Elder brother's garrison

"Understood." The shop manager smiled at Xiaobai, took back the change in his hand, and handed a menu to the two of them.

The waitress looked at the menu and pointed to it: "I want this, and this too."

"A latte and a blueberry cheesecake, right? Got it." The manager looked at Xiaobai.

"Uh, I'm the same as her." Xiaobai nodded quickly.

The little girl shopkeeper walked to the coffee machine on one side of the counter and quickly got to work.

Xiao Bai glanced back at the male admiral and found him sitting somewhat helplessly in his seat. Xiao Bai then looked at the female server and noticed that she also seemed a little sullen.

"Sister, you don't seem to be in a good mood?"

"Huh? Is there any?"

"Ah."

"Oh." The waitress fiddled with the menu, looking at the coffee options with some boredom. "...That person, the one over there."

"The admiral from earlier?"

"...Well, he's not good enough." The waitress sighed. "Maybe he thinks he's working hard and is very capable for the sake of the ship girls, but the relationship between the ship girls and the admiral shouldn't be like that."

"..."

“He’s a good person, and a gentle admiral. But an admiral like that won’t do.” The waitress fiddled with the menu. “If he keeps hiding the truth, his ship girls will eventually wear him down.”

Xiao Bai looked at the waitress's profile and smiled: "Sister, are you thinking of a way to help him?"

"I'm not interested in those herbivorous men." The waitress shook her head and looked at Xiaobai. "What, you want to help him?"

"I don't know..." Xiaobai shook his head.

There are too many admirals in this world who encounter such difficulties, and Xiaobai really can't help them all. This kind of kindness is not kindness, it's willfulness.

"You can give him your invitation, then he can come in," the waitress said to Xiaobai.

"...What will happen to me then?"

"You're not qualified then."

"..." Xiaobai smiled awkwardly.

At this moment, the manager brought back the two cups of coffee.

The conversation between Xiaobai and the waitress ended.

"What kind of pattern would you like on your coffee?" the manager asked the two people in front of him.

"World Famous Paintings"

"Shout or sunflower?"

"Get me one of each."

"Ok."

The shop manager took the tools and squeezed them onto the coffee cups of Xiaobai and the waitress, creating whimsical patterns, before gently pushing them in front of them.

Two small plates of blueberry cake were brought out of the kitchen by the store manager and placed in front of the two people.

Xiao Bai looked at the pattern on the coffee cup, which resembled a world-famous painting, with some surprise: "That's amazing..."

"Thank you," the shop manager said with a smile.

"...Are you really that good at drawing?"

"Is that so? My friends all say my drawings are weird."

"...Um, may I ask the store manager how old you are...?"

“13 years old,” the shop manager said with a smile.

"..." Xiaobai silently drank his coffee.

Someone who's only thirteen can draw world-famous paintings on coffee, what about a novice like me?

When Xiaobai was thirteen years old, he hadn't even become an admiral.

I suddenly feel so ashamed.

It has to be said that Ella's taste is indeed unique. Although the cakes and coffee at this cafe are a little more expensive than Xiaobai expected, they are indeed quite delicious.

During the conversation, Xiaobai learned that the so-called shop manager was actually the daughter of the house owner. The shop was a coffee shop in the morning, and she helped her father, who ran a bar in the evening, to mind the shop.

After a few words, Xiaobai and the shop manager chatted quite happily. The shop manager even gave Xiaobai a sealed bag of food, saying it was extra product from the shop and not worth much. He said Xiaobai could have it with his coffee if he didn't mind.

It seems the coffee shop owner's daughter is quite wealthy.

After Xiaobai accepted the bag handed to him by the store manager, he felt its rather heavy weight and thought to himself.

After the break ended, and after finishing their coffee and cake, Xiaobai paid the bill with the waitress and left the coffee shop.

Stepping out of the coffee shop, the waitress looked at the crowd around her, stretching and breathing heavily.

"what----"

"Were you uncomfortable in the coffee shop?" Xiaobai asked the waitress, holding the bag given to him by the manager.

"It's great, but—" The waitress frowned slightly as she said this, "I'll treat you next time."

"Okay." Xiaobai walked side by side with the waitress, looking at the bag in her hand with some curiosity.

"Speaking of which—I thought that guy was some kind of scumbag who was going to prey on a young girl..." the waitress pondered. "Luckily you grabbed me."

"Ha ha……"

"The fact that the little girl named Blaine didn't see through the truth can be considered as giving that admiral some face," the waitress said.

"Ah, I think she figured that out a long time ago."

Xiao Bai's clear voice came from beside the waitress.

The waitress paused in her footsteps, turned around somewhat blankly, and looked at Xiaobai beside her: "What did you say?"

Beside the waitress, Xiaobai smiled at her and said, "Sister, do you remember what Blaine was going to do after leaving the coffee shop?"

"Buying bread?"

"Hmm." Xiaobai nodded, took a light sniff of the bag in her hand, and then reached out to open it.

The bag in Xiaobai's hand was filled with golden-yellow bread.

