Chapter 2: Side Character X Mafia Boss (2)

Inside the closet, the hangers were packed with the most chaotic fashion choices Lyra had ever seen. There were dresses covered in ridiculous crystals, bright neon colors, and enough cheap lace to decorate an entire wedding hall.

Lyra reached in and pulled out one bright pink dress.

"What is this?" she muttered, staring at the layers of fabric.

She reached for another one.

"Why are there actual feathers on the collar?"

She pulled a third one out.

"...Why does this one sparkle like a literal disco ball?"

She looked at the growing mountain of clothes on the floor with a tired, defeated expression.

"The original owner is gorgeous," Lyra stated, holding up another frilled dress that looked like a cupcake. "But these clothes are committing actual fashion crimes."

The System’s voice finally spoke up, echoing in her mind.

[Host, the original owner purchased those clothes herself.]

"...She had absolutely terrible taste," Lyra deadpanned.

[Please do not insult your character.]

"I’m not insulting her," Lyra sighed dramatically, throwing her hands in the air. "I’m insulting whoever allowed her to buy these, and whoever sold them to her."

After digging through the deep wardrobe for several long minutes, tossing frills and sparkles behind her, she finally found something normal buried in the very back. It was a simple white mini dress.

Perfectly normal.

"Templates of sanity! Finally!"

She quickly changed into the dress, paired it with clean white shoes, and grabbed a brush to comb her long hair until it fell neatly over her shoulders. After looking in the mirror one last time, a bright smile returned to her face.

"Not bad," she murmured. She spun around once, watching the skirt flare out gently. "I look pretty cute."

[Host’s confidence has increased by 12%]

Lyra paused. "...Was that notification really necessary?"

She ignored the machine and grabbed her small handbag from the side table. "I’m definitely going shopping right after my work shift."

[For what purpose?]

"To save this poor girl’s wardrobe from eternal damnation."

The System was completely silent. It couldn’t argue with that logic.

Lyra turned and walked toward the bedroom door before suddenly stopping right in her tracks.

"Oh right." She looked up at the empty air. "So what’s my first official task?"

A familiar blue screen appeared right before her eyes.

Main Objective: Go to work.

Location: Moonlight Café.

Time Remaining Before You’re Late: 24 minutes.

Lyra blinked at the text. "That’s it?"

[Correct.]

"So I just go to work?"

[Correct.]

She nodded confidently, slipping her bag over her arm. "Easy."

Then, she paused again. The confidence drained from her face. "...Actually." She reached up and scratched the back of her head awkwardly, looking away. "I have one tiny, minor problem."

The System waited silently for her to continue.

"I’m absolutely horrible with directions," she confessed.

A second of heavy silence passed.

"...Like..." Lyra cleared her throat. "I once got lost trying to find my own classroom in college. On the third week of semester."

The System remained completely silent.

"And don’t even ask me to use a regular map. I somehow make Google Maps get confused and recalculate into a river."

A loading circle suddenly appeared, spinning rapidly in front of her. Lyra crossed her arms, pouting. "See? Even you’re judging me right now."

A few seconds later...

[Navigation Mode Activated.]

A glowing golden arrow suddenly materialized in front of her face. It floated quietly in the air, pointing directly toward the bedroom door.

Lyra’s eyes instantly sparkled with joy. "Oh! A quest marker!"

She happily followed the bright light. The arrow floated smoothly down the stairs, and she followed right behind it. It turned left at the bottom, and she turned left. It led her straight toward the front exit. She stepped out of the apartment building and into the fresh air.

"So convenient," she murmured, nodding seriously as she walked down the pavement. "I want one of these in real life."

The System replied without a single shred of hesitation.

[Unavailable.]

"Tch. Ruined my mood."

She pouted but continued following the floating golden arrow through the busy, bustling streets. People walked past her in every direction, cars honked loudly in the distance, and the entire city buzzed with noisy life.

For a brief moment... it almost felt like she was back in her own old world, just walking down a normal street.

Until she suddenly remembered the plot details.

"Oh." Lyra slowed her steps slightly, looking around at the dark alleyways and passing luxury cars. "I’m in a mafia novel."

She looked around a little more nervously now, pulling her bag a bit closer. "...Hopefully nobody gets kidnapped today."

...

Far away, across the city in a dark, luxurious office...

Someone suddenly sneezed.

The powerful Mafia Boss, who had not even made his official appearance yet, unknowingly gained a massive future headache.

Back on the street, the System quietly ran a background calculation through its data streams.

[Mission Failure Probability... increasing.]

The mechanical System suddenly had a very, very bad feeling about its new Host.

Following the glowing golden arrow as it hovered just above the pavement, Lyra finally stopped in front of a cozy, charming little café.

Above the glass entrance hung a beautifully carved wooden sign that read: Moonlight Café.

