Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: The Mayor's Ally
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My brain, battered all morning long by Seria's relentless barrage of document approvals, was already reduced to mush.
It might have been more honorable to just drop dead right there from overwork. But my secretary wouldn't even grant me that glorious end.
"Mayor, you have a visit to the Favor Bakery scheduled for this afternoon. Sugar Girl's been pining away for you alone."
And so here I was, heading to the Favor Bakery with Nero, my one and only ally—or sometimes a total burden—tucked under my arm. The tricolor cat.
Work on documents with Seria.
A visit to Sugar Girl's Favor Bakery.
Which of these two options is better?
No. Wrong question.
Which one is less horrific?
The former—document work with Seria—is mental torture that eats away at your sanity.
A process of losing your sense of self amid a feast of tiny print and endless numbers. It's like shredding your soul into a million pieces and stapling them one by one into file folders. Slow, painful, and certain death.
The latter—a visit to the Favor Bakery—is physical destruction via terror.
Violence beyond common sense in the form of sweetness. A sugary massacre that makes your tongue, stomach, and pancreas scream. It's like being thrown into a pool filled with sugar syrup and drowning. Fast, sticky, and sickeningly sweet death.
So what's the conclusion?
Both are horrific.
Picking between them is as pointless as debating whether cyanide or hydrochloric acid tastes better.
Meow.
"You're telling me to count on you?"
I looked down at Nero in disbelief.
The little guy was giving me that look: Don't worry, I've got you.
The problem was that Nero was a cat.
What the hell can a cat do?!
Grrr.
Nero purred, rubbing his head against my arm.
"Damn it. My only lifeline is a cat. The mayor's dignity has hit rock bottom."
Did I ever have any to begin with?
Well, if that's my fate, so be it.
In a world where you can't trust people, I'll trust a cat and get by.
The pastel sign for the Favor Bakery came into view.
Sugar particles floating in the air stabbed at my nose. My blood sugar was already spiking just from the smell.
The shop was packed with customers, even on a weekday afternoon.
No, packed didn't cover it. It was an absolute anthill.
A line snaked from the entrance all the way to the counter, people tailgating each other like they were queuing for limited-edition luxury bags.
But hold on.
What's with that price list?
[Signature Salt Bread - 12,000 won]
[Truffle Croissant - 18,000 won]
[Cat-Shaped Madeleine - 25,000 won]
Breads that used to cost 3,000 or 4,000 won at most were now...
Is this bread price or gold price?
Despite the name "Favor Bakery" that implied generosity, the breads with their utterly ungenerous price tags were selling like hotcakes.
No, they seemed to be selling even better than before.
"Sis, this is the real deal Favor Bakery main branch, right?"
"Yep! Gotta get that bread pic for the 'gram!"
"Prices are steep... but it's luxury bread!"
Luxury bread?
Has the world come to where bread is luxury?
The conversation nearby was even more absurd.
"OMG, I had it for 5,000 won last month, and now it's 25,000?"
"Right? But the pricier it is, the tastier it looks!"
"Yeah, cheap stuff feels sketchy. This is proper premium!"
...What?
Pricier makes it look tastier?
What kind of logic is that?
And the notice posted at the counter.
[Notice]
· Max 3 items per person
· Reservations required (no on-site purchases)
· Photo time separate (30 min wait)
· Limited menu for VIP members only
· Inquiries via DM please 🙏
Limited purchases?
Reservations?
VIP members?
The ridiculous part was that people actually loved this setup.
"Whoa, it's gotten so hard to get! Makes me want it more!"
"Limited edition feels so special!"
"Luxury is different!"
I just stared blankly at the scene.
Sugar Girl had said she raised prices every time she pulled some menhera stunt, and each time, popularity exploded even more.
And now, looking at the framed "Favor Bakery Story" on the wall...
[Favor Bakery Philosophy]
True favor can't be measured in money.
We deliver with premium ingredients and artisan spirit.
— Pastry Chef Sugar Girl
Artisan spirit?
Since when did that middle-school dropout menhera pastry chef become an artisan?
And if true favor can't be priced, why charge so damn much?!
"You're here, Mayor!"
Sugar Girl's cheerful voice greeted me amid the sweet air.
