Keep attacking girls and try not to be killed by them

The current Cat Girl Milk Tea Shop only prepares ingredients for 100 cups of black pearl milk tea a day, 60 of which are provided to customers who have made reservations and paid deposits, and the remaining 40 are sold on-site.

Originally, Shiiki Ruri thought that maybe someone would pay a deposit and then change their mind and ask for a refund, but the reality was that those who paid a deposit became very popular. Some people were even selling their reserved black pearl milk tea at a high price, with one cup selling for more than ten times the original price.

It would be a lie for Shiiki Ruri to say she wasn't worried about this secondary resale situation, but she couldn't think of a suitable way to deal with it for the time being.

Generally speaking, as long as the second-hand resale price is not too excessive, Shiiki Ruri believes that there is no need to intervene, as this is normal behavior in the market.

However, selling it at ten times the price is not appropriate, because the price of a product will raise people's expectations of its quality.

If the original price of black pearl milk tea can make people feel that "well, this is a delicious drink", then the price ten times higher will most likely make people feel that it is not worth it.

Once this happens, it will have a very bad impact on black pearl milk tea and Cat Girl Milk Tea Shop.

Customers who bought at high prices would think that their interests were damaged, and would spread negative words about the Cat Girl Milk Tea Shop. Town residents who had not tasted the black pearl milk tea would inevitably be affected by this, which would eventually lead to the Cat Girl Milk Tea Shop's business quickly reaching its peak and then starting to decline.

But if Shiiki Ruri interferes with the second-hand resale transaction, it will ruin the business of these second-hand dealers.

Generally speaking, second-hand dealers are also one of the customer groups of the Cat Girl Milk Tea Shop. They only temporarily engage in second-hand trading in pursuit of profit.

If Shiiki Ruri destroyed their chance to make money, these profit-seeking people would definitely feel hatred towards the Cat Girl Milk Tea Shop, and it would be difficult to predict what uncontrollable situation would result in the end.

——(Nya… This is so difficult. I can’t think of a way to have the best of both worlds, nya…)

Shiiki Ruri was so overwhelmed that her tail, which had always been wagging back and forth, now drooped down.

She wanted to find Lord Frost Armor Knight to discuss the matter, but after searching all over the town of Mel, she couldn't find Lord Frost Armor Knight.

9.221 - Stingy Sister

"Meow... Where have you been, Master Stan, at this critical moment?"

As the sun sets, Shiiki Ruri looks at the busy streets and has no choice but to go home.

It was almost time for dinner, and she had to go back to the cat girl's restaurant to keep an eye on things.

After returning to the store, Shiiki Ruri temporarily put aside her troubled thoughts and focused her attention on supervising the employees' work status.

Shiiki Ruri noticed that perhaps because the work content had undergone major adjustments recently, everyone had become less concerned about the affairs of the Cat Girl Restaurant.

The systems and standards that she had spent a lot of effort to establish had been implemented with disappointing results in the past two days.

"Shelf, why are you throwing the unwanted scraps of food into the trash? They're supposed to be collected and sold to farms."

"Vettel, the menus should be stacked on the counter. If you put them next to the sink like this, they will get wet easily."

"Corinna, don't pour out the water you used to wash the vegetables. You can use it to wash the dishes later."

"..."

As soon as Shiiki Ruri entered the store, she started talking like a machine gun, "biubiubiu" non-stop, making the originally leisurely store clerks immediately busy.

In fact, the store clerks were not lazy. It was just that due to the "pre-order system" and "limited sales strategy", everyone's workload in the Cat Girl Restaurant was greatly reduced, so they became lazy unknowingly.

But once you rotate to work at the Cat Girl Milk Tea Shop, it's just the opposite. Every minute and every second at work is as tense and exciting as a war.

Now, the nagging of the boss lady Shiiki Ruri has made everyone's relaxed nerves tense again. However, in addition to their busy work, some store clerks still took time out to complain about the young boss lady.

"She's back, that 'mean sister' is back again..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down. Do you want to be heard by Liuli sister?"

"Well said. Sister Liuli is being frugal. Isn't it for the good of everyone?"

"..."

The so-called "stingy sister" refers to Shiiki Ruri.

Because she tried every possible way to save money at the Cat Girl Restaurant, and some of her methods were extreme, the staff gave her such a strange nickname.

Shiiki Ruri herself had actually accidentally heard someone call her that, but she chose to pretend not to hear it.

