Translator:	Author:	Original Source:
MJCross	Cat’s Glasses	SFACG

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Stepping out of the underground phone shop, Tangerine spun in place, twirling 720 degrees as she gleefully cradled her brand-new phone.

Meanwhile, I stared at my financially devastated self and sighed. “Looks like I need to find a summer job…”

I hadn’t meant to say it so loudly, but Haitang heard me anyway.

She snorted and smirked. “Serves you right for trying to act rich. Next time, just let me cover it—I’m not short on cash.”

I scratched my head awkwardly. “Thanks, but I really wanted to do something for her myself.”

“Pfft, who cares about you? I just feel bad for Tangerine. If I had paid, she wouldn’t have to use this cheap phone that costs less than 3,000 yuan.”

…I had no comeback.

Because the phone I was using was also one of those ‘cheap ones under 3,000 yuan’.

I had always forgotten that Haitang was from a wealthy family, mostly because she never showed it. She ate street food with us, split bills evenly, and never flaunted her money.

But now that I thought about it… she really counts as a young lady of a rich household, huh?

“Tangerine! Your tail! Your tail!”

Xiao Lei’s urgent shout snapped me back to reality.

I turned to look—Tangerine was so excited about her new phone that she had unconsciously let her tail loose, causing her pleated skirt to lift slightly as it swayed.

Before she could attract any attention, Xiao Lei lunged from behind, grabbing her arms to hold her still and calm her down.

But—

Tangerine’s tail, previously swinging freely, suddenly stiffened straight—and smacked Xiao Lei right between her legs.

The force wasn’t much, but considering it hit a particularly sensitive area, Xiao Lei yelped and stumbled back while clutching her shorts.

Tangerine, realizing her mistake, quickly retracted her tail, wrapping it securely around her thigh again.

“S-sorry, Sis Xiao Lei! I didn’t mean to—”

Seeing how the embarrassed Xiao Lei’s face turned bright red till her ears, Haitang tapped her chin thoughtfully.

“Hmm… You’re becoming quite ladylike, aren’t you?” She smirked, then turned to me. “Is this your doing, Commander?”

I froze.

“AHAHAHA, my doing? What do you mean? I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

Surface: Smiling.
Heart: Screaming.

I had a bad feeling about this—Haitang’s tone sounded way too suspicious.

Could she have figured out that Xiao Lei was actually Zhao Zhao?!

“Oh, don’t play dumb. A girl who used to be so careless she wouldn’t even wear safety shorts—suddenly becoming all feminine? Clearly, she must have a boyfriend! Right, Commander, who just so happened to sleep in the same room as Xiao Lei?”

What kind of insane logic was that?!

Couldn’t it just be that she had a moment of self-awareness and started acting more modestly? That seemed like a perfectly reasonable explanation!

“I swear to god, Haitang, don’t go around making baseless accusations! I really did sleep on the floor! No matter how desperate I was, I’d never lay hands on a friend’s little sister!”

“Geez, I wasn’t even accusing you yet, and look how nervous you are.”

Her sharp phoenix eyes gleamed as they flickered with amusement.

“It’s not that I have faith in your morals—I just know you’re too much of a coward to try anything.”

She wasn’t wrong.

When we were kids, the three of us once went to a haunted house together. I was so scared that I closed my eyes, clung to Haitang and Zhao Zhao’s arms, and cried the entire way through.

According to Haitang’s dad, my screaming was so horrifying that even the staff dressed as ghosts came out to comfort me—which, of course, only made me cry harder.

So yeah. Even if Xiao Lei was lying on my bed in lingerie, I’d never have the guts to actually do anything.

“So, where to next? Or are we heading home?”

Now that Tangerine’s phone issue was settled, I didn’t have any other shopping plans. If we went home now, Xiao Lei and I could still check on Old Feng—I was still worried about her.

Before Haitang could answer, a girl wearing Biyang Academy’s uniform rushed down the escalator.

Without a word, she handed Haitang a bundle wrapped in white cloth, then immediately turned around and left.

No eye contact. No conversation.

A silent, wordless exchange, like something straight out of a spy movie.

…Was this a wartime underground resistance movement?

“Commander, I might as well tell you now—there’s a place I need you to investigate.”

Her tone was serious, so I straightened up. “Where?”

“A bar called Lose Moonlit. Based on Tangerine’s network of informants and confirmation from the student council, Lei Laohu and his gang are currently hiding there.”

“Wait, Tangerine has a network of informants?”

Tangerine smirked proudly. “Heh. Onii-chan, you don’t get it—I have hundreds of informants. Give them a few dried fish, and they’ll do anything.”

