After Kirishima Touka returned to the coffee shop and eagerly drank the lemon tea,
Everyone understood that the drink must have come from that young shop owner.
"Touka, did you meet that young shop owner?" asked Irimi Kaya.
"I saw him in the yard." Kirishima Touka's face was still beaming with a smile after finishing the drink: "The shop owner said that the opening hours start at 6 PM, this is Midnight Diner, and told me to come back later."
Koma Enji was slightly stunned to hear this: "A regular business... does that mean it's an ordinary shop...?"
If it was an ordinary shop, how could it make food that Ghouls could eat?
Who was that Manager?
Anyway, everyone's thoughts were now focused on that Manager.
How exactly did he make this kind of food?
Just then, the back door of the coffee shop opened, and Manager Yoshimura came out.
He smiled as he looked at Kirishima Touka.
"Since you've met that Manager, after the shop opens this evening, represent Anteiku to come and take a look. Don't forget to bring a gift and be polite."
After speaking, the Manager placed a bag of coffee beans down.
Everyone stared at the coffee beans, and Koma Enji exclaimed, "Manager, isn't this your favorite coffee bean!"
Since Ghouls could only drink coffee, good coffee beans were more valuable to them.
This bag of coffee beans was the Manager's very precious treasure; usually, he ground it himself and drank it with everyone, never selling it.
Manager Yoshimura shook his head: "No matter how valuable it is, it's not as valuable as the sakura cake that the Manager gave us that day. Don't assume the other party doesn't know its value and disappoint them."
Hearing this, everyone nodded seriously, indicating that they understood.
Kirishima Touka looked at the coffee beans: "But my job is in the afternoon…"
"Consider it a half-day off," said Manager Yoshimura. "Your task in the afternoon is to be a representative."
"I understand." Kirishima Touka nodded and stored the coffee beans.
At this moment.
Koma Enji thought for a moment and asked Manager Yoshimura, "About last night…"
Manager Yoshimura still squinted his eyes: "It has nothing to do with us, just a regular fight, but a bit too wild."
Irimi Kaya nodded, her expression cold: "How dare they cause trouble near the coffee shop!"
Anteiku was the core of Anteiku.
If both sides fought like that near the coffee shop, what was the difference from slapping their faces?
Even the Manager said they were disorderly.
So, when they had free time at night, they, along with Si Fang Lian Shi, would go educate the Ghouls around, a deep education.
It seemed they had healed from their wounds and forgotten the pain.
After the matter was settled, the Manager turned and left.
Everyone's attention returned to the lemon tea that Touka brought.
Yuzuki had given her a relatively large cup, 700 milliliters full.
Seeing how much was left, everyone immediately became greedy.
Irimi Kaya and Koma Enji exchanged glances, both silently taking coffee cups and pushing them in front of Touka.
"Ehem, Touka-chan."
Kirishima Touka: ...
Who would have thought that there would be a Demon Monkey and a Black Doberman,
Two SS-Class Ghouls, one day would target another servant to drink lemon tea!
If others saw this, they might suspect it was a moral violation, ehm.
In short, it was outrageous.
As the saying goes, share half when you meet.
Kirishima Touka was still somewhat reluctant to pour half a cup into the two cups, each less than 200 milliliters.
After that, not much was left in her glass.
The three of them didn't speak, all raised their cups, and began to taste.
Sipping the lemon tea.
Koma Enji and Irimi Kaya showed slight signs of intoxication.
"This lemon tea flavor…"
"So this is what sweet and sour tastes like…"
"Ah..."
Sip by sip, a cup of coffee was quickly finished.
The three of them smacked their lips, feeling a bit unsatisfied.
Or rather, no matter how much they drank, it would never be enough.
Koma Enji and Irimi Kaya looked back at the glass in Touka's hand, or more precisely, the lemon slices in that glass.
There were exactly three slices inside.
So..., those three lemon slices would be divided among the three of them.
They each took a bite.
"So sour~"
They all squinted their eyes at the sourness.
However, they still chewed the lemon slices carefully and eventually swallowed them.
Irimi Kaya even licked her fingers.
In the end.
The two looked at Kirishima Touka, who was packing her bag, then took out some money and handed it to her.
"Touka-chan, if you can order takeout, anything, please order one portion."
"Please! And one for Manager Yoshimura!"
Kirishima Touka: ....
What else could she say?
She was now like a dorm leader who could bring back food.
And the only one who could bring back food!
Kirishima Touka could only accept the money and agree.
"If I can bring it, I will."
Irimi Kaya smiled: "Good luck, Touka-chan."
Koma Enji: "Good luck."
....
On another street.
The CCG examined the bodies of the Ghouls and, considering the surrounding environment, indeed found wounds from fighting each other.
In the Anti-Demon Division, Hayakawa Aki looked at the bodies of the demons, then the bodies of the Ghouls, and felt something was off.
Power looked dazed beside him, truly like she was sleepwalking.
Makima squatted beside the demon's body, observing and thinking.
At this moment, Hayakawa Aki walked closer.
Makima stared at him.
Hayakawa Aki voiced his doubts: "Even though all of these are wounds from mutual fighting, if they died together, we can't find each other's fatal wounds."
The meaning was simple: what caused them to die together?
Their finishing move, the final blow?
Unable to find it, completely unable to find it.
Makima nodded, confirming this discovery.
She stared at the demon's body, then the Ghoul's body, recalling her feelings from last night, and finally asked,
"Time of death?"
"Last night." Hayakawa Aki looked at the data collected by the police: "The exact time was just past 1 AM."
"Hah~~~" Power yawned beside him.
Makima checked the time, confirming that feeling.
The timing matched, meaning that the sudden feeling at that time was 99% caused by this incident.
Makima stood and spoke softly.
"There is a third party."
"?" Hayakawa Aki was surprised.
Where? There were no signs at all!
Makima didn't know either; she just knew but had no clues.
Looking around, Makima checked the time.
Power, beside her, held her stomach: "I'm hungry…"
Makima recalled the eye contact in the afternoon and the restaurant in that alley.
"Let's eat first."
Power, hearing that, immediately perked up.