Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 107: Dating (3)

The moment Xia Liang suggested it, the café’s poster girl immediately agreed, enthusiastically encouraging,

"Yeah! I think you'd be a perfect fit, little sister!"

"Thanks, but I don’t like doing anything too flashy."

Veronica’s tone remained flat as she refused again. "You guys go ahead, don’t worry about me."

She had no intention of going along with their idea—not just because she didn’t want to take part in some dress-up show under the eyes of so many strangers, but also because wearing an outfit similar to "Veronica’s" in a place like this would be far too conspicuous.

If she actually walked out wearing an outfit that closely resembled her Magical Girl persona, all it would take was for one person in the crowd to have seen the real "Veronica" before, and they’d immediately notice the uncanny resemblance. That, in turn, could lead to a whole mess of unnecessary trouble.

Noticing Veronica’s deliberate refusal, Xia Liang blinked, quickly putting the pieces together. She could understand why it wouldn’t be a good idea.

But at the same time… she really, really wanted to see Veronica in one of those uniforms.

So, inspiration struck. She turned to the café’s poster girl with a bright smile.

"Big sis, do you have any other outfits that might suit her?"

"Other outfits? Hm, if it needs to fit this little sister’s body type…"

The poster girl pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. Then, as if recalling something, she snapped her fingers.

"Ah! Now that you mention it, there is one!"

"Really?"

Xia Liang's face lit up with excitement. She beamed at the poster girl and chirped, "Thank you, big sis! You're the best!"

"Hehe, it’s no trouble at all."

The compliment clearly pleased the poster girl, and she continued explaining,

"Honestly, I almost forgot about it myself. When we first ordered our uniforms, there was one particular design that didn’t fit any of our staff, so it’s just been sitting in storage all this time."

"I remember it was modeled after… oh, that new Magical Girl who recently appeared in Fangting City—what was her name again? 'White Rose'?"

Veronica, who had been sipping her coffee, nearly spat it out.

Xia Liang, after a brief moment of stunned silence, had to clamp a hand over her mouth, shoulders trembling as she desperately tried to suppress her laughter. Even Veronica’s sharp glare couldn’t make her stop.

"Pffft… What a great idea!"

Once she finally managed to regain her composure, Xia Liang gleefully clapped her hands together. "Come on, let’s try it, senior!"

"No."

Veronica rejected her without hesitation, her tone firm and unwavering.

"Why not?" Xia Liang blinked innocently.

"No reason. I just don’t want to."

Veronica crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, putting more distance between herself and Xia Liang. "Not everything needs a reason."

"Aw, don’t be like that~"

At some point, the poster girl had moved to Veronica’s side, smiling just as mischievously as Xia Liang.

"Look, little sister, your friend already did it. Don’t you want to see who’s cuter between you two?"

"Not interested."

"If you’re worried about pictures, we won’t take any. We’ll even ask the customers not to snap any photos. Plus, if the transformation is good enough, you’ll get a bigger discount!"

"No, thanks."

"Our prize pool includes some really cute plushies!"

"I see… but I still don’t nee—"

——"Just this once! Please, senior, just try it!"

Xia Liang clasped her hands together and gazed up at Veronica with pleading eyes.

"Yeah, yeah! Pretty please~" The poster girl chimed in, poking her head out from the side. "It’s just for fun, no big deal!"

"Pleeeaaase!"

"Pleeeeaase~"

The two of them alternated their pleas, voices ringing out in unison. The relentless barrage finally caused a crack in Veronica’s cold expression.

Before Xia Liang could get any closer, Veronica reached out a hand to stop her, sighing deeply. "Enough. That’s enough. I get it."

She realized that if she didn’t agree now, these two would keep pestering her forever.

Honestly, she never understood why people—including Aya—always wanted to see her in different outfits. But since she had already played along at the clothing store before, doing it one more time here didn’t seem like a big deal.

Taking another deep breath, she finally lowered her gaze and muttered, "...Just one outfit."

Since they were still in public, she couldn’t say much else. But in her heart, she made a firm decision—she was definitely having a serious talk with Xia Liang later.

A few minutes later, having refused any assistance, Veronica stepped into the changing room alone.

When she emerged, she was wearing a pale blue dress, with a small elegant hat perched atop her head. Her hairstyle had been changed into twin-tails, and she returned to where the café staff stood, expression completely blank—like a lifeless mannequin, motionless and silent.

"Ohhh!"

Even though she showed zero enthusiasm, the poster girl still clapped excitedly.

"Amazing! It suits you so well!"

She examined Veronica from head to toe, marveling at how the dress seemed almost tailor-made for her. Even the overall vibe was an uncanny match.

Taking a deep breath, she made a bold declaration.

"60% off! No, 70% off!"

"Pfft… This is just—"

Xia Liang, who had just barely managed to hold back her laughter earlier, immediately broke down again. Her shoulders trembled violently as she snapped a dozen pictures with her phone.

"This is practically identical!" she cackled.

Veronica half-lidded her eyes but made no attempt to stop Xia Liang. After a long pause, she finally spoke in a resigned tone.

"Just… don’t post them anywhere."

At this point, she had accepted her fate.

Debt was just debt. Once someone held enough leverage over you, adding a few more blackmail-worthy photos didn’t really change anything.

But, of course, that didn’t mean she would tolerate everything.

So, the moment the poster girl started egging her on with "One more! One more!", Veronica wordlessly turned and walked away.

There was no way she was taking a group photo with the staff.

Even if they promised to keep the pictures private, there was no guarantee they actually would. And Veronica had no interest in dropping by every day just to make sure they didn’t leak anything.

She even spotted a uniform that looked eerily similar to Aya’s, but after a brief moment of hesitation, she simply took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and declared—

"That’s enough!"

And with that, their little "game" at the maid café finally came to an end.

Xia Liang had a blast. Veronica was utterly drained.

After finishing their desserts and drinks, the two headed to the front counter to settle the bill.

Unexpectedly, the poster girl followed them all the way to the register.

"You’re handling the payment, too?" Veronica raised a brow as she pulled out her phone.

"Ah, well… That’s because I’m actually the acting manager here," the girl admitted sheepishly, scratching her cheek.

"This place was originally run by my aunt, but she’s been away for a while, so I’ve been managing things in her absence."

"Your aunt? How long has she been running this place?"

"Four or five years, I think? But it was only this year that we revamped it into a maid café to match the trends in Electronics Street."

"Four or five years… So it doesn’t match up, then."

"Match up?" The girl tilted her head. "Are you looking for something?"

"Not exactly. I was just searching for an old shop that used to be here."

"Ohhh, you must be talking about the old coffee shop run by that grandpa!"

"You know about it?" Veronica was surprised.

"Yep! In fact, our café’s coffee recipes were partially developed with his guidance."

"Where is he now? Did he retire?"

"The old café just moved locations—it’s still in business, actually! And it’s still in this area."

Veronica had only been asking out of mild curiosity. But once she finished paying and fully processed what the girl had said, she blinked in surprise.

"Hm?"

"If you want the address, I can give it to you!"

A short while later, armed with a new location and a complimentary coffee cup, Veronica and Xia Liang left the café behind.

The address wasn’t far—only about a 500-meter walk—but it was tucked away in an alley, sharing an entrance with another shop on the second floor.

Following the directions, Veronica looked up at a sign near the door.

[Pavilion Café – Upstairs]

The name instantly jolted her memory.

Without a doubt—this was the café from her past.