A Mysterious Guest

“Sit tight, Milady,” the coachman said, pulling on the reins.

Before long, the carriage swept past the Royal Capital's main street and turned into a cobblestone side street.

The cafe was located right in the middle of the alley.

It was a small two-story building with light cream-colored outer walls, dark green wooden window frames, and matching awnings. A handwritten chalkboard sign hung beneath the eaves, displaying “Klein Cafe” and “Today’s Special” in chalk.

「Today's Special: Special Miki Milk Coffee」

Actually, I was only here to take a look, since Liliana wouldn't show up until the afternoon.

Mainly, I had expected to spend a lot of time at the National Library, but since I hadn't gained much from it, I had no choice but to leave.

When we pushed the door open, the string of ceramic bells hanging from the eaves chimed softly—not too loud, but just enough for the person behind the counter to hear.

“Hello, would you like something to drink?”

The owner, a kind-looking middle-aged woman, stood behind the counter and asked in a gentle voice.

I noticed there weren't many people inside, likely because it was still quite early. Generally, people only visited cafes in the afternoon or for dates.

“Three cups of... um, the special?” Honestly, I didn't know anything about coffee.

Fortunately, the other two didn't object. In fact, they seemed perfectly content just to drink whatever I ordered.

In any case, we ordered three cups of today's special.

I picked a round table directly facing the entrance and sat down. Misha sat to my left, while Shirune sat opposite us. With her sword hilt resting on her knees, Shirune's tail hung through the gap in the back of the chair, swaying quietly once.

“By the way, aren't we going shopping since we're out?” Misha asked.

Stirring the sugar cube in my cup with a silver spoon, I realized that my excuse for inviting Misha out today was to have a holiday, yet I was completely focused on my own business. I felt a bit guilty.

If nothing happens later, maybe we can look around the Royal Capital...

In any case, I just needed to be back here around three in the afternoon, as that was roughly when this plot point would occur.

So, I calmly explained to Misha, chatting with her off and on. Shirune, on the other hand, barely said a word from start to finish, only reaching out to push the coffee pot closer to me whenever my cup was almost empty.

Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught something moving outside the window.

The cafe's windows were made of old-fashioned paned glass with tiny bubbles in it, which slightly distorted the view of the street outside.

But even so, I would never mistake that silhouette standing next to a wooden crate at the alley entrance, gesturing wildly at two boys.

Alden's—that narcissist's—light brown curly hair was slicked back with far too much hair oil, reflecting the sunlight in a highly unnatural sheen. It looked like a hairstyle he had just copied from some third-rate fashion magazine.

Alden Cross.

I lifted my cup to sip my coffee, watching him with great interest.

Although I knew he would appear here in the afternoon to harass Liliana and try to woo her, seeing him show up in the morning was a real surprise.

Let's observe a bit more.

The two boys opposite him seemed to be from the academy, though they weren't from Class A. They were likely students from other classes in the same year.

One of them had very broad shoulders, with his uniform sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing a distinct tan line on his forearms that looked like it was left over from summer vacation.

The other was tall and thin, wearing a pair of round-rimmed glasses on his nose. He looked somewhat hesitant, constantly pushing up his glasses.

Alden had one arm slung over the broad-shouldered boy's shoulder while pointing toward the cafe with his other hand, his lips moving rapidly as if outlining a battle plan.

“We'll run a rehearsal first.”

“You two go inside and cause trouble—make trouble for the waitress. Then I'll come in to save the day, and you two will leave. That way, I'll leave a good impression.”

“Got it?”

“Once it's done, I'll get you whatever you want. That redglow magic stone, right? I'll buy it for you! And I'll give you that imported music box my family got me, too!”

“—What a loyal brother!”

The three of them looked incredibly shady.

Of course, I couldn't actually hear what he was saying.

But I knew that according to the plot, Liliana would come to work here in the afternoon, and the two “troublesome customers” he hired would deliberately pick on her.

Then, Alden would stand up at just the right moment to play the hero, using his signature pretentious tone.

What a perfect script.

It would have been even more perfect if I weren't sitting right here, catching this suspicious scene ahead of time.

A moment later, the ceramic bells on the eaves chimed again, crisp and brief.

The broad-shouldered Boy A was the first to enter. He pushed the door open rather roughly, with enough force that the door slammed into the coat rack by the wall with a dull thud.

