Miss Witch, even if we're poor, we can't sell ourselves!

As Miya came down from the second floor right on time, she was still worried about something.

Her incident caused quite a stir on MikuFans yesterday. Will a bunch of onlookers come today to watch the drama unfold?

As she walked, she imagined herself being surrounded by a group of people asking, "Are you that little maid?" She even walked with her arms and legs moving in unison.

However, when they arrived at the lobby on the first floor, there was nothing there.

The crystal chandelier was lit, casting a warm and luxurious glow on the deep burgundy velvet walls. The black marble bar was as smooth as a mirror, and the grand piano stood quietly in the center of the stage.

But there was no one there, not a single person.

Miya was standing in the middle of the hall, lost in thought, when she suddenly heard a low voice coming from the direction of the kitchen.

She followed the sound, pushed open the kitchen door, and found everyone there.

Flores leaned against the control panel, the hem of her burgundy fishtail dress trailing on the ground. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, her deep purple eyes were half-closed, and her lips, unusually, did not have their usual smile.

Korika crouched in the corner, hugging her knees, her bright yellow-green eyes wide open, looking as if the sky was about to fall.

Belle and Sylvie stood by the refrigerator, whispering to each other.

Zimi Lu stood closest to the door, her white shirt sleeves rolled up to her elbows, holding a half-finished cup of coffee. When she saw Mi Ye come in, she raised her hand and pressed her temple.

"The association's market supervision bureau."

Zimi Lu's voice sounded somewhat unfortunate.

"When they come to inspect hygiene, food safety, and service quality, they will give you a rating plaque, which must be displayed at the entrance for a whole year."

She lowered her hand, and her lips twitched slightly.

"And the whole process is live-streamed and documented. If this goes wrong, the store is finished."

Miya's mind went blank for a moment.

She had seen similar things in her past life: surprise inspections, rating announcements, and full video recording. People in the catering industry would go weak at the mere mention of these words.

She finally understood why the atmosphere before opening the door today was completely different from usual.

Normally at this time, Korika would be jumping on the sofa, Belle would be adjusting the stereo, Zimilu would be wiping the bar, and Flores would be leaning against the corner with a wine glass in her hand, giving orders to everyone in that lazy tone.

Now, everyone is huddled in the kitchen, as if trying to avoid a storm that hasn't yet hit.

Flores leaned against the control panel, her slender fingers tapping lightly on her arm.

She raised her eyes and glanced at Mi Ye, the dark red in her deep purple pupils flashing briefly under the light.

"Normally, the inspection period is concentrated in November, every year in November, without exception."

Her voice still had that languid tone, but after knowing her for the past few days, Mi Ye could tell that Flores' voice now lacked its usual lighthearted teasing and had become more irritable.

"It's only October, big sister."

Korika looked up from the corner, her voice pitiful.

"October isn't over yet..."

"so."

Zimi Lu took over the conversation.

"Either the headquarters changed the inspection cycle without notifying us, or someone specifically reported our store in advance."

When she said the word "someone," her gaze met Flores's for a moment.

The kitchen was silent for several seconds.

Then Flores straightened up, reached out and brushed her long, black hair that fell over her shoulders behind her back, and turned to look at everyone.

"What's the panic? Let them inspect. The kitchen is cleaned to the standard, the food records are complete, and you've been doing the service procedures every day. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"But it's a live stream—"

Belle whispered.

"You can't panic during a live stream."

Flores glanced at her and smiled gently.

"When someone is filming you, and you look guilty, you turn a problem into a problem even if there isn't one."

Miya stood at the door, her maid outfit skirt not yet fully straightened, the apron ties hanging crookedly behind her.

Just then, a clear doorbell rang at the door.

Everyone turned their heads at the same time; it wasn't a guest who had arrived, but a young girl.

She stood at the intersection of the hall and the corridor, wearing a neatly tailored dark gray uniform with a silver badge of the Witch Association pinned to her left breast.

Short, black hair, the ends of which are just level with the jawline, clean and neat as if cut with a knife.

Her features are very beautiful, with delicate eyebrows and eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips. She wasn't wearing lipstick, which made her seem to be saying, "I'm too lazy to dress up, but I'm just good-looking."

She was holding a communicator with its screen lit up and the indicator light on the rear camera flashing.

