Chapter 1413: Intermission 5: The Stalking Girl (5)

Leon’s POV

I went to the place where Charlotte had asked me to meet her.

The restaurant had been getting a ridiculous amount of attention lately because of the delicacies they served. People had been talking about it nonstop, and honestly, the place had been on a pretty insane streak these past few weeks. You’d hear people mention it casually in conversations, see lines forming outside during peak hours, and somehow, there were still people trying to reserve seats even though the place was already packed half the time.

The restaurant itself was one of the subsidiaries under the Leonamon Company.

Even though it was technically a subsidiary, it wasn’t like Leonamon directly controlled every single thing here. The company mostly handled the broader support side of things while the actual management of the restaurant operated separately.

The one managing the food, staff, and overall operations was Amy herself.

Honestly, seeing that still felt a little surreal sometimes.

Amy used to be nothing more than a waitress at the Leonamon cake shop. Back then, she looked like the kind of person who would accidentally walk into the wrong room while carrying a tray and somehow still smile her way out of it. Half the time, she looked like her thoughts were floating somewhere several kilometers away from reality.

And yet somehow, here she was now, managing an entire restaurant that was becoming one of the most popular places around.

Life really worked in weird ways sometimes.

Because of that, Amy had gotten surprisingly good at handling things related to food management, customer service, scheduling, and basically everything needed to keep a restaurant functioning properly.

Which was honestly impressive.

Very impressive.

Especially considering how much of an airhead she naturally was.

I still remembered moments where she’d stare blankly into space for several seconds before suddenly remembering what she was doing. The fact that someone like her could develop enough skill to handle a business this successfully was genuinely admirable.

Well, I guess that just showed how absurd Amon’s instincts were when it came to spotting potential harem members for me.

The guy seriously had an eye for talent.

Or maybe he was just lucky.

Honestly, at this point, I wasn’t even sure anymore.

"You’re late."

Charlotte puffed her cheeks the moment she saw me, looking exactly like an annoyed puffer fish. It was honestly kind of funny seeing her make that expression while trying to look serious.

At times like this, her childish side really showed itself.

She had matured a lot compared to before. Anyone could see that. The way she carried herself, the way she spoke, even the atmosphere around her felt more refined now.

Still, some parts of her personality clearly hadn’t changed at all.

"Sorry, sorry," I said while raising a hand lightly. "Something came up, and I wanted to check on it for a moment."

The funny thing was that I wasn’t even that late.

I had arrived literally one minute after the agreed time.

One minute.

Apparently, though, according to Charlotte’s standards, that already qualified as a crime against punctuality.

"Well, I guess that’s fine," she said with a small huff before her usual smile returned. "So? What do you think about my dress?"

The sudden shift in mood almost gave me whiplash.

She looked genuinely excited while asking that question too.

Honestly, she looked really good in it.

She was wearing an off shoulder dress that extended all the way down toward her legs. The design naturally blended into the skirt, making it look like a smooth one-piece outfit.

The dress suited her surprisingly well.

It highlighted her mature side while somehow still matching the naturally playful aura she carried around. That balance was hard to pull off, but she somehow managed it without looking awkward.

"It looks good on you," I told her honestly.

"Fufufu..." she giggled proudly, looking way too pleased with herself.

Then she glanced toward the girl sitting beside her.

Although honestly, calling her a "girl" felt slightly inaccurate now.

Ella looked different today.

Usually, she gave off a cute and energetic vibe, especially with the twin tails she almost always wore. Right now, though, she looked far more elegant and feminine.

If I had to describe her properly, "a graceful young lady" would probably fit the best.

"How about Ella, Leon?" Charlotte asked with a grin. "You’re not planning to forget complimenting her too, right?"

"I wasn’t," I replied before turning toward Ella properly.

She wasn’t wearing her usual twin-tail hairstyle today. Her hair was styled more naturally, and combined with her outfit, it gave her a much more mature impression than usual.

Honestly, it suited her really well too.

"You look beautiful as well, Ella," I told her.

"T-Thank you..." Ella replied softly while blushing almost immediately.

Well, there it was.

Even though she looked more mature now, her natural shyness still showed through almost instantly.

That part of her probably wasn’t changing anytime soon.

Then again, that was normal.

A person could change their appearance, grow older, or mature emotionally, but their natural personality usually stayed somewhere underneath all of that.

"I wasn’t talking about her appearance, though," Charlotte suddenly said.

"Hm?"

"I meant her clothes," she continued while crossing her arms proudly. "But I guess that still counts. You pass."

"I didn’t realize I was being graded," I said.

Charlotte looked ridiculously satisfied with herself after hearing that.

Honestly, she looked like a teacher who had just approved a student’s homework.

"Well, anyway," I continued, "what’s the plan?"

"Well, we were planning to have dinner here with you," Charlotte said. "Is that request really that difficult to approve?"

"Well, not really," I replied. "It’s not like I came here just to say hi."

The moment I said that, Charlotte puffed her cheeks again for a brief second before smiling right after.

Seriously, her expressions changed fast.

Then she motioned for me to sit down.

I took the seat across from them while Ella quietly sat down as well.

Compared to Charlotte, Ella looked noticeably nervous.

Her posture was stiff, and she kept fidgeting slightly with her hands like she wasn’t fully relaxed yet. Even the way she avoided direct eye contact every few seconds made it obvious.

Honestly, I didn’t really understand why she was so nervous.

It was just dinner.

Well... maybe "just dinner" wasn’t entirely accurate considering Charlotte’s tendency to turn simple situations into something dramatic for fun.

Actually, now that I thought about it, maybe Ella had every reason to be nervous after all.