Fragrant.

It's piping hot.

Fresh out of the pot.

"The relationship between ship girls and admirals..."

"It's not that the admiral is always pulling the ship girls along, nor that the ship girls are always pulling the admiral along. Rather, it's that the ship girls and the admiral are mutually supporting and helping each other, silently understanding each other while making sacrifices for one another."

"This admiral seems to have a pretty good relationship with the ship girls."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The kitchen of the coffee shop.

Blaine, who came in through the back door, sat on the kitchen floor with his legs crossed.

Blaine buried her small face between her legs, leaning against the stove behind her, her whole body curled up, as quiet as a rag doll.

After a while, the store manager walked back to the kitchen from the front desk.

"Bryan, they're gone." The shopkeeper found Brayne, stood in front of her, and gently rubbed her head as he spoke.

“…Hmm.” Blaine’s head, which was buried in his legs, moved slightly.

There's a lot of cake left over today, so remember to help eat some later!

"……Um."

"I accidentally made too much coffee. Why don't you take it and share it with your admiral, Brian?"

"……Thanks."

"You're welcome." The shop manager smiled at Blaine. "Cheer up!"

Blaine slowly raised her head, her eyes red as she looked at the store manager in front of her. She pursed her lips, wiped her eyes, and nodded vigorously.

"I won't let the Admiral worry!" Blaine stood up from the ground, striking a very powerful pose.

Blaine took out a small mirror from his ship's equipment, forced a few smiles at his reflection, and only when his smile was perfect and flawless did he put the mirror away, push open the kitchen door, and walk into the store.

As soon as he pushed open the door, Blaine saw the waitress who had just left the coffee shop suddenly burst through the door and run back in with a serious expression.

Blaine was startled and quickly covered his head, crouching behind the counter.

Inside the coffee shop.

The male admiral, who had been sitting in a daze, saw the waitress run back and rush towards him, and looked at her with some surprise.

"Um... hello, miss... is there anything I can help you with..."

"boom!!"

Before the male admiral could finish speaking, the waitress rushed to his table and slammed her hand hard on it.

The loud sound immediately echoed throughout the entire coffee shop.

The male admiral stood there, mouth agape, staring blankly at the waitress in front of him.

"...Don't speak." The waitress took a couple of breaths, then reached into her pocket, pulled out a red invitation, slapped it on the table, and looked at the male admiral. "Take this."

The male admiral's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the invitation.

"Uh... this is..."

"For the unsigned invitation, please fill in your own name."

"Uh... but where is this thing...?"

"Since I'm qualified to screen the attendees for the banquet, is it strange that I carry a few invitations that can grant membership to any admiral I find agreeable? Here you go." The waitress snorted and pushed the invitations to the male admiral.

"...Thank you...thank you." The male admiral stared blankly at the invitation in front of him, unsure of what had happened.

"Let me make this clear: even if you get an invitation and get into the banquet, Wisconsin will absolutely not choose you as its admiral," the waitress said to the male admiral, arms crossed. "Weak, spineless, and clingy—you're not Wisconsin's type. Wisconsin wants an admiral with the exceptional talent to lead and control her. She wants someone who can lead her to the top of the world, to become the greatest admiral in the land. You can't do that. So, the only ones who might like you are those little kids with fairy tales in their heads, understand? You never had a chance from the start."

"..." The male admiral gave me a bitter smile, as if he understood.

"...Hmph." The waitress turned around and remained silent for a while.

"but……"

"...Although Wisconsin certainly doesn't think much of you, the banquet is full of admirals from Chapter 7. If you can easily get on the good side of any of them, getting through a kill will be a piece of cake."

“If no one really wants you, go find that weakest-looking brat at the banquet and ask the gatekeeper to help you get through a elimination round. He still owes me a favor. That’s all I can do for you, understand? From now on, you won’t know me, and I won’t know you. Goodbye.”

The waitress paused for a long time before speaking.

She glanced in the direction of the kitchen, then looked at the male admiral sitting behind her, who was completely out of touch with the situation.

"……besides."

"...I beat you up a few times at the door before...I'm sorry."

Chapter 943 Missouri: A City Where Learning Never Ends

Standing at the entrance of the coffee shop, Xiaobai, holding a bag of bread and munching on a hot piece of bread, quietly watched the endless stream of people in front of him.

The aroma of butter, with the first bite Xiaobai took, spread like wildfire through the soft dough.

Most coffee shops, due to limited business capabilities, don't usually bake their own bread. They generally have some kind of cooperative relationship with nearby bakeries. When Blaine said he was going out to buy bread, Xiaobai didn't find it too strange.

But when she received the gift from the store manager and saw that it was filled with bread, Xiaobai understood.

This shop is one of the few cafes that bakes its own bread.

And Blaine never left at all.

Little White took a bite of bread, tilted its head back, and took a deep breath.

Interpersonal relationships are really complicated.

Xiao Bai sighed inwardly and took another bite of the bread in his hand.

Chew, chew, chew, chew, chew...