Chapter 508: Sengoku Chihiro's Crisis and the Handsome Stranger
A peculiar scene was unfolding inside a sleek sports car. A stunning woman with long black hair drove with one arm casually resting on the open window, while another equally beautiful woman in the passenger seat expertly applied her makeup.
Both were the kind of women whose beauty could make even a simple meal feel like a five-star experience. The idyllic picture, however, was slightly marred by the oversized cup of bubble tea sitting in the center console.
Sengoku Chihiro spoke, her voice a lazy drawl. "Xiao Jing, do you have any idea what you just said?"
"What did I say?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked, not taking her eyes off the small mirror in her hand.
"You actually asked them to put less pearls in a pearl milk tea?! That's a criminal offense!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka let out an exasperated sigh. "Idiot senior, I ordered a caramel macchiato! Where in a macchiato are you supposed to add tapioca pearls?!"
"Ugh… You actually drink coffee?!" Chihiro recoiled dramatically.
Shizuka snapped her compact shut with a click. "Why wouldn't I drink coffee? A mature woman should appreciate the finer things: tea, wine, and coffee. Sugary drinks? Those are for kids."
Sengoku Chihiro tilted her head, a playful glint in her eyes. "That's where you're wrong, Xiao Jing. You just don't get it. Milk tea is tea! And pearl milk tea… that's not just a drink, it's a belief system!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka rolled her eyes, a familiar annoyance creeping into her tone. "Oh, give it a rest, Senior! Try to be mature for once! You were so embarrassing back at the shop!"
"Eh?! No way! Is there some law against a beautiful woman enjoying a pearl milk tea?"
Shizuka sighed again, the sound heavy with resignation. "You really are a narcissist, Senior… Still, I never figured you for a milk tea person."
"See, Xiao Jing, this is the part you fail to grasp," Chihiro explained with the air of a seasoned philosopher. "Drinking coffee just makes you seem mature. But me? I'm already blessed with a well-maintained figure and natural beauty. Liking milk tea just makes me seem youthful and approachable."
Hiratsuka Shizuka paused, genuinely taken aback. For a terrifying moment, she thought her senior's twisted logic actually made sense. Was she trying too hard to be mature? She tilted her head, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. "So… is it really that good?"
"You're asking me? With your sweet tooth, shouldn't you be the one who likes it more?"
"Uh… fine, you have a point… Speaking of which, Senior, that skill of yours is incredible."
"What skill?"
"How do you manage to drink milk tea and touch up your makeup at the same time, in a moving car no less? I want to learn."
Sengoku Chihiro tapped a thoughtful finger against her chin. "Hmm… I think I picked it up back when I was going to parties. I'd spot a rich, handsome guy across the room and panic that I wouldn't have time to fix my makeup before he noticed me. Necessity is the mother of invention, you know? If you really want to learn, I can teach you."
"You developed a terrifying ability through sheer desperation… Ah, we're here."
Hiratsuka Shizuka expertly parallel-parked the car. Both women peered out at the empty, silent alleyway, a sudden tension filling the car's interior.
Sengoku Chihiro's voice dropped to a whisper. "Xiao Jing, Xiao Jing…"
"You're nervous too, huh?"
"Mmm… But Senior, if you're nervous, why are you pinching my arm?"
"I… I really need to use the restroom…"
Shizuka shot her a withering glare. "Idiot Senior! I told you to get a small, but you just had to get the large! You really are something else… You'd better hope Shopkeeper Ren is in."
Sengoku Chihiro bit her lip and nodded meekly. Who could possibly resist a large cup of milk tea? But now, in this tense environment, her bladder was staging a full-blown rebellion.
As Shizuka helped a waddling Chihiro toward the shop, she suddenly froze in her tracks.
Chihiro, who had been staring at her feet, bumped into her. "Wh-what's wrong? Xiao Jing!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka pointed a numb finger forward. "There's… someone at Shopkeeper Ren's door."