Out from behind the counter bounced a girl with twin braids, her dress adorned with every dessert imaginable.
Sugar Girl, who had gone from C-rank villain to Neo Incheon's new baking empress.
No. She'd become something even more terrifying.
A girl who had mastered not just baking, but devious SNS marketing too.
"Uh, hey. Sugar Girl. Business is booming today."
"Of course! Who do you think I am?!"
But something was off today.
Normally, she'd have tackled me by now.
I pulled out my standard routine anyway.
The only way to handle this menhera time bomb was to stick to the script.
"So, what flavor today?"
What's today's Sugar Girl mood?
Not sexual harassment.
It was my litmus test to gauge her mood and plan my survival strategy for the day.
Strawberry cake? Safe. Whipped cream? Caution. Dark chocolate? God, no.
"......"
No answer.
Sugar Girl just stared at me blankly.
"...Dunno."
Eh?
What?
Dunno? That's it?
"Huh? What's wrong? Mad? Let me see. Guess the mayor has to check the flavor himself."
Lick lick—
"What are you doing right now?"
...Huh?
This isn't right.
Normally, she'd blush and go, "Kyaa! Pervert mayor!" while playing along.
This is a WWE rules violation!!
Suddenly, a flash of insight hit my brain.
Wait... could it be?
Independence? Personal growth?
Has this kid finally broken free from her obsessive fixation on me and become a proper baker?
If so, this is great news.
Ahh, good job, Sugar Girl!
Well done, Sugar Girl!
That's how you grow up!
You don't need the mayor anymore! You can do it on your own!
I suppressed my rising cheers and spoke calmly.
"Oh, really? It's okay not to know. Hmm. That's a relief. You've grown up, Sugar Girl. Good job."
I flashed my most benevolent smile.
"Favor Bakery's running great today too. As expected of Sugar Girl! Yeah! Since you're handling everything so well, I'll just drop by occasionally. Once a month? Or every two? Investors meddling too much just gets in the way of the staff, haha."
I turned away as casually as possible, like it was no big deal.
"Inspection over for today! Gotta run, busy schedule..."
Hope for freedom welled up in me.
This would free me from this saccharine hell!
Or so I thought.
Sugar Girl's shoulders began to tremble faintly.
"......Hic."
Eh?
"...Hngh."
Eh eh?
Drip.
Drip drip.
Transparent liquid dripped from her eyes.
No, not just tears. Sticky sugar syrup.
Her quirk: when emotions run high, her body's sugar liquefies and flows out.
"Waaah—!"
Finally, Sugar Girl buried her face in the counter and burst into sobs.
The shop's sugar concentration spiked. The air filled with sweetness.
"W-Why are you crying?!"
I yelled in panic, and she lifted her head. Her syrup-smeared face glared at me reproachfully.
"The mayor's an idiot! A dummy! You don't even know why I did that?!"
"How should I know!"
"I saw it online! If you act cold to someone you like on purpose, they worry and obsess more! That's what it said!!"
...What?
What did this sugar lump just say?
I was too flabbergasted to speak.
No, she acts cold first, and when I don't fall for it, she flips to menhera mode? What kind of self-perpetuating disaster is this?!
"So I tried acting cold on purpose! But the mayor doesn't worry, he says good job! And now just once a month! Am I... getting thrown away???"
I flailed, making excuses.
"No, that's not it... You looked busy, didn't want to bother you."
"Liar! The mayor's lost interest in me! I'm a nuisance now!"
"Nooo!"
"Waaah!! The mayor yelled at Sugar!!!"
Ugh... such a pain...
Her crying intensified. Now syrup oozed from her whole body, not just tears.
From hair tips, fingertips, hem of her dress—sticky liquid dripped everywhere.
Customers started murmuring.
"There it goes again."
"Mayor made her cry again."
No, citizens! I didn't do it!
She's drumming and cymballing all by herself!
The shop turned into a sea of syrup in seconds. Floor sticky, walls running with caramel-like goo.
Left like this, the whole place would become a giant lump of sugar candy.
Damn! Damn! Damn!
I frantically tried to soothe her. Worst move here: stating facts.
Say "You're the idiot for believing internet BS," and tomorrow I'd wake up imprisoned in a sugar cell.