"This should be the place," she whispered to herself.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she reached out and pushed the glass door open.

Ring!

The small brass bell attached above the door chimed loudly, breaking the peaceful morning atmosphere.

Instantly, almost everyone inside the room stopped what they were doing and turned their heads to look at her. The low chatter vanished, and the café suddenly became completely quiet. Customers froze with their coffee cups halfway to their mouths.

"..."

"..."

Lyra blinked, staying perfectly still near the entrance. "Why is everyone staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

Even her boss, a stern-looking man who had just walked out from the back kitchen with a thoroughly angry expression on his face, stopped dead in his tracks. He had been completely ready to fiercely scold Lyra for arriving late on her shift. But the harsh words got stuck right in his throat.

"...Lyra?" he asked, his eyes widening.

He looked her up and down, checking her from head to toe. She looked like a completely different person today. Instead of the overly fancy and ridiculous frilly dresses she usually wore to work, she was dressed in a simple white mini dress with her dark hair neatly styled over her shoulders. She didnt have her Emo makeup today either.

The boss coughed awkwardly into his hand, adjusting his apron to hide his surprise. "...Just don’t be late tomorrow." He turned around tightly and quickly walked back into the kitchen.

Lyra blinked again, utterly surprised by how smoothly that went. "...That’s it?"

She had already prepared a massive, elaborate speech about being stuck in an imaginary traffic jam. "Wow. I actually survived."

The System’s voice spoke up inside her head.

[Host’s Luck has increased temporarily.]

"I’ll take it," she thought, highly pleased. "Good to know the universe isn’t entirely against me."

Just then...

"This..."

A soft female voice came from right behind her.

Lyra turned around toward the sound. Standing there was a breathtakingly young woman wearing the standard green café apron. Even with her soft hair looking slightly messy from working near the steamers, she looked unbelievably beautiful. Her gentle, sparkling eyes and warm smile were the kind that instantly made people feel incredibly comfortable just by looking at her.

[Ding! Host, this is the Female Lead: Elena Hart.]

Lyra didn’t even look at the glowing digital notification box. "I already figured that out without your help, System."

[...How?]

She answered confidently in her mind. "Are you kidding? Only female leads get this much sparkling visual spotlight the second they appear in a scene. It’s a universal law."

The System went completely silent for a moment.

[..Fair point.]

Lyra smiled triumphantly to herself. Looks like staying up late reading those 200 web novels really wasn’t a waste of time after all. Her trope knowledge was paying off.

She walked into the small staff breakroom, grabbed her own green apron, and tied it around her waist. A few minutes later, she was standing behind the wooden counter, confidently making coffee. Thankfully, the original owner’s body memories quickly kicked in, making the espresso machine and grinders feel completely familiar to her hands. At least she wouldn’t accidentally serve someone a glass of orange juice instead of an iced americano. That would have been deeply embarrassing.

Elena walked over to her side, holding two empty ceramic cups in her delicate hands. She smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling. "You changed your style today?"

Lyra nodded, wiping down the counter. "Mm. I wanted to try something different for a change."

Elena looked at her for another long second, inspecting the clean white dress, before her smile grew even brighter and more dazzling. "It suits you really, really well, Lyra!"

Lyra stared blankly at her, completely frozen.

"..."

Lyra’s inner dialogue was screaming. This girl was way too pretty. She was a literal angel. Lyra unconsciously muttered under her breath, "No wonder the male lead becomes a crazy yandere for her..."

"Hm?" Elena tilted her head in confusion, her soft bangs shifting. "Did you say something?"

Lyra immediately snapped out of her daze, smiling innocently as she shook her head rapidly. "Nope! Not at all. I was just talking to myself. I do that sometimes when I’m tired."

Elena giggled softly at her response. "You’re acting a little strange today."

"...Am I?" Lyra laughed nervously, a bead of sweat practically forming on her neck.

"A little," Elena nodded with a playful grin.

If only you knew I’m actually a completely different person from another world, Lyra thought to herself.

Before Elena could ask anything else or push the topic further, the café’s glass door suddenly flew open with a force.

Ring.

The little bell chimed.

Several tall built men dressed in expensive black suits walked tightly inside the establishment. The moment they stepped through the threshold, every single customer in the shop instinctively moved aside, shrinking back into their booths. The cheerful, cozy atmosphere in the café instantly became icy cold and tense.

Lyra looked toward the entrance, her hands freezing over the coffee machine. "...Why do I suddenly have a really bad feeling about this?"

Somewhere deep inside the dark corners of her mind, the System spoke up

[Warning..An important story character has entered the café.]

Lyra slowly turned her gaze toward the lead man standing by the door, her heart pounding loudly "...Please don’t tell me..."

The System answered instantly.

[Correct.]