"Whoa whoa whoa~ they're about to kiss!"
Several kilometers away in a monitoring room, where a few hundred staff had already evacuated, only three people remained. Most notably, Su Enxi—also known as the snack-obsessed shut-in girl—sat wide-eyed, staring intently at her screen, looking like she might drop dead from overwork and excitement at any moment.
"Oooooohhhhhhh!"
Next to her, the long-legged beauty, Sakagami Mai, groggily rubbed her eyes, clearly annoyed by the late-night shouting. "Are you seriously still watching this, girl?"
"Hahaha, Long Legs, come look! That Zhou family ojou-sama is so forward! Drunk and adorable, but still keeping that queenly aura... tsk tsk tsk, such a gap moe combo! Look—young lady lifts the chin of the handsome boy, wraps him in her tail, leans in and says, 'Marry me and the entire Zhou family is yours!' Goose goose goose goose—!!"
"You've officially lost it, haven't you?" Mai flung a pillow at Su Enxi's face, convinced her coworker had been pushed to madness by too much overtime.
She rubbed her eyes and checked the monitor herself—but where was that over-the-top romance novel scene?
All she saw was the little snake-girl, red-faced and curled up next to Emiya Shirou, tail wrapped around him as usual. Her drunken expression suggested she could barely form words, let alone deliver a dramatic proposal.
Was Su Enxi lip-reading through slurred nonsense?
But Su Enxi merely wagged her finger. "Ah, you're still too sweet and innocent, Long Legs."
"Don't underestimate the imagination of a hardcore fujoshi like me! I've seen thousands of romantic tropes play out in every combination imaginable. This? This is textbook rich-girl-falls-for-loyal-butler comedy! I say…"
She confidently declared, "The boy will be slow to react, the ojou-sama will show unexpected vulnerability, the fans will fall head over heels, and all we need now is a little twist to tie it all together. BAM—happily ever after!"
Mai stared in disbelief. "You think you're the director of this romance now? Don't you already have enough on your plate?"
"Hmph. I only worked this hard to properly serve our VIP client, you know!"
Mai gave her a look. "Please. You've been so deep in third-wheeling their 'private' moments, you act like it's totally justified now. And now you want to drag me and Ice Cube into it?"
Across the room, a small figure with cold features and golden hair sat quietly. The third of their trio—expressionless as always—murmured in a flat tone:
"I suggest not taking unnecessary actions. You can't guarantee any 'accident' will unfold the way you imagine."
This was the "Emotionless Girl" of their team. Her tone was always frosty, but both of her teammates knew it was just how she talked.
"Tch! I worked so hard to set up the perfect date, and you want me to let it fizzle out here? I'll see it through to the end—nothing will stop me!"
Su Enxi stood up dramatically, her heels clacking against the marble floor.
Emotionless Girl pointed to the screen. "Then maybe look again... because they're gone."
"What?!"
Su Enxi glanced down—and sure enough, the table was empty. No signs of a blushing snake-girl or a stunned Shirou. Just vacant seats.
Panic hit her instantly. She tried calling the agents stationed around the restaurant—but not one line connected.
This was bad.
As that thought took root in her mind, a slow clap echoed through the empty monitoring hall.
A young boy's voice rang out, tinged with mischief. "Ladies, please prepare to receive our guests. Enxi, I'm impressed by your tireless dedication these past few days. But if you push too hard on a sheltered ojou-sama's first trip out into the world... you'll only provoke suspicion."
The trio instantly recognized the voice—it belonged to their enigmatic boss: Lu Mingze, the Little Devil himself.
He was known for appearing out of nowhere with vague riddles and impossible tasks, only showing up when it was time to assign something painful.
Hearing his voice, both Mai and Emotionless Girl immediately stood up. Their casual demeanor vanished, replaced by the stance of elite female operatives—cold, professional, ready for a fight.
"Don't tell me—"
"Bingo!" the boy's voice cut in gleefully. "Your little surveillance operation has been discovered. They're suspicious now. Worse—your targets traced your signal. Their allies are closing in, surrounding the building. The only ones left to show up… are them."
The two elite women stiffened, preparing to grab Su Enxi and fight their way out.
"Ah ah ah, hold on now! No need to panic. We don't attack guests—especially not these ones. No violence allowed!"
His tone suddenly shifted into something more sing-song. "Enxi, this whole mess started because of your enthusiasm, didn't it? That means you'll be the main negotiator. You'll be the one to convince them to join our plan against the Chen family."
"...Huh?"
"Come on, smart little Enxi. You've got a great brain—use it! Convince our VIP guests to lend a hand. I believe in you~"
The voice faded out, leaving only the faint echo of laughter.
Su Enxi stood there dumbfounded, her face dark as ink.
Damn it. While she was watching Shirou and the Lady Nuwa, thinking she'd set up the perfect romantic moment…
The boss was watching her.
He was the one enjoying the real show.
A moment earlier—
Just as the Lady Nuwa leaned in close, her lips a breath away from Shirou's, she whispered:
"We've been monitored this whole time, haven't we?"
Shirou, caught off guard by her drunken demeanor, blinked. Her sudden clarity shocked him.
"...Yeah," he admitted. "It's a professional date-planning service."
Nuwa's voice dropped. "Do you know who's leading this little 'service'? It's the financial legend—the Black Swan of Capital. Shirou, you really do have quite the connections."
"...Huh?"
(End of Chapter)
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