Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 88 Mission: 02-2 Pink Afternoon Tea

"Excuse me, is this Nagasaki Soushi-san?"

Chihaya Aine saw the girl with light brown hair beside a bench in front of a coffee shop.

"Yes, then you must be Chihaya Aine, right?"

The other person smiled in response, and Aine's heart settled a little. The person before her was gentle, kind, and approachable, making her feel good at first sight. If she were with her, it seemed that Ace's proposal would become much easier to accept.

Yes, the reason why Chihaya Aine met someone here was because of that mysterious rabbit-like creature. After yesterday's persuasion failed again, when she got home from school today, a strange message was sent to Aine's phone.

That message came from Nagasaki Soyo. After a brief chat, Aine learned that the man had known Ace-chan for a long time and had been working nighttime demon-dealing jobs. She knew of Aine's existence because she had just met Ace-chan again today.

"Nice to meet you." The girl named Nagasaki Soyo, wearing a white dress with a honeysuckle pattern and long hair draped over her shoulders, smiled gently. "Although this is just our first meeting, we may very well be teammates in the future. If there's anything you'd like to know, feel free to come and talk to me."

"Ah...Okay, please teach me!"

The other person's mature temperament and calm tone made people feel convinced inadvertently, and Aine subconsciously bowed slightly.

"There's no need to be so reserved." Shuangshi smiled. "After all, we're future companions. I'll call you Aine, is that okay?"

"No problem at all!"

Aine's tense voice made Shuangshi's eyes droop again: "I told you to relax a little. You should be a high school student too, right?"

"Yes, this year I'm in the first year of high school..."

"Then we're the same age."

Aine was a little surprised by Shuangshi's answer: "Is Nagasaki-san also a freshman in high school?"

The way she spoke and her demeanor made Aine automatically assume that she must be older than herself, and she had never considered the possibility that this girl who had been battling demons for nearly a year could actually be the same age as herself.

"It's good to be in the world. Let's go in and talk."

"Ah, okay."

The two of them were meeting at Yuze Café, a place that seemed to be a place that Souyo often visited. Aine followed her through the glass sliding doors, and before she even sat down, she saw a familiar face nearby.

“Welcome~”

The voice came from the blonde girl standing behind the counter. She was smiling, warm, and polite. The only problem was—

"Nero-san?"

——Aine knew her.

"A new waiter, is he someone you know?" Shuangshi glanced at Nero, then turned back to look at Aine, waiting for her introduction.

“Well, she’s Nero, she’s… my classmate.” Aine said unsurely.

Perhaps because she was always outshined at school, she felt somewhat vulnerable the moment she saw Nero.

“Excuse me.” Nero, wearing an apron, bowed and curtsied, then introduced himself with a smile, “I’m Nero Fortuna, and I’m a classmate of Aine’s. I wonder if I could know the name of this guest.”

"Since you're Aine's classmate, you can just call me Shuangshi." Shuangshi replied calmly, "As for Fortuna-san, have you just started working here part-time recently?"

Watching the polite yet distant conversation between the two, Aine felt as if her presence seemed to be decreasing.

Why does this Nero girl keep running into her wherever I go? Isn't she a noble? Why would a noble be working here?
"We've only just started today, so I haven't officially started yet." Nero smiled as he walked over to the counter and gestured, "Please take a seat here, both of you. Have you thought of anything?"

It was obvious from Shuangshi's question that Nero could tell she was a regular customer and didn't need any further explanation of the menu. Shuangshi took his seat and politely replied, "Hot Earl Grey tea. Aine, do you have anything you'd like?"

"I seldom drink tea, so I'll just follow Shuangshi's recommendation." Aiyin said dejectedly.

In fact, she just didn't want to ask Nero for the menu at this time.

"Then do as I do, two cups of hot Earl Grey tea."

"Okay, two cups of hot Earl Grey tea. Please wait."

Nero wrote down the table number and order on the notepad in his hand, bowed again, and returned to the counter.

Aiyin sighed softly as she watched her leave. Shuangshi, on the other hand, smiled at Aiyin and waited until Nero was completely gone before he spoke softly, "Is your relationship not good?"

There was no subject, but anyone who heard it knew it was asking about the relationship between Nero and Aine. Aine waved her hands nervously, then slumped her shoulders and said, "There's nothing good or bad about it... We're just ordinary classmates."

"Yeah."

Although Aine knew that Souyo would definitely be able to tell from her tone that she wasn't being sincere, she also knew that if she said that, Souyo wouldn't ask any further questions. Sure enough, she changed the subject and asked, "From her name, she seems to be a foreigner. She speaks Japanese so fluently."

However, when talking about this, Aine felt a surge of self-pity in her heart, and she could hardly control herself and said, “Yeah, it’s amazing.”

The sour taste in these words was so strong that it pierced her nose. Aine immediately regretted it and rubbed the back of her head and said, "I'm sorry for letting you hear what sounded like a complaint."

However, Shuangshi smiled faintly, as if she didn't hear the hidden meaning in Aiyin's words. She changed the subject again: "I heard from Xiao Ace that you haven't made a wish to it yet?"

"Yes... I'm not sure if I have a wish important enough to fulfill."

Aine answered. This was also one of the important reasons why she didn't agree to that strange creature.

"Indeed, this matter requires careful consideration."

Shuangshi said this, his eyes casting towards the back of the counter not far away. The door there quietly opened, revealing the backstage of the cafe.

So she stopped communicating and gave Aine some time to think.

Soon, Nero emerged carrying a tray of porcelain cups. She approached their table and, smiling, gently placed the pristine white porcelain cups in front of Aine and Soshi. "Two cups of hot Earl Grey tea. Enjoy."

"Thank you~" Shuangshi also responded with a smile.

Aine gritted her teeth uncomfortably, but suppressed her emotions and nodded with a slightly bitter expression: “…Thank you.”

"There's no need to be so distant between friends."

Amidst Aine's surprised gaze, Nero's smile took on a playful edge. She winked, put away the tray, bowed, and returned to the counter.

(End of this chapter)