Lady Misfortune: Daddy, I'll Be A Righteous Villainess!

Weiss is good at strategy. 

He knows he is. However, it depends on what he'll use it for.

Just recently, Weiss was in need of a plan to get Sarah to back off. What he came up with was simple – invite Lady to the café and have a conversation with her as William. Contrary to what Fallon had advised, there's no need for a fake couple act.

He only needs to show that nosy coworker of his that he likes Lady. With that, he'll finally believe that he doesn't have a crush on Sarah – and ultimately, he'll stop trying to hook them up together. This way, Weiss won't have to lie either. 

'I could've just pretended I liked someone else, but that guy would still tease me about it. If it's Lady, though, I won't mind. It's true, anyway,' he mused to himself as he started his afternoon shift at the coffee shop. 

Earlier that morning, his mind would constantly drift off to that strange dream he had. He couldn't stop thinking about it for some reason. Eventually, however, he's able to shake it off and focus on his plans for the day. Right now's the most important part. He can't afford to get distracted again.   

'It's already past four. She'll arrive at any moment.'

Yesterday, he had told Lady to meet up with him in that café so that they could work on her advice column together. But the catch is, Weiss would show up late. He'll have a conversation with her as William first and make sure that his coworker is watching. 

'I wonder how she'll react, though. I really didn't get to say goodbye when we moved out of the flower shop. I hope she's not mad. She can't handle sudden disappearances, after all…' he lamented, feeling a bit guilty. 

'But it's not like I've been here for a long time now. We only left recently. This will just have to serve as our reunion.' 

In the past, Weiss was so cautious whenever Lady would interact with William. 

She kept trying to get closer, and he kept trying to put his distance. But she has always been the relentless one. So, in the end, she won – obviously. He actually feels he can let her in even in his double life now.

Even still, he needs to be careful not to get his true identity exposed. 

"Huh?! William?!"

And alas, Lady came.

She's still in her school uniform, a folder and a laptop in hand. She's all set to get started on that advice column, it seems.

'I'm afraid I still have a favor to ask of you before that, though,' Weiss thought, smiling softly at Lady who's now running towards the register.

His coworker is at the counter – an earshot away from him. He glanced in their direction when he heard her call him. 

Perfect.     

"Oh, hey, Lady. It's been a while," Weiss greeted. 

"It has! You didn't say you're moving out!" Lady practically cried.

"Sorry. It's totally last minute, and you didn't drop by for weeks."

"And I regret it. I would've visited every day if only I knew."

"Well, you can still do that now. You just have to go here."

"You… work as a barista?!"

"Yes."

"Woahhh! That's so cool!"

His smile softens even more at that, his eyes gleaming with unconcealed fondness. 

This is exactly what he means. He doesn't have to pretend or anything. All his reactions would come out naturally, genuinely, when he's with her – whether he's Weiss or William. This is something only she can do. 

"Alright! I'll go here often from now on…!" Lady beamed.

"Just in case, though, let's exchange numbers. Social media accounts will do - anything, actually, as long as we can get in touch. What's your Snap?"

"Oh, I don't have Snapchat…" Weiss chuckled. 

"Do you have Discord?"

"No. Do you have Instagram?"

"No. Do you have Line?"

"No. Do you have Facebook?" 

There's no way he doesn't have Facebook. Everyone has Facebook.

"No. Do you have a phone number?"

"No. Do you… Oh, no, wait." 

She flushes, a bit embarrassed. She must have been too excited. 

"Yes, yes. I do have a phone number."

"Good. Because I lost mine."

Lady made an incredulous look. Even then, Weiss's smile never faltered. 

"That's not how that pickup line..." she said then trailed off. 

"Nevermind."

"Yeah…" he replied sheepishly, running his fingers through his hair. 

"You look so cute today that I messed up my pickup line."

Pink dusts her cheeks right then, her lips tilted upward into a smile. He had her in the first half. She had really thought he was bad at pickup lines. But that was pretty smooth.

She looked around the coffee shop – she's the only customer there at the moment. Setting down her things on the nearest table, she then approached the register once again. 

"You don't have social media, huh? That's weird," Lady began.

"I have Reddit. That's social media," Weiss snorted.

"But you don't trade Reddit accounts. That's weird too."

"You're right. I'll never tell you my username."

"Really? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that Reddit isn't used like that, and you're damn weird if that's how you use it."

He grinned at her. She shrugged and nodded.

Lady pulled out her phone. She then opened up her contacts before handing it over to Weiss. 

"I'd never tell you mine, either. It's my anonymous place. I keep a diary on my account," she told him.

"Well, now, I'm curious. I'll show you mine if you show me yours," he playfully remarked, putting one of his backup numbers into her phone. 

"Let's do it, then!"

"Now, don't be so crude."

"But you're the one who suggested it!"

"I didn't expect you're gonna agree."

Lady snatched her phone back from him. Then, immediately, she sent Weiss a text with her name. 

"I wasn't being crude…" she retorted, blowing raspberries at him. 

"You're the one that phrased it like that."

"And you're the one that took it that way…" he said with a wink before redirecting his attention to the front door as it creaked open. 

"Duty calls."

---

"You freaking two-timer!"

Weiss swiftly dodged, evading the plastic cup.

This is certainly not the reaction he's expecting from his coworker. Apparently, he saw it all, but unfortunately, he misunderstood. He had thrown a plastic cup in his direction as soon as they're all by themselves again. While he was at it, he had claimed that he's one fickle-hearted playboy.

"What about Sarah, huh…?!" he bolted out.

"Who's that girl just now?! And why were you looking at her like that?!"

He had enjoyed talking with Lady so much that he forgot to hold back.

His expressions must've said it all. He must've revealed more than what's necessary. His feelings must've been out in the open for all to see. 

That pick-up line wasn't even part of his plan. It just came out of nowhere. 

However, much to his dismay, his coworker still chose to misinterpret.

"You're the only one who keeps saying that I like Ms. Gracelyn when, in fact, I don't. Now, you're accusing me of two-timing? You're being unfair to all three of us," Weiss muttered, grave serious.

His coworker winced at that, expression guilty.

He didn't utter another word, and he left it at that. Surely, he understands by now. He just probably need a little more time to take it in. 

"By the way, I asked our manager for an early break. I'll be going ahead of you," he told him for the last time before turning around to leave.   

---

Weiss is good at strategy. 

He really is. He's good at thinking up plans. He always reads the situation to understand what the best move will be from here on out. 

He's clearly not as good as he thought he was.

So, when the stool next to the counter was suddenly pulled out, and Sarah sat down on it with an excited whisper of "Hey," Weiss almost screamed.

Crap, is what he thought then. This is so not a good time. 

"How are you, William? We don't talk much lately," she started as she set her books on the table.

This is bad. Really bad.

Weiss thought that Sarah would only drop by on weekends. Today's a weekday, which was why he invited Lady over to set his plan in motion.

Now, the two girls are in the same place. 

Just when he was finally done with his coworker, another situation had to crop up. It wouldn't be a problem if they don't know each other – but they certainly do, and they're a problem themselves. For the past year, all they do is fight, after all.     

"Are you avoiding me?" Sarah asked, feigning innocence.

"I'm not. Why would I?" Weiss dryly replied, clearly lying.

She looks at him and grins, pushing the hair out of her face. Then, she pulls her phone out of her schoolbag and holds it out to him. His eyes fall on her nail polish without intending to – they're bright red. That's against the school rules, which means she can only paint them when she's outside.

He has a bad feeling about this. She's getting bolder. 

"Can I get your number, William? I'll give you mine."

And that Sarah really is.