"This place is delicious, I swear! I've been here several times!"
"Or how about this one? Their grilled fish is amazing!"
In the end, they chose a barbecue restaurant. To Robin's surprise, the owner showed no sign of shock or surprise upon seeing her winged ears and Yu Lin's dragon horns and tail. Instead, he casually welcomed them inside like any other customers.
To be honest, Robin considered her "non-human" features rather subtle. While it might sound a bit narcissistic, she believed most people would focus more on her appearance than her wings. Her wings seemed more like accessories, and she rarely moved them deliberately.
Yu Lin's case was entirely different. Her thick, serpentine tail was undeniably real. Why was the owner so unfazed?
Robin glanced at Yu Lin across the table, whose eyes were half-closed as she swayed slightly from side to side, humming an unfamiliar tune. "Isn't it strange that the owner isn't surprised at all to see us?" she whispered.
"Strange? What's strange about it?" Yu Lin tilted her head.
"Well, we clearly don't look like normal people. Isn't he afraid?"
"Um... I don't know," Yu Lin said after a moment's thought. "I guess it's pretty normal, right? When I've eaten out before, people weren't scared of me. At most, they were curious, and some even tried to touch my tail."
Though she hadn't directly answered Robin's question, she had a pretty good idea of the answer.
Evolvers and Transformers might be rare, but Dimensional Rifts had been around for years. Information about them was common knowledge. Just because people hadn't seen one in person didn't mean they were ignorant. And with understanding came curiosity rather than fear, especially when encountering one for the first time.
Yu Lin's experience with people wanting to touch her tail was a perfect example.
While Robin was still pondering this, Yu Lin abruptly changed the subject. Her eyes lit up as she asked eagerly, "Bird Sister, are you streaming tonight? Your singing is so beautiful! Could you stream for a bit longer?"
"Streaming? You watch my streams?" Robin was taken aback. No wonder this Dragon Lady had been so affectionate, hugging her and declaring her love for her despite it being their first meeting. Robin had initially assumed she was either a lesbian or an extreme social butterfly, but now it seemed... she was just a fan?
"Still, she's quite the social butterfly," Robin thought.
"Exactly! Every second was perfectly timed!" Yu Lin exclaimed. "Oh, and guess what? That guy called Handsome God of the North Sea got locked up for trying to doxx you."
Robin frowned slightly. "Handsome God of the North Sea... Who's that?"
"The one who sent you the UFO and then got banned," Yu Lin explained.
"Hmm... Oh! Right, him." After a moment's thought, Robin finally recalled.
It wasn't that she was forgetful; she simply hadn't cared about the incident. After casually banning him, she had focused entirely on practicing her songs. Following the live stream, she spent another two or three hours taking online music lessons, filling her mind with new knowledge. Why would she bother remembering some clown's name?
Yu Lin explained why the guy had been arrested, but Robin's expression remained unchanged. There was no smug satisfaction, no vindictive pleasure in his misfortune, no "serves him right" thoughts. Her only reaction was a disinterested:
"Oh."
If the guy had come right up to Robin, bullied her to her face, and then been thrown in jail by her quick thinking, that would have been a satisfying case of arrogant humiliation. But the truth was, Robin had barely been involved in the entire incident. If Yu Lin hadn't brought it up, she would have completely forgotten who the guy even was. How could she possibly have had a strong reaction?
Then, Yu Lin asked Robin for moderator privileges in her live stream, explaining that arguing with the trolls was too tedious. It would be much easier to just ban them all and then unilaterally roast the guy.
Only then did Robin realize that Yu Lin was the viewer behind the "Dragon Lady Isn't Cute?" account.
In fact, just like with the "Handsome God of the North Sea," Robin had completely forgotten about "Dragon Lady Isn't Cute?" She glanced at the account name and then at the profile picture—an unmistakable selfie of Yu Lin.
"So, as a Dragon Lady, you choose that username and use your own selfie as your profile picture... Don't you find that a little strange?" Robin raised a delicate eyebrow.
"Not really. Bird Sister, aren't you doing the same thing? Using your real name and your selfie as your avatar?"
"Uh..." Robin was speechless. She wanted to argue that it was different, but upon closer reflection, she couldn't quite articulate why.
Fortunately, their order arrived, interrupting the conversation. The owner placed plate after plate piled high with meat in front of them. Before leaving, he pointed to a plate of beef and said warmly, "This beef is marinated in Fancheng's special sauce. I recommend grilling it a little longer—it'll taste even better."
They had ordered a four-person set meal. Robin's appetite had shrunk considerably, as she'd discovered during their ramen meal earlier. As a result, Yu Lin ended up eating most of the barbecue, while Robin managed less than a fifth.
Even that small portion left her feeling stuffed. Robin gently rubbed her stomach through her clothes, barely feeling any fullness. In a way, this was a good thing—it effectively prevented her from overeating and gaining weight.
However, when it came time to pay, Robin and Yu Lin found themselves at odds. Robin insisted on covering the bill since she had invited Yu Lin out, while Yu Lin argued that she should pay since she had eaten most of the meal.
After some negotiation, they reached a compromise they both found satisfactory: they split the bill evenly.
Leaving the barbecue restaurant, Robin felt a cool breeze brush against her ear. She casually tucked a strand of hair behind her wing, squinted, and took a deep breath, savoring the pleasant sensation. A sense of contentment washed over her.
"Ah, that feels so good..."
She even suddenly found herself thinking, "This kind of life isn't so bad after all."
But just then, a hooded figure burst from the shadows behind the side wall of the barbecue restaurant, brandishing a knife and charging straight at Robin.
The distance of less than ten meters vanished in an instant. Robin stood frozen, completely unprepared, staring blankly at the approaching figure. The hood swayed, and she glimpsed a twisted face contorted with resentment and rage.
Clang!
A crimson dragon tail suddenly materialized before Robin, precisely intercepting the knife. Yu Lin barely exerted any force; a casual flick of her tail sent the hooded man flying three or four meters, tumbling across the ground.
Shedding her earlier dazed demeanor, Yu Lin adopted a stern expression, glaring down at the fallen figure. "Who are you? And why did you attack Bird Sister?"