Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

After that, the whole house became quiet again.

Miao Meng swallowed hard, a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead, and clenched her teeth.

Xiangzi, panting heavily, clutched his chest.

How could I say such a thing?

Xiangzi let out a long breath, and his voice returned to its original volume, though it still sounded weak.

"I'm sorry, let's leave it at that."

The Tale of Reincarnation: The Path of Fall, the Road of No Return: Chapter 604 Milk Tea Mixed with Coffee Called Mandarin Duck

Chu Hua's group was stuck in traffic for a long time before finally arriving. By the time they arrived, Xiangzi and the others had already tidied up the dormitory. No one knew about the friction between the two.

Even Mu was called away by Xiangzi to restore the power supply and was not present at the time.

The next 24 hours were not comfortable. Xiangzi conducted several more tests on the Dream House and discovered a very serious problem.

She and Miaomeng sat on chairs arranged in the assembly line workshop, staring blankly at the suitcase in front of them. They were both lost in thought, doing nothing, just watching it for a full five minutes.

Hailing came out from behind the rusty iron gate with a bag of bread and saw the two of them sitting on chairs, lost in thought.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"What do you plan to do?" Miao Meng seemed to wake up and turned to look at Xiangzi. "'Falling' can not only wake us up from our dreams, but it can also wake up Medine. What if she gets woken up by someone?"

“We need to find a quiet environment where no one will disturb her.” Xiangzi’s eyes also regained their clarity.

The two of them just discovered a fatal problem in their dream: they woke up too easily.

The Dream House can provide the energy for shared dreams, but it cannot allow them to become immersed in them. They can sense any disturbance in the outside world and wake up in their dreams.

If Medine were woken up in the middle of a dream, that would be a big problem.

“The environment isn’t right yet; she needs to sleep soundly enough,” Miao Meng said. “The structure of dreams within dreams will be more unstable, and she’ll be more likely to wake up from them. This is a serious problem, Xiangzi; we need to find a solution.”

"..." Xiangzi glanced to the side unnaturally.

Thinking about it this way, I realized that my plan only had a rough framework and lacked many specific details.

For example, what kind of dream is needed, how to get Medion to fall asleep peacefully, and how to ensure that Medion will not suddenly wake up due to the "fall" from the outside world, causing the whole plan to fail.

Refining the details of these plans requires a lot of brainpower, not to mention that she also has to lead the design of the dream details.

She bit her lip, unable to think of anything to say.

“This isn’t about conquering a witch’s barrier, where you can gradually learn the details through exploration,” Miao Meng added. “On the contrary, we’re creating a witch’s barrier, trying to pull an ordinary person inside and make sure she doesn’t come out.”

"This is completely opposite to the work of a magical girl; you could say it's thinking from a witch's perspective." Xiangzi nodded with difficulty. "Let's be witches for a day..."

"It depends on who it's used on. Anyway, I don't feel guilty about it." Miao Meng said nonchalantly, resting her chin on her hand. "Anyway, the target is a heinous bastard. This is what they call 'evil people will be punished by evil people'... wait, no."

"That means we are bad people too," Hailing said calmly.

"I know! I misspoke. I should have said that evil will be punished!"

"Pfft." Xiangzi covered her mouth, unable to hold back her laughter. She shook her head, shaking off the drowsy feeling, "From a witch's perspective, how do they ensure their targets don't slip out of their control?"

Thanks to Miaomeng's suggestion, she started to get some ideas.

“The Witch’s Kiss,” Hailing said.

"Besides marking, some witches' kisses can hypnotize ordinary people, making them obedient and do what the witch wants them to do, such as releasing all negative emotions, committing suicide, or robbing," Xiangzi said. "If it's about putting the target into a deep sleep where they won't be woken up, the witch's kiss can do it very easily."

"Do you want to find another witch?"

"Of course not. We just need to find a magical girl who has magic with effects similar to this type of witch's kiss," Xiangzi argued confidently, genuinely believing her suggestion was excellent.

“But magical girls with this kind of ability are almost impossible to find even in the Reed Plains, let alone in Paris where you know no one.” Miao Meng rested her chin on her hand, looking at Xiangzi, who had an expression of astonishing wisdom, with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot. “Aren’t you overcomplicating things?”

"Then give me a better suggestion." Xiangzi's eyebrows shot up. "When rejecting a proposal, it's best to come up with a more reliable solution, otherwise it's just irresponsible desuwa."

"Well, I have to think about it, but it's not that easy to come up with an idea. Anyway, your suggestion is absolutely unacceptable." Miaomeng spread her hands. "And how did you escalate this to being irresponsible? Isn't that a bit too harsh?"

"I can only use this plan as a baseline to find solutions until you come up with a new proposal. Giving you a veto means you're not planning to do this anymore?"

"I never said I wouldn't do it. How could you think of using a magical girl approach to solve something so complicated that could be resolved simply by giving someone a sleeping pill?"

