Shokugeki No Douluo Dalu (Patreon)

Chapter 85: Cat-Eared Girl?

Entering the small shop, the young girl seemed a bit nervous, especially when she noticed Ying Shuang curiously observing her while eating, her unease increased.

"What's your name?" Qi Han asked the girl after confirming that he didn't recognize her.

"I'm Ji Yunruo," the girl nervously replied, appearing somewhat shy.

Seeing the girl's shy demeanor, Qi Han couldn't help but furrow his brow.

In his plan, the job of a food delivery driver required communication with customers and delivering meals to their door, so it still required some social skills. The girl seemed to have some social anxiety; would she be able to handle it?

After hesitating for a moment, Qi Han couldn't help but ask, "The small shop is hiring food delivery drivers who need to interact with customers frequently. Can you handle that?"

Ji Yunruo hesitated for a moment but quickly realized what Qi Han was concerned about. She straightened her posture, and a confident expression appeared on her face. "Boss, don't worry, I can do it!"

Seeing Ji Yunruo regaining her confidence, Qi Han nodded, and she seemed like a good choice now.

Ji Yunruo had a somewhat chubby face that made her look charming, and having her help with food deliveries seemed like a good choice. However, Qi Han had another concern.

"You're probably a Tang Clan disciple, right? Will the Tang Clan allow you to work in the small shop?"

Ji Yunruo blinked, "Tang Clan disciples usually have a relatively relaxed schedule. My current cultivation level isn't high enough to complete the tasks in the Agility Hall, so working in the small shop is fine. As for the sect's rules, there's no specific prohibition against disciples having part-time jobs."

That shouldn't be a big issue then.

Qi Han smiled faintly, "How old are you, and what's your cultivation level?"

"I'm sixteen years old, and I'm currently a 41st-level Spirit Ancestor," Ji Yunruo said. As she spoke, four Spirit rings slowly appeared on her body.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple.

As the Spirit rings appeared, Ji Yunruo underwent a subtle transformation. Her eyes slightly slanted upward, and on top of her head, a pair of fluffy black cat ears emerged. At the tips of her ears, there was a touch of pearly white, and a long black tail slowly peeked out from behind the loose Tang Clan uniform, swaying gently.

Qi Han blinked and instinctively reached out to rub Ji Yunruo's head where the cat ears were.

The feel of those cat ears was really nice.

Huh?

Huh???

Ji Yunruo's face instantly turned red to the roots of her ears. A peculiar sensation made her body tingle.

What is this boss doing?!

On the side, Ying Shuang forgot about her meal and looked at Qi Han in astonishment.

"Oh," seeing Ji Yunruo's appearance, Qi Han realized that his actions were rather impolite. He smiled awkwardly, "Um, sorry about that. I used to have a cat, so it was kind of a reflex. Is your martial Spirit also a cat?"

Raising a cat was a past life thing, but stroking a cat was a lifelong habit. Qi Han felt like he had made a mistake that all cat lovers would make.

"My martial Spirit is the Misty Cloud Cat," Ji Yunruo's voice trembled a bit, still not completely recovered from the peculiar sensation.

"The Misty Cloud Cat?"

Qi Han was somewhat puzzled. He didn't have much knowledge about various martial Spirits, and he had never heard of the Misty Cloud Cat.

Did it even appear in the Ingredients Encyclopedia?

However, Ying Shuang seemed curious and stared at Ji Yunruo. "Isn’t the Misty Cloud Cat the second best among agile cat-type martial Spirits, only after the Hell Civet?"

"Yes, that's right," Ji Yunruo finally regained her composure and nodded after glancing at Ying Shuang.

Seeing Ying Shuang's surprise, Qi Han became interested. "Shuang, do you know about this martial Spirit?"

"Of course!" Ying Shuang grinned and finally had a chance to show off her knowledge. "The best two subjects I excel in at Shrek Academy are combat and martial Spirit lineage studies. As for the other subjects, I'm terrible at all of them."

These two subjects were actually interrelated. In advanced combat classes for higher-grade students, fights took place in the Great Spirit Arena, and during those battles, opponents might have various martial Spirits. Therefore, students needed to be very familiar with different martial Spirits.

"The Hell Civet and the Misty Cloud Cat are both top-level agile cat-type martial Spirits, but they follow different paths. The Hell Civet relies on extreme speed and sharp claw attacks, while the Misty Cloud Cat has a footwork that's as elusive as clouds and mist, making it hard to predict. Both are exceptional, but because the Hell Civet is a hereditary martial Spirit of the Star Luo Royal Family, it's ranked above the Misty Cloud Cat."

As Ying Shuang explained, she suddenly cast a somewhat peculiar look at Ji Yunruo.

She remembered that a week ago, she and Fu Ya's peerless combination was defeated in a two-on-two battle in the Silver Spirit Arena. The opposing team had a four-ringed Misty Cloud Cat Spirit Master. Although everyone wore masks during the fight, that Misty Cloud Cat Spirit Master seemed to be a small, short-haired person. Could it be... Ji Yunruo?

"Um, did you participate in a Spirit fight last week?" Ying Shuang couldn't help but inquire.

Huh? Ji Yunruo looked at Ying Shuang curiously. "How did you know?"

Ying Shuang: "Darn it!"

It really is the same person!

"Ahahaha," Ying Shuang chuckled, "Um, I just happened to be in the audience at the Spirit Arena that day, and I saw a four-ringed Misty Cloud Cat Spirit Master."

No way, she must not find out!

Ying Shuang, you must protect your last shreds of dignity!

Ji Yunruo suddenly realized and smiled, "I thought you were one of the Spirit Masters from the team I fought against. I remember she..."

"Ahahaha, impossible!" Ying Shuang waved her hand, then turned to Qi Han, "Boss, you haven't announced the hiring decision yet."

Huh? Suddenly prompted, Qi Han fell into contemplation.

So, is Ying Shuang changing the subject?

But seeing this poor child on the brink of social death, Qi Han decided to do a good deed and rescue her from the brink of social death.

"Ji Yunruo, are you familiar with the layout of the buildings in Shrek City?"

"Boss, I'm very familiar with them. Agility Hall disciples are required to memorize the entire layout of Shrek City." When it came to work, Ji Yunruo tried to keep her face serious, but it was difficult with those cat ears. Well, if that's the case...

Qi Han nodded, "Then you can start working this afternoon."

Huh? Ji Yunruo looked a bit dazed. She weakly said, "Um, Boss, you haven't mentioned the compensation yet. Also, what exactly does a food delivery driver do?"

Is this boss reliable?

Smack! Qi Han slapped his forehead in frustration. He realized that he forgot to mention compensation just like the last time he hired someone.

"The job of a food delivery driver involves taking orders from customers in advance and delivering the food to the address they provide. As for compensation..." Qi Han pondered for a moment. "You'll receive 100 Gold Coins per month, two free meals a day if you don't waste them, and for each delivery, you'll get an additional silver Coin as a commission. How does that sound?"

Ji Yunruo's eyes lit up. "Deal!"