“Taking leave? Hmph, you’re already so late, what’s the difference from not showing up at all? That person hasn’t come for quite a while either, you know what that means.”
This time, the Head of the bar didn’t say anything more cutting, but Su Ya’s face paled for a moment as she caught the meaning behind his words.
If what the Head said was true, then that meant unemployment.
Su Ya found it hard to get any other job; she was clumsy and always messed things up.
Even simple tasks like carrying trays or washing dishes only caused trouble.
Fortunately, she had a strong tolerance for alcohol.
Being looked at with disdain made Su Ya feel somewhat bitter, but she really struggled to summon much emotion to even form a semblance of disappointment—she could only feel a slight sense of loss.
Here it came again.
The Head of the bar looked at this wooden woman and felt powerless to say more.
No matter who it was, speaking harsh words to a stone or a scarecrow would be futile; it was like casting pearls before swine.
Naturally, there was no expression to show either.
“Sorry.”
Su Ya bowed slightly, then walked into the bar to prepare for tonight’s work.
The fluorescent colored lights spun and intertwined, casting reflections on her hair and shoulders.
The surroundings were filled with the sounds of clinking glasses and affectionate whispers, yet the unremarkable Su Ya didn’t seem like an oddity.
Instead, she resembled a backdrop one could find anywhere in the crowd—no matter where or when she appeared, no one would pay her much special attention.
She walked slowly past pairs of men and women, her gaze darting quickly but never settling, as if wandering aimlessly.
Before she was called out, she could only continue to lose herself this way.
The hostesses here didn’t have fixed salaries; how much they earned was almost entirely up to the mood of the customers.
Su Ya was unfortunately in the unluckiest category.
But she didn’t have the mental energy to complain about her misfortune anyway.
“Hey, I’m here.”
After wandering around for about ten minutes, a faint voice called from behind Su Ya.
It was so familiar that Su Ya, lost in thought, immediately turned her head.
At the source of the voice sat a short-haired girl with chestnut hair, occupying the loneliest small round table in the corner.
She tapped her fingers lightly and rhythmically on the table.
Su Ya quickly walked over and sat opposite her, forcing a smile that wasn’t unpleasant.
The girl in front of her looked completely out of place in a bar, but she had been a regular here for almost ten years.
Many managers had come and gone; each time the staff changed, she was questioned about her age when she entered.
She looked helplessly out of place.
If one deliberately ignored the slight curve of her chest, she might easily be mistaken for an unripe boy.
Her voice was neutral, her short hair just above her ears.
Though her face lacked sharp features, it took a few more glances to tell.
In fact, she really did have a nice face, but without any feminine charm.
Lost in the crowd, she was just like Su Ya—not easy to attract attention.
Only when staring face-to-face like this would one gradually notice how delicately beautiful her eyebrows and eyes were.
But the only person who ever sat opposite her was Su Ya.
“What do you want to drink today?”
This should have been asked by the one being served, but the girl was the one speaking.
She was inquiring about Su Ya’s preference, but not to cater to her feelings—instead, it was to decide what kind of drink she would make for Su Ya tonight.
It sounded absurd—this table’s drinks were mixed by the customer for the hostess, and she even spent a lot of money to get Su Ya to willingly drink those concoctions.
“Uh, do you have anything stronger? Something that can really get me drunk.” Su Ya hesitated for a moment, then said as such.
The girl shook her head.
“You’ve said that many times, and we’ve tried many times. Honestly, I don’t think there’s any liquor in reality that can get you drunk… unless you don’t mind if I add some special blend. By the way, I feel like you’re a little different today; maybe this time it will work.”
Su Ya’s eyes suddenly brightened, and she spoke a little faster without realizing it.
“Really? Then let’s try it quickly.”
“Don’t get excited yet. I can’t guarantee your body can handle it. Anyway, I’ll try mixing it first…”
The girl closed her eyes, her head sinking like she was falling asleep, nearly dropping onto the table.
After a moment, she suddenly raised her head, her brown pupils gradually focusing.
“This time, I have to take control myself and go to the bartender.”
She was probably the strangest customer in the entire bar.
She didn’t come here to confide or listen, nor to find a physical companion.
She came here solely for the drinks.
This place had the right environment for mixing drinks and people willing to drink, so that’s how she ended up here.
She was already well acquainted with the bartender, and the bar had even considered hiring her before, but she wasn’t interested in the job.
Su Ya waited quietly by the bar counter, watching the glasses and those clear liquids lightly swirl between the girl’s fingers.
The girl immersed the rocks glass into liquid nitrogen.
After ten seconds, a layer of frost appeared on the glass wall, but the girl, who plunged her hand straight in, showed no fear of the cold.
Her fingers remained nimble as she poured distilled Vodka and Rum into the glass without pause.
While stirring, she slowly poured Absinthe along the inner wall of the glass, introducing a touch of dreamlike elements at an alcohol concentration close to the human limit.
Her technique was indeed dazzling.
Even though Su Ya had seen it countless times, she still felt amazed.
A Capsaicin Needle sank to the bottom of the glass.
The next moment, the girl used a torch to ignite the liquor, and the surface instantly erupted into a wave of flames.
But she had no extra interest in watching this alcohol-dependent flame bloom.
After a moment, she covered the glass, watching the faint ember gradually disappear for lack of oxygen.
When finished, the girl gently wiped the sweat beading on her forehead and looked at Su Ya: “Want to know what it’s called?”
Su Ya was stunned, shaking her head, then nodding again.
“I don’t know either. We’ll find out after you drink it.”
The girl looked satisfied, gazing at the layer of frost still clinging to the glass wall.
Counting silently, she knew the frost should shatter after ten seconds.
The previously calm liquid began to shake incessantly after this small disturbance, as if some invisible force was stirring within.
Su Ya could see the faint glimmer breaking the surface of the liquid—that was the special blend the girl mentioned, magic power.
This was the kind of work she did—experimenting with the world’s most wonderful and dangerous drink, the Magic Special Blend, for magical girls.
Rather than a hostess, she was more like a taster.
Anyone else, even a drop on them, risked getting severely drunk and unable to sober up.
But the girl’s drinks had never truly gotten Su Ya drunk.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.