“Excuse me—could you tell me where the restroom is?”

Pretending to ask for directions, I leaned against the doorframe and craned my head toward the back kitchen. I didn’t see anything that looked like a back exit.

They probably aren’t hiding the back door inside a double-door commercial freezer, are they? It’s not a mad scientist’s lab… at least?

A bar’s back kitchen usually isn’t very big. Inside, there was only a young cook leaning against the counter, smoking. He’d had that dead-fish stare at first, but the moment he got a clear look at my face, his eyes lit up.

…Do I secretly have the potential to be Mary Sue or something? Why does every guy who looks at me suddenly brighten up?

“The restroom’s up front—just past the private rooms. Miss, you’ve already gone too far.”

Of course I knew where the restroom was. I was fishing for other information.

I followed up casually, “Oh? Hey, what about the stairs behind the kitchen—where do those lead?”

At the corner at the end of the corridor was a stairwell.

“Oh, that’s the back door.”

Since the stairs went upward, that meant the bar’s back exit was probably on the ground level above.

“Need me to take you to the restroom?” he asked.

I hurriedly waved him off. “N-no need! I’ll go by myself—thank you!”

Maybe because they’d sent most of their manpower out as lookouts, the bar itself felt understaffed. This corridor in particular didn’t even have a single thug on guard. I walked straight toward the stairs—the back door—without a care in the world.

Who would’ve thought that a bar being used as a base would be guarded so thinly? If the gang leaders in the main hall wanted to resist, they could’ve knocked Lu Huangze out and dragged him away on the spot.

They were probably intimidated by his calm composure—like Kongming playing the zither atop an empty city wall.

The stairwell lights were off, leaving the area unusually dark. Only the faint spill of light from the corridor let me barely make out the steps underfoot.

“…Miss Lingmeng?”

“Eek!”

The sudden voice nearly scared me out of my skin. I followed the sound and only then noticed, on the second flight beyond the turn, a dark silhouette sitting there quietly.

Since he’d already recognized me, running would be pointless—and would only raise suspicion.

“Who’s there?” I asked.

The shadow tipped the brim of his wide hat back, letting me see his face.

“It’s me… Long Tao.”

Now I could see him clearly. He was holding what looked like an ice pack against the bruise on his face, his whole appearance downright pitiful.

“It’s pitch-black here. What are you doing sitting around like this?”

“Guarding the door… What brings you here, Miss Lingmeng?”

“I’m just wandering around. Sharo’s listening to the meeting anyway…”

The moment I mentioned Sharo, Long Tao sucked in a sharp breath.

“Does your face hurt?” I asked, knowingly.

“Hurt? Of course it hurts! Getting kicked in the face by a leather combat boot—how could it not?!”

“Guess your skin’s still not thick enough.”

Leaning against the stair railing, I tilted my head to examine the white door behind him. It was the standard emergency exit door you’d see in a shopping complex—except it was plastered over with colorful posters. A green emergency-exit sign hung above it, though it wasn’t lit.

That was clearly the back door. Looks like Qiaojue’s guess was right—the bar’s back exit really was an emergency exit. But to determine exactly where it led, I’d need to pass through here.

“Can I go through?”

“Better not. Miss Lingmeng, you should turn back.” His tone was apologetic. “The boss said no one’s allowed to pass here. No exceptions—not even you.”

He sounded helpless. Clearly, he knew Lu Huangze was trying to make a move on me, so he didn’t dare speak too harshly—even resorted to honorifics.

I put on a flattering smile. “Didn’t expect it—turns out even an extra like you, is pretty loyal?”

He missed the double meaning completely and puffed himself up instead.

“Of course! For underlings like us, ability comes second—loyalty’s what matters most. As long as you stick with the boss wholeheartedly, he won’t treat you badly!”

“Then why’d he slap you?”

“You don’t get it. That slap mark was makeup—lipstick on his hand. Only your boss’s kick was real… ngh… that one really hurt.”

Wait—makeup?

It’d been too dark in the bar to tell.

So that whole scene earlier was just Lu Huangze and Long Tao putting on an act together… and judging by the timing, probably to win me over. He must’ve taken me for the kind of airheaded girl who swoons over domineering CEOs.

Yeah, no. I’m not that shallow.

I asked casually, “So what exactly is this door? Where does it lead?”

He eyed me warily. “Miss Lingmeng… you’re not here spying for Rakshaksa, are you? Don’t ask. I won’t say anything—unless you join Rashomon.”

“That won’t work. You said it yourself—loyalty comes first. I can’t betray my boss or my sisters in Rakshaksa.”

“But our boss really likes you—and his background isn’t simple either…”

Oh no. Is he really about to start this conversation here?

I made a clear stop gesture with my hands.

“Enough. I’m not interested in your boss. And at his level, he’s not exactly lacking women, is he?”

“No, Miss Lingmeng, you’ve got it wrong. The boss isn’t some womanizer. He usually keeps his distance from women and rarely falls for anyone. With you, it was truly love at first sight.”

“Ha. I don’t believe a word of that.”

“It’s true! The boss has always longed for a pure, untainted love!”

Are you seriously trying to paint your boss as a pristine white lotus?

“Stop. There’s no chance between us.”

He frowned. “Why not?”

“Well… actually… I like women.”
Which was the honest truth. I’m a grown man—why would I like men?

But Long Tao’s expression turned downright comical.
“…I… I have heard that Rakshaksa has many female members.”

If anything, the true core members are all women.

“That’s right. That’s exactly why I joined Rakshaksa. Now you get it, right? There’s no way I’d ever like your boss.”

I gave the back door one last glance, then asked, “By the way—what was your name again?”

“Long Tao.”

“Which Tao?”

“The tao from ‘civil strategy and martial prowess.’¹”

“Got it. Then I’ll head back to the bar. After the meeting, pass a message to your boss for me—tell him to give up.”

“……”

Leaving behind a thoroughly dumbfounded Long Tao, I retreated to the corner between the stairs and the corridor. Rinka’s merciless laughter crackled through my earpiece.

“Oho~ who knew our Ling·meng·chan was a full-on yuri!”

She didn’t even call me Kai-chan anymore…

I muttered back, “That was situational… and besides, I’m a guy. What’s wrong with liking girls?”

“All right, quit bickering.”
Yang Qi pulled the conversation back on track. “There’s someone guarding the back door. Lingmeng-jie, are you giving up?”

“Nope. I’m not done yet. Just wait for my good news.”

After confirming there was no one else around—and no cameras—I focused my thoughts, and a part of the tokkōfuku transformed into a sheet of white paper.

Transformations triggered by the Notebook cause a brief loss of consciousness.

From experience, the time from activation to regaining awareness took at least thirty seconds—sometimes up to three minutes. First-time transformations usually lasted even longer. That was more than enough time for me to rush past the stairs and inspect the back door.

That’s right—this Notebook was basically a god-given knockout drug. Fast-acting, long-range, zero side effects. Nothing on the market could compare. Perfect for home use, travel, scams, ambushes, and roadside robberies.

…Wait. How do you write the tao in “civil strategy and martial prowess” again?

I wrote “Long Tao” with the pencil. A burst of white light exploded through the stairwell. Seizing the moment, I sprinted up the stairs, straight toward the back door.

Part of the Notebook peeled away and formed a black veil over the lower half of my face. I quietly cracked the door open.

A rich aroma hit me instantly—the unmistakable fragrance of coffee. Combined with the surroundings and décor, it wasn’t hard to guess.
This was a café.

I opened the door a bit wider—and saw three familiar figures.

…Huh?