"Ha? Why aren't you with them instead?"
Aurora responded casually, not even looking up. "I'm not an Alpha, and it's uncomfortable changing around them."
A laugh echoed from Sora's cubicle. "Hahaha, thought so."
Aurora frowned slightly, raising an eyebrow. "What exactly did you think?"
"You just seem... different from the rest, Aurora," Sora said, her voice light and teasing as she shifted in her stall. "Usually, people who know they're going to turn out to be Alphas are full of themselves—super confident, almost arrogant. But you're not like that."
There was a brief pause before she added with a grin in her tone, "If we weren't already friends, you'd totally be my type, you know!"
Aurora ignored her completely; she wasn't easily swayed by compliments. At most, what she did felt almost natural to her. Whether she became an Alpha or not, she would always just be herself.
After packing their bags in one of the bathrooms Sora had brought them to, they left immediately. On the way, Sora chattered nonstop, mostly about food—this restaurant, that dish.
Her romantic life was like her food obsession; like most teenagers, she would talk endlessly about it. But Sora never seemed to stop.
Sora had become a regular customer at her family's restaurant, and Aurora was respectful of her as a big spender. Sora even tipped the restaurant a huge sum, which shocked Aurora's parents.
They tried to return the tip to her, but she refused, saying the food was delicious. Her only wish was that the money would be used to make even more delicious food.
That was a generous offer. After discussing it with Aurora's parents, they agreed to split the tip money in half. While there, Aurora couldn't help but think that Sora might become one of the investors she needed. So she immediately asked Sora to invest in a 5% fund—a stake that wouldn't give her any control over the company in the future.
Sora didn't care much about control. After a private talk, they established a connection.
As for the milk tea shop business, the main challenge wasn't the supply of ingredients, but rather the need to purchase land and acquire the necessary items to set up the shop. The only reliable support both financially and in terms of land resources—came from Hyacinth.
Even though Aurora was capable of handling everything on her own, it was a slow and time consuming process, and the story was unfolding at a sluggish pace. She didn't want to waste any more time.
What Aurora needed right now were better resources to support her. Even though Hyacinth was the main character, she still faced many setbacks throughout the novel.
She was undeniably smart when it came to business management, but when it came to love, it was as if her IQ drained away—mostly because of that person. And of course, the major villains entering the story only made things worse.
That's why what Aurora needed most right now was influence and money—enough to take control of the situation and push the story in her favor.
They saw Hyacinth and Soren already setting up the stage.
"Oh yeah, Aurora, which instrument are you better at—guitar or drums?" Sora asked, standing beside her.
Sora and Soren both already knew how to play guitar, and Sora also knew how to play the drums. Hyacinth was the lead singer, a guitar slung over her shoulder.
"Drums," Aurora replied.
Sora smiled and excitedly dragged her over to the drum set, which was already set up on stage.
As they continued preparing the stage, a beautiful woman appeared—a brown haired woman in a sleek black dress that hung off one shoulder, paired with black heels.
The woman was staring so intently at them that it gave them goosebumps.
"Did you have my permission to do this, hmm?" she asked, her mature voice carrying a seductive tone that could easily lure people in.
Soren glared at her, while Hyacinth simply smiled.
"Your bar isn't even popular. You only get about twenty customers a day," she said with a smirk, snorting in the woman's direction.
"Yeah, Aunt. With your looks, you'd make a better stripper. Who knows—maybe that'd bring in more people," she added mockingly.
The woman was Soren's aunt, Claris. Claris glared at the two of them.
"When I was your age, I wasn't this rude to my elders," she snapped.
Soren chuckled at her words, clearly not buying it.
"You weren't even respectful to Grandpa! Who are you lying to? Kindergarten kids? He even said you used to argue with him all the time back in the day."
Claris's expression darkened. "You're always arguing with adults. You're no different from how I was," she snapped. "Look at how lovely Sora is! You should learn to be more like her."
Soren gave her a disgusted look. "She's ten years younger than you! Don't you dare look at her with those eyes. Pervert."
While the two were bickering some distance from the bar, a group of teachers was dining at a nearby restaurant. Among them was a woman with loose dark pink straight hair and olive toned skin that made her stand out from the rest.
The woman who looks like a man at first glance ask "I heard there's a new bar that just opened nearby. Want to check it out after this?"
The masculine teacher raised an eyebrow and asked, "Freya, is that why you invited us here today?"
Another teacher, a woman wearing black rimmed glasses, looked up from her plate. "Oh, isn't that the all girls bar that just opened recently?"
The teacher with the masculine appearance nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. I'm down to go!"
The two turned to Freya, eyes gleaming with excitement. "How about you, Freya?"
Freya smiled warmly. "Alright, I'll go with you guys."