Another honeymoon morning. Wake-up together, cooking breakfast, eating while talking about one thing or another.

“Oh, honey. Girls and I are planning to throw a little party for Pat’s cake day between the four of us. So, um, it will most likely end up as a sleepover at Mimi’s place again.” Olivia brought the news up.

“Am I not invited?” I joked back.

“Ugh. Do you think it’s a good idea?” She asked back.

“Well, I have a wide range of experience in… entertaining girl’s parties, you know.” I wiggled my eyebrows.

My girlfriend gave me a knowing smile, indicating that she read into a joke. For better effect, my silly girl started counting on her fingers.

“I’m all for this. Mimi won’t mind either way. The poor Su will spend the whole evening panicking, overthinking what her young master wants from her.” Olivia paused for a moment, a weird frown appearing on her face. “ As for my bestie… Ugh, I guess it will end up in a fight between me and that

thieving cat, since she wouldn’t be able to keep her paws to herself.”

My girlfriend huffed. Oh, so that’s how her seriously jealous face looks. I put another mental note to avoid Patricia’s advances. Surprisingly, it was an easy choice to make. Even the beast voted for keeping Olivia’s smile.

“I guess it’s a pass, then,” I concluded.

The rest of the breakfast was spent in small-talk, until Yin’s arrival to escort Olivia with her to the school. I kissed my silly girl goodbye, and patted the Su clan's first young lady’s head, much to her embarrassment.

“Keep Olivia safe, Yin.” I added, looking her in the eyes. A moment later, I added another thing. “And yourself too.”

The petite brunette got even more flustered and scuttled out, stuttering her goodbyes. All the while, my girlfriend just shook her head wryly and giggled at our little one-sided exchange.

***

After the girls left, I got myself busy.

Morning routine. Breakfast. Ignoring another weird pic from Bella. Cup of coffee to calm my irritation. Didn’t help. Today, she decided to combine the last three selfie ideas into one picture…

What is wrong with this bitch? As I was contemplating this thought, my phone started ringing. I looked at the caller’s name, Lady in Black.

“Hello, grandmother,” I greeted Kouzuki Miya.

“Good morning, Tian,” she responded with a greeting of her own. “My husband will meet with you as soon as you are ready. I will pick you up in thirty minutes to finish the suit fittings.”

This was a bit too pushy for my taste, but… I weighed the possibilities. There was no harm in giving in that much.

“Sure,” I acknowledged her words. “See you soon, grandmother.”

“Till we meet again,” she said her goodbye and ended the call.

I looked at the phone again, and decided to leave Bella on ‘read’. Dun wanna feed her new hobby.

To not waste time, I decided to get ready. Today’s style of choice was casual-bis, something very familiar to my future self, coupled with the best pair of leather shoes I had. Oh, right, I forgot to bring up the matter of Pierre last time.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I was certain that Lady in Black won’t forget something so trivial as matching accessories to the suit, yet I opted to don the best available options in my closet. Just in case.

Double-checking the time, still on schedule, I took my keys, phone, and wallet, and left the apartment.

Thinking about the possible ways the conversation with Long Hào can go, I walked toward my usual parking spot. Huh, it seems like this started turning into a habit already.

My thoughts went to the possible places this bodyguard of mine hid today. I had a few minutes to kill, and there were no cars fancy enough to house my grandmother in sight. Should I play with my shadow a bit?

Deciding that there was nothing else for me to do anyway, I leisurely strolled towards my car. Oh, the shadow did choose a new place to hide again, I caught their gaze and nodded in greeting.

Huh? There was another figure in my field of vision. The lacking-out-of-ten girl was here again. Are we fated or something? I shook my head to chase away a silly thought.

“Hey,” I called out.

The girl shuddered, clearly recognizing my voice.

“Yes, yes. I am already leaving,” she responded before I could even say anything.

I took a moment to think about her words.

“Eh, and I was just about to give you the green light,” I told her half-jokingly.

My words stunned her for a brief moment.

“Really?” the girl asked.

“I'm not in a rush today, and this car is a much better overall choice,” I explained. “So, go ahead. Just be careful and don’t damage the car.”

The girl looked at me in disbelief. Then her expression morphed into one of ‘cute and appreciative’. I knew this one decently well, even though it became almost useless for me after my first growth spurt.

“Ah, thank you, mister?” she asked for my name, adorably tilting her head to the side.

I almost applauded. My earlier guess about her having a good grasp on how her attractiveness affects people around her was all but confirmed. The implementation was a bit rough at the edges, though. Or maybe, as another professional liar, I just had too much bias?

My phone started ringing again. I looked around and noticed the same car my grandmother used yesterday.

“Seems like the time is up,” I changed the topic. “Good luck with your job, miss.”

I gave her a patented ‘I know’ smile number… Was it the second or third? Damn, I really need to refresh my acting skills.

Not waiting for the reply from the visibly surprised girl, I went toward the waiting car.

Oh, right. I waved a stealthy goodbye to the still-hidden shadow.

***

A familiar figure wearing a regal black kimono met me inside that overly luxurious car. After brief yet sincere greetings, a small talk started as usual.

The lady in Black kept asking me questions, I was answering them. All the while, for some reason that kept eluding me, I was actually having fun with this conversation.

An odd sense of dissonance kept bothering me. As if a few wrong notes were mixed into the usual rhythm of the conversation with my grandmother…

I took a closer look at my conversation partner. Nothing strange, nothing different.

Same clothes, same light make up she always wore, same regal posture, the tone of her voice and way she spoke… Even those minor gestures which most people weren’t aware they performed on a constant basis were the same.

‘Ah, this reminds me about the time when Maya and I used to do the same thing,’ rang the laughing voice of Kouzuki Miya in my head.

Another glance, this time analyzing deeply, my brain went into overdrive, something I only used in a serious combat. With other monsters like myself.

Ah, so this was bothering me. The Kouzuki Twins really were extremely alike. And Kouzuki Maya knew her sister the best.

The Lady in White did an incredible job impersonating the Lady in Black. She copied the mannerisms down to a T; the differences were so incredibly slight. A few millimeters here, half a bit there.

The Lady in White was wearing black. Now, this was an oxymoron.

A brief moment of contemplation, and I brought up a story that I told Lady in Black yesterday. A glimpse of genuine interest and amusement served as a dead giveaway.

I smiled and relaxed into the comfortable seat. After a bit of consideration, I decided to let my grandma have her fun for a bit longer, and just told her more stories.