Long after Desert North Mad Blade and his group had left, someone else sat down across from Zhou You.
The newcomer made himself right at home, grabbing the wine pot and pouring it down his throat. Then, without worrying about whether the leftovers were dirty, he picked them up with his chopsticks and began wolfing them down.
Zhou You sighed.
"This table's practically become public property. How many people have stopped by these past few days...? Look, don't you have a proper job? Why are you still mooching food and drink off me?"
The person opposite him—the Inn's Second Waiter—said with a chuckle.
"Can't help it. The cook and I aren't getting along. Sneaking a few bites now and then is one thing, but if I actually asked him to cook me a proper meal... who knows what he'd put in it? I'm better off coming to someone I'm on good terms with, like you."
Zhou You's expression cooled a little.
The words sounded like nothing more than banter, but the message was unmistakable.
—I know who you went to see last night, and I know what you did.
But the question was, Second Waiter had clearly gone upstairs to investigate. How had he found out?
Seeing Zhou You's expression, Second Waiter immediately laughed.
"Don't get me wrong, young fellow. You really are capable, and I'm nowhere near being able to see everything happening a thousand miles away... but that idiot's never cared much about keeping his kitchen clean. A few rats might've slipped in last night... you get the picture." Zhou You stared at him for a while, then suddenly relaxed his tense body.
"So what do you want?"
Second Waiter smiled.
"Well, I certainly didn't expect you to be this skilled either... so I'd like to make a