“Honestly, I was about to give up yesterday…”

It was lunchtime the next day. Senior Li Jianlian came over to find Zhaozhao and me again, lunchbox in hand. As usual, we were hanging out on the stairs just outside the rooftop door.

“Thanks to you, I managed to pass the interview. Still can’t believe you figured out that was my sister.”

Zhao Zhao nodded in admiration. “I couldn’t tell at all.”

“Hmph. Of course a monkey brain wouldn’t notice something like that.”

I threw in my usual jab at Zhao Zhao before he could even talk back, then turned to senior.

“So what happened after Xiao Lei and I left?”

Jianlian was picking through his lunch, but at my question, he set down his chopsticks and sighed with a hint of exasperation.

“You tell me, Chang Kai. What exactly did you say to my sister? Yesterday she kept showing me around the shop but wouldn’t stop asking all these weird, unrelated questions.”

“Oh, I just told her you were very close with her brother, ‘Li Jianlian.’ Not technically a lie, right?”

He scrunched his mouth in frustration. “No, not a lie… but now she thinks that version of me is my girlfriend.”

“Pfft.”

I had suspected something like that, but hearing him say it out loud still cracked me up.

Zhao Zhao, in the middle of sipping juice, choked and started coughing violently. After recovering, he muttered, “Your sister’s acting is on point. She really sold that maid persona—she fooled even the owner. Said she had a natural ‘heart of service’? Give me a break.”

“How do you even know my sister?” Jianlian asked, surprised.

Guess he was more of a social hermit than I thought. Must have had zero clue about Zhao Zhao’s infamous past.

“Long story, senior. This guy’s trespassed into the girls’ school like five times. Got into plenty of run-ins with your sister and her security team. Him recognizing her face? Not exactly shocking.”

“Ah. Well… it’s not really because of that…” Zhao Zhao mumbled, then gave up on explaining.

Jianlian shook his head again. “I never imagined my sister would work at a manga café dressed as a maid. I mean, I know things have been tough at home, but she’s always had her pride. For her to take on that kind of job… she must’ve struggled a lot with the decision.”

“Don’t look down on maid cafés, senior!” Zhao Zhao wagged his finger like some kind of know-it-all. “It’s not just some regular service job. These cafés cater to hardcore otaku, and maids there are practically treated like mini-idols. If they do well, they get tons of fans. To the owners, they’re golden geese.”

Not sure if the senior followed all of that, but he nodded along, clutching his lunchbox like he was trying to absorb the lecture.

Zhao Zhao’s words reminded me of Lei Meow Meow’s idol philosophies. Applied to maids… it kinda made sense.

I looked back to Jianlian. “So… you’re not planning to tell your sister the truth?”

He sighed again. “It’s hard to say. I doubt she wants anyone in the family to know she’s working as a maid. And me turning into a girl? Not exactly easy to bring up either. It’d just make things super awkward all around.”

“You’re okay with her thinking you’re your own girlfriend, though?”

“…”

That shut him up.

“Your sister’s not against you going to college, is she?”

He shook his head without hesitation. “No, she’s supportive. But if I go, the burden on her and Mom gets even heavier.”

“Then just keep working at the café for a while. Once you’ve settled in, we’ll find a good time to tell her.”

“Why do we even have to tell her?”

“If someone at home knows what’s going on, it’ll make your university plans a lot easier down the line.”

“Wait—what plans?”

Ah, right. We hadn’t explained Plan B yet. Up until recently, he didn’t even believe the gender-switching thing was real, so there hadn’t been a good opportunity.

But now might be the time.

“You’re saying… I’d take the Gaokao as a girl?”

“Not just the exam. We’re talking about the whole university experience—and maybe even after that. Living full-time as a woman. No one’s going to force you, but if you’re serious about continuing your education, it’s worth thinking about.”

Senior fell silent, clearly weighing it all. Zhao Zhao leaned in.

“Senior… you’re not, like, stuck on some kind of toxic masculinity, are you?”

“Even if I’m not, I’ve still been a guy for more than a decade. Being told I might have to live the rest of my life as a girl… that’s not something I can just say yes to overnight.”

Fair enough. But it’s not as hard as he thinks. With the notebook’s internal calibration, adjusting internally becomes easier. Just look at Lei Meow Meow and the others—they’re doing fine.

“Just treat this café job as your adjustment period. You working today?”

“They haven’t finished tailoring the uniform yet, so I’ve got the day off.”

Zhao Zhao stroked his chin. “Then let’s use the day to buy you some clothes. Can’t keep wearing Rinka’s stuff forever.”

Even though Xiao Lei wore Rinka’s clothes all the time, the difference was the size. Changpu-senpai’s figure definitely had… presence. Rinka’s outfits weren’t going to cut it.

“Egh…”

Senior visibly grimaced at the idea of spending more money.

After school, the one who showed up to accompany him was Xiao Lei—which made perfect sense.

Letting Zhao Zhao tag along would be like tossing a meat bun to a dog. Just feeding the wolf. That guy would totally take advantage.

“Senior’s gone into the bathroom stall,” Xiao Lei reported over the phone.

I opened my notebook and wrote his name down.

This time, I didn’t go with them. Not that I didn’t want to see senior trying on clothes—of course I did—but I needed to swing by Fei’s place to get the key to the bridge houses.

As I wheeled myself out the school gate, Rinka was already waiting by the wall. She took over pushing the wheelchair as we made our way along the girls’ school perimeter, heading for that same fancy, tastefully-decorated café.

“You’re late today, Kai-chan. What, Zhao Zhao too lazy to push you?”

“He has a basketball game off-campus.”

That was technically true—he had been playing a lot lately.

“Guess Kai-chan you're not as important as basketball, huh?”

“He knew you’d be helping today.” I switched the subject. “How’s Sis Fei doing?”

Rinka gave a vague shrug. “Seems fine.”

Which probably meant… not fine.

And who could blame her? Having the daughter she raised accuse her of being a murderer—that kind of thing doesn’t just roll off. No way she’s bounced back already.

When we arrived at the café, Fei was sitting in the exact same spot as before.

She wasn’t reading this time. Just quietly sipping her coffee and staring blankly out the window.

The sky outside was sunny, but her eyes reflected nothing but clouds.

Like her heart was still trapped in the downpour from two days ago. It wasn’t until Rinka and I sat down in front of her that she seemed to return to the present.

“Sis Fei,” I greeted her softly. “Are you doing okay?”

She gave a small shake of the head and murmured, “I’m fine… You came for the key, didn’t you?”

“Ah… yeah.”

She already knew about Jianlian’s situation, so I hadn’t hidden much during our call last night. She’d agreed right away.

She fished into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a key, placing it on the table with a gentle flick. It slid over to stop right in front of me.

The silver-gray key was worn with age, rust freckles scattered across its surface.

“Thanks, Sis Fei. This really helps.”

“Those two houses aren’t actually mine. I just leased them under Feng Jingsheng’s name.”

“They’re rentals?”

Made sense. After Old Feng lost everything, there’s no way he still owned property.

“Mm. Rent’s cheap, so I’ve been renewing the lease. If things go smoothly, I’m thinking of buying them.”

If she’s thinking that far ahead, it must mean she’s serious about turning it into a real restaurant.

“Should we chip in for the rent, at least?”

“No need. I’ve been paying for them to sit empty anyway. Just let him use it. He’s had it rough.”

Fei might be doing fine financially now, but back then, Uncle Feng had it way tougher than our senior does.

“Oh right, Kai-chan,” Rinka suddenly added. “I’ve got a gift for you too.”

She pulled out a flat package from beside Fei and handed it to me.

“Go ahead, open it.”