Elder brother's garrison

Page 1841

　When Xiaobai saw the figure appear in front of her, both she and the other person were stunned for a moment.

"Huh...you are..." Xiaobai raised her hand, looking at the coffee shop manager in surprise.

The coffee shop owner who appeared in front of Xiaobai was a very cute-looking, composed and mature young girl. At first glance, the girl looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years old. She had long, slightly curly light flaxen blue hair, a pair of deep blue eyes, and a strange white fluffy pet on her head that looked like a cotton candy.

Xiao Bai recognized this girl.

She was the young female manager of the coffee shop that Xiaobai met when she first went to the city where Wisconsin is located.

"Oh, it's you! Long time no see." The young shop manager saw Xiaobai and gave her a gentle smile. "Didn't the flat-chested lady who was with you last time come along?"

"Eh...Eh..." Xiaobai covered her mouth, looking at the girl shop manager in surprise. She walked forward, her gaze lingering on Xiaobai's fair face. "It really is you..."

"Thank you for your patronage last time." The manager smiled at Xiaobai. "Would you like to sit down and have a drink?"

"Ah... well, then I'll leave it to you." Xiaobai thought for a moment, nodded, then waved to Shropshire behind her and sat down on the bar chairs together.

"The usual?" the store manager asked with a smile.

"Hmm..." Xiaobai nodded.

Despite her youthful appearance, the young shop manager is much more mature than her peers.

With the pet on her head, she walked to the coffee machine, skillfully operating it with her small hands. She then took out a bunch of coffee cups and laid them horizontally on the table, quickly brewing coffee in front of her. With her operation, clear lines of milky white latte art were outlined on the fragrant coffee.

The air was soon filled with a rich aroma of coffee and milk.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Here are your orders: the right foot of the sealed one, the left foot of the sealed one, the right wrist of the sealed one, the left wrist of the sealed one, and the five-piece set of the sealed one's Exodia." The shopkeeper pushed five cups of latte art with the designs outlining the shapes in front of Xiaobai and Shropshire, and smiled at her. "Please enjoy."

"It's really the same as always..." Xiaobai looked at the coffee cup on the table and couldn't help but smile.

Xiaobai and Shropshire each picked up a cup of coffee and took a sip.

As soon as the coffee entered his mouth, Shropshire paused, looking at the smiling shopkeeper with some surprise.

"Shropshire, what's wrong?" Little White turned his head to look over.

"...Excellent technique." Shropshire looked at the latte art in the cup and said to Xiaobai, "Most people can't brew such delicious coffee."

“Thank you for the compliment.” The shop manager smiled at Shropshire, looked at her face for a moment, and then asked, “Hmm… this customer is here for the first time, but she looks somewhat familiar…”

"Ah!" Xiaobai quickly interrupted the shopkeeper, "Speaking of which, shopkeeper! When did you get here?"

"I've been here for a while now," the store manager said with a smile to Xiaobai. "I have to thank you for reminding me earlier."

"Huh? My reminder?"

“Well, after you visited our coffee shop last time, didn’t you tell us that the flow of people in that city was about to start to decline sharply?” the shop manager said with a smile. “So I chose to take your advice, sold the shop when the property prices were at their highest, and then moved to this city with my assets and tools to continue running the shop.”

"Oh..." Xiaobai blinked, stunned, as she listened to the shopkeeper's words.

Xiaobai does remember this.

The city where Wisconsin was founded was once a popular tourist destination because the Admiral's Guild there secretly possessed a 100% ship girl construction machine. This unique feature made the city a famous tourist attraction. Later, Shiro damaged the ship girl construction machine, and the Abyssal forces gradually stopped attacking the city. After that, the city's tourist appeal faded away.

Before leaving, Xiaobai subtly mentioned the matter to the coffee shop owner and even handed him her business card. Xiaobai hadn't actually intended for the owner to move or anything; she was just giving him a friendly reminder. Unexpectedly, after hearing her reminder, the owner didn't suspect anything and moved in right away...

That's incredibly bold...

“After we moved away, I heard that something seemed to have happened in that city, and the Deep Sea Army never attacked the city again,” the shopkeeper explained to Xiaobai. “The city’s tourism industry has been severely impacted, and many shops are not doing as well as before. For example, the shop we sold before is probably only worth half its price now.”

"This... should be considered a huge profit, right?" Xiaobai asked with a smile.

Chapter 2543 Aoba and Quincy

Hearing Xiaobai's exclamation, the young female shop manager behind the bar pursed her lips and smiled without saying a word.

Judging from her expression, this store relocation seems to have indeed been a very successful loss-mitigation operation.

"How's business since you moved here?" Xiaobai asked with some concern. "Although moving away from that expensive city is definitely a good thing... when I came here, I looked around and there are no residential areas or commercial streets around. It looks rather deserted."

"As for business, please don't worry." The shop manager nodded to Xiaobai. "Actually, my family and I carefully considered the location when choosing the new shop."

