Tricks, Nothing But Tricks

"..." Sara tugged at Liu Bai's sleeve from behind, "... Don't you feel embarrassed?"

Hearing the other person's coquettish voice, Kujou Sara, a proper woman, felt extremely uncomfortable.

"That means we've come to the right maid café."

Liu Bai scratched the ground with his toes a couple of times before he recovered.

Last time, perhaps because there wasn't a single proper maid in the maid café, Liu Bai didn't feel that initial awkwardness.

And now it's regular business hours, and there aren't any Stormtroopers sitting inside... although it's still quite deserted.

So Liu Bai was immediately noticed by several guests as soon as he arrived.

Well, they were probably giving looks like, "Get lost, you idiot, you social butterfly!"—but what can you expect when there are so many women around Liu Bai?

However, the Knave's gazes were more gentle.

"Please stay with Aslache, Master~"

Ragna is still trying his best to act cute.

"His professional skills are lacking; he doesn't seem natural at all."

Liu Bai hadn't expected Ragna to still be there at this time; he only noticed him when he reached the door.

That's because I think you're here to cause trouble!

Ragna maintained his smile while inwardly muttering a complaint.

She's an old maid... a veteran maid, bringing smiles and hope to others is second nature to her—provided, of course, that they aren't acquaintances looking for trouble.

Well, although she and Liu Bai weren't actually that close.

Ragna adjusted his mindset and took a deep breath.

"Gentlemen, please come this way."

Ragna adjusted her mindset, and her tone changed from that of a two-dimensional maid to that of a maid who was "a bit silly, but not completely silly".

Would you like a private room?

"Ah, no need, just find a corner." Bai immediately understood that Ragna was asking if he had come specifically to find him.

What kind of maid café offers private rooms? Isn't that tantamount to openly admitting that our maid café is engaged in illegal business?

The so-called private room is just a euphemism for "talking one-on-one".

"But I never expected you to become a maid."

"... I'm just idling around anyway, and this is kind of my 'former employer'."

"What do you mean? An intelligence station?"

"Oh no, I used to work at the main store of this shop when I was in the Manchester District. I didn't expect that a branch would open here."

Ragna led the group to sit down.

Do you have any dessert recommendations?

"Q, I'm surprised, it's so ordinary (requesting...). Ragna took out his pen, then his tone changed abruptly, "Well then, let Aslache recommend today's deluxe sweet and loving maid set meal~~ There are six of you, so you only need to order three sets~"

"... Um, miss, could you please use your normal tone from before?"

Kujou Sara wasn't averse to honorifics— Kujou Sara seen plenty of people who insisted on using honorifics with themselves at home.

But honorifics like "Aslache"... sound rather subtle.

That's so inappropriate—even though Kujou Sara knows it's business language.

"Sara, you're still too young. We have maid cafes and maid restaurants in the Far East too, and they're quite popular." Kitsune Saiguu crossed his legs and looked at the set menu. "Lord Liu Bai, let's go with the recommendations for now."

Liu Bai nodded.

The others were also slightly embarrassed, but not too bothered, except for Kujou Sara, who was still finding it difficult to adapt.

"Hmm, Sara, if you can't get used to it..."

Liu Bai thought for a moment and glanced at Ragna.

Ragna suddenly sensed something was wrong.

"For example, this Miss Aslache is thirty today—"

Snap!

"Oops~ I'm so sorry~ Master~ I accidentally dropped it~~"

With a smile on his face, Ragna continued to shove the notebook in his hand at Liu Bai's face.

So what if you're 32? Does being 32 mean you can't be a maid? Don't think that just because you're handsome I'll tolerate your outspokenness!

So what if you're handsome? Handsome guy, I'll smother you to death too!

Kujou Sara: "..."

Oh no, this sounds even more uncomfortable. The seemingly delicate maid is actually older than me?

"... Just kidding, it's not that serious, okay? Although it might have gone a little too far?"

Liu Bai decided to surrender before Ragna smothered him.

"But to be honest, you can't tell your age from your face at all, Ragna."

"..."

Although it touched a nerve, I also felt like I was being subtly praised.

... Okay, maybe handsome guys have unlimited leniency.

Chapter 146 A Trick, All Tricks

"That's all there is to it. Maid cafes are a bit better."

Liu Bai leaned on his head and looked at Ragna as he left.

"If it were a sister's café... well, that would be more heartbreaking. Of course, the atmosphere here isn't quite as intense."

Although it's called a "maid cafe," the atmosphere here is more classic and formal. The "cafe" is the core of this place, and the "maids" seem to be added to increase its appeal.

"Hmm... it really is deadly."

Kujou Sara thought for a moment, then nodded with lingering fear. She, Liu Bai, and Little Gui were all in their early twenties.

Cocoilia should be in her thirties, and the rest are Kitsune Saiguu and Shadow...

These two are past the point where we need to discuss age.

It would feel really strange if the person calling them "brother" or "sister" was actually older than them.

—In fact, a turning point in the relationship between Liu Bai and Natasha was when Natasha confirmed that Liu Bai was indeed younger than her, which gave Natasha a strange sense of "comfort".

