Hide and Seek: The Mad Girl Sees All novel Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Lily dashed over, stood on her tiptoes, and snatched a slice of strawberry cake from the counter. She took a huge bite, and the cream ended up smeared all over half her face.

“Mmm, this is amazing! Goddess Lyra, I’ve never had anything this tasty!” Lily said, her face full of bliss as she munched away.

Lina picked up a mango smoothie, took a sip, and relaxed against the counter.

Lydia ripped open a tiramisu pack, broke it in half, and handed a piece to Sergei. Sergei took’it, had a bite and nodded in approval.

The five of them stood in the bubble tea shop, backpacks stuffed to the brim, happily eating and drinking together.

Lyra had her straw in her mouth, her eyes scanning the prep area behind the counter.

There was a mountain of fruit-chunks of mango, strawberries, lemon slices, and a whole basket of oranges still waiting to be peeled.

Lyra paused with her straw at her lips, set down her bubble tea, and grabbed an orange. She spun it around in her hand, pressed her nails into the peel, and a burst of sour fragrance hit her.

“Hey, guys,” Lyra said, holding up the orange to the group.

“Do cats really hate the smell of oranges?”

Lily tilted her head, her eyes flicking sideways. “Cats hate the smell of oranges?”

Lyra didn’t answer. Instead, she looked down and started peeling the orange. As soon as her nails dug into the peel, a strong citrus scent burst into the air.

It was sharp and tangy, hitting their noses hard.

Lily took a step back. “Man, that’s intense!”

“That’s exactly what we need,” Lyra said, tearing the orange peel into small pieces. She stuffed a couple into her pocket and tossed the rest of the fruit into her mouth.

After a couple of chews, she grabbed a second orange.

Lina leaned in, picked up an orange, and examined it, but no system message showed up.

“Lyra, there’s no info about this item, Lina said.

“Of course not,” Lyra replied, peeling the second orange and keeping all the peels. She split the fruit with Lily.

“The game only gives out one of each item. They’re all limited, Lyra explained.

“But oranges aren’t game items,” Lyra continued.

Lyra shook the ball of orange peels in her hand. “They’re just ingredients.”

Lydia caught on and went around to the back of the counter, dragging out the whole basket of oranges.

There were more than thirty of them.

“Peel them all?” Lydia asked.

Chapter 67

“Yep, peel them all,” Lyra replied.

The five of them crowded around the basket, all ten hands busy peeling.

Fingers dug into the peels, ripping them open. Citrus oil popped out everywhere, and the smell got so strong in the air that Laly couldn’t help but sneeze.

“Achoo!” Lily sneezed.

“Hang in there,” Lyra said, sorting the orange peels as she worked. “Keep the big pieces, and don’t toss the scraps.”

Lina had peeled seven or eight oranges, her fingers shining with orange oil. “Is this stuff really gonna mess with the cats

“Can’t say for sure,” Lyra replied, shoving a bunch of orange peels into the side pocket of her backpack.

“But cats can smell way better than humans-like, dozens of times more sensitive.

“It’s already pretty intense for us.

“For them, it’s like torture.”

Sergei paused. “So you’re saying we turn orange peels into weapons?”

“Not weapons.” Lyra shook her head. “They’re a barrier.”

She stood up, grabbed a handful of orange peel scraps, walked to the bubble tea shop entrance, and scattered them in a line on the floor.

“Cats can pick up even the tiniest whiff of scent. Silver Whisper locks onto us with telepathy, but it still needs to get close,” Lyra explained.

“Shadowcat slips through shadows, but shadows can’t mask smells.

“If we carry enough orange peels and lay them around our hiding spot, their noses will warn them before they even see us- stay away.” Lyra said.

Lily crouched down, staring intently at the line of orange peels. Her face was all seriousness. “Goddess Lyra, how long will this keep them away?”

Lyra shrugged. “Same as before: No idea.”

“But we don’t need to keep them away for six hours,” Lyra added.

She turned and glanced at the layout of the mall, her eyes sweeping from the first floor up to the third.

“We just need to make the cats pause for a few more minutes at every step,” Lyra said.

Items buy us time, orange peels give us a buffer, and the terrain slows them down,” she added.

“Six hours-split it into thirty-six ten-minute rounds. We’ll make it through, ten minutes at a time, Lyra said.

Lydia finished peeling the last orange, and the pile of peels looked like a mini mountain.

Everyone crammed a bunch of orange peels into their backpacks.

Lily’s pockets were bulging too. She patted her pockets and said, “I’m totally drenched in orange scent.”

“That’s actually a good thing,” Lyra said, wiping her hands.

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Chapter 67

She glanced at the cosmetics display. “See if you can find any perfume-something citrus or orange. Maybe it’ll help And grab some empty spray bottles, squeeze some orange juice in, and spritz yourself with it.”

“I’ll handle it. I know my way around perfume. We’re running out of time, so let’s split up. Lydia said, getting up and heading out.

“Alright, Lyra said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and heading for the first-floor lobby.

The lobby was almost empty-most players had already picked their hiding spots.

No one paid Lyra any attention as she walked to the center of the mall and looked up.

The atrium soared three stories high, topped by a massive glass dome. Chandeliers hung down, bathing the whole place in bright light.

Escalators crisscrossed between the three floors, and each level had railings so you could look down at everything below.

“Cats love to watch from high places,” Lyra said, pointing at the edge of the third-floor railing.

Lina glanced up where Lyra was pointing. “Lyra, do you think the cats will claim the upper floors?”

“If I were a cat, I’d definitely do that,” Lyra replied.

Lyra pulled her gaze back. “The third floor has the best vantage point, so we can’t hide up there right now.”

Lily raised her hand. “So where do we hide?”

Lyra didn’t answer. She walked over to the fire wall near the mall entrance and paused, taking another careful look at the ten cats behind it.

The cats were still hanging out, each doing their own thing-some licking their paws, some with their eyes closed, and the Ambercat stretched out on the floor, its tail swishing lazily.

They looked completely relaxed, not a single thing out of the ordinary.

Lyra stared at Silver Whisper just as it looked up, its pale green eyes meeting hers.

Lyra didn’t look away.

Silver Whisper’s pupils narrowed to slits.

‘Did it notice me? Lyra wondered.

‘No, that’s not right. It sensed me,’ she realized.

Goosebumps ran down Lyra’s spine. “Telepathy! This cat’s already using its powers,’ she thought.

She quickly looked away, steadying her nerves. In her mind, she kept repeating, ‘Bubble tea is so good, bubble tea is so good. bubble tea is so good, using it as a mantra to calm herself.

She turned to Lily and whispered, “When the game starts, no matter what happens, you need to remember one thing.”

“What is it?” Lily asked.

“Don’t be afraid,” Lyra said.

Lily blinked, a little stunned.

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