"The instability of multiple dream layers will increase dramatically. Can you control the dosage of sleeping pills? Too little is no difference, too much will kill her."

"Then just find someone who knows how to dispense medication, find a professional who knows how to dispense medication."

"So if I suggest finding a magical girl with similar abilities, wouldn't that mean I'm not looking for a professional?"

"There are only so many magical girls, do you think you can find them?"

"You don't know any pharmacists, so finding someone willing to help us is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Doesn't Rebecca have logistical support?"

"She's officially given Desuwa a free pass now!"

Hai Ling stood silently to the side, her face expressionless, but her eyes revealed a "here we go again" look.

Similar arguments had occurred many times within just 24 hours. Apart from the period when they first met, there had rarely been such frequent conflicts within the team. Anyone with eyes could see that there was something strange about the relationship between Miaomeng and Xiangzi. It was as if the two of them had passed through a honeymoon period—when they argued, it wasn't the kind of flirtatious bickering, but a genuine clash of ideas that led to each sticking to their own opinion.

Hai Ling didn't care what happened between the two of them, but arguing like this would obviously affect the overall efficiency, so she stepped in to mediate.

"Are you planning to continue wasting time on such trivial matters?" Hailing said calmly. "I have freshly baked bread and drinks here. Instead of wasting time arguing, why not have afternoon tea?"

"Ah~ How nice, afternoon tea." Miao Meng's face immediately brightened up as she took the milk tea and bread from Hai Ling's hand. "It's a good thing I'm a magical girl and I can eat as much as I want without gaining weight. If I were an ordinary person, I would have to be timid and hesitant to eat anything, right, Hai Zi?"

"I'm the type of person who can't gain weight," Hailing said vaguely, a chocolate snail dangling from her mouth. "Xiangzi, do you want some?"

Xiangzi wasn't in the mood for afternoon tea, but Hailing's meddling cheered him up considerably. She smiled and shook her head, saying, "Just give me the milk tea."

"This is a mandarin duck cup." Hailing handed over the milk tea cup.

"What are mandarin ducks?" Xiangzi took the paper cup and took a sip.

A faint bitter taste of coffee, mixed with the flavors of tea and milk, filled my mouth.

"It's just coffee mixed with milk tea," Hailing said. "The taste is not bad."

"I can taste it," Xiangzi nodded. "It's really good."

"Is mine the same?" Miao Meng gently shook her cup. "There's a bit of coffee bitterness in it... Wait a minute... Coffee mixed with milk tea... Coffee mixed with milk tea..."

Miao Meng's expression suddenly froze.

Her thoughts leaped rapidly through chaotic associations, like sparks of electricity flashing in thunderclouds, jumping from one place to another.

Immediately, Xiangzi could almost see the light bulb above her head light up with a "ding".

"I've got it! Coffee mixed with milk tea, cocktails are just one type of liquor mixed with another, and mixing sleeping pills is just one type of drug mixed with another." Miao Meng blinked. "I know who to contact!"

The Tale of Reincarnation: The Path of Fall, the Road of No Return: Chapter 605 They're Going to Argue

The streetlights cast honey-colored halos on the wet flagstones. Miaomeng lowered her head, watching her shadow lengthen and shorten, then lengthen again, before appearing from another angle—another streetlight.

"Why are you walking with your head down?" Xiangzi asked.

“Look at the shadow, look at the road surface,” Miaomeng replied.

"go Ape?"

"Fun."

Well, I don't understand what this guy is thinking. Who's the adult here?

Xiangzi pouted and obediently followed behind Miaomeng.

In the afternoon, when Miaomeng was drinking a milk tea with a mix of milk and coffee, she seemed to have come up with a brilliant idea. She immediately picked up her phone and made a long call, and finally put down her phone and said she would come with her that evening.

In the end, it turned out like this.

Having temporarily suspended his work, Xiangzi, with the idea of ​​believing first and then questioning, went out with Miaomeng.

Xiangzi followed Miaomeng for half an hour on a deserted road, silently watching her step on shadows and paving stones like a child. He kept his complaints to himself and patiently followed her.

Turning into a quieter street, next to an old bookstore with its windows closed, there's a cast-iron spiral staircase. The faded railings are covered with small advertising stickers; it seems that no matter where you are, you can't escape these kinds of small advertisements.

Go up the stairs to the second floor and you'll come to an oak door.

Pushing open the oak door, the bells on the door frame rang, and amber light, like whiskey, leaked out from the cracks, accompanied by the notes of a jazz piano.

The bar counter was made from a single piece of oak, exuding a faint woody aroma that mingled with the flavors of various liquors. The bartender's white shirt was not neatly tied, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and he held a shaker in his hand, shaking it so that the ice cubes inside made a crackling sound.

The unassuming bar had only one customer at the moment, and the bartender pushed the finished cocktail toward him.

The customer wore a red jacket over a white shirt and a black tie, looking both capable and slightly languid. Actually, under the jacket, he was dressed in a similar business suit to the bartenders behind the bar.

