Covenant

Covenant

Thursday afternoons were Zhang Heng's legally mandated staring-into-space time.

At this time every week, he usually arranged no work for himself. Instead, he found somewhere he liked, curled up there, and freely wasted his life away.

That place could be a park, a temple, a museum... or, of course, like now, a Maid Cafe.

Without considering any other factors, the latter was obviously a complete victory in terms of visual appeal.

That was why it was also the place Zhang Heng visited most often when spacing out.

"One Forbidden Love, with a plate of Brother Can't Today, please." Zhang Heng ordered some bizarre stuff even he had no idea about with a perfectly straight face.

"Certainly, Master. Please wait a moment." The little maid with cat ears crossed her hands over her chest, hugging the tray as she spoke gently.

Professional! Zhang Heng gave her a thumbs-up in his heart. The maids in this shop were all College Students from nearby schools working part-time, and the cafe had an explosive reputation among otaku circles.

In comparison, the owner of the Maid Cafe on Chunxi Road had no sincerity at all. He had hired a group of aunties in their thirties and forties to make up the numbers. Rumor had it that when they were short-staffed, he had even tried serving customers himself, using his thick leg hair to torture every customer's nerves. Eating there was less like having a meal and more like undergoing punishment.

While waiting for his order, Zhang Heng casually pulled a copy of "Food Wars!" off a nearby shelf. He had barely flipped through two pages when he heard a voice beside him.

"What a pity. I still prefer his earlier work."

Zhang Heng looked up and discovered that an unfamiliar person had appeared across from him at some point. It was a short elderly man wearing a Tang suit, yet also a top hat and tie. The neither-Eastern-nor-Western, utterly mismatched outfit made him look very strange.

Everyone in the Maid Cafe was immediately drawn to him.

Zhang Heng raised an eyebrow. "Saeki Shun? He used to be a damn fine manga artist."

"Then it seems my memory hasn't deceived me." The old man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "How has the past month been, Zhang Heng? Satisfied with my little gift? Don't worry, that thing you were concerned about doesn't exist. Those twenty-four hours were an extra gift and won't be deducted from your lifespan."

"You were the one who did something to me?" Zhang Heng had to admit that the other man's opening successfully caught his attention.

"For the current me, doing something like that isn't easy either. But since you're someone I value, I had to give you a little meeting gift, didn't I?" The old man reached out and directly grabbed the Forbidden Love off the tray, startling the little maid who had just approached. She looked at Zhang Heng, silently asking whether she should call the police.

Zhang Heng gently shook his head.

"I won't take advantage of you. Once we're done talking, you'll still get to drink your beverage." The old man muttered something rather difficult to understand, then turned serious. "Now, let's get down to business. I'm fairly satisfied with your performance this past month. Since the probation period is over, it's time to discuss the conditions for becoming official."

"Conditions for becoming official?"

"Yes. Simply put, I need you to help me win a game. The game itself can bring you generous rewards. On top of that, you can continue using the little gift I gave you."

Seeing that Zhang Heng seemed about to say something, the old man waved his hand. "I know your family circumstances. Money doesn't hold that much temptation for you, and with that ability, making money would be easy if you truly wanted to. But trust me, what this game can give you will far exceed your imagination."

"What game?" Zhang Heng asked.

"In the distant past, we used war to settle disputes. Simple and effective. God, how I miss those bloody, wonderful old days. But the times have kept advancing. Civilized society shouldn't use such barbaric, primitive methods anymore, should it?"

The old man drained the cup of Forbidden Love in one gulp. "So now we use games to determine victory and defeat. After all, that annoying fellow is currently sitting on the throne. Restricted by those ancient agreements, I can't reveal the contents of the game to you in advance. Strictly speaking, even this meeting is forbidden. But don't worry, I can still handle this minor trouble."

"If this game is so important, why don't you participate yourself?"

"Just as I said before, restricted by certain ancient agreements, we cannot enter the field personally. You're like my agent. I've placed my chips on you. If you win, I win; if you lose, I lose as well. The two of us are tied together. But my luck hasn't been very good. My final rankings in the last few games have all been poor."

The old man sighed. "As you can see, I've also grown weaker and weaker. So this time, I decided to place my bet earlier. Though the risk is great as well, since you might be eliminated halfway through."

"Who exactly are you?"

Zhang Heng's Brother Can't Today was also served. It was a plate of slightly burnt cookies, and their color looked rather suspicious.

"For now, you can consider me your investor and partner. As for the future, I can only tell you one thing—you'll come closer to the truth of this world the longer you last in this game. All right, we don't have much time. Now, tell me your answer."

Zhang Heng looked into the old man's eyes. The man had just delivered a lengthy string of lines that sounded ridiculously chuunibyou, which actually fit the atmosphere of the Maid Cafe quite well. But considering that he knew Zhang Heng's name and was thoroughly familiar with what had happened to him, this ridiculously dressed fellow was probably not joking. And Zhang Heng had to admit that the little gift the other man had given him was indeed useful.

That made him interested in the game the man had mentioned. After a moment, Zhang Heng spoke. "Sounds pretty interesting. How do I join?"

"Very simple. Let me see which Game Point is closest to your school..." The old man pulled a Xiaomi phone from his Tang suit pocket, opened Baidu Maps, and tapped it a few times. "City of Desire Bar, Game Point 137. Eleven tonight. You won't regret your decision."

"Oh, I almost forgot." The old man held out one hand. "The final step: forge a covenant. Once you shake my hand, you'll be mine."

"Please don't use such horribly ambiguous wording. I'm already starting to regret this." Zhang Heng also extended his right hand.

Their hands met, and Zhang Heng felt as though he had touched a cold, hard rock.

The old man looked quite pleased. "Watch out for the other agents. Though you probably won't run into them during the early stages of the game. Also, no matter what happens, make survival your first priority."

"Wait, people can die in this game?" Zhang Heng's eyelid twitched.

"No, only die within the game. In reality, it would be more accurate to say that you disappear. Not only will your body vanish, but every memory related to you will disappear as well, as if you had never existed at all. I know someone who happens to be particularly skilled at that sort of thing." The old man said it as casually as if reminding him to buy a bag of salt on his way out.

"..."

Zhang Heng wanted to say something else, but his vision suddenly blurred for no reason. In the next moment, the old man had already vanished from before him.

Not far away, the little maid was hurrying over with a dark-red drink in her hands. When she smiled, two adorable little canine teeth showed.

"Master, your Forbidden Love. Please enjoy~"