Chapter 4: Side Character x Mafia Boss (4)

Panic swelling, she immediately yelled inside her mind, System! What just happened? Explain this right now!

The System quickly answered in its usual robotic tone.

[Host, please remain calm. The Male Lead only caught a brief, passing glimpse of female lead. This small, insignificant increase is not considered a major plot deviation. According to our historical data calculations, he will most likely forget about her existence very soon.]

Lyra let out a huge sigh of relief, leaning against the counter. "Oh, thank goodness. I almost thought the entire storyline was already ruined on day one."

This time, when the kitchen bell rang and the tray of hot coffees was placed on the counter, Lyra didn’t hesitate. She immediately pushed the tray toward a nearby co-worker.

"Hey, can you please take this to Table Seven?"

The worker blinked in confusion, looking at the tray and then at her. "Huh? Isn’t Table Seven your assigned section today?"

Lyra smiled awkwardly, waving her hands. "I just suddenly remembered I have... very important, highly urgent coffee-related work to do back here. Please?"

The worker looked confused by her sudden intensity but shrugged anyway. "Okay, sure."

As the other employee walked over to serve the mafia group, Lyra hid behind the massive espresso machine, secretly peeking through the gaps toward Alastair. Thankfully, the dangerous man didn’t even glance in her direction this time. He was back to looking at his tablet.

Good. Let’s keep it exactly that way, Lyra thought. She honestly didn’t want him remembering her face or her name. Maybe it was because she knew the dark future... that one day, those exact same powerful hands would be the ones to end her life.

Suddenly, a warm hand landed softly on her shoulder.

"Ah!" Lyra nearly jumped straight out of her skin, letting out a small gasp as she spun around rapidly.

Elena was standing there, looking at her with deep concern in her gentle eyes. "What’s wrong, Lyra? You’re jumping at shadows. You look like you’ve just seen a literal ghost."

Lyra forced a loud nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her neck. "O-Oh... it’s nothing at all, Elena! Really. I just... didn’t sleep very well last night. Staring at my screen too long."

Elena smiled gently, her expression full of sympathy. "Then you should definitely go home early today. Go get some rest. I can easily cover the rest of your afternoon shift. Don’t worry about it."

Lyra blinked, looking at the pure, angelic face of the girl in front of her. Her heart instantly melted into a puddle. She’s so unbelievably kind... No wonder everyone in the comments section loves the female lead. She’s a saint.

She smiled warmly back at her. "Thanks, Elena. I truly owe you one." Elena simply giggled and nodded before returning to her duties.

A little later, Lyra glanced toward the VIP table one last time. It was completely empty now. Alastair and his intimidating men had already paid and left the building.

She placed a hand over her chest, letting out a long, dramatic sigh. "Phew... One major hurdle successfully cleared." She looked up toward the ceiling lights. "If every single day in this novel is going to be this incredibly stressful... I might actually die from a severe anxiety attack before the Mafia Boss even gets the chance to murder me."

Meanwhile, far away, deep inside the dark, flashing servers of the System’s database... a tiny red warning icon flashed silently.

By the time the cozy café finally closed its doors, the sky had turned completely dark,

Lyra stretched her sore, aching arms high above her head and let out a long, exhausted sigh.

"Ugh..." she groaned, her voice filled with deep fatigue. "I don’t think I’ve ever worked this hard in my entire life. " she wanted to leave early but her annoyimg boss didnt let her take a day off.

She reached up and rubbed her tense shoulders, trying to soothe the tight muscles.

"Being a background side character is absolutely exhausting."

The System, as usual, remained completely silent in her head.

Lyra glanced beside her. Elena was standing near the door, locking the café up with the exact same gentle, angelic smile on her face that she had worn all morning. Even after working a long, tiring shift, she still looked incredibly fresh, vibrant, and beautiful. Not a single strand of her soft hair was out of place, and her apron was completely spotless.

Lyra looked down at herself. Her own hair had become a messy nest from the kitchen steam, and she was pretty sure there was a dark splash of spilled coffee somewhere on her green apron.

"Tsk," Lyra muttered under her breath, crossing her arms. "Female lead privilege. It’s totally not fair."

Elena paused, looking over with curiosity. "Hm? Did you say something, Lyra?"

Lyra immediately snapped out of her jealousy and forced a bright smile. "Nope! Not at all! I was just talking to myself again. Ignore me."

Elena giggled softly. "You really do that a lot today."

