Chapter Forty-Two: The Entire Café Is Filled with Monsters

Why is this high school student here again!

Seeing Cheng Feng walk in, Ginger the Cat was filled with dread. Ever since she had accidentally revealed her true form to this man, she’d been walking on eggshells, terrified he might report her to the Disaster Association and bring a horde of demon hunters.

Although this man was half a vampire himself—a creature, in other words—it was unlikely he’d ally himself with the hunters. But last time, he’d even known that killing machine, Liu Shiyu, which made anything possible.

Did he bring demon hunters with him this time?

Ginger was so frightened she didn’t dare say a word, even forgetting her usual greeting. Cheng Feng, however, didn’t notice the nervous expression on the maid behind the counter. He simply led the class monitor inside and found a seat, as if he was perfectly at home.

Seeing this, Ginger finally let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps she was overthinking things. She turned and hurried to the kitchen to find the manager and let him know what was happening.

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Sitting by the window with Cheng Feng, Xia Qingyao was clearly visiting this café for the first time. Her impression was that the establishment was new, clean, and luxuriously decorated.

She glanced around, unable to hide her curiosity, and was fascinated by the maids, each adorned with cat-ear headbands, bustling around to serve the guests.

Cheng Feng slid the menu across the table and sat back, crossing his legs with a grand air. “Class monitor, don’t stand on ceremony with me. Order whatever you like.”

After all, he owed her a meal; it wasn’t as if she’d be paying.

Xia Qingyao couldn’t be bothered to retort. She picked up the menu, flipped through a couple of pages, and ordered a few dishes and two cups of coffee.

The rain outside wouldn’t stop any time soon, so she might as well have lunch while she was here.

The two of them, usually at odds in class, had little to talk about; their interactions were mostly bickering. The atmosphere was quiet.

Cheng Feng was used to it. He rested his elbow on the table, chin in his palm, gazing idly at the storm outside the window.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Xia Qingyao sitting somewhat stiffly.

Whenever someone passed by, she would unconsciously avert her gaze, as if afraid of being noticed, worried about something.

“Class monitor, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Cheng Feng suddenly had a thought and blurted out, “Is it that time of the month?”

“How can you talk to a girl like that?” Xia Qingyao shot him a glare.

Cheng Feng pressed, “Then what is it?”

Xia Qingyao hesitated before voicing her concern. “There are so many people here, and it’s close to school. If someone we know sees us…”

She hadn’t thought much before coming in, but now, seated, she realized that most of the guests were couples.

It dawned on her that it was Sunday. If a classmate saw her and Cheng Feng together in a café, it could easily be misunderstood.

The school had strict rules forbidding relationships between male and female students. As class monitor, she least wanted to be caught up in such a scandal.

“That’s all? Why worry about that?” Cheng Feng looked unconcerned. “It’s pouring outside. No student would come to a café in this weather, let alone someone we know.”

“Really?” Xia Qingyao looked uneasy.

“Of course. On rainy days like this, boys are at home gaming, girls are lying on the sofa watching dramas. Who’d come to a café together unless they were dating? You need to be really close for that.”

Hearing this, Xia Qingyao felt as if she’d been teased. Her cheeks flushed. “Forget it, I’m going to the restroom.”

As she got up, Cheng Feng paid little attention. Then he heard footsteps approaching, thinking it was a waitress bringing their coffee.

He looked up and saw it wasn’t a maid, but a middle-aged man with graying hair—the manager of the café.

“Hello, sir.”

The elderly manager’s hair was neatly combed, his expression gentle and approachable. He radiated a calm, understated composure.

Cheng Feng had met him once before, during his last visit; the manager had treated him to a coffee then.

The manager set the two cups of coffee on the table and asked kindly, “May I sit here? I’d like to have a word with you.”

“Go ahead.” Cheng Feng didn’t refuse; after all, Xia Qingyao had gone to the restroom and wouldn’t return for a while.

He was curious; what did this manager, whom he’d only met once, want from him?

After sitting down, the manager asked calmly, “You’ve visited us twice now. Have you noticed anything unusual about the guests in this café?”

“Unusual?” Cheng Feng was puzzled, but the manager quickly offered an answer. “Most of them… are monsters.”

“Monsters?!”

Cheng Feng was stunned, sweeping his gaze around. The guests were chatting, savoring their coffee, unaware of anything amiss.

If not for the manager’s words, Cheng Feng would never have guessed these people were monsters disguised as humans.

Impossible—why didn’t I smell anything?

He was confused; he possessed a vampire’s sense of smell, yet he hadn’t detected anything unusual about these people.

“Are you wondering why, as a vampire, you couldn’t sense the monsters’ scent?” The manager sensed Cheng Feng’s thoughts and explained, “I’ve placed a barrier in the café to block the scent of monsters. That way, even if a demon hunter enters, they won’t be able to tell.”

Cheng Feng grew wary and asked in a low voice, “Manager, are you also…?”

“Yes, I am a monster too.”

The manager showed no hostility, his gentle face smiling warmly. “I mean no harm. Please don’t be so guarded.”

Only then did Cheng Feng realize that all the maids in the café were likely monsters as well.

He had unknowingly entered a monster’s territory twice, even drank their coffee, yet nothing bad had happened.

In that case, the manager’s claim of goodwill seemed credible.

“You saw Ginger’s cat ears last time. I assumed you might have noticed something.” The manager’s smile faded as he sighed. “I investigated. Although you’re a vampire, you’ve joined the Disaster Association, gaining the status of a demon hunter. You could very well lead a team to purge this place.”

Cheng Feng now understood. The maid’s cat ears were real, not just a costume—she was a cat demon.

The elderly manager folded his hands on the table and spoke solemnly, “We’ve been running this café for seven years. We have never harmed or eaten anyone. We treat human customers with respect and courtesy.”

Monsters who don’t harm people?

This was the first time Cheng Feng had heard such a thing. If the manager was telling the truth, then there was no reason for enmity between them.

He frowned. “Even if you truly don’t eat people, humans won’t accept any monsters. Shouldn’t you keep a low profile? Why run a café in plain sight?”

“I know, but… To survive in human society, we cannot avoid contact with humans. I genuinely hope monsters and humans can coexist peacefully.”

The manager’s aged face was earnest, his tone sincere. “We just want a quiet, stable life. This café is our home. I hope you, as one of us, won’t destroy what we have here.

As a demon hunter, you know that if the Disaster Association discovers a gathering of monsters here—even if they don’t eat people—they will exterminate us without mercy.”