Nekko Nyan Café - 8:47 PM
"Moe moe beam~!" Yu Lin struck a pose with his hands forming hearts near his face, his white cat ears—attached to a headband—bouncing with the movement. He directed an imaginary beam of cuteness toward a table of salarymen who were definitely too old to be at a maid café but came here every Friday anyway.
Yu Lin was the café's star performer—short, slender, with delicate features that could pass for either gender depending on the lighting and makeup. His white hair was styled in soft waves, his cat-ear headband perfectly positioned, and his maid outfit was immaculate despite being halfway through his shift.
A chubby regular customer at table seven raised his hand enthusiastically. "Yu-chan! Yu-chan! Over here!"
Yu Lin pranced over, his movements exaggerated and cutesy, his voice hitting a pitch that seemed physically impossible for a human male to achieve naturally. "Nyaa~! What can Yu-chan do for you today, master?"
The chubby customer—flanked by two of his friends who were clearly embarrassed to be here but also clearly enjoying themselves—pointed at his omurice. "Yu-chan, could you make my food taste a bit more delicious with your love?"
"Of course, master! Anything for you~!"
Yu Lin struck a dramatic pose, one hand on his hip, the other raised with two fingers forming a peace sign near his face. He spun on his heel—a full 360-degree twirl that made his maid skirt flare out—then dropped into a crouch with one knee up, his hands forming cat paws near his face.
"Nya nya~! ♪" He made exaggerated cat sounds, tilting his head left and right. "Yu-chan will make master's food super delicious with lots of love~!"
He stood up and leaned forward slightly, one hand on his hip, the other hand near his lips, blowing a kiss toward the omurice plate. "Moe moe kyun~! ♡"
The chubby customer and his friends erupted in applause, their faces red with a mixture of embarrassment and genuine entertainment.
"Yu-chan is the best!" one of them called out.
Yu Lin clasped his hands together and tilted his head, his voice saccharine sweet. "Awww, you spoil Yu-chan too much, master~! You're making him blush!" He even added a fake blush, pressing his hands to his cheeks.
The customers ate it up, laughing and taking photos.
Fifteen minutes later, a group of college students at table three called him over.
"Yu-chan! Can you do the special parfait blessing?!"
"Of course, nya~!" Yu Lin approached their table with exaggerated hip sways, his tail accessory bouncing with each step. He picked up the parfait glass and held it at eye level.
"Okay, master! Yu-chan will use super special magic!" He closed his eyes, put one hand to his chest dramatically, and the other hovering over the parfait. "Sparkle sparkle~ ☆ Kyun kyun~ ♡ Moe moe beam activate~! "
He made explosion gesture with his hands, accompanied by high-pitched sound effects. "Pyuuuu~! Now master's parfait is filled with Yu-chan's love and sweetness, nya!"
The college students were dying laughing, taking videos on their phones, clearly planning to embarrass each other with this footage later.
Another table—a group of office ladies on a girls' night out—waved him over next.
"Yu-chan! We need the full experience! Do the thing!"
Yu Lin giggled—a sound that was disturbingly convincing. "The thing~? Yu-chan doesn't know what master means~" He said this while absolutely knowing what they meant.
"The dance! With the song!"
"Ohhh! That thing!" Yu Lin stepped back to give himself room, then launched into a choreographed routine that was equal parts adorable and deeply embarrassing for anyone with self-awareness.
"Nya nya nya~! ♪" He did a little spin.
"Yu-chan is here to brighten your day~! ♡" Another pose, this time with both hands making paw gestures. "With love and sweetness every way~! ♪" A final pose—one hand behind his head, the other on his hip, one leg slightly bent, face tilted with an exaggerated wink. "Nya nya~! ♡♡♡"
The office ladies lost their minds, cheering and applauding like he'd just performed at the Tokyo Dome.
Yu Lin took a theatrical bow, his white hair falling across his face in a perfectly practiced way.
Then the door chimed, indicating new customers.
Yu Lin glanced over—force of habit, always greet new arrivals—and felt his stomach drop slightly.
Three men in dark suits. Professional. Dangerous-looking. One of them was using crutches, his face bandaged, moving with obvious pain.
They sat at a table in the far corner—the kind of table people chose when they didn't want attention.
Yu Lin's customer-service persona didn't falter. If anything, it intensified. He skipped over to their table with exaggerated cuteness, his voice pitching even higher.
"Hiiii~! Nergui-san and Chuzo-kun~! Nya! ♡ Welcome to Nekko Nyan Café!"
Chuzo—a younger Black Hawk agent with a buzz cut and visible tattoos on his neck—immediately bit his lip to keep from laughing. His shoulders shook with suppressed amusement.
"I can't—" he wheezed. "I can't believe our best tracker does THIS in his free time—"
Yu Lin struck another pose, completely unbothered. "Is Yu-chan's day job, nya~! Are you here to eat yummy food and watch cute Yu-chan do his cute magic? Yu-chan is so flattered you came to visit! ♡"
Nergui—his blank eyes staring at nothing, his bandaged face showing the aftermath of his fight with Tòumíng—sighed deeply. The sound carried bone-deep exhaustion.
"I'm glad I'm blind so I don't have to see this," he said flatly.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a file folder, sliding it across the table toward Yu Lin.
Yu Lin's demeanor didn't change outwardly—still the bubbly catboy maid—but his eyes sharpened slightly as he recognized this for what it was: a job.
He picked up the folder delicately, opened it, and examined the contents. A photo of Tòumíng. Basic information. Known associates. Last known location.
Yu Lin's professional assessment was immediate: Young. Cute in a rough, street-kid way. Probably inexperienced with seduction tactics. This would be easy.
"He looks cute~!" Yu Lin said in his character voice, but his eyes were calculating. "What does master need?"
"Track him. Get close. Become friends. Date him. Fuck him if necessary. We don't care about the method. Just lower his guard, gain his trust, and call us when you have his location confirmed and he's vulnerable. We need him alive and relatively undamaged."
Yu Lin nodded, the file already memorized. "Yu-chan can do that, nya~! But Yu-chan still has two hours left in his shift, so—"
"YU-CHAN~!" A customer from across the café waved frantically. "Can you do the moe moe beam for our dessert?!"
Yu Lin's face split into an enormous smile. "Coming, master~! ♡"
He skipped away from the Black Hawk agents, the file tucked discreetly into his apron pocket, his persona fully back in place.
"Nyaa~! Yu-chan is here~!"
Nergui and Chuzo watched him go.
"That's our best tracker?" Chuzo asked, still grinning.
"Yes," Nergui said. "And before you underestimate him, remember that he's successfully infiltrated twelve different organizations, seduced seven targets into compromising positions, and has a 100% mission success rate. The act is part of why he's so effective—nobody suspects the catboy."
Chuzo's grin faded. "Point taken."