He Xi Qian Yu picked up the bone china cup and took a sip of the lukewarm cappuccino. The sweetness of the milk foam had long dissipated, leaving only the deep bitterness of the coffee spreading on his tongue.
He waited quietly, his gaze seemingly fixed on the street scene outside the window, but in reality, his entire focus was on the staircase leading to the second floor behind him.
Before long, light and steady footsteps came from the stairs. Kirishima Touka's figure reappeared downstairs.
She walked directly to He Xi Qian Yu's table, her purple eyes like deep, cold water, without a ripple.
"The Yoshimura is looking for you." She paused for half a second, her gaze briefly resting on his face, then added, "He is on the second floor."
He Xi Qian Yu looked up, calmly meeting those amethyst-like eyes, and nodded slightly, as if this invitation had long been expected.
"I understand," his voice was steady.
Dong Xiang said nothing more, turned and walked towards the bar, picking up a coffee cup to wipe again, as if she had just conveyed an insignificant message.
But He Xi Qian Yu could clearly feel that beneath her seemingly focused movements, the cold sense of scrutiny had not disappeared, like invisible threads entanglement around him.
He Xi Qian Yu put down the coffee cup, the bottom of the cup making a slight "clink" sound as it touched the table.
He slowly stood up, tidying the slightly wrinkled hem of his clothes from sitting for a long time. His movements were unhurried, but only he knew that the crimson mass temporarily suppressed within him was stirring restlessly.
"...I sense it...a powerful life force..." The Slaughter's whisper carried a complex emotion mixed with greed, apprehension, and wild excitement, "...His scent...is more fragrant...and more dangerous..."
"Shut up, stay quiet," He Xi Qian Yu commanded coldly in his mind, mobilizing all his willpower to lock down the Slaughter's surging killing intent.
He had no intention of being an enemy of the Anteiku Coffee Shop.
He Xi Qian Yu stepped towards the stairs. The wooden steps let out a faint "creak" under his feet, particularly clear in the unusually quiet Anteiku Coffee Shop.
He took a deep breath, suppressing all the tumultuous emotions within him, along with the Slaughter's unwilling growl.
He Xi Qian Yu walked to the ancient wooden door at the end of the second floor, raised his hand, and gently knocked his knuckles on the door panel.
"Thump, thump."
The knocking broke the silence on the second floor.
"Please come in."
Inside the door, a gentle voice sounded.
He Xi Qian Yu's hand rested on the cold doorknob.
"Yoshimura, you were looking for me?" His voice, steady, passed through the door into the room.
Fangcun Gongshan put down the book in his hand, a gentle smile on his face, and pointed to another chair opposite the desk: "No need to be formal, please sit."
He Xi Qian Yu sat down as instructed.
Fangcun Gongshan did not immediately make small talk. He clasped his hands on the desk, his gaze gently falling on He Xi Qian Yu. After a brief silence, he slowly began: "Last night, a Ghoul attack occurred in Aoba Alley."
He paused, his gaze seeming to penetrate the calm facade He Xi Qian Yu maintained, "That child, Dong Xiang... happened to see you coming out from there."
"It was me," He Xi Qian Yu nodded, confirming the Yoshimura's guess, without defense or hesitation.
Fangcun Gongshan's face showed no surprise or anger; his gentle smile did not diminish in the slightest. He merely nodded slightly, as if he had already anticipated this answer.
"The CCG's Ghoul Search Officers," his voice was still gentle, but carried a hint of undeniable gravity, "are fully investigating this case, and their methods... will likely not be gentle."
"What do you mean?"
Fangcun Gongshan raised his eyes, his gaze falling on He Xi Qian Yu as if it were tangible.
"For your safety, and for the hard-won peace of this 'Anteiku'…" Fangcun Gongshan's voice was calm and powerful, every word clearly striking He Xi Qian Yu's heart, "On behalf of the entire Anteiku Coffee Shop, I formally invite you to join 'Anteiku'."
This was not just an invitation, but a two-way transaction—Anteiku needed his power, and he needed protection.
However, the Yoshimura was wrong about one thing: He Xi Qian Yu did not need protection.
Fangcun Gongshan's words fell in the warm room, but stirred the Slaughter's displeasure.
"...This old man wants to restrain us..."
"...Eat him...Let's turn this place into ruins..."
"Quiet down."
He Xi Qian Yu was about to refuse.
A hint of a smile flickered in Fangcun Gongshan's deep eyes. He picked up his teacup, took a light sip, and then, in a calm tone, threw out the final bargaining chip:
"A monthly salary of 500,000 yen."
His voice clearly echoed in the quiet room.
The Slaughter's screeching within He Xi Qian Yu seemed to be paused. He looked up, his gaze fixed on Fangcun Gongshan.
Without any hesitation, without any extra thought, a clear and decisive word left his mouth, like a gavel striking a verdict:
"Deal."
...
"...A few colorful pieces of paper made you willingly enter a cage..." In He Xi Qian Yu's mind, the Slