"Can I have another glass?"
After taking a big gulp and finishing half of it, the girl looked at the remaining liquid in the glass and asked Aiden.
Aiden nodded and said to the bartender, "Please give her another glass."
"Thank you!" Helena politely nodded toward Aiden.
Then she added, "I'll pay you back."
"It's on me," Aiden waved his hand.
He no longer paid attention to the overjoyed girl and instead turned to the bartender.
"Miss, may I ask if your boss's name is King?"
"How did you know that?" The bartender was shaking a shaker as she curiously nodded. Then she stared at Aiden, "Are you looking for our boss for something?"
"Yes."
"Could it be that you're here to apply for the bar's singer position?" The bartender remembered the small blackboard outside.
But that board had been hanging there for days and no one had successfully taken the job, probably because they thought the boss offered too little money.
Thinking of her boss's sick younger brother, the bartender sighed. Her boss truly couldn't afford to pay more to hire a bar singer.
"No, I'm here on someone's behalf," Aiden said after taking a sip of his drink. "To invite her to take part in something that pays very well."
Hearing that, the bartender narrowed her eyes. She looked to be in her thirties, not inexperienced, and knew that pies don't fall from the sky.
"Gambling? Or becoming someone's hired fighter? Or maybe…"
She knew her boss was skilled in fighting. Not long ago, a drunk caused trouble at the bar, and her boss personally took care of it, one against more than ten, and it was over in less than a minute.
Aiden shook his head. "Not as a fighter, but it's related to fighting. Ever heard of the KOF Tournament?"
"Of course. Advertisements for the KOF Tournament are everywhere. Look, see, it's playing right now." The bartender pointed behind Aiden at the television on the counter. A soccer game was currently cutting to a KOF Tournament commercial.
Aiden glanced back, then turned to the bartender and said, "I came here on someone's behalf to invite her to participate in the KOF Tournament."
The bartender looked skeptical. "Seriously? I heard you need an invitation letter for that."
"Of course it's true."
"Then show me the invitation letter," the bartender said as she placed the newly made drink in front of Helena.
"Uh… the invitation letter isn't with me." Aiden said awkwardly. He hadn't expected the bartender to be this cautious.
"Then you're lying." The bartender gave him a disdainful look. "You're probably just here to bother my boss. Someone from America came to harass her before, too."
'America… someone from South Town?'
Aiden froze for a moment.
Seeing him speechless, the bartender thought she was right and her expression immediately turned cold.
"Listen, sir, you can drink here, since you paid, but don't you dare try anything funny, or I'll call the police right away."
Hearing the bartender's words, Aiden was speechless.
Hey, don't just jump to conclusions.
Unfortunately, before he could explain, the bartender stopped paying attention to him and went about her business.
"Got mistaken for a shady guy with bad intentions…"
Aiden felt helpless. He clearly looked harmless. When the female bartender first saw him, her eyes had even lit up a little.
Who would've thought that after a few words, her impression would flip completely. Seems like he only had a "special effect" on women who were already named characters…
As he was lost in those random thoughts, Helena tugged at his sleeve. "Aiden, you're a good person."
Hmm, the words sounded nice, but after what just happened, it somehow didn't feel quite right, like being handed a "good guy card."
Sighing, Aiden gave her a gentle smile. The girl really was considerate.
Then he heard Helena softly say, "Can I have another glass?"
'Uh…' Aiden looked at her complexion. It seemed normal, with just a faint blush on her cheeks. So he nodded. "As long as you don't get drunk, drink as much as you like."
Then he snapped his fingers and called out to the bartender, "One Alexander…"
After a moment, he looked down at his own glass and added, "And another vodka on the rocks."
The drinks were served quickly. Helena's needed a bit more time. Watching the girl lean on the counter with her chin resting on her hand, her face getting rosier by the minute, Aiden drank while chatting with her.
Even though he hadn't seen King, the trip wasn't a total loss. Helena really had potential, among the major female fighters in King of Fighters, she'd be among the top, even surpassing Mai Shiranui… and that was just in terms of figure.
Among all the female characters Aiden had met in this world, only the Nyotengu could outmatch her. But within the same fighting system, the KOF system, there weren't many who could beat her, though it was still early for her to make an appearance.
While Aiden chatted with Helena, he was also waiting for King. After all, as the bar's owner, she wouldn't just not show up, she was really poor, and the bar's business was tied to her brother's life.