…Oh.

She meant cats.

The city had tons of stray cats, and the more populated the area, the more cats there were. No wonder they had better intel than Lei Luo’s squad.

“Tangerine, you’re amazing! Headpats!”

I ruffled her hair aggressively, making her purr with satisfaction—until Haitang coughed pointedly.

“Sounds dangerous, but… why me? Why can’t you go yourself?”

Lei Laohu’s gang knew my face—if I walked in, I might as well be delivering my own head on a platter.

Haitang snorted. “As if I could go in. That place checks IDs at the entrance. Officially, it’s to keep out minors, but really, it’s just an excuse to screen visitors.”

“Then why not report it to the police? There should be undercover officers around here, right?”

“From what I’ve gathered, this bar is a playground for spoiled rich kids. Regular police can’t just waltz in without a solid reason. If you tell the cops, you’ll just make things harder for them. Once I’ve got Lei Laohu, then I’ll report it—but for now, I don’t want the police interfering.”

“Wait. A ‘playground for rich kids’…? That sounds kinda shady.”

“Yeah, it’s exactly what you’re thinking. But don’t worry, they do serve normal customers like you. You won’t have to witness anything too indecent.”

…The way she said that, despite never actually entering the place herself, made it sound way too detailed.

Was she genuinely informed, or was this just petty slander out of spite because they didn’t let her in?

“So, if you got stopped at the door, what makes you think I can get in? I’m seventeen. They won’t let me in either.”

“You idiot, you’re not going in as yourself.”

Xiaohaitang unwrapped her package, revealing a set of luxury-brand men’s clothing and an ID card.

“Put this on in the restroom. Don’t worry—I know you hate crossdressing, so this time, it’s men’s fashion. But seriously, your cheap streetwear is so bad, you’d look worse than the waiters. Have some dignity, okay?”

I accepted the outfit and the ID, glancing at the name—

Chang Lingmeng, Female, 18.

…Wait.

“Pfft—female?! Hold up, when did you even take this photo?!”

“Remember when you took your glasses off at May Rome because they fogged up? I snapped a pic and had the student council members craft the ID. Don’t worry—this thing is real. No one will be able to tell it’s fake, because it isn’t fake. Your public records have already been edited.”

…

“Are the Biyang Student Council members monsters or something?! How in the world can they produce real IDs?!

Isn’t this, like… illegal?! Since when did ‘investigating a legally operating bar’ require breaking the law?!”

“I was originally going to send Zhao Zhao with you, but since he mysteriously vanished… looks like it’s all on you, Commander.”

At this, Xiao Lei scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“Um… I could go instead? Just make me an ID too.”

Haitang’s smile widened—as if she had been waiting for Xiao Lei to say that.

With a dramatic slap on the empty fabric wrap, she magically pulled out another ID, making Tangerine gasp in awe.

“Hmph. Just as planned.”

Xiao Lei took the ID and read it—

Zhao Lei, Female, 18.

…The photo was obviously another candid shot taken without her knowledge.

“I’ll protect you, Commander!”

Despite her confident declaration, I wasn’t convinced—Xiao Lei’s current physique wasn’t much stronger than mine.

Realistically, I’d probably have a better survival rate going alone.

That said, having a partner was reassuring, even if it was just psychological comfort.

“Even if we find Lei Laohu, how are we supposed to catch him? We’re definitely not strong enough to fight him.”

“I never expected you to fight him. And don’t worry about him attacking you—this bar isn’t a place where ‘strength’ matters. It’s a battle of status. You can think of it as a battlefield where rich brats compete to see who can act like the biggest big shot.”

Her expression was filled with contempt. As a rebellious rich girl herself, Haitang clearly despised these kinds of people—Lei Laohu included.

“So… what exactly am I supposed to do?”

“Two options: Either you humiliate him in front of everyone, or you piss him off and make him hit you.”

“Wait. You want me to provoke him into punching me?!”

“That’s actually the easier route. If he throws a punch, the bouncers will toss you both out, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

…Okay. That sounded reasonable.

But there was one big problem—

“I’ve been poor my whole life. I don’t even know how to act rich. There’s no way I can out-flex a bunch of spoiled trust-fund kids.”

“Duh, I never expected you to do it alone.”

She opened her palm, revealing a tiny, bean-sized earpiece.

“Put this on. I’ll guide you through it remotely.”

My jaw dropped.

What the hell?! Is this some kind of secret agent equipment?!

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常灵梦 Chang Lingmeng
This name will be used from here onwards when MC uses his female identity.
The characters 灵梦 actually are the same with the Kanji of Reimu (from Touhou).　