Fireflies in Luofu?

At this point, shouldn't Firefly be suffering from Entropy Loss Syndrome, staying in her hibernation pod, or preparing a script for Penacony? Why is she barbecuing in Luofu?

Bai Luoming was completely baffled, but he didn't dwell on it. His life principle was to avoid internal strife, so he would put aside things he couldn't understand.

Firefly remained silent, standing quietly beside Bai Luoming and waiting.

Since Bai Luoming arrived at this shop, the feeling of his body constantly draining away has been completely suppressed.

Instead, I felt a sense of fulfillment I hadn't experienced in a long time—the feeling of being alive.

She tried to clench her fingers, and the sensation of her palms against each other was so vivid it brought tears to her eyes.

Indeed, Luo Ming was the cure for his ailment.

As long as she gets close to him, her terrible illness will be suppressed. This is why she defied common sense and appeared in Luofu.

"Boss, that's all." March 7th handed over the menu with the checkmarks.

Firefly took the paper and pen, nodded, turned around, lifted the curtain of the kitchen door, and went inside.

March 7th watched the silver-white mecha helmet disappear behind the curtain, then leaned on the table, sidled up to Bai Luoming, and whispered, "Why is she wearing such a big hood? Isn't it hot roasting meat by the stove? And won't the guests find it strange?"

Bai Luoming leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the swaying curtain in the kitchen. He softened his voice, "Perhaps they have some compelling reason."

March 7th pursed her lips and didn't say anything more, suppressing her curiosity and waiting to ask Firefly when the dishes were served.

While waiting for their food, March 7th took a look around the restaurant. Although the place was a bit old, the tables and chairs were exceptionally clean. On one corner of each table was a small glass bottle with a few wildflowers whose names she didn't know.

She took out the Jade Abacus, flipped through the group photos they had just taken on the street, and picked out a few to show Bai Luoming.

"Is this one nice?"

Bai Luoming glanced at it and casually replied, "It's beautiful. With your photography skills, you'd be wasting your talent even as a nominal photographer at the Sky-Faring Commission."

"Of course! My photography skills are among the best in the entire universe."

March 7th proudly patted his chest, then kept showing Bai Luoming photos.

A few minutes later, Firefly came out carrying a large tray.

She carefully placed several skewers of sizzling, oily grilled meat and two plates of mixed cold dishes on the table.

On March 7th, looking at the tempting skewers in front of him, he couldn't wait to pick one up and take a bite.

"Ugh!"

The moment the skewers touched her tongue, March 7th's eyes widened. She quickly chewed a couple of bites and swallowed, then looked up at Firefly and exclaimed, "So delicious! Boss, your cooking is amazing!"

Hearing March 7th's words, Firefly said somewhat shyly, "Ah, thank you for the compliment."

Holding up half a skewer of meat, March 7th couldn't resist asking, "But boss, won't your vision be affected by that helmet? Is it really convenient to cook?"

"No, it won't." The Firefly's voice was soft and gentle, instantly evoking a protective instinct in one's ears. "It won't obstruct your view."

The obedience and concession in that tone softened March 7th's heart. She bit her lower lip and tentatively spoke.

"Um... Boss, can I ask if you could take off your hood?"

"March 7th!"

Bai Luoming interrupted.

March 7th was stunned. She turned to look at Bai Luoming and found him staring at her.

She realized that her words had indeed crossed the line.

March 7th quickly put down the meat skewers, stood up, and sincerely apologized to Firefly.

"I'm sorry, boss, I was presumptuous. Please don't take it to heart."

The Firefly stood still for a moment.

She looked at March 7th's apologetic face, then glanced at Bai Luoming, who sat there silently.

"It's fine."

Her voice was softer than before.

"If you want to see it... you can take it off."

As soon as she finished speaking, the helmet on her head quickly disappeared, turning into fluorescent green specks of light that drifted in the air.

Her long, smooth hair fell down, draped somewhat messily over her shoulders.

The girl had very fair skin and extremely soft features. Her long eyelashes cast a light shadow under her eyelids, like a lake that had not been touched by the wind.

Looking at Firefly's face, March 7th was momentarily lost in thought, and a sentence slipped out unconsciously.

"Boss! You look so handsome!"

Firefly hadn't expected such direct praise. Her fair cheeks flushed, and she quickly waved her hand.

"N-no, no..." Her eyes darted around, not daring to meet March 7th's enthusiastic gaze, and she stammered, "Miss March 7th is very pretty too."

That awkward, helpless feeling made March 7th feel incredibly cute.

Bai Luoming leaned back in his chair, glanced at Firefly's flushed ears, and twitched his lips, but didn't reply.

On March 7th, he sat down again, resting his chin on his hands, his tone full of confusion.

"Boss, you're so good-looking, why do you have to wear such a scary hood to run this shop? And it's the middle of the night, there's not a single helper in the shop, are you working all by yourself?"

Firefly placed the mecha helmet she was holding on the empty chair next to her.

She lowered her head, looking at an oil stain on her apron, and remained silent for a long while, as if organizing her thoughts.

After a long while, she finally raised her head and explained to March 7th, "My family situation is quite complicated. I have a younger sister who is heavily addicted to the internet and plays games every day. I also have an elder relative who is mentally unstable and has occasional fits of madness. I am also seriously ill, so I had no choice but to open this shop to supplement my family's income."