Chapter 61: Hidden Intentions

“Ewan!”

In the quiet, secluded street, the girl’s surprised voice, accompanied by the swaying wind chimes at the door, finally made Ewan feel the chilling bite of late autumn.

“Sa… Sally?”

Ewan stiffly turned his head, even as he silently chanted countless times, ‘This is a hallucination, this is a hallucination.’ Yet, the familiar, pretty face behind oversized black-rimmed glasses was impossible to ignore.

“You… what are you doing here?”

“Why am I here?”

Sally’s expression turned slightly odd. “This is my home.”

What?

Home?

Ewan’s mind went blank for a moment. Then, with a speed that felt as though his cervical spine might groan in protest, he whipped his head around to look at the restaurant’s address.

Durank Street — Number 15!

Damn it!

‘No wonder this address felt so familiar, allowing me to pick it out from a sea of information at a glance.’

‘It’s the very address Sally gave me!’

‘Which means, this is her family’s restaurant!’

‘Strange, did soaking in the Mercury Well for thirty hours completely scramble my brain? How could I forget something so crucial?’

“Ewan, what are you muttering about?”

Sally leaned closer, her cheeks flushed with genuine delight. “Alright, it’s cold out here, don’t just stand around. Come inside with me. I knew you’d still come, Ewan. So I specifically asked my dad to close temporarily and wait inside.”

‘So that’s why your family restaurant is closed on a big weekend!’

“No, never mind. I have other things to do, so I won’t be going in…”

“Huh? Ewan, didn’t you come because of my invitation?”

The excited glow in Sally’s eyes suddenly vanished. Though she stood empty-handed, Ewan inexplicably felt as if she were holding a machete in front of him.

Ewan couldn’t help but shiver.

‘Is this little girl really that terrifying?’

‘And haven’t we only met two or three times? Is she truly so fixated on me?’

‘Could it be that…’

‘She covets my good looks?’

“Um, Sally, actually, today…”

Even so, Ewan still steadfastly intended to refuse Sally’s invitation.

Because compared to the minor inconvenience of being stabbed by a machete, he was even less willing for this date to encounter any more complications.

Having a second woman appear during a date was an absolute taboo!

“Oh my, junior, aren’t you going to introduce this lovely young lady to me?” Just then, Anna suddenly smiled, gently stroking her cheek.

A chill ran down Ewan’s spine, and he shivered.

‘Senior, now is not the time to cause trouble!’

As expected, the moment Anna spoke, Sally’s attention immediately shifted.

She seemed to have just noticed the beautiful woman standing there, and her expression instantly became wary, as if entering battle mode. “Who are you?”

“She’s Senior Anna, an upperclassman from my club.”

Ewan quickly wedged himself between them, forcing himself to make introductions. “This is Sally, a classmate from my grade.”

“Hello, Sally. I’m Anna Campbell.”

Anna extended her hand gracefully, behaving like a magnanimous senior. She seemed utterly unfazed by Sally’s sudden appearance.

“Hello, I’m Sally Friend.”

Sally reached out and lightly shook Anna’s hand.

The moment their hands met, Sally’s body subtly stiffened, a flicker of bewilderment in her eyes.

It quickly returned to normal.

“Senior Anna… are you on a date with Ewan?”

Sally’s gaze behind her black-rimmed glasses swept over them both, a hint of suspicion in her eyes.

‘Here it comes!’

Ewan tensed.

According to his experience from countless romance manga in his previous life, the answer at this moment had to be subtle, so as not to escalate the conflict.

Otherwise, a girl like Sally, who appeared soft and weak but was actually prone to overthinking, could easily turn dark!

‘Subtle, it must be subtle.’

“Yes, it seems he’s trying to woo me,” Anna stated bluntly.

Ahhh!

‘Senior, what on earth are you saying?!’

‘Didn’t you deny this was a date earlier and warn me not to harbor any other intentions?’

‘Why did you suddenly change your tune?!’

“Is… is that so? Haha, is that really how it is?”

Sure enough, the hard-earned glow in Sally’s eyes once again dissipated.

Judging by her expression, it felt as though she might pull out a machete at any moment, shout, ‘Let’s split him in half!’ and rush forward, hacking Ewan twice—once for his head, once for his stomach.

The horrifying image made Ewan instinctively shrink back.

But unexpectedly, Sally quickly recovered, and it even seemed her fighting spirit had been considerably ignited.

“I… I won’t give up!”

She clenched her fists, as if to encourage herself. “That’s right, I won’t give up so easily!”

With that, she extended another invitation to Ewan. “Judging by the time, Ewan, you must be hungry. Since you’re already here, why not come in, sit down, and try my dad’s cooking?”

“No… I don’t think so.” Ewan shook his head vigorously.

‘Are you kidding? Going in under these circumstances would be like willingly jumping into a fiery pit!’

‘No, absolutely not!’

“Sounds good.”

But Anna smiled and replied, “I’m hungry too, and I’m sure Junior Sally wouldn’t mind one more person.”

‘So, Senior, what exactly are you doing?!’

Ewan looked horrified, but Senior Anna seemed not to notice, maintaining her charming smile.

She stared at Sally, seemingly confirming something, or perhaps lost in thought.

Seeing Anna agree first, Sally, though displeased, understood that this was the only way to persuade Ewan.

So, she cast another pitiful glance at Ewan. “It’s come to this, Ewan… you won’t refuse now, will you?”

“…”

****

Upon entering the restaurant, it was just as the guide’s pictures and descriptions had portrayed. This small, private restaurant boasted an elegant ambiance and exquisite decor, making it truly ideal for a date.

“Let me introduce you, this is my father.”

After they were seated, Sally brought over a stern-faced middle-aged man.

“Hello, Uncle.”

“Hello.”

Ewan and Anna greeted him politely, but the middle-aged man merely nodded silently before retreating back into the innermost room.

A rhythmic chopping sound soon emanated from within.

“I apologize, my father isn’t very good at socializing,” Sally said apologetically, scratching her head.

Ewan and Anna naturally didn’t mind.

“Then you two wait here for a bit; I’ll go help in the kitchen. This time, I’m determined to impress Ewan with my cooking!”

Sally, full of renewed fighting spirit, headed into the kitchen.

Thus, in the pleasant little restaurant, only Ewan and Anna remained.

“So, Senior, what exactly do you want to do?”

After a brief silence, Ewan, with a sense of helplessness, looked at Anna, whose intentions he still couldn’t fathom. “Are you simply trying to make fun of me?”

“How could that be? Am I such a bad senior?”

“Aren’t you?”

“Heh heh… then let’s say I am.”

Anna chuckled, then her tone shifted. “Junior, that little girl named Sally seems to like you.”

“But I don’t like her.”

Ewan looked into Anna’s eyes, speaking earnestly. “While she is indeed a very nice girl, in truth, we’ve only met a few times.

I don’t like her, Senior.”

“Is that so? Then, Junior, could you do me a favor?”

“What favor?”

“Help me…”

Anna looked at Ewan, then suddenly flashed a mischievous, impish grin. “Make her cry.”