Raja then said, "Hey, Qing."
And Qing said, "Yes?"
"Have you been working here long?"
"It's been about four years now."
"That's cool. Have you always worked in this part of the restaurant?"
"No. All the employees who enter the restaurant start on the first floor."
"Oh yeah? Why is that?"
"I don't know exactly, but I guess it's so that we can experience many different kinds of environments and then choose the one we like to work in."
"Got it. So you've worked on all the floors of the restaurant?"
"Well, I've worked on all the floors in the other building. In this building, I haven't worked on any of the oasis floors yet."
"Really? Well, one day, you'll get there."
"I hope so."
"... Hey Qing, if you don't mind answering, what's your personal life like? Are you dating or anything like that?"
Qing then smiled and said, "I don't mind answering. I do date."
Raja then thought, 'That's unfortunate, but maybe it's recent.', and said, "That's nice. Has it been a long time?"
"Yeah, it's been about three years."
Raja then thought, 'Damn.', and said, "Wow, it really has been a long time. Isn't it about time you two got married?"
Cheng then said, "I keep telling her that, but she keeps stalling."
And Qing said, "Don't say that, Cheng. You know it's not time for us to get married yet."
Raja then said, "Wait a minute. Is Cheng your boyfriend?"
And Qing said, "Yes."
"... How lucky you are to work together."
"Yes. We met here at the restaurant three and a half years ago, started dating three years ago, and we've only been working on this floor together for a year."
"I see. I noticed that every chair had a man and a woman around it. Are they all dating like you two?"
"No, we are the only couple here."
"Wow, looks like I won the lottery then, hahaha ..."
"Hahaha."
Raja then said, "But, tell me, Cheng. How did you conquer a woman as beautiful as Qing? If I had to take a guess, I'd say it was the massage. Did I get it right?"
And Cheng said, "Unfortunately, not Mr. Raja."
"No? Then how did you meet?"
"Well, I met Qing here at the restaurant, but we started dating after one day I met her at a casino which is on the next street."
"At a casino? Are you serious?"
"Yes. She had just lost all the money she had, and the men there wanted her to go with them to pay the bill some other way."
"I already know the rest of the story. You then arrived, beat up all the men in the casino, and then took her away. After that day, she fell in love with you and overcame her addiction, right?"
"No. That's not how it happened. I didn't have to beat anyone up. I just paid her bill, and then when we left, she thanked me and started to leave."
" Then you met the other day at work, and little by little, the love between you started to grow to the point where you started dating."
"Wrong again. When she was leaving, I took her by the arm and asked where she was going. She then said she was going to the inn she was staying at, and I said no, and that from that moment on, she was my girlfriend."
"What?"
"Yes, this time, you got it right. She said the same thing, and then she asked me if I thought she would become my girlfriend just because I saved her. I said she had no choice and that if she didn't become my girlfriend, I would tell our boss at the restaurant that she was a gambling addict. Which would probably cause her to lose her job."
"You blackmailed her?!"
"Yes. You are getting better at it. You got it right twice in a row, hahaha, but moving on. She then begged me not to tell anyone about it, and I said that if she wanted me to keep quiet, she would have to become my girlfriend and live with me. Upon hearing this, she reluctantly accepted, and then I told her that she didn't have to be my girlfriend forever and that she just had to keep going until she paid me all the money."
"Wow, now I understand you. You were just giving her a scare, and you made her live with you in the hope that some feeling would develop between the two of you before she could pay you the money, and from the looks, it worked out."
"No, you were wrong. I only gave her this condition so that she would have some hope of getting away from me, but from the beginning, I had planned to have her with me forever. After a week without going to the casino, she couldn't take it anymore, so I offered her some money, saying that this small amount would only make her pay off her debt to me a little later. She then accepted it and spent all the money at the casino again. This cycle repeated itself a few more times to the point where she was going to the casino every day, and from that point on, both she and I knew that she would never be able to pay off her debt, so she decided to accept her fate as my girlfriend. Wow, what a different ... history."
"Yeah, everyone says the same thing."
"..."
Raja didn't know what to say and started to feel very uncomfortable with the situation, and then Qing said, "Hahaha, Cheng, he is extremely uncomfortable. You have to stop telling this strange story to all our customers."
And Cheng said, "Hahaha, I'm sorry, Qing, it's just that I love to see the expressions they make while I tell the story."
Raja then said, "Wait a minute. Was it all a lie?"
And Cheng said, "Yes, hahaha. Every time someone asks about our relationship, I make up something different to see how the person will react, hahaha."
"Whew! I had really tensed up after you told me that."
"Hahaha, I know. I could tell by your shoulders."
"Well, how did you guys start dating then?"
"Well, it was no big deal. We met at the bar after work, and then we started drinking a little and talking. So, drink in, drink out, and the next thing we knew, we were waking up in an inn next to the bar where we were drinking. After that, this situation repeated itself a few more times, and we then decided to start dating."
"Wow, I was expecting something, I don't know, more romantic."
"Everyone says the same thing, now for real. Hahaha."
After that, Raja continued enjoying the food and the massage until it was over. After that, Cheng walked away, and Qing stood up with Raja's empty plate.
Cheng then said, "Well, it's time for us to go. It was nice to meet you, sir ... what is your name again, sir?"
And Raja said, "My name is Raja, and what do you mean? Is the service on this floor time-limited?"
Qing then said, "Yes. Due to the relaxing properties of the massage and our food, the services here have a time limit."
Raja then said, "Too bad, but at least I had a good time. I feel like a new person. Thank you, Cheng, Qing."
And Qing said, "My pleasure."
Cheng then said, "Until next time, Sir Raja."
And Raja said, "See you."
Right after Cheng and Qing stood up, all the other people serving the group did the same and then began to leave.
Lina then said, "Wow, that was so nice.", and everyone agreed.
Marco then said, "Too bad there's a time limit."
And Gen said, "Tell me about it. If I weren't traveling tomorrow, maybe I would come back here."
Lan then said, "Even if you come back tomorrow, it wouldn't be possible to get this treatment again."
"Hm? Why is that? Is it the price? I don't have fifteen silver coins left to come in emperor mode again, but I can come to the fourth floor without any problems.
"That's not the problem, sir, Gen."
"It's not? Then what is the problem? And Gen is enough. I feel old being called sir."
"Okay. The problem is that this service has a minimum time limit of one month before it can be used by the same person again."
"What? Why is that?"
"It's because although we say that this service is about relaxation, that's not the only benefit it provides."
"Are you telling me there's something else?"
"Yes."
"What's the other benefit then?"
"The other benefit is that in addition to relaxing your body, it also makes it easier to understand essences."
"What?! Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Why is that? Is it some kind of technique? Or is it some kind of special ingredient in the food?"
"Well, I don't know. The one who said the service had this effect and taught everyone here how to do it was the owner."
"And why should I trust the words of the restaurant owner?"
"You don't have to. It will become clear to you that nothing is a lie on the next floor."