"But who is that Miss Aslache...?"

"Ragna, captain of the Valkyries Schicksal Stormtroopers, part-time maid, stage Aslache. You will probably have contact with her in the future."

Although Liu Bai didn't know what Rita was thinking, that joke from before... actually sounded less and less like a joke the more he listened.

Rita may be a joking and highly sociable Valkyries, but it's hard to say whether Rita's the type to joke about important matters.

If we take Rita's "joke" seriously, we'll find that it's an extremely sensitive issue. It's just that the occasion and Rita's joking tone masked the sensitivity of the issue, making it sound only a little unfunny.

Liu Bai had a feeling that once things were settled here, Rita and Ragna would most likely pack up and run away.

As for where to run to... if nothing unexpected happens, it will probably be the Far East Branch?

After all, they all bear the name of Schicksal, so it's not a big problem.

"... Truly astonishing." Bai's words stunned the few people present who knew the situation.

"So you've hooked up with her too, huh..."

Kitsune Saiguu rested its chin on its hand.

It feels like the power dynamics around Liu Bai are getting more and more complicated.

It seems like the possibility of Liu Bai taking over is gradually decreasing?

Well... even though Kitsune Saiguu didn't consider what to do after taking Liu Bai for himself.

It's human nature to pick through things when you see something good!

As for whether it has an owner... that's not really important. What's a hoe for anyway?

Even if it's NTR, it's still pure love for the blond guy!

... Although Mobius was a great help to them.

Kitsune Saiguu suddenly considered whether they should send "Mobius's Liu Bai" out first, and then snatch it back.

After a while, wouldn't it become legitimate to own it?

However, the success rate of plotting against Liu Bai is actually not very high.

"What do you mean by 'flirting'?" Bai rolled her eyes at Kitsune Saiguu. "Can't you even speak properly?"

"Is there a difference? It's just a matter of going back and forth." Kitsune Saiguu rolled its eyes in response.

Liu Bai both beautiful and intelligent, and each of them has their own needs. More importantly, these people are either young girls or older singles, all unclaimed flowers, and none of them are cold-blooded. They are not so rational when it comes to feelings, and any real development is just a matter of going back and forth and half-heartedly agreeing.

Well, Kitsune Saiguu felt she might have to condemn herself; she had brought Liu Bai and Ying/Zhen together based on self-interest.

However... although this may sound a bit old-fashioned, most of the Inazuma women don't really care about monogamy.

Therefore, even though Kitsune Saiguu noticed that Liu Bai and Kujou Sara were getting close, it didn't bother her. Getting close didn't affect Kitsune Saiguu's efforts to match Liu Bai with other people.

If we're going to talk about what Kitsune Saiguu is saying, the number of people isn't the problem; lifespan is—after all, Liu Bai is too much like a short-lived species.

The best solution is for Liu Bai to take over the Gnosis. That thing can serve as a receiver of willpower and an energy source, allowing Liu Bai for thousands of years without any problem.

Raiden Makoto, then it doesn't matter. To put it simply, the Gnosis is an "acquired organ" that was born over time due to faith after they chose to protect and coexist with humanity.

Whether they exist or not doesn't affect them.

The method of creating the Vision was also based on the Gnosis —after all, they were very interested in this "acquired external organ" that grew on their bodies...

Getting back to the main point, in short, Kitsune Saiguu is quite lenient with Liu Bai, so not to mention Kujou Sara, she also maintains a casual attitude towards people like Firefly and Little Gui.

As long as Liu Bai can become a general, Kitsune Saiguu doesn't mind helping to fool others and make them follow their lead.

And to be honest, quite a few of their own family members are actually eyeing Liu Bai.

For example, the flat plains and Torachiyo.

This person seems to be genuinely interested in Liu Bai.

As for herself... well...

"... Kitsune Saiguu, why do I have a feeling that you're plotting against me?"

"It's just an illusion."

Kitsune Saiguu smiled.

Well, maybe she also has a slight crush on Liu Bai?

However, the group didn't have any particularly strong desires. As long as Liu Lengbai was around, Liu Zhaigong felt that he wouldn't be bored. As for whether it was hers or not, it didn't matter—Ying and Zhen couldn't lock Liu Bai up every day, could they?

[Kitsune Saiguu's Favorability: 4447]

"... I hope it's just my imagination." Bai's expression was strange. "Don't cause any trouble during our get-together."

"Hmm~ I really didn't do it." Kitsune Saiguu looked heartbroken.

Of course, she couldn't just stop now; she'd already started stirring things up.

However, the whole process was too discreet and too natural, so Liu Bai didn't react in time.

"Masters~ Your set meal is here~" Ragna and two maids came over from the kitchen carrying plates.

Well, it's rather strange for six people to come to a maid cafe together, let alone one man and five women, it's even stranger.

This so-called deluxe set meal consists of a pot of coffee, a few small cakes, a few crepes, and a large box of cookies.

"Did I pay too much service fee?" Bai felt that she was still not quite used to this kind of Western food and desserts.

"This is definitely enough for two people to eat their fill." Ragna maintained his welcoming smile, placed the food on the table with the other two maids, and then poured coffee for everyone present.