There must be a lot of people inside, right? Thinking that, Ye Su slowly walked in.

But the place was nothing like he’d imagined. Apart from the pastries filling the shop, there wasn’t another person in sight. It was completely deserted. Even the owner was dozing at the counter—Ye Su might’ve missed her if he hadn’t looked closely.

“Ahh... A customer? Huh? How come there’s a customer?” the owner mumbled, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

She was a cute little girl. Well... probably still a bit older than the body he was in. But wasn’t there something a little off about what she’d just said? What did she mean, “How come there’s a customer”?

Ye Su realized all his earlier conclusions had been wrong. There was definitely something strange about this shop. It didn’t have a single customer, which suggested the quality wasn’t very good.

“Now then, young customer, would you like to buy some of these delicious pastries—or buy me~?” It was pretty strange for a girl in her teens to say something so provocative to him.

Still, as the shut-in he’d been in his previous life, he couldn’t hold his tongue. The words slipped out before he could stop himself.

“Of course I’d buy you, miss!”

“Hahaha... You’re a funny little boy! Big Sis isn’t for sale! I bet your little D hasn’t even grown any hair yet, has it?” The owner was taken aback by his unexpected answer. Inwardly, she lamented that kids these days weren’t as cute as they used to be. Weren’t they supposed to turn bright red and start steaming from the head at a moment like this?

Ye Su couldn’t help thinking, So you’re a dirty old lady too.

“Tch. Fine, don’t sell yourself. My big sister’s a hundred times prettier than you!” Ye Su hadn’t expected her to mock him, so he fired right back.

The girl’s expression darkened.

“You little brat! What did you say?”

Just as she was about to teach the kid a proper lesson, a crowd suddenly rushed into the shop. Every one of them carried a gleaming weapon—long knives, swords, even war hammers. They all had black scarves wrapped around their faces. If this world had a precedent for pulling stockings over your head, they might’ve gone with black stockings instead.

At that moment, the girl suddenly flung Ye Su behind the counter. He hit the floor and landed on his back.

Damn, miss, did you really have to use that much force? That hurt! But Ye Su didn’t dare make a sound. The people who’d just come in clearly weren’t good news. Why did trouble follow him everywhere he went? It wasn’t like he’d sworn brotherhood with some elementary-school detective.

“You thought you could hide from us by opening a little bakery in some backwater?” The masked man’s voice boomed with crushing force as he bore down on the girl.

He was using the skill [Intimidation]. It didn’t seem to have much effect on the girl, but Ye Su, crouched on the floor behind the counter, felt like his head was about to split open. The voice was loud and grating, and fear welled up inside him.

“Hand it over, Kuxi. If you do, we can let bygones be bygones and pretend you’re already dead.” Seeing that his intimidation wasn’t working, the man put the skill away and spoke in a normal voice. But his words left no room for refusal.

“I don’t have it. You can threaten me all you want—it won’t do you any good.” The girl looked unconcerned, but her black-stockinged legs, hidden behind the counter, were trembling nonstop. She’d probably been holding out against the intimidation, and now she was terrified.