“So this is what security feels like… just from wearing a bra?”

Senior let out a sigh of wonder, and honestly? I could relate.

After buying her first bra with Xiao Lei’s help, she’d finally relaxed a bit. Maybe that’s what people mean when they talk about a “sense of security.”

Still, whether underwear actually provides that kind of comfort depends on the person—everyone has their own tolerance levels when it comes to modesty and shame.

Take Yan Liuzhuan for example—once she transforms into Yan Yao, she practically treats clothing like it’s optional. Honestly, she probably thinks all clothes are unnecessary.

…Come to think of it, considering how casually I’d worn just a T-shirt over bare skin, maybe I wasn’t one to talk either.

Senior was holding her receipt with trembling hands, eyes full of pain as she muttered, “Why is women’s underwear so expensive…”

“Well, it’s the location,” I explained. “Rent around here’s high, so stores charge more.”

Technically true, though this underground shopping street was already the cheapest part of the Tianping Commercial District. I wasn’t about to shatter her illusions, though.

She glanced at me, uncertain. “That café Zhao Zhao mentioned—is it around here too? Is it also expensive?”

I’d never been there myself, but classmates who had said enough. “Yeah, apparently it’s really pricey. Poor students like us have to grit our teeth just to walk through the door.”

“For real?”

As one of only two “girls” in our little group, Xiao Lei casually slung an arm over Li Jianlian’s shoulder and offered a comforting smile. “Think of it this way, senior—because it’s expensive, the wages are that much better. How else would a part-time job pay 100 yuan an hour?”

That hug only made her stiffer. She awkwardly pulled away.

“Xiao Lei-chan, I’m still a guy, okay?”

Ah—so that’s what she was fussing about. She didn’t know Xiao Lei was actually a clone of Zhao Zhao.

“No no no,” Zhao Zhao cut in sternly. “You’re a girl now. You’d better get into the right mindset, or you won’t pass the interview.”

After saying his piece, Zhao Zhao circled the conversation back around to the manga café, defending it like a loyal investor. “Anyway, yeah, it’s pricey, but totally worth it—”

“—Like hell it is!” Xiao Lei snapped. “Senior, don’t listen to him. Spending money in a place like that is no different from throwing it down a well!”

There were rumors that the café had a hidden “VIP section” full of ecchi content, and Xiao Lei’s reaction pretty much confirmed it. Knowing Zhao Zhao, I had a good guess what he’d been doing there too.

Still, that brought up a serious point.

“Hey, Zhao Zhao… isn’t it kind of sketchy to have senior work at a place like that?”

The job paid suspiciously well. What if customers made weird requests, and she couldn’t refuse? For all we knew, maybe the manager only hired girls for some kind of creepy backroom "tea service."

Zhao Zhao blinked. “Sketchy? What do you mean?”

“You know… the café’s a guys-only place, right? And there’s that hidden section…”

It took a second for the gears to turn in his head.

“Oh, that! Don’t worry—Senior would be working a totally normal job. That restricted area’s only for premium VIPs, and the female staff don’t deal with it. She’d be out front in the main lounge. The manager’s pretty straight-laced. He wouldn’t pull anything.”

Straight-laced? Running a secret softcore section?

Senior, meanwhile, looked completely lost. “Wait, what are you even talking about? Isn’t it just a manga café? What VIP section?”

Thinking that it would be difficult to explain, I waved her off. “You’ll see when we get there.”

Businesses like these can’t operate too out in the open, which is why this one was tucked away deep in the underground maze of the shopping street—like the Lose Moonlit bar. Luckily, Zhao Zhao knew his way around, so we didn’t waste time wandering.

“We’re here.”

Half manga bookstore, half café, the place had bright lighting and a convenience-store-style automatic door. The moment it opened, we were hit with two distinct smells: rich coffee beans… and the smell of manga ink.

Right by the entrance was a blunt, in-your-face sign:
NO WOMEN ALLOWED

Classy.

If this place weren’t hidden underground, I bet it’d have been firebombed by angry feminists by now.

Zhao Zhao pushed me right past the sign and inside. Senior, here for her interview, followed along. Only Xiao Lei hesitated, standing by the door.

Just inside was the counter. To the right, by the windows, were rows of booth seating divided by tall bookshelves stacked with manga. It was the quintessential manga café, blending bookstore and coffee shop in equal measure.

Plenty of students were already inside—same age as us, just different uniforms. This place clearly had a rep beyond our school.

“Boss! I brought her over!” Zhao Zhao shouted.

“Brat! How many times have I told you not to yell in the shop?” A voice growled from behind the counter, followed by an old man in a loud Hawaiian shirt.

And just like that, I understood why this cafe was called Kamehameha.

Bald head, white beard, sunglasses—this guy was basically Master Roshi minus the turtle shell. But why is it an old dude running this kind of shop…?

The manager pushed up his shades and scanned us one by one.

“Haven’t seen you since summer break. Look at you now, showing up with three girls? Weren’t you whining about not having a girlfriend?”

I frowned. What’s with this guy? Three girls? Was I getting lumped in too? He could see through my disguise, no doubt, but still mistook me for Zhao Zhao’s girlfriend?

“No, none of them are—”

“Say no more!” the manager cut him off with a knowing wink. “I get it. You’re playing it smart—no labels, no favorites, keep the harem balanced, right?”

Sir, this is real life, not a shounen rom-com. People like that are just jerks.

“Anyway, you hear me out first,” Zhao Zhao tried again, “the one in the wheelchair is my classmate—he’s a guy.”

“A guy, huh? Even better.”

Excuse me??

“This short-haired one’s my cousin, and the barcode-head’s my senior—she’s here to interview.”

“Oh?” The manager stroked his beard, raising a brow. “Your school had female seniors?.”

“...She’s from the girls’ campus next door.”

“You? Knowing a girl from there?”

Zhao Zhao fumbled for a reply. The old man just grinned.

“Whatever, if you don’t want to spill it, I don’t care where she’s from. I’m only interested in whether she can work.”

Surprisingly chill—saved us a lot of awkward explanations.

“Name’s Yuwen Shenyang. I own the place. Just call me Boss, like this brat does.”

Yuwen… why does that sound familiar…?

Boss Yuwen gave senior a once-over, nodding approvingly. “Nice figure. Before we get to the interview, let me show you what the job’s like. Xiao Jiu! Come over here!”

“Coming~!”

From inside the shop appeared a tall waitress with a high ponytail and a bright, friendly smile. She bowed to us.

“Welcome back, masters~!”

…Yeah, she said that line. And that meant one thing: maid outfit.

Totally fitting for a manga café… but—

“Guhh!”

The moment she looked up, Xiao Jiu let out a weird gasp. Her smile completely cracked. She stared at Xiao Lei and Zhao Zhao like she’d seen a ghost. Sweat beaded on her forehead.

I leaned over to Zhao Zhao. “You two know her?”

“She looks familiar, but… I can’t place it.”

He scratched his chin for a while before shaking his head. Xiao Lei was just as confused, tapping her temple like she was trying to reboot her brain.

Xiao Jiu, seeing the two idiots hadn’t recognized her, let out a tiny breath of relief. Her face returned to its professional smile.

“So, which one of you is here for the interview?”

…No answer.

I turned—and there was senior, frozen like a statue, staring at Xiao Jiu in complete shock.

Oh no.

Not another one.