After talking for a while, the mature-looking girl had let down all her guard around Aiden. It was, after all, still 1994. Her father's company was thriving, and her parents hadn't been murdered yet. So the girl was still in a particularly naïve and optimistic stage.
By now, the rich girl had finished her third glass of Alexander. Although this cocktail, made from a mix of many ingredients, wasn't strong in alcohol, the volume and aftereffect were.
After three glasses, Helena's eyes were slightly dazed, but her mind was still clear enough. Her words weren't slurred, though she didn't look like she'd last much longer.
Draining the last bit of milky-white liquid, Helena let out a long breath, then carelessly wiped the white residue from the corner of her lips with the back of her hand. She called out to the bartender, "Can I have another glass?"
"You're the customer, if you want another, of course you can." The bartender gave her a strange look, then grabbed the shaker again.
At that moment, she noticed Aiden gesturing for her to come closer.
"What do you want?" The bartender still thought he was harassing her boss, so her tone wasn't polite, and she didn't move closer.
But when she saw Aiden discreetly show her a roll of hundred-euro notes in his hand, she shamefully gave in.
After glancing at Helena, who was holding her glass and leaning on the bar, the bartender leaned slightly forward. Aiden said in a low voice, "When you mix her drink..."
"Don't even think about it." The bartender lowered her voice coldly. "No matter how much you pay, I won't add extra alcohol to her drink."
'…Great, misunderstood again. First impressions really do matter.'
Curling his lips, Aiden helplessly said quietly, "That's not what I meant. Let me finish."
"Then say it."
"I meant, when you mix her drink, don't add any alcohol at all. Just make it a regular beverage."
The bartender froze, realizing she might've misunderstood him. Then she frowned. "But it won't taste right."
"She won't notice the difference," Aiden smiled, then handed the roll of cash to her. "The rest's your tip."
Since he wasn't trying to get the girl drunk, the bartender thought for a bit, then accepted the money. Watching Aiden sit back beside the girl, she unrolled the bills, and froze again. They were ten 500-euro notes, enough to cover two months of her salary.
The customer's generosity made her conflicted. As a woman, she pulled out her mirror and checked her reflection.
The woman in the glass looked sensual, but compared to the girl sitting next to Aiden, both in looks and figure, she was lacking, and she definitely wasn't as young.
'Could it be he has… a thing for older women?'
That strange thought made the bartender blush. But seeing Aiden pay and simply chat with the girl without even glancing her way made her realize she was overthinking it.
Her complicated feelings caused her hands to slip, she almost sent the shaker flying. Luckily, she caught it in time and sighed in relief.
After a while, she handed the alcohol-free "Alexander" to the girl, watching nervously, afraid she'd notice the difference.
But when she saw Helena take a sip, nod in satisfaction, and smile, she thought Aiden had been right, she really couldn't tell.
'Maybe I really misunderstood him.'
The bartender thought to herself, her hand tightening around the ten notes under the counter. She wasn't rich, no one who worked in this small bar was, so she had no intention of giving the money back.
After some internal struggle, the bartender finally gave in and said to Aiden, "Our boss won't be coming tonight. She's at the hospital with her brother."
That didn't surprise Aiden. King was so poor, if she didn't come to work, it could only be because she was with the person making her poor.
Nodding, Aiden said, "I'll come again tomorrow."
After saying that, he drained his glass, then patted the girl beside him on the shoulder.
"Miss Helena, it's time for us to go."
"So soon?" Helena didn't seem to have had enough and looked reluctant to leave.
"If you want to drink, we can come back tomorrow. My treat again."
Hearing that, Helena immediately stood up and said, "That wouldn't be right. Tomorrow, I'll treat you."
Aiden blinked. "You're not drunk?"
"I'm a martial artist, how could I get drunk that easily?" Helena said with a sweet smile. Then she looked at the bartender. "Next time, go easier on the cocoa. You can barely taste the alcohol."
"Uh…" Hearing that, both Aiden and the bartender were speechless.
The girl wasn't stupid, she had her guard up.
After all, she was a rich young lady. No matter how naïve and innocent, she wasn't completely clueless about the world.
While Aiden was still a little dazed, Helena took his arm, pulled him toward the door, and took out her phone.
"I'll call the driver to take us home."
"That would be great, thank you."
"It's no trouble."
As they spoke, the two of them reached the door. But just then, a tall woman carrying a guitar case, her bangs covering half her face, walked in from outside and brushed past Aiden.