"Eh?! Who is it?! Is it Shopkeeper Ren?!" Chihiro looked up, her face a mask of hopeful excitement, only for it to morph into slack-jawed astonishment. "So… so handsome… that girl…"
Standing at the entrance to the little shop was a figure that commanded attention. A young woman with striking white hair was dressed in a sharp suit jacket, tailored trousers, and a vibrant red shirt. Her hands were covered by black, fingerless racer-style gloves. One hand rested confidently on her hip while the other hung loosely at her side. A pair of dark sunglasses concealed her eyes, but nothing could hide the perfection of her figure or the powerful aura she exuded.
The only word that came to mind was 'handsome.' It wasn't just her features—which were a delicate, almost heroic blend of masculine and feminine—but the effortless confidence that radiated from her very posture.
The woman seemed to hear them, turning her head in their direction. Spotting the two women staring dumbly at her, she broke into a wide, friendly grin. "Hey! You two over there!"
Sengoku Chihiro flinched, pointing a trembling finger at herself.
The woman's smile widened. "Yeah, you two. You here for this shop?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka nodded, her confusion overriding her awe. "Are you here for the shop, too?"
"Of course! I'm here to find some friends. Heard this place was fun!" the woman replied cheerfully. "You two live here or something?"
Shizuka shook her head. "No, we're also here to find someone. Why haven't you gone in?"
"Nobody's home. Looks like they're out. Are you looking for…"
"Phew… Just as I thought, he's not here… Se-senior!" Shizuka suddenly cried out as Chihiro's grip on her arm tightened painfully.
Sengoku Chihiro's face was pale. "I… I think I'm about to see the light at the end of the tunnel…"
"Senior! I… I'll go find Shion!"
The handsome woman watched the entire exchange with an amused smile. A moment later, she heard Hiratsuka Shizuka say, "Senior, you can just go in. The door isn't locked…"
Sengoku Chihiro's eyes lit up as if she'd been granted a divine miracle. She bolted, high heels clacking frantically against the pavement as she disappeared inside.
A long, awkward moment passed before Chihiro emerged, a blissful smile of relief on her face.
Hiratsuka Shizuka crossed her arms, her expression stern. "Still think you'll be ordering large cups from now on?"
Sengoku Chihiro shook her head vehemently. She was swearing off large cups of milk tea for the rest of her life. She sighed, "Thank goodness Shopkeeper Ren wasn't here. I don't think I could ever face him again."
Shizuka just rolled her eyes.
The white-haired woman's smile never faded. "So, who are you two looking for? Pandora? Lucifer? Or maybe Modeus?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka tilted her head. "Eh? Who's Modeus? I know the first two, though. We're looking for Shopkeeper Ren. If he's not here, he must have gone out with Miss Lucifer and the others."
The woman raised a curious eyebrow. "So, what's the deal between this Shopkeeper and Lucifer's crew?"
"Eh? You don't know? They're Shopkeeper Ren's women…"
"Oh?" The news seemed to genuinely surprise her. "That's quite the scoop. So, which of them are his women?"
"All of them," Shizuka and Chihiro replied in perfect unison.
The woman blinked, startled. Then, a slow, deeply amused grin spread across her face. "Now this is getting interesting. So, are you two his women as well?"
A blush instantly crept up both Shizuka's and Chihiro's necks. Sengoku Chihiro shook her head quickly. "N-No… but we're… in pursuit?"
The woman's grin was infectious. "I see, I see. Well, do you two know where this Shopkeeper went? Mind if I tag along?"
"That should be fine," Shizuka said, "since you're also looking for Miss Lucifer and the others. Are you friends with them?"
"Of course," the woman said with a casual shrug. "We're from the same place. Me and Lucy go way back."
"Eh? So you're another employee from Miss Lucifer's company? I should have known. You're all so uniformly handsome. Oh, by the way, what should we call you?"
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