For her, what others think of her is their business, as long as it does not affect the interests of the Cat Girl Cooking Pavilion. On the other hand, maintaining the unity of the team is also her responsibility, so it doesn't matter if she suffers a little loss.

"Alright, there are only three sets left. Come on everyone, meow! Once we're done, we can call it a day!"

"Okay~!"

Shiiki Ruri's encouragement boosted morale. There was indeed a difference between having her in the store and not having her in the store.

At this moment, looking at the "lively" scene in the store, Shiiki Ruri felt very relieved.

Although this kind of "liveliness" can only be called deserted in a really popular restaurant, for the Cat Girl Restaurant that was on the verge of bankruptcy a few days ago, having three or five tables of customers dining at the same time is really lively.

—(Nyan… This is all thanks to Stan-sama’s strategy…)

Shiiki Ruri couldn't help but think of the Frost Knight, Lord Stan, again, and then immediately thought of the "second-hand resale" issue that the cat girl milk tea shop had not yet resolved.

However, unlike before, Shiiki Ruri's mentality has undergone a subtle change. She no longer sighs and complains about not being able to find the Frost Armor Knight.

——(Nyan, what’s wrong with me? Even without Stan-sama, I’ll definitely find a way…!)

Shiiki Ruri pinched her tail hard to cheer herself up.

Before the appearance of Lord Frost Armor Knight, Shiiki Ruri had always been a strong and independent woman. However, in recent days, without Shiiki Ruri realizing it, she had unknowingly become dependent on Lord Frost Armor Knight.

No matter what problem she encountered, Shiiki Ruri's first thought was to consult with Lord Frost Armor Knight, so she became so frustrated when she couldn't find Lord Frost Armor Knight this afternoon.

——(Yes, that’s right, I can’t rely on Stan-sama any longer…!)

——(If Auntie Magee were still around, she would definitely laugh at me and say that all my previous knowledge was wasted...!)

After this kind of self-psychological counseling, Shiiki Ruri returned to her usual best state.

While continuing to supervise everyone's work, she silently recalled the various business strategies that Aunt Magai had taught her, and then she finally came up with a solution.

"Shelvey, Vettel, Corinna, do you three have anything to do tonight? If not, I have an extra job for you to do overtime, meow... Tsk, don't look at me with those sad eyes, meow, I'll give you double the hourly wage, meow!"

It has to be said that although Shiiki Ruri is frugal in her operations, she still treats her employees quite well, which is one of the reasons why Cat Girl Restaurant has been able to continue operating to this day.

When the Frost Armor Knight later learned about the plan Shiiki Ruri came up with, he was praised as "a brilliant plan that only a genius could come up with."

·

·

While Shiiki Ruri was busy with the two stores, her "partner", Mr. Stan, the second boss of the Cat Girl Milk Tea Shop, was still on his way back to Mel Town from the suburbs.

The main reason why he was late was that before leaving, he was still worried and observed the movements of the seven ninjas of the Cicada Corps for a while.

Among the seven cat-man ninjas, the first to return to the surface from the underground cell was Captain Hong Xin.

Because the underground cell was pitch black and there were no magic stones available, Hong Xin didn't have the chance to check what kind of "test task" the "mysterious masked man" had assigned to him until he returned to the surface.

Hong Xin, who was extremely confused, read the words written on the parchment word by word in the afterglow of the setting sun.

He saw that the long text required him to go to a post office and burn all the most confidential letters in that post office.

"Burning the most confidential letter? This test is so weird, meow..."

Hong Xin scratched his beard, not understanding what purpose was hidden in the test mission of "Zhao Ye Liu Que".

Then, Hong Xin turned the parchment over as instructed and saw the location of the post office.

"This place is... Vanya Chiefdom? How can we get to such a far place, meow?"

Just when Hong Xin was feeling confused, he found a line of text under the map, which said that as long as he followed the indicated route and passed through a "special passage", he could reach the Vanya Emirate within a day.

9.222 - Living Towards Death

"How weird, meow... Where in this world does a 'channel across time and space' exist, meow?"

Hong Xin's head still felt groggy, making it difficult for him to concentrate.

It took Hong Xin a lot of effort to get his mind into a state of concentration. However, the more carefully he studied the instructions on the parchment, the more he felt that there was something wrong with the test mission of "Zhao Ye Liu Que".

According to his understanding, the so-called test mission should be to test his qualities and abilities as an intelligence officer, but what's the point of sneaking into an ordinary post office?