In his other hand, he carried a briefcase, which also bore the association's logo.

"Hello there."

Her voice was also faint.

"Witch Association Market Supervision Bureau, Inspection No. 0721, I'm looking for the store manager."

Flores emerged from the kitchen, her burgundy skirt trailing a smooth arc behind her.

She stood next to the bar, nodded to the short-haired girl, and the corners of her mouth returned to their usual ambiguous smile.

"That's me."

The girl with short black hair nodded, set up the communicator on the bar, and adjusted the angle so that the camera could capture the entire lobby.

Then she took a paper document stamped with the association's official seal from her briefcase and placed it on the bar.

"Möbius, I will conduct tonight's inspection, which will be broadcast live and recorded. Here is the authorization document; please confirm."

Flores picked up the document, glanced at it, and handed it back.

Mebius carefully put the documents into his briefcase.

She glanced at the hall, then looked away, her tone still indifferent.

"The renovation is nice."

The curve of Flores' lips deepened slightly.

"Thanks."

"I'm not complimenting you."

After speaking, Möbius picked up the communicator and sat down on the high stool next to the bar.

The bar lights shone on her profile, clearly outlining the lines of her jawline.

Her expression remained professional and composed, but Mi Ye noticed that when she sat down, her movements slowed down a bit, and her shoulders slumped slightly as she lowered them, as if she had shed a layer of barely noticeable fatigue.

Mebius brought up the live stream interface on the communicator and placed it on the bar.

On the screen, the comments section had already started scrolling.

"They're here! A surprise inspection!"

"Mebius looks beautiful today too—"

"Nightingale's Nest! Isn't that the super popular store on MikuFans lately?!"

"Where's the maid at this shop? I want to see the maid!"

"What maid? I'm here to see the car crash."

Mebius glanced at the comments without changing his expression, moved the communicator to the side to focus the camera on the entire hall, and then picked up the menu from the bar and opened it.

Her eyes followed the wine list down, her dark, thick eyelashes casting a small shadow under the light.

The comments section was still flooded with messages.

More and more people flocked in, and the number of viewers in the live stream nearly tripled within minutes.

"Wait, isn't it October now? Isn't the check-up period in November?"

"That's why it's so strange; the sudden investigation in October must mean there's something fishy going on."

"Thank you for working so hard, Sister Mebius!"

"This is the store where Reminal held her child!"

"And the maid who gave Meredith her lap—that's the place!"

"Here it comes, I want to see what's so special about this shop."

Mebius looked at the menu and frowned slightly.

She was actually very upset.

When she received the transfer order from headquarters tonight, she thought it was a system error.

The inspection period is usually in November, which is an unspoken timetable between the association and the catering industry. This year, it was inexplicably moved to October, with the reason given as "personnel scheduling needs".

She didn't believe it, but she was too lazy to ask; it wouldn't make a difference anyway.

After all, those office workers in the association never gave her a reason she could accept.

And it's almost 11 o'clock now.

Normally, she should be at home at this hour, having just showered, changed into her pajamas, and relaxing on the sofa with a cup of hot tea, instead of sitting in an unfamiliar bar in a uniform, with a live-streaming camera in front of her and thousands of eyes watching her every move in the chat.

Möbius sighed inwardly, flipped to the last few pages of the menu, pointed to a name, and said to Frost.

"this."

Flores glanced at the drink she had ordered and raised an eyebrow.

It was a rather unusual dark spirit with a rather obscure name and recipe. It was placed in the very bottom corner of the menu, and only true connoisseurs would order it.

"Also, which server would you recommend?"

"Mebius asked."

Flores leaned against the bar, her arms crossed, the neckline of her burgundy dress shifting slightly with her movements.

She turned her head, her gaze passing over the bar and landing on the figure peeking out from the kitchen doorway.

Miya was hiding behind the door frame, her short, light-gold hair brushing against her cheeks. The hem of her black and white maid outfit just went past her knees, and the white ties of her apron were tied into a neat bow at her waist.

Her light-colored eyes were staring nervously in their direction, and the moment her gaze met Flores's, she shrank back half an inch.

Then Mebius followed Frost's gaze and looked over.

Miya and Mebius's eyes met.

Those indifferent eyes glanced at her, and her eyebrows twitched slightly.

Then Mebius extended a finger and pointed in the direction of Miya.

"Let's choose her."