The calm music, along with my coffee, brought me peace. I felt so content and relaxed that I could definitely see myself coming back here.
Taking another sip of my coffee, I let Ophi handle most of the talking.
"You have no idea how many times I've been hit on just in this first week!" she said, sipping her tea before continuing. "It's so annoying, especially when most of them don't even want me for me."
"Well, to be fair, they are young men who probably haven't found themselves yet."
"I don't care about their reasons. It pisses me off!"
"I can understand that."
"Ha? Can you really? You went straight for my Kate and got her!"
"Honestly, it was a complete accident. Maybe you shouldn't look and just let things come to you naturally."
"Okay, old man."
"Ah yes... the heavenly dao is my pursuit," I said, mimicking all those wuxia protagonists I used to read about. It wasn't mocking, I genuinely loved the genre and the whole cultivation concept.
"God, you have no shame."
"And you have no relationship!"
"G-Really unnecessary!"
I shrugged, taking another big sip of my coffee.
Ding~
Ophi's phone went off, and I could read the contact from across the table. She was one of the brave few who didn't lock their messages behind a password. She really was the SUPER open type.
'For someone like her, she'd need a super introvert or an even greater extrovert! Oh. A perfectly balanced ambivert could work well!' I waited for her to finish texting Kate and took the opportunity to think of a way to help Ophi.
Putting her phone down, she sighed with a wry smile. I couldn't lie. I was curious about the follow-up messages!
Ophi must've picked up on this because she started talking.
"Kate's upset that I didn't tell her about this trip I've got for work," Ophi said, twirling her straw absentmindedly in her tea, the soft clink-clink against the glass almost masking the sigh in her voice.
"Oh yeah? What do you do?" I asked, leaning forward slightly, curiosity piqued. The smooth edge of my coffee cup felt cool against my fingertips as I shifted it aside.
"I'm a designer!" she chirped, flashing a proud little smile.
"Seriously?" My mouth fell open slightly.
Until now, I hadn't really pegged her for the type. But as I gave her a real look —not the casual glances from before— the details started to pop out. The cut of her jacket was too sharp, too deliberate. Her shirt had an effortless drape that screamed custom tailoring, and I could even spot a small, sleek brand logo stitched neatly on the left side of her chest.
She hurriedly crossed her arms over her chest, the fabric of her jacket bunching awkwardly under the sudden movement and of course...
"How would Kate feel about you ogling me like this?!" she accused, her voice pitched high, half-scandalized, half-teasing.
I shook my head, fighting back a laugh. The chair creaked lightly beneath me as I shifted my weight."Whatever. You know exactly why I was 'ogling' you."
"Tch! Come on~ Play with me!" she whined, dragging out the words in a sing-song tone that practically wrapped around me like a silk ribbon.
And the way she said it, damn. It was way too seductive, the playful lilt of her voice dipping just low enough to send a shiver down my spine.
I stared at her, my eyes narrowed and conflicted, like I was facing down some tiny but dangerous force of nature.
"I need to keep Kate away from you. She can't pick up these habits!" I said, jabbing a finger at her in mock accusation.
Ophi leaned across the table, her smile sharp enough to cut, the glint in her green eyes downright mischievous.
"HEY! What if she used them on you, huh?! Wouldn't you love that?" she teased, her voice dropping into a low, knowing purr that sent a ripple of warning through my gut.
My breath hitched for half a second. "S-So you know what you were doing?!"
She sat back smugly, arms folded, her expression the picture of unrepentant pride."Absolutely!"
I exhaled a slow, heavy sigh and muttered under my breath, "...And you call me shameless."
"Hmph!" She gave me the middle finger, which made me laugh. One, because it was used the same way here as it was on Earth, and two, because the way she pouted made her look like a squirrel with a mouth full of nu–acorns! ACORNS!
[Haha~ That was so unnecessary.]
Disregarding Ezryn, I kept my mind far away from unnecessary thoughts. All I knew was that Kate couldn't learn from Ophi regarding certain matters. If Kate ended up picking up tricks from this super extrovert, I'd lose my soul. Kate with Ophi's skills would be deadly for me, I don't think I could retaliate.
Click~
'Huh?'
Ophi had taken a picture of me with her phone, and before I could even ask to see it, she hid her phone.
Ding~
My phone rang at the perfect time. Almost too perfect. Grabbing it, I looked at the notification. It was Kate!
[Kate❣️: Don't worry. I know what she's doing to you. It's just her bonding method. It means she likes you!
P.S. Don't get any ideas (๑`^´๑)]
Reading the message, I glanced at the ever-guilty Ophi, who was fake-whistling and very intentionally avoiding my eyes. I just calmly took another sip of my coffee and responded to my lovely Kate.
[Me: I won't. But we seriously need to get her a boyfriend or something! (｀ε´)]
Kate didn't respond immediately, so I figured class had caught her attention. Putting my phone down on the table, I left the screen facing up. Unlike Ophi, my notifications needed face unlock.
"Tch."
The sharp sound of her tongue click sliced through the mellow café air.
I looked at the green-eyed villainess across from me, her glare practically humming with playful irritation. Her fingers drummed against the table, a restless rhythm that gave her away even more than the pout curling her lips.
"I thought she'd play along!" she huffed, her green eyes narrowing like a cat denied a treat.
I leaned back lazily in my chair, letting a smug smile stretch across my face. "She just loves me—H-GU?!"
Pain bloomed across my shin like a firework.
'SHE KICKED MY LEG?!'
The table rattled slightly from the sudden jolt, and I barely stopped myself from yelping like an idiot in the middle of the café.