Then came the tall and thin Boy B, who tripped over the threshold and only managed to steady himself by leaning on an empty table nearby, his round-rimmed glasses nearly sliding down to the tip of his nose.

Standing at the entrance, the two of them scanned the shop.

Boy A cleared his throat. His voice was so loud it sounded as if he were making a grand announcement to the entire establishment.

“This shop—this shop doesn't look like much! There's not even anyone here to greet us!”

The owner was wiping a cup behind the counter.

Hearing this, she looked up with a thoroughly puzzled expression. Looking at these young boys who were barely twelve and only about as tall as the counter, she didn't feel angry, only concerned.

After all, to make it easier to play the part of troublemaking thugs, they hadn't worn their school uniforms or any expensive clothing.

They looked like ordinary commoners.

And since it wasn't mealtime, there were barely any other customers in the shop.

Misha and Shirune noticed them too, instantly disliking this kind of customer.

Meanwhile, I stirred the last dregs of coffee in my cup, quietly shifting my gaze from Boys A and B to the door behind them, which hadn't even closed yet.

Alden was standing on the steps outside, looking down as he quickly adjusted his collar and cuffs, preparing himself to make his grand entrance at the perfect moment.

Then, the broad-shouldered Boy A inside spoke up again, his voice booming, “Hey—where's the waitress? The waitress here is—”

And then, his voice seized up.

Because his gaze had finally drifted away from the counter, scanning the rest of the cafe before landing squarely on me.

To be precise, it landed on the three of us: me, Misha, and Shirune.

Even if he didn't recognize Misha and Shirune,

I was far too famous among the first-years.

The moment he recognized me, the color drained from his face at a visible rate, as if a plug had been pulled from the bottom of a wine barrel.

His mouth hung open, and the unfinished shout died in his throat, turning into a tiny, wheezing gasp that sounded nothing like a bully.

The tall, thin boy was half a beat slower to react, still rubbing his bruised knee. When he looked up and saw his broad-shouldered companion frozen like a stone statue, he followed his gaze over to me.

And then, he froze too.

His fingers stiffened on his frames, forgetting to even finish pushing up his glasses.

I lifted my coffee cup, realized it was already empty, and set it aside. Then, I nudged the brim of my sun hat up slightly so my face would be clearer in the light filtering through the window.

The broad-shouldered boy's Adam's apple bobbed. He was likely performing a highly complex calculation in his head:

The person sitting before him was the eldest daughter of the Aldheim family, the villainess who had nearly beaten the upstart Klaus to tears on the training grounds yesterday, and the undisputed number one on the list of people in the entire first-year class you absolutely must not cross.

And right now, she was sitting inside the very cafe where he was planning to cause trouble, having just finished her coffee, with a maid beside her staring at him as if he were an insect.

Dammit...

Could she have heard our conversation just now?!

Curse you, Alden! How could you set us up like this!

Even if he didn't know the specifics of Class A, he knew that Liliana was this villainous lady's classmate and deskmate. What if...?

“L-L-Lady Loris...”

Boy A's voice sounded like a goose having its neck stepped on. His lips trembled for a long while before he managed to squeeze those few words out of his throat.

The companion beside him had already taken a step back, but accidentally kicked the doorframe, making a dull “thud” sound.

He swayed, quickly grabbing the doorknob to steady himself while letting out a series of squeaks.

As expected of normal young boys, their inner worlds were nowhere near mature.

“You two,” I tapped the rim of my empty cup gently with a fingertip, “seemed to be having a very lively chat outside just now.”

Gah!

Boy A's face turned stark white!

She really heard everything!

And with that tone, it looks like she's going to stand up for Liliana!

Without another word, he spun around and bolted! Running like a stray dog, he knew that if he was too slow, he would be in even deeper trouble. This was the famous villainess of the first-year class!

Looking at her smile, it was as if she had found a new toy!

Seeing his buddy flee, Glasses Boy B didn't hesitate either. He let out a panicked wail and scrambled after him. They truly came and went like a whirlwind, prompting a chuckle from the shopkeeper.

Meanwhile, Alden, who had just finished tidying his clothes, pushed open the cafe door with his eyes closed.

“Oh my, why is it so noisy in here to—”