CHAPTER 417: FIRST DATE [PART 1]

Alex stood at the meeting place, expecting to wait for the next thirty minutes.

He had set out earlier than he needed to out of habit. In his previous life, his Guildmaster, Noelle, had always appeared half an hour before the agreed meeting time.

The young man was onl dressed with casual, basic clothes. And yet, that was more than enough for some ladies to approach him and ask him out.

Naturally, Alex apologized and told them that he was meeting with someone.

Just as he was thinking of buying a snack while he waited, he noticed someone walking toward him from the corner of his eye.

There, in a white dress and a wide-brimmed hat was a beautiful girl who looked awfully familiar to someone he knew.

"Sorry, Alex, did you wait long?" the young lady asked.

The young man momentarily forgot to greet the lady in front of him because he didn’t recognize her!

If she hadn’t called out to him first, he might have thought that she was someone else.

"E-Evangeline?" Alex asked as she came to a stop right before him.

A giggle escaped Evangeline’s lips when she saw Alex’s dumbfounded expression. A part of her was delighted that Eleanora’s prediction—that she would leave Alex speechless—had come true.

"Yes, it’s me, Eva," Evangeline answered. "Have you been waiting for a long time?"

"No. I just arrived." Alex lightly patted his chest in a vain bid to calm his heart to calm down.

He knew that Evangeline would look gorgeous if she dressed up. She was already beautiful to begin with, but he usually only saw her in her uniform.

Also, she was sporting a new hairstyle today that made her look angelic.

The perfect example of a young maiden who was going on a date for the first time in her life.

"Um, have you eaten lunch?" Alex asked, doing his best to start a conversation.

"Not yet," Evangeline replied. "...I was so busy preparing for this date."

Alex wasn’t able to catch her last few words because her voice was barely above a whisper. "Very well," he said. "Do you have any preferences? Any dish you’re craving? Any food allergies?"

Evangeline thought for a moment. "I can eat almost anything. I don’t have any food allergies either."

From a safe distance away, another young lady—who was wearing a mask and glasses—observed them.

After hearing the exchange between the two teenagers, Eleanora was about ready to die of secondhand embarrassment. People who carried themselves so confidently—like Alex and Evangeline—shouldn’t be allowed to be this awkward in conversations!

’What the hell is wrong with you, Alex?!’ Eleanora clenched her fist. ’You should compliment her dress first! Damn it! This is basic!’

Unfortunately for the handmaiden, the conversation did not get more exciting. Without any banter or wit, the two quickly settled on eating at one of the city’s most famous restaurants.

’At least they’re efficient,’ Eleanora grumbled as she followed them.

She was so focused on Alex and Evangeline that she didn’t notice that two other ladies were trailing behind her.

"I knew it," Lumi muttered. "Tonight, Alex will be sleeping on the floor."

"... Isn’t this too early to assume anything?" Lavinia commented. "Also, why is Alex sleeping on the floor tonight?"

Yesterday, Lumi had asked Alex out on a picnic with Latifa and Lavinia.

She had been so fed up waiting for her Mistress and her friend to make their moves.

Lumi had even declared that Alex was so immune to romantic cues that even Cupid himself had given up aiming arrows at him.

You could slap him, confess, and cry within a single minute and he would probably offer you a handkerchief and ask if you’re hungry.

Of course, Lumi was mistaken.

Alex wasn’t that comically or unbelievably dense. In fact, he was well aware of how Latifa and Lavinia felt about him.

While he wasn’t a hundred percent sure that they loved him, he was certain that their relationships were on the cusp of tilting into romance.

But after that exciting time at Slime Paradise, Alex had decided to focus on unearthing the identity of "Alex Stratos" first. Remaining ignorant of his background would open him up to dangers he couldn’t even see.

"How about we just join Eleanora?" Lavinia suggested. "She seems to be tailing them as well."

"I don’t trust her enough," Lumi answered. "Besides, why should I support a thieving cat?"

Lavinia blinked. "Are you talking about me?"

"Of course not," Lumi exclaimed. "Why would I call you a thief?"

"I don’t know. But I’m the only cat here."

Lumi stared at her friend for a few moments. "Let’s just," she finally said, "follow them and gather evidence of his cheating ways."

Before Lavinia could reply, Lumi was already following Eleanora’s footsteps. The vampire had made sure to always be in their targets’ blind spots to avoid detection.

Lumi didn’t trust Eleanora, but she didn’t think it was necessary to do extra work either.

Left with no choice, Lavinia caught up with Lumi. She, too, really wanted to know why Alex and Evangeline were meeting today.

When they finally arrived at the restaurant, Alex asked the waitress to take them to one of the private rooms so they could dine in peace.

Eleanora overheard that. When Alex and Evangeline were safely in the restaurant, Eleanora asked the waitress if she could eat in a private room too.

However, the waitress apologetically told her it wasn’t possible because the rooms were not meant for solo diners.

Even though she offered to pay extra, the waitress was firm. Instead, she suggested a table on the balcony.

"Although the balcony is only on the second floor, the view is still charming in its own way," the waitress said with a polite smile.

But was Eleanora here to admire the scenery? No! She was here to prevent her mistress’s heart from being charmed away!

Just as she was thinking of what to do next, two ladies—also wearing masks and sunglasses like her—approached the waitress and asked for the private room beside the one that Alex and Evangeline had taken.

The corner of Eleanora’s lips twitched. She immediately recognized the Foxkin and the Catkin. It went without saying that they were probably doing the exact same thing as her.

The waitress blinked because the three teenage girls were dressed similarly.

"Table for three?" the waitress asked as she picked up a couple of menus.

The three glanced at each other before nodding their heads at the same time.

An unspoken agreement had instantly formed between the three of them. If their goal was the same, they would be fools not to team up!

As soon as they finished ordering the Group Lunch Package and shooed the waitress out, they stuck their ears against the wall separating them from Alex and Evangeline.