The bread was quickly finished by the group.
The soft texture, mixed with the aroma of milk, lingered on the tips of their tongues, refusing to dissipate.
However, as Su Yun chewed, he couldn’t help but glance at the leftovers on the plate.
All the toast cats’ heads had been left completely intact. Their round cat faces still bore a hint of grievance, looking exceptionally pitiful.
According to Lin Mo, as long as these cat heads were thrown into the nearby clear spring, after a short while, they would regrow into complete toast cats and continue to stay in the shop, waiting to be sliced and eaten.
It was precisely because of this that these cats would try their best to please the diners.
Even if a piece of their meat was cut away, they would only whimper and nuzzle against a person’s fingers, not daring to offer the slightest resistance.
What they feared was failing to save even their own heads and completely losing the chance for rebirth.
The group sat in the shop for a while longer. The air was permeated with a faint scent of milk and flowers, and the soft meows of the toast cats rose and fell.
Lin Mo fished out a box of Flying Chess from somewhere. The box was woven from vines, the chess pieces were tiny shells, and the board was painted with patterns of stars and the moon, exuding a bit of childish charm.
When Su Yun saw these things, his eyes first blanked. He only felt they looked familiar. His mind felt as if it were covered in a layer of fog, and he almost failed to remember what it was.
It wasn’t until Lin Mo spread the board completely across the beach table and placed the colorful dice in the center that those blurry memories gradually became clear.
Images of sitting around with childhood friends in his past life, throwing dice, and jumping through squares flashed by.
Ah, there was also a group of people huddled under a telephone pole playing Three Kingdoms Kill…
“Since there are no other customers in the shop anyway, you can play for as long as you want,” Lin Mo said, leaning against the counter. Her fingertips toyed with a cream-colored toast cat, her tone lazy. “By the way, remember to pay the forty credits when you leave. Consider it an entrance fee for the cat cafe.”
The items sold in her shop should be considered the cheapest on this credit-centric commercial street.
After all, it was just eating a few slices of freshly cut bread and drinking a few cups of bottomless milk; it didn’t cost many credits at all.
The girls huddled together to look at the rules on the board and quickly began to play.
Chu Yu’er played the most enthusiastically. Every time she rolled a six, her eyes would light up, and the tip of her tail would wag along.
Su Miaomiao was still timid. Every time she rolled the dice, she would clench her fists and mutter a few words under her breath. Even when she won, she only laughed softly.
Ning Die, on the other hand, had a calm face. Even when she lost, her expression remained unchanged. Only when she won did the corners of her mouth hook up slightly.
Only Su Yun, clutching a shell chess piece in his hand, did not have his mind on the game.
His large eyes peeked at the clock on the wall from time to time.
The hands moved step by step. Every time they moved a notch, his heart tightened a fraction.
Mo Qingqing’s instructions were like a string stretched tight in his mind — he had to be back before sunset, and not a single minute late.
With half an hour left until sunset, Ning Die had just rolled a three, sending her last piece to the finish line and winning the game.
While Chu Yu’er was pouting in frustration, Su Yun directly put down the chess piece and stood up.
“I can’t. The time is up; I should go.”
“Eh! Won’t you stay and play for a while longer?” Chu Yu’er immediately looked up, her round eyes filled with reluctance. “It’s still early. There’s quite a bit of time before sunset.”
“Exactly,” Ning Die also frowned, her long golden hair falling over her shoulders. “It wasn’t easy to get out for once.”
Su Miaomiao didn’t speak, only looking at him timidly with a trace of reluctance in her eyes.
“Well… as the saying goes, people will always trust those who are honest and keep their word,” Su Yun thought for a moment and made up a reason that sounded quite plausible. His large pinkish-blue tail swayed gently, his tone carrying a hint of seriousness. “If I delay because of play or return right at the last second, it will be very difficult the next time I want to come out. But if I can return early this time and not make Master wait too long, then the next time I want to come out, it will be much easier for Master to agree.”
The three girls looked at each other and felt that what Su Yun said indeed made sense. The reluctance on their faces gradually faded, and they could only nod and leave it at that.
Together, they helped Lin Mo pack up the board and pieces, said goodbye to Lin Mo behind the counter, and then left the cat cafe as a group.
As they walked out of the shop, Su Yun couldn’t help but look back.
The toast cats in the shop were slowly walking among the flowers and stone paths. Some were rubbing against Lin Mo’s ankles, while others were lying by the fountain licking water. They looked relaxed and carefree, but Su Yun knew clearly that their fate had been sealed since birth.
‘This trip wasn’t for nothing,’ Su Yun thought to himself.
At least he had a deeper understanding of how to please people.
For example… one shouldn’t be too shrewd or too clever.
Sometimes, pretending to be confused while being fully aware — acting a bit more submissive and well-behaved like those toast cats — actually allowed one to live longer.
There was no need to deliberately act stupid; one only needed to empty one’s head.
The group walked along the commercial street toward the academy, chatting and laughing on the way. Chu Yu’er was still talking about the Flying Chess game from earlier, Ning Die would occasionally chime in with a word or two, and Su Miaomiao followed quietly beside them.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, falling on their hair and shoulders with a faint warmth.
When they reached the academy entrance, Su Yun spotted Mo Qingqing at a glance, sitting on a bench by the gate reading a book.
The afterglow of dusk carried the orange-red clouds of sunset, gently spilling over her and plating her black mage robe with a soft golden edge.
A light breeze blew, lifting a strand of deep purple hair by her ear, the strands fluttering gently in the wind.
She sat there quietly, the lines of her profile exquisite and cold. Her long eyelashes were lowered, making her look like a meticulously painted oil painting, so beautiful that one couldn’t look away.
However, in Su Yun’s eyes, there wasn’t much of a difference between beauty and ugliness.
Whether Mo Qingqing was ugly or beautiful only gave him a tiny, insignificant bit of psychological comfort — ‘Hey, at least she’s good-looking.’
And that was it.
He still had to please her, and he still had to be obedient. His situation wouldn’t change in the slightest because of Mo Qingqing’s appearance.
“See you later!” Su Yun waved his hand toward Chu Yu’er and the others, his voice light and cheerful.
The three girls also waved back before going their separate ways.
Su Yun turned around and quickly walked to Mo Qingqing’s side. Without the slightest hesitation, he directly pounced and rubbed his furry head against Mo Qingqing’s slender palm resting on her lap, like a well-behaved little animal.
His already soft and sweet voice became even more delicate and sugary at this moment, carrying a perfectly measured sense of joy and intimacy.
“Master, I’m back!”
Hearing this, Mo Qingqing slowly put down the book in her hand. Her deep red eyes fell on his face, her gaze indifferent and devoid of emotion.
The only thing present was a flicker of satisfaction that Su Yun couldn’t be sure wasn’t just his imagination.
Her gaze then shifted to the illusory watch face on her wrist, glancing at the time.
“Hmm, not bad. You didn’t make me wait too long.”
As she spoke, she stood up, tucking the book under her arm. Her tone remained as indifferent as ever.
“Let’s go.”