"Was this location chosen on purpose?"

"Yes." The store manager nodded.

"Eh..." Xiaobai looked surprised.

The café is now located in a place surrounded by lush greenery, with a highway and the sea in front of it. While the scenery and air are indeed quite nice, it is far too far from a normal social place.

"Although this place is in a remote location and we rarely have any human customers, the rent is correspondingly very cheap," the shop manager explained carefully to Xiaobai while cleaning the coffee machine. "In other words, the rent here is only about one-tenth of what it used to be."

"Oh... but the rent is cheap, but the most important thing is foot traffic..." Xiaobai nodded as if he understood, but was still a little confused.

"As long as you make every cup of coffee with care, the aroma of coffee will not remain hidden in a secluded alley forever." The shop manager stopped what he was doing and smiled sweetly at Xiaobai.

It was as if it proved her words.

As soon as the store manager finished speaking, she seemed to sense something and raised her eyes slightly to look behind Xiaobai.

at the same time.

The café door was pushed open, and the bell on the door rang crisply.

A crisp sound rang out along with the ringing of the bell.

"Boss! We're here! Are there any seats available today?"

Xiao Bai, who was sitting at the bar, was startled when he heard the pleasant call and then turned around to look.

Two tall, beautiful young women entered the coffee shop.

The girl walking in front had neatly combed, waist-length black hair, wore a red headband, and a white long-sleeved shirt, looking very pure and quiet. The other girl had long, intelligent blue hair and wine-red eyes, with a lively and expressive face.

As soon as the two girls entered, they saw Xiaobai sitting in a chair. They exchanged a glance and both showed expressions of surprise.

"Huh? Hey hey hey—Admiral! What are you doing here too!"

"...Aoba?" Shiro's gaze swept over the black-haired ship girl, then turned to the blue-haired ship girl beside her. "...And...Quincy?"

The two ship girls appearing in the café today are Aoba and Quincy from the rookie naval base.

In the newbie naval base, these two ship girls are household names, quite the eye-catching and influential figures.

Speaking of which, I have to mention something.

Quincy and Aoba are not ship girls known for their combat abilities (by the standards of ship girls in the newbie naval base). The reason they are so famous in the newbie naval base is not because of their outstanding combat abilities, but because of their excellent singing and dancing talents.

Simply put, they sing very well and dance very well.

According to Fubuki and the others, back when her brother established the newbie naval base, Quincy and Aoba were already quite famous idol ship girls in the base.

When Director Chen came to the newbie naval base to select ship girl idols, Xiaobai actually wrote Quincy and Aoba's names in the recommended position. Unfortunately, Director Chen was determined to find ship girls with a deep-sea style at that time, so he did not select these two.

"Hello, everyone." Xiaobai smiled at Qingye and Quincy as they entered.

"Admiral...Admiral!" Aoba exclaimed in surprise. She quickly pulled Quincy to Xiaobai's side and bowed nervously. "I never expected to see you here. I...I, Aoba, am so touched!"

"No need to be so polite, just greet me normally." Xiaobai waved to Qingye and looked curiously at Quincy beside her.

“Ovo!” Compared to the slightly awkward Aoba, Quincy just curiously pointed to his lips with his finger, staring at Shiro and Shropshire with his wine-red eyes, with a strange expression that seemed to be thinking about something, yet also seemed not to be thinking about anything at all.

"Quincy, stop daydreaming! Greet the Admiral!" Aoba quickly pressed Quincy's head down. "How many times have I told you! It's very rude of you to keep staring at people like that!"

"Haha..." Xiaobai waved to Qingye and Quincy, "It's okay... By the way, do you guys know this coffee shop?"

"Ah! Yes, Admiral!" Upon hearing Shiro's voice, Aoba quickly released Quincy and nodded to Shiro. "We're regular customers at this shop!"

　"..." Quincy turned his head and poked Qingye's cheek with his finger.

"What are you doing? I'm talking to the Admiral..." Aoba pushed Quincy's fingers away.

"Aoba, you bit your tongue just now." Quincy smiled innocently. "You said 'as if' instead of 'yes'!"

"Huh..." Qingye was taken aback. She looked at Xiaobai and found that Xiaobai was just smiling at her. Instantly, Qingye's face began to burn and turn red. She quickly turned her back and covered Quincy's mouth tightly. "Quincy! Even if you don't say anything, no one will think you're stupid! Why do you have to bring up such a sensitive topic..."

Xiaobai watched with a smile as Qingye and Quincy interacted.

These two ship girls are quite famous in the newbie naval base, so there are quite a few stories about them circulating.

For example, Aoba always loses to Quincy in idol activities, so she regards Quincy as her biggest rival in life. Her biggest dream in life is to crush Quincy. However, Quincy, who is naturally naive, does not realize this at all. Every time she meets Aoba, she will stick to her like she sees a good friend, completely ignoring Aoba's resistant expression of "Don't come any closer."