Lies were the only answer. Play along with her logic.
"N-No! Sugar Girl! Misunderstanding!"
I shouted desperately.
"M-Me too! I was pretending to be nonchalant on purpose to get your attention! Like... yeah, push-pull! You pushed me away, so I pulled back harder by acting distant!"
What the hell am I saying?
"...Really?"
But amazingly, my nonsense worked.
Her crying stopped. Syrup-wet eyes widened.
"Y-Yeah! Of course! How much do I treasure you! Haha."
An awkward laugh twitched at my lips.
Sugar Girl stared for a moment, then a bright smile bloomed on her face.
The sticky syrup in the shop evaporated in an instant, like her tears never happened.
"...Seriously, Mayor loves Sugar way too much!"
She giggled, linking arms with me naturally.
"Haha."
Phew... survived.
Made it through another day alive.
I ignored my sticky clothes and forced an awkward smile. Haha.
"Then I gotta treat you to a special flavor today! Since Mayor likes me so much, I gotta return the favor! A special menu just for you!"
Damn.
Ends up like this after all.
Can't escape this sweet hell today either.
My liver and pancreas are screaming in agony.
Koreans have weak pancreases—I'll die!!
Save me.
Someone please save me.
Right then.
Had my desperate prayer reached the heavens?
Crash!
A loud shattering sound cut through the customers' murmurs and the sweet air.
"OMG! What's that?"
"The bread! Bread's moving on its own!"
Bread moving on its own?
Poltergeist? Or another villain?
Either way, fine by me. If it keeps me from Sugar Girl's special menu, I'd sell my soul to the devil.
All eyes turned to the display case where the noise came from.
And I saw it.
A bizarre, wondrous, surreal sight.
The mountain of breads on the display was being sucked into some black hole of a mouth.
That something was long and flexible.
Covered in tricolor fur.
At the end was a familiar cat face.
Neロong—
Elongated massively, Nero was devastating the display.
Meow.
His tiny mouth opened impossibly wide and swallowed a fresh croissant whole.
Chomp chomp.
Then he writhed toward the next target: a sausage bun.
"Look at that cat. Body stretching like crazy."
"That's the mayor's cat Nero, right?"
As always, Neo Incheon's citizens weren't shocked—they whipped out smartphones like it was a fun spectacle.
Not their shop, so fire across the river. Or bread show, I guess.
Smartphone shutters clicked everywhere.
Tomorrow's internet headlines were crystal clear.
[Exclusive] Mayor Lee Garam's Cat Nero Raids Bakery with Superpowers! Neglect Controversy Arises...
"Nero! Stop that right n—"
Before I could finish, Sugar Girl beside me started trembling.
The smile vanished from her face.
Her cheerful eyes ignited with fury.
"Bread..."
A low voice.
"My... bread..."
She witnessed her creations—her art, her alter egos—being ravaged by some unidentified furball.
To a pastry chef, their desserts are like children.
So what was this scene if not watching your kid get mauled by a cat?
"Bread thief! A cat thief!"
Did she sense Sugar Girl's killing intent?
Nero gulped down his sweet bean bun mid-chew, then snapped back to normal size in a flash.
He darted under a corner table at lightning speed.
"Stop right there, you mangy furball!!"
Sugar Girl charged at Nero.
But Nero scoffed and leaped lightly, evading her grasp.
And so began an epic chase involving me, Sugar Girl, and all the customers.
Nero slithered under tables like flowing water.
Weaved through customers' legs like an acrobat.
Sugar Girl pursued with enraged roars.
Coincidence?
This commotion wasn't mere happenstance.
This was... salvation.
My prayer hadn't reached heaven, but a single cat.
A tiny creature's noble, meticulous plan to save a Korean pancreas from sugar hell.
Ahh, Nero!
Willing to sacrifice yourself as a bread thief to save me!
My savior! My messiah! My cat!
"Stop!"
Sugar Girl slid across the floor yelling.
Nero glanced back mockingly, then bolted straight to me.
And jumped.
Landed lightly on my shoulder, climbed to my head, and settled in.
Then calmly licked the cream off his front paw.
Nyaa—
"Mayor. Hand over that furball now!"
"Haha! Duty calls—we're out!"