How to Run an Occult Cafe

[Updated whenever inspiration strikes, but I won't abandon it]

[I've finished two novels in my profile, one Western fantasy and one manga forum story. Feel free to check them out~]

As a (male) witch well-versed in the occult, Lin Yibei has always passed himself off as a respectable member of society. No, a normal person.

As long as I don't say anything, nobody knows I'm brewing a potion in my clay pot instead of porridge!

.

Just as he was secretly accomplishing great things while hiding in plain sight, his clay pot exploded, splattering the potion ingredients he'd been collecting for ages all over his face.

Before he could mourn the loss of his money, a voice suddenly appeared in his head: [Welcome to the Otherworldly Witch Cafe System~ As the Host, please do your best as the owner of the Astrologer Cat Cafe and make this little shop a success, meow~]

Lin Yibei: ...Say that again. A what?

At the end of a hidden alley off a bustling commercial street, a mysterious cafe quietly hangs out its sign and opens for business.

Push open the iron gate covered in ivy, and the world of the occult unfolds before your eyes...

A crystal ball glimmers in the window display, mysteriously colored drinks sit on the counter, gears turn in the alchemy workshop, and a lazy black cat lies like a human on the counter, waving to every customer who comes in;

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A giant butterfly spreads its wings, a white-clad witch stirs a potion, and beneath the counter, a dozing young man's cloak conceals a handsome golden-shaded cat tail;

.

A gentle treant makes one sweet after another, a pair of twins who appear at night float around hawking milk tea, and an enchanting succubus curls a finger at a customer, who promptly orders a whole tower of milk tea;

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Best of all, this cafe also offers occult services! The owner even does fortune-telling in person!

Full of anticipation, a customer sits down in front of the owner and looks at his beautiful mixed-race face. "Excuse me... are you a witch?"

The owner smiles. "Can you see my name? Try reading it without the middle character."

It's Lin Bei! I'm a male witch, okay?

On opening day, Lin Yibei, who has never made coffee by hand before, faces the first crisis since opening his shop.

To get out of the awkward situation of being a cafe owner who can't even make coffee, he secretly adds a little harmless, inconspicuous magic to it...

.

"Is that your testimony, Mr. Lin?" asks the Taoist priest from the Taoist Association with a smile. "Then our answer is this: starting today, a lay Taoist priest will supervise your business."

"Please learn how to make coffee as soon as possible."

Lin Yibei, innocent: ...Sob.

·The protagonist is mixed-race. Because of the author's personal tastes, he's an ageless little boy, hehe.

·The protagonist has a special bloodline that lets him transform into a golden-shaded cat. Just think of him as a cat spirit.

·A slow-paced story about running a business and building things up.

Here's a plug for my new upcoming story, Don't Eat Your Marriage Partner. It's a fantasy romance, a snake-charmer beauty training a dog, inspired by Knife and Fork. I made the cover myself, and it's super cool!

Here's the blurb:

Chi Ji is a famous sickly young man in Jiang City. Although he rarely appears in public, people love to talk about him because his labels are too striking: heir to a wealthy family, rare illness, beautiful face, and a heart as poisonous as a snake's... Oh, and perhaps the mysterious fiancé he had a year ago.

Same-sex marriage has been legal for a long time, but Chi Ji is the only son of the Chi family. If he were to marry a man, the man would join his family. Why would the family quietly marry him off?

While the public speculates, the precious young master in a wheelchair finally meets his fiancé for the first time...

In the form of a nightmare.

The Chi family does everything they can to marry their only son into the strange, reclusive Shang family, with just one goal: to make sure they can keep Chi Ji alive.

But Chi Ji suspects the other family doesn't really want to keep him alive. If anything...

In his nightmares every night, he runs helplessly across a desolate wasteland, all alone. If he slows down even a little, the black sludge behind him will swallow him whole, dragging him into a muddy abyss;

At his birthday banquet, he should be the host, but instead he cowers in a guest-room closet, in a wretched state. The hideous monsters outside desperately search for him, crazily sniffing the air for his scent, drool sliding from their mouths;

And on the eve of the wedding, his fiancé silently slips into his room.

The tall, handsome man holds him tightly, greedily sniffing his neck. Fangs glint in the dark.

"You smell so delicious... I'm looking forward to tomorrow's wedding."

"We'll be the most... perfect match."

Chi Ji, unable to move: ...

Thanks for asking. I can't say I'm looking forward to it.

Oh, by the way, could someone help me post a question online? What should I do if the groom wants to eat me the day before the wedding? It's a matter of life and death, and I'm in a hurry.

·A sickly but somehow impossible-to-kill, snake-hearted beauty shou × a lovesick, nonhuman puppy-dog gong

·Contains mild blood and violence. The protagonist works in a gray-area industry.

·The gong really does crave the shou's flesh (literally).

·I just love stories about a beautiful person training a dog.

Theme: Love life and stay true to yourself