The two girls walked together for a short distance down the pavement before reaching a quiet crossroads.

"I’ll head this way," Elena said, pointing down the street to the left. She waved with a warm smile. "See you tomorrow, Lyra!"

"See you tomorrow! Get some rest!"

They exchanged their cheerful goodbyes before heading off in different directions.

The moment Elena’s figure completely disappeared from sight, Lyra’s smile dropped, and she let out another heavy sigh.

"System!" she called out in her mind.

The familiar, mechanical voice answered almost instantly inside her head.

[Yes, Host?]

"I have absolutely no idea where I live," Lyra admitted flatly. "It’s pitch black, and I don’t remember any of these roads. ...Again."

The System stayed silent for a second, as if it were mentally sighing at her terrible sense of direction. Then...

[Navigation Mode Activated.]

A glowing golden arrow suddenly materialized in front of her, hovering brightly in the dark night air.

"There you are." Lyra smiled, feeling a wave of relief. "I’d probably get lost in my own apartment building without you."

She happily followed the floating arrow through the quiet, empty streets. The city was much calmer at night. The bustling crowds from earlier were gone, and the streetlights flickered softly, casting long shadows on the pavement. A cool, gentle breeze brushed against her face, making the walk feel surprisingly peaceful. But the peaceful walk didnt last long.

The golden arrow suddenly flickered.

"...Huh?" Lyra stopped walking.

The light glitched once.

Twice.

Three times.

Its bright, steady glow became unstable, flashing like a broken lightbulb.

Lyra frowned, a small seed of worry planting itself in her chest. "System?"

No answer.

"System! Are you there?"

Silence.

With a final, weak spark, the golden arrow completely disappeared into thin air.

"...Hello? Anyone home?"

Still nothing. For the very first time since she had arrived in this strange book world, the System did not respond to her voice.

Lyra felt a sudden, icy chill run straight down her spine. "Don’t tell me you crashed right when I’m in the middle of nowhere..."

A few tense seconds passed in the quiet street. Then, the golden arrow suddenly popped back into existence with a bright flash.

"Oh." Lyra let out a breath. "There you are. Don’t scare me like that."

This time, however, the arrow wasn’t pointing down the wide, well-lit main street. It was pointing to the right, directing her down a dark, narrow path.

Lyra tilted her head in confusion. "Maybe it’s taking a shortcut to get me home faster?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Works for me."

Without thinking too much about the glitch, she turned and followed the glowing marker.

As she walked, the streets became noticeably quieter. The familiar shops and modern buildings slowly disappeared, replaced by old, run-down brick walls. The streetlights became fewer and further apart, casting shadows everywhere.

Eventually... the arrow stopped floating, hovering right in front of a narrow, incredibly dark alleyway.

"..."

Lyra stopped, her stomach dropping. She looked around at the dark, unfamiliar surroundings. "Where exactly is this?"

The alleyway was almost completely covered in thick darkness. Only a faint, flickering light from a distant streetlamp reached the damp ground. Somewhere nearby, a stray dog barked fiercely.

Woof!

Woof!

A sudden, freezing wind blew through the narrow gap, rustling some trash on the ground. Lyra arms broke out in goosebumps, and she felt incredibly uncomfortable.

"...I don’t think normal people are supposed to live around here," she whispered to herself. She slowly took a cautious step backward. "Yeah, no. I should definitely leave."

But just as she turned around to run-

"Aaaahhh!!"

A terrified scream echoed sharply through the quiet night air.

Lyra instantly froze in her tracks, her heart started pounding "What on earth was that...?"

Before she could even react or make a run for it- A figure was suddenly thrown out of the darkness of the alley with immense force.

Bang!

A man’s limp body landed hard on the concrete, rolling over until he stopped only a few feet away from her shoes.

Lyra’s breathing stopped entirely. "W-What..."

Her legs felt like lead, completely refusing to move. Slowly, with trembling eyes, she forced herself to look down at the man lying on the ground. His eyes were wide open, staring blankly at nothing. A dark thick pool of blood was rapidly spreading beneath his head, staining the pavement.

He wasn’t breathing.

He... was dead.

Lyra’s face instantly turned ghostly pale, and her fingers shook uncontrollably. "I... I just found a real corpse..."

Before she could even process the horror of what had just happened, a sound came from the depths of the alleyway. Slow, steady footsteps echoed from the darkness.

Tap...

Tap...

Tap...

Someone else was still in there. And they were walking right toward her.