Because Dania Is a Good Girl

"So this is the Haidilao you mentioned? It looks pretty lively."

Dania pointed at the Haidilao sign in front of them. Even from the entrance, they could see the crowd inside and the servers weaving between tables like fish. The place was bustling.

"Where we live, Haidilao is one of the must-visit spots for young people. This might be an exaggeration, but if you were born after 2000 and haven't eaten at Haidilao at least once, you'd be embarrassed to admit it," Xiao Ling said, describing it in a somewhat exaggerated manner.

"Then let's go in. There doesn't seem to be a line right now, so there should still be seats." Dania spotted the empty space outside the entrance at a glance. As she spoke, she pulled Xiao Ling toward it.

After they spoke with the front desk, an enthusiastic server soon led them to an empty table in a corner.

Once Xiao Ling and Dania had sat down across from each other, a tall, pretty young waitress hurried over with a tablet for taking orders.

"Hello. What would you two like to order?" The waitress's voice was warm and friendly, pleasant to hear.

She first gave Xiao Ling a polite smile, but when she turned to Dania, her enthusiastic smile froze for a moment.

What an accurate cosplay. She looks just like the real thing! That was her first impression upon seeing Dania.

Even the most professional cosplayer could only match a character's hair color, eye color, and clothing as closely as possible. The character's personality and bearing were the hardest things to capture.

But this cosplayer had not only perfectly recreated Dania's appearance; she had even captured that pitiable air of fragility. One look at her made people want to protect her!

"Oh, no, I'm here to work. Calm down, calm down!"

The waitress took a deep breath and, once she was back in work mode, handed the menu to Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling had seen the young woman lose her composure at the sight of Dania, but he only smiled. Then he took the menu and began ordering.

"Is there anything you can't eat?" Xiao Ling asked Dania across the table.

"No. I'll eat whatever you order," Dania replied.

About five minutes later, Xiao Ling handed the tablet back to the young waitress.

"Thanks for your hard work." He nodded politely to her.

"Not at all, not at all. It's my job," the waitress said with a smile.

After putting away the tablet, the waitress hurried away from their table.

Xiao Ling went back to scrolling through Bilibili, while Dania propped her head on her hand and dozed as they waited for the food.

Xiao Ling felt that the waitress was showing up a little too often.

Generally speaking, Haidilao servers were incredibly busy, so it was hard to imagine the same person bringing out every dish.

But ever since the food had started coming, this waitress had come over every time. Even when she didn't have a dish to bring them, she would stop by to check and ask if they needed anything.

So, the next time she came to their table, Xiao Ling spoke up.

"Miss, this might be a little inappropriate to say, but you seem to be paying a lot of attention to our table. Will the other customers be all right?" he asked gently.

"Ah... ahaha... is it that obvious?" The waitress gave an embarrassed but polite smile.

It's way too obvious. You practically want to glue your eyes to our table, Xiao Ling quipped inwardly.

"I don't really mind, but my companion might, so feel free to tell us what's on your mind." Xiao Ling gestured toward Dania with his chin.

Dania had her head down, eating heartily, her little mouth covered in tomato soup. Suddenly being called out, she tilted her head and looked at Xiao Ling in confusion.

As it happened, she had been so focused on eating that she really hadn't noticed the waitress watching the two of them the whole time.

"Well, it's not a big deal. I just thought this cosplayer's Dania was so accurate that I wanted to get to know her and get a photo together," the waitress said, a little embarrassed.

Oh my god, a fellow fan!

Xiao Ling remained outwardly composed, but inside he felt the salvation of a kindred spirit recognizing his song.

Dania didn't understand, so Dania chose to keep eating.

"Still eating, huh, girl? She's here for you." Xiao Ling smiled and tapped Dania on the head.

"Me?" Dania pointed at herself. She hadn't swallowed the meatball she had just stuffed into her mouth, and her cheeks were puffed up like a little hamster's.

"Um, hello! I was wondering if I could get a photo with you. Would that be all right?" The waitress pressed her palms together in a pleading gesture. "Your Dania cosplay is so accurate. I'd love a photo to remember it by!"

Dania was confused, so Dania chose to ask Xiao Ling for help.

"She wants a photo with you," Xiao Ling explained.

"Mm, sure." Dania nodded.

"Then sit together, and I'll take one for you."

As he spoke, Xiao Ling opened the camera. Once it had focused, he turned the lens toward the two of them, now sitting together.

"Okay, say cheese."

The waitress flashed a peace sign with one hand and smiled brightly, while Dania wore a gentle, serene smile.

"Got it." Xiao Ling checked the photo. It looked quite good.

He added the waitress's contact and sent her the photo.

"Www, I'm so happy. To see such an accurate Dania cosplay in my lifetime, I can die without regrets now~" The waitress looked as if she were about to cry, making for a rather comical sight.

"You seem to like Dania a lot?" Dania herself seemed to have accepted the cosplayer premise and intended to use it to broach the subject.

"Yeah. After playing through the story, I felt so bad for her. She was such a good, good girl..." the waitress said indignantly. "That damned president of the Fractsidus...!"

"What do you like about her?" Dania continued. "She's nothing more than a tool created by the Fractsidus. A tool's only ending is to be completely discarded once every last bit of its value has been squeezed out."

"Isn't that a good thing, though? At least she won't have to go against her true feelings and hurt people anymore!" The waitress smiled cheerfully instead. "Dania can be a good girl in peace!"

"Even if she's shunned and despised for being a threnodian resonator?"

"There will be people who love her, whether it's Rover, Sigrika, or us on the other side of the screen!" The waitress gave a perfectly innocent smile.

"We always hope the characters we love will have happy endings. That's why, when they suffer hardship and pain, we feel sad for them too," Xiao Ling said to the waitress, but even more so to himself.

So, for that very reason, when he had the chance to bring them happiness, he would do so without holding anything back.

Even if this story spanning time and space would one day come to an end, that overflowing happiness would not fade away.