Robin froze, fear gripping him. He collapsed to the floor, his arrogance vanished. Clusia had sharply limited gun regulations; why did this woman possess a pistol? Trembling, he crawled backward.
“W-Who are you? Why do you have a gun?” he stammered.
Yvette tilted her head, the pistol aimed at his temple. A single pull of the trigger, and Robin would be dead. Her eyes were icy as she held the weapon.
“Who are you to judge the women of Clusia?” she said slowly.
A cold sweat broke out on Robin's brow. His hands trembled; his dislocated arm prevented him from wiping the sweat.
“I-I’m telling the truth. She approached me, pestering me relentlessly,” he insisted.
At his words, the café patrons turned to the woman in the booth. Fear silenced her.
Lucy sneered, her disgust palpable. "Typical," she thought, "Ybaullans twisting facts." She clicked her heels towards Robin. "She loves you, wants to return to Ybaulla with you. But she doesn't represent all Clusian women. Stop judging us!"
Stunned, Robin stared at this striking woman. A familiar face, yet he couldn't place her.
As Lucy finished, the café erupted in near applause. Whispering, Lucy approached Yvette.
Yvette nodded, her gaze fixed on the defiant Robin. Is he still defiant? she thought. He needs a lesson. I'll shoot him until he learns.
Yvette’s stare chilled Robin to the bone. He dared not resist, dragging himself away. Yvette leaned forward, the threat palpable. The next second, a shot rang out, piercing his left leg. Robin cried out in agony, blood spurting.
Lucy, closest to the scene, feared his leg was crippled. Yvette, shooting in public, worried about the consequences. Her personality hadn't changed.
Desperately, Robin pressed on the wound, but the bleeding continued. Terror consumed him; he was helpless, a lamb to the slaughter.
Seeing the gunshot, some patrons recoiled, frozen by the unexpected violence.
Yvette calmly requested another strawberry milkshake. The waitress, trembling, delivered it. Yvette stopped her departure.
“Wait,” she said.
The waitress paled, stiffening. “M-Ma’am, can I help you?” she whispered, terrified.
Yvette reached into her pocket. The waitress feared another pistol. Instead, Yvette produced a hundred-dollar bill.
“Here you are. Don't forget the change,” she said seriously.
The café patrons were stunned. Did she forget she just shot a man? they thought. Robin lay there, bleeding.
Lucy twitched her lips. My boss is stingy, she mused. The waitress was near tears.
“Ma’am, it’s on the house,” she offered cautiously.
“No, thank you. Just the change,” Yvette insisted.
The waitress reluctantly complied. Robin groaned in pain. Unseen, Yvette used a silver needle to seal his acupoints, ensuring his survival, but leaving him in conscious, agonizing pain.
Yvette sipped her milkshake. An eerie silence settled over the café as the patrons watched. They dared not disturb Yvette.
Meanwhile, the website manager swiftly resolved the network issues. The male streamer restarted his live stream. Within seconds, fifty thousand viewers flooded in, the number rapidly escalating.
The comments poured in: Oh my gosh! What happened? Where's Robin? Is that Robin on the floor? A gunshot?! Who shot him?
The streamer aimed the camera at Yvette and Robin. Yvette’s flawless face sent the viewers into a frenzy. They saw Robin, half-dead. Wasn't he arrogant a moment ago? they wondered.
The streamer, cheerfully, announced, “Everyone, the gorgeous woman just beat up arrogant Robin and shot his leg! She avenged our humiliation! Let’s give the Goddess of Clusia a big thumbs-up!”
Hundreds of thousands flooded the stream, chanting, "Goddess of Clusia!"