Lanqi Thinks This One's in the Bag

In an old cafe in Ikerite's North District, several cats marched across the floor in a neat line. Juliana glanced sideways at these cats dressed in miniature red military dress uniforms, wondering why they looked like they were on patrol. Perhaps this was just a quirky feature of Ikerite cafes. "Juliana, during your two weeks here in Ikerite... I actually want to have dinner with you every single day. Would you mind meeting with me like this every day?" Loren's gentle voice reached her ears, prompting Juliana to lift her head and look at him again. "Well..." Juliana felt a surge of joy inside, her heart beating considerably faster. Yet she was also a little afraid. She had envisioned dating Loren, but Loren had emphasized having meals together. Was he deliberately trying to maintain boundaries with her? [He obviously likes you. If he didn't, how could he possibly want to eat with you every day?] As if sensing Juliana's anxious heartbeat and breathing, Lady Love Assistant's voice echoed in her ear. *Really?* Juliana was utterly baffled. [Unless I like someone very much, there's no way I'd be willing to eat with him every single day. Think about it: if you eat with someone you dislike, even delicious food loses its flavor. But if you eat with someone you like, your appetite naturally improves.] Juliana listened to Lady Love Assistant's analysis and pondered it carefully. It did make sense. [Say yes to him. Just have dinner with him.] ... The two sat on their respective sofas beside the low table in brief silence. "I heard you've been very busy with work lately... but if you have free time after your work is done, of course I'd be glad to have dinner with you every day," Juliana said slowly. The moment the words left her mouth, regret set in. She had originally wanted to say, *Of course I'd love to see you every day.* Yet words that would make her cheeks burn seemed lodged in her throat, impossible to voice. Then, as she searched her mind for vocabulary, she realized that "having a meal," the phrase Lady Love Assistant constantly repeated, had completely colonized her brain—and what tumbled out was that exact sentence! Meanwhile, across the low table. [See? Just as I said—she really does just want to eat with you.] The Love Drillmaster's voice sounded in Loren's ear. Loren gave a slight nod, lingering fear in his heart. He had come so close to crossing the line into an overbearing suitor. While Juliana had agreed to date him, it was under the premise of normal, friendly social interaction. A top expert recommended by Professor Borao like the Love Drillmaster couldn't possibly be mistaken in his judgment. Loren was certain that unless subjected to massive interference and deception, the Love Drillmaster would never misread a woman's heart. [Don't worry. For this type of girl, if she eats with someone she dislikes, even delicacies lose their flavor. But if she's with someone she likes, her appetite improves accordingly. So from the look of things, she already considers you someone quite close to her.] Hearing the drillmaster's breakdown, Loren felt things weren't so dire after all. Yet how was one supposed to interact with a girl like this? And hearing the drillmaster's reasoning... why did it feel less like dating a woman and more like raising a pet animal...? [Keep her well-fed every day, and naturally the two of you will grow closer. As the saying goes, loving someone is like raising a pig. Don't you find it deeply rewarding to satisfy her appetite every day and see her blissfully happy while eating? If one day you manage to fatten her up, you'll feel that your life is truly complete...] The Love Drillmaster sounded quite gentle, as though reminiscing over the past. Loren listened intently and committed the Love Drillmaster's teachings to memory, finding them genuinely sensible. The drillmaster taught, and he learned. At least up until now on the date, Juliana seemed thoroughly satisfied. ... Across the street corner outside the cafe, on the spacious outdoor seating area of a restaurant, a young man sat alone, occupying a corner of the world. Spread before him were an office magic apparatus and several scattered documents, making him appear immersed in a sea of work. He wore a black peaked cap, a simple dark shirt paired with casual cargo pants, yet none of it could conceal his natural handsomeness. Beside him, a little cat black as night lay leisurely on a chair, occasionally lifting its eyes to lazily inspect passing pedestrians, or stretching its body with elegance. Its eyes flickered with curiosity toward the surrounding world. From time to time, Lanqi muttered to himself through his magic apparatus earpiece, and at other moments, he gently stroked the black cat's head. As everyone knew, the pinnacle of tailing someone was getting the target to follow you. Since Loren's itinerary had been planned entirely by Lanqi, Lanqi could always arrive one step ahead at the locations Loren would visit, minding his own business like any passerby. Right now, he was seated at an outdoor table, working while keeping a close eye on Loren's movements. If necessary, he might even alter his appearance and step in personally to give Loren a hand. "Meow meow meow, how are things going?" Boss Cat floated up onto Lanqi's head and poked its feline face down inquisitively, meeting Lanqi's eyes. It had been listening to Lanqi and Loren's conversation earlier, not daring to make a peep. "Nothing wrong, really. It's just... why do I get this inexplicable sense of deja vu from the woman...?" Lanqi cupped his chin, his brow slightly furrowed by the wooden table as he sank into thought. Today's date had been simpler than expected. What was strange, though, was that even though the woman didn't seem quite like a normal person, he could always guess her thoughts, almost as if their brainwaves were synchronized. "Who are you talking about?" Boss Cat leaned in closer and asked. "*That. Woman.*" Lanqi didn't dare speak her name, writing those characters in his notebook instead. "You need emphasis dots for crap like this?" Boss Cat questioned. "Do you mean *That. One.*?" Boss Cat also took Lanqi's pen with telekinesis magic and wrote on the paper. "Yeah," Lanqi nodded. Although long-distance mind reading was theoretically impossible, he had dreamed last night that Tata could read his inner thoughts across infinite distance, appearing out of nowhere like a ghost, tackling him, and pinning him to the ground. Lanqi had woken up terrified, screaming, "Don't kill me!" He hadn't had such a terrifying nightmare in ages. "No way, meow. How could Tata possibly know Lady Juliana from the Aloran Kingdom? Besides, didn't Lady Juliana just arrive in the Hutton Kingdom two days ago?" The little black cat leaped onto the table and looked at Lanqi. "True enough." Lanqi smiled, suddenly relieved. When he gave it some careful thought, if Tata were capable of teaching someone how to date, she wouldn't have stayed single for several centuries. As everyone knew, dreams were always the opposite of reality. He could chat freely now. Boss Cat Restaurant and Ikerite Academy were both in Ikerite's East District, and they were all the way out here in the North District. There was no way he could run right into her here.