But more eye-catching than her clothes was her deep blue double ponytail hairstyle.

"Hey, old woman," Meow Dream greeted, "What brings you to Paris?"

"My boss sent me to the wine expo, and I'll also pick up some stock while I'm at it." The woman with pigtails, who was actually Jill, turned her head and patted the chair next to her. "Come sit down. I was just wondering why you're here too."

"I came here with the boss, what else can I do?" Miao Meng gestured with her thumb towards the person behind her. "I'm just working, there's no other way."

“I can still understand Japanese.” Xiangzi jumped out from behind Miaomeng with his arms crossed and glanced at her.

"Oh, you're here too, miss." Jill put her hands together in apology. "Sorry, sorry. Come sit at the bar with me. We also have non-alcoholic drinks."

Xiangzi nodded and sat down at the bar with Miaomeng.

She looked around the bar. This jazz bar, which was only about 40 or 50 square meters, was like an old-fashioned wooden box, with no tables, only a bar counter.

Dark brown paneling covers all four walls, frosted glass lets in the light from the streetlights, leaving diamond-shaped slabs on the dark brown wooden floor, and several copper pendant lights hang from the ceiling, casting warm yellow spots of light on the dark red lacquered oak bar.

The bar where they were sitting occupied most of the space, and the remaining empty space was not used for tables and chairs, but for a piano and drum set, which were placed at the far end of the bar, next to the curtain of the staff passage.

"How does it look? I mean, this place, my friend owns it." Jill noticed Xiangzi observing the bar's environment and asked casually.

"The environment is very nice," Xiangzi said, "but the area is so small and so remote, will anyone really come here?"

“It’s easier to get things done in a remote place, that’s why I brought you here. I only brought you here because you needed something.” Gil shrugged. “The guy mixing your drinks right now is the best pharmacist in all of Paris, more than enough to meet your needs.”

Hearing this, the bartender gave them a flirtatious wink. His slender, almond-shaped eyes and the beauty mark at the corner of his eye were sure to captivate any newcomer.

However, Xiangzi wasn't interested in this kind of man—her scoundrel father, if he dressed up properly, was also this type, and she had been used to seeing him since she was a child.

"I'll go get what you wanted after I finish mixing these two drinks," the bartender said while shaking his hands. "You need a very strong tranquilizer, right?"

"Hmm." Xiangzi nodded, resting his chin on his hand, and handed over a small note. "There are a few more requests. See if you can fulfill them."

The bartender said OK, opened the shaker, poured out the liquid, pushed the whiskey glass in front of Miaomeng, and then turned to get the ingredients for the non-alcoholic beverage that Xiangzi wanted.

"How come a pharmacist is working as a bartender?" Xiangzi asked curiously as he watched him mix drinks.

"This is a matter of personal privacy, miss," the man, who was both a bartender and a pharmacist, said with a smile. "But I'll tell you for Jill's sake, no problem."

“He’s my ex-boyfriend.” Jill rested her chin on her hand and gestured towards the rather handsome man.

“I thought you liked women.” Miao Meng glanced at her. “You’re always getting all worked up over your boss’s picture.”

"Is this how you talk to an elder? I've been feeding and taking care of you for so many years for nothing!"

With a loud thud, Meow Dream received a sharp chop to the hand. Jill, her face flushed, turned her head to the side and continued speaking in a sullen voice.

“We talked for a while when we were in his hometown. This guy’s major was relevant to his job, and he did some side jobs, which made it impossible for him to go back.”

The bartender, with an expression that suggested he'd seen this kind of interaction many times before, smiled as he prepared the drink Xiangzi wanted.

Miaomeng wanted the Singapore Sling, a classic cocktail like Jill's, while Xiangzi ordered the Mint Lemon Fizz, a classic non-alcoholic option recommended by the bartender.

"Wow, is it one of those side jobs, like the kind a chemistry teacher would do?" Miao Meng exclaimed, her mouth agape.

“Not quite the same, but similar,” the bartender explained. “It’s mainly about low-cost custom-made drugs. I’m a pharmacy major, you know the Dallas Buyers Club, right?”

"Seen."

"That's pretty much it."

"Are you still doing a 'side hustle' now?"

"After being kicked out, I didn't want to work there anymore. I learned bartending from Jill and now I'm living a peaceful life." The bartender shrugged. "But I'll still take orders based on personal connections, don't worry."

The liquid filtered from the shaker has a pale golden hue. Composed of rice straw lemon juice, mint, homemade lemon syrup, soda water, and crushed ice, the liquid shimmers softly under the light. Bubbles cling to the glass and burst into fine strings of beads. As the carbon dioxide bubbles burst, the aroma of mint mixed with the sourness of lime wafts out of the glass.

Finally, half a lime slice is placed on the rim of the glass, and a mint sprig and a straw are inserted between the crushed ice to form an X shape, completing the drink.

"Please use."