By coincidence, the person she stopped was exactly the chestnut haired girl who had just served Kabe.
"You are… Aries? Long time no see. How come Karen is not with you?"
The girl was surprised that Aries, a celestial spirit, had come to the guild alone, but she did not hide anything about Kabe. She simply turned and pointed toward the back booth.
"Mister Kabe is in the innermost VIP seat. If you want to find him, you can go right now."
"N no, no, that will not be necessary. Thank you very much, I was just asking casually."
Aries bowed deeply again and was about to excuse herself.
But the chestnut haired girl reached out to block her path, her gaze sweeping up and down Aries' figure before she suddenly asked:
"By the way, Aries, can you do hostess work?"
"huh?"
"The thing is, Mister Kabe is Sister Karen's exclusive client, and now that Sister Karen is not here, I was just worrying about who to send to look after him.
"But if it is you, Karen's celestial spirit, then there should be no problem, right?"
"Eeeh?!"
"That is right, that is right, I really am a genius!"
The chestnut haired girl clapped in delight, then began pushing Aries toward the booth, encouraging her along the way.
"Relax, relax. It is just pouring drinks and chatting a bit.
"Just think of it as getting along with your master's future boyfriend ahead of time."
"But Lady Karen, she…"
Aries wanted to explain right away that Karen had just told her they were going to part ways.
Before she could say it, they were already at the booth.
"Mister Kabe, this is a brand new girl. Please get along well, you two. I will go get your drinks now."
Leaving that line behind, the chestnut haired girl shot Aries a wink and a little "do your best" gesture, then happily turned away.
What remained was an anxious, panicked Aries, and a dumbfounded Kabe staring at each other in silence.
Aries: What do I do, what do I do, someone please save me.
Kabe: What is even going on here! That is the White Lamb spirit Aries, right?
Did Karen quit being a celestial spirit mage and start slacking off so badly that her spirit has to work as a hostess to make ends meet?
The two of them were obviously completely thrown off by this unexpected encounter.
After that brief awkward silence, Kabe decided to pretend not to know her and took the initiative to speak first.
"Ha haha… what an adorable new girl. Do not be so tense, please, have a seat."
Hearing his invitation only made Aries more flustered.
Karen had sent her to secretly watch him, and she had been caught by her surveillance target before she even started.
How was she supposed to complete her mission like this?
Wait a second.
Karen did say that even if she was noticed, it would be fine.
And if it was supposed to be surveillance, then being this close would probably be far more effective, would it not?
A little lightbulb went off in her head.
She suddenly realized this might actually be the perfect chance to complete the assignment.
She pressed down the excitement and nerves in her chest and tried her best to answer properly.
"N nice to meet you. My name is Aries, and I am a newcomer.
"If there is anything I do poorly, please forgive me."
After saying that, she finally accepted his invitation and sat down carefully, leaving half a person's distance between them.
It really is her.
Listening to Aries introduce herself, Kabe became even more certain.
That only made him more curious about why a zodiac spirit like Aries would be working as a hostess at Blue Pegasus.
Could Karen have forced her again like in the original story?
No, that did not make sense.
If that were true, Master Bob and Ichiya would definitely have flipped the table already.
Holding that doubt in his heart, Kabe probed gently.
"Aries, how long have you been at Blue Pegasus?"
"Eeh, Aries… is too intimate a name."
Aries flushed, turned her head away and whispered shyly.
But after the embarrassment settled, she still answered his question honestly.
"I have been in the guild for almost six or seven years now."
She was referring to how long Karen had been with Blue Pegasus.
"But as for hostess work, this is indeed my first time. I am just a beginner."
"Oh? Then what made you suddenly decide to start doing hostess work?"
"T that, that is… I…"
Aries twisted her fingers nervously, her mind spinning as fast as it could.
In the end she only managed to stammer out a vague half truth.
"It is because of money. Yes, I am very short on money right now."
As she said it, she apologized to Kabe over and over in her heart, feeling guilty for lying to him.
Kabe, on the other hand, was screaming internally.
You have got to be kidding me.
The great Zodiac spirit Aries is so down on her luck she has to pour drinks for a living?
No, that makes no sense.
Would a celestial spirit even need money?
Or is it because she is a girl that she has these kinds of needs?
Even so, that cannot be right.
Karen is not short of money now. If Aries needed some, she could just ask Karen for it.
Is it because she is too shy to ask?
Or is Karen being stingy?
All at once Kabe could feel brain cells dying, more than he had lost in his past life staying up late to browse forbidden sites.
Just when both of them were feeling completely at a loss, the chestnut haired girl from before finally returned with the drinks Kabe had ordered.
Coming along with her was Jenny, who had spoken briefly with Kabe the day before.
Jenny looked at the man who had gone home with Karen the previous night and was now flirting with a stranger first thing in the morning.
Her eyes could not hide their surprise.
So the legendary number one of the younger generation is actually that kind of man in private.
To think Karen is so taken with him.
What a shameless playboy.
In an instant, Jenny's favorability toward Kabe dropped straight into the negative.
She had originally come over because she heard he was here and wanted to eat some melon and watch the drama, but now her appetite for gossip had completely vanished.
After putting down the complimentary fruit and snacks, she only wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
She did not expect the chestnut haired girl, after uncorking the bottles and filling Kabe's glass, to suddenly turn to her and say:
"Jenny, Aries is a rookie just like you, and she might not be able to take care of Mister Kabe properly.
"You should stay and help her out."
"E eh? Me, senpai?"