Ok……

To put it simply, it's like a bickering couple relationship, right?

"Aoba and Quincy, do you like coming to this cafe?" Shiro asked the ship girls in front of her.

Upon hearing Xiaobai's question, Qingye and Quincy, who were entangled together, immediately stopped what they were doing and nodded rapidly at Xiaobai.

"Yes, yes! This coffee shop is very famous in the naval base!" Aoba said happily to Shiro, clasping her hands together. "The coffee brewed by the shopkeeper is so fragrant and has such a long aftertaste, it's simply superb! Many of the ladies in the naval base rave about the coffee from this shop!"

"So this coffee shop is that famous in the naval base..." Shiro turned his head and glanced at the shop manager.

The young shopkeeper, with a snow-white pet on her head, looked at Aoba and Quincy with a smile, as if gazing at old friends.

"Welcome." The manager nodded to Aoba and Quincy. "We still have plenty of seats available today."

"Yay! Boss! Same as always!" Aoba quickly waved to the shop manager, then pulled Quincy to sit next to Shiro, smiled apologetically at Shiro, and nervously touched her hands together. "Um... Admiral, is it okay if I sit here?"

"Of course."

"Thank you, Admiral!" Aoba smiled with relief.

The manager quickly brewed two cups of coffee for Aoba and Quincy. After pushing the two bubbling cups of coffee in front of Aoba and Quincy, she went into the kitchen and brought out two chocolate cakes.

"Two cappuccinos and two Black Forest cakes, right?"

"Thank you, manager!" Upon seeing the chocolate cake, Aoba happily rocked back and forth in her chair. She carefully picked up a fork, scooped out a small bite, and put it in her mouth. While chewing, she took a small sip of her coffee. Then, a look of pure joy spread across her face. "Ah... this always tastes so good!"

Compared to savoring green leaves slowly and carefully, Quincy's approach is much more aggressive.

Quincy picked up his coffee and gulped it down in one go. Then, he picked up the plate, opened his mouth, and ate the whole piece of chocolate cake in two or three bites. He then exhaled and gave the shop manager a happy smile.

"Another one, please!" Quincy happily raised her hand.

As if he had prepared in advance, the store manager bent down and lifted out a second coffee and cake from under him, handing it to Quincy.

"Kun!" Quincy took the goods with both hands, nodded happily to the store manager, and said, "Thank you!"

The store manager smiled as he looked at Aoba and Quincy.

"Actually, I had thought about this back when we had the previous shop," the shop manager said to Xiaobai. "For a small coffee shop like ours, I think it's better to focus on the quality of customers rather than the quantity. High-quality customers not only add a sense of happiness to the atmosphere of the coffee shop, but the coffee they drink with care should also make them feel that their life has been worthwhile."

"So that's how it is..." Xiaobai looked at the shop manager with some emotion.

"That Black Forest cake over there is my specialty. Would you like one? The chocolate flavor paired with coffee creates a really blissful taste," the shop manager tilted his head and asked Xiaobai. "Since this is your first time here, it's on me."

"Is that alright? Please!"

The store manager nodded slightly to Xiaobai, then went into the kitchen.

"The taste of happiness..." After the shop manager left, Xiaobai propped her cheek up and looked at Qingye beside her.

What girl doesn't like sweets?

Aoba scooped up cake with a small fork and drank coffee, her quiet cheeks puffed out, her pretty face full of happiness.

Chapter 2544 A Sudden Move by Washington

"Aoba, the Admiral has been watching you." Just then, Quincy quietly reminded Aoba from the other side.

"Huh?" Aoba, who was engrossed in her food, was slightly taken aback. She turned to look at Shiro, and after finding that Shiro was staring at her as if admiring a landscape painting, Aoba quickly and shyly put down her fork, lowered her head, and stammered, "Ah... Admiral... I'm sorry... Was I eating too exaggeratedly...?"

"No, she's very quiet," Xiaobai said with a smile.

"Eeeeeee..." Upon hearing Xiaobai's words, Qingye became even more shy.

Just as Shiro and Aoba were having a friendly interaction.

Suddenly, the coffee shop doorbell rang again.

"Boom!"

The coffee shop door was pushed open, and a tall, voluptuous figure swayed as she walked in.

"Hey! I'm here again!" A bright, cheerful voice, full of feminine charm and boldness, instantly echoed throughout the coffee shop.

Xiao Bai and his group, who were sitting at the bar, were all stunned and turned around to look.

"Huh? Washington?!"

Xiaobai looked at the ship girls in front of the coffee shop in surprise.

"Hehe, good wine and good food... hiccup! Good wine and good food...!" Washington staggered in, looked up at Little White, and immediately smiled broadly. "Eh—isn't this the Admiral! Hahaha, what good luck! North Carolina isn't home today. Admiral, would you like to have a drink with me?"

After Washington finished speaking, he staggered towards Xiaobai.