Is this a test for the intelligence organization's personnel or an entrance exam for thieves?

——(Unless… unless this post office… isn’t actually ordinary… nya?)

——(If that’s the case, then… could it be that a passage through time and space also exists, nya…?)

——(Hiss… If that’s the case, then the strength of the organization “Teruya Ryujaku” is simply unfathomable, nya…!)

Thinking of this, Hong Xin suddenly froze.

The memories of last night suddenly flooded into his mind like a tide, leaving him unable to move.

Last night, the night when he was completely abused by the mysterious masked man, every minute of the scene and every second of the memory, all pierced Hong Xin's heart like needles, causing him unbearable pain.

He couldn't believe that he could be so relaxed just now. His head must have been confused after a good night's sleep!

——(No, such a terrifying organization, I... I...)

Hong Xin's whole body began to tremble uncontrollably. His legs went weak and he fell to the ground in a mess.

The pain and despair that had been forgotten after a good night's sleep have now all returned.

In this way, Hong Xin collapsed on the ground for a long time, until his body and senses gradually became numb due to fear, and he slowly regained the ability to think.

After calming down, Hong Xin's first thought was to run.

He looked around and could not see any trace of the mysterious masked man or anyone else. This was simply a wasteland with no one in charge.

As for the other companions in the Cicada Corps, Hong Xin didn't believe that they would all obey the orders of "Zhao Ye Liu Que".

No matter how powerful "Zhu Ye Liu Que" is, they cannot manipulate people's hearts and recruit people into their group at will.

So, now is the perfect time to escape!

But...is it really possible to escape so easily?

Hong Xin was only excited for a second before he lost his temper. This was not only because the terror of the mysterious masked man had been deeply engraved in his bones, but also because he recalled what the guy had just said:

"Listen carefully, Hong Xin. If you want to become a true member of the 'Zhaoye Liuque', you must be able to complete the 'Test Mission'. Otherwise, you will face death."

Could this statement from the mysterious masked man be just an empty threat?

Hong Xin wanted to think so, but he couldn't. Now he knew very well how powerful the organization "Zhaoye Liuque" was.

Since the mysterious masked man was able to release Hong Xin from the detention center so easily, it means that he is fully confident that he will not let Hong Xin escape.

Either challenge the "test mission" or die, Hong Xin knew that these were the only two options left for him.

——(If that’s the case…why not just die?)

For a moment, Hong Xin wanted to commit suicide to seek relief.

But just as he was thinking this, the lovely face of his lover appeared in his mind.

[Note: See chapter 9.213 - True and False]

If he died like this, he would never be able to see the one he loved again.

The power of love made Hong Xin regain the courage to live. At this time, he thought of his teammates, and he believed that his teammates would definitely not give up easily.

——(In that case, why not pretend to participate in a "Test Mission" first... and then adapt to the situation, nya?)

Hong Xin felt that the idea he came up with was not bad. After all, the worst that could happen was death, and it would not be worse than death.

With this desperate thought in mind, Hong Xin suddenly felt much more relaxed, and his mind was no longer as confused as before.

After his condition improved, Hong Xin reread the information on the parchment and discovered the important instructions he had just missed.

It turns out that what Hong Xin and the others experienced last night was not normal sleep, but they were drugged by the hypnotic drug "Zhao Ye Liu Que". No wonder he was in such a bad state after waking up.

What's even worse is that the people of "Zhaoye Liuque" took advantage of the seven members of the Cicada Corps sleeping and injected them with a deadly poison with a delayed onset. If they did not take the antidote within the next three days, all seven of them would die suddenly.

——(So that’s how it is, meow… No wonder that masked man let us out of the secret room so easily… Tsk, this despicable trick is so disgusting, meow!)

Hong Xin was so angry that he almost tore up the parchment scroll, but for the sake of his own life, he resisted this reckless impulse and put the parchment scroll away carefully.

Next, if it weren't for the map information on the parchment scroll, Hong Xin would not be able to find the so-called "passage".

·

Following the map markings on the parchment scroll, Hong Xin set off.

He vaguely remembered that the mysterious masked man said that the other six members of the Cicada Corps had left before him, but the distance between them was not far, so they would meet and reunite sooner or later.

[Note: See chapter 9.220 - Fortune and Misfortune are interdependent]

Based on Hong Xin's understanding of the others, he believed that if everyone participated in the "Test Mission", they would probably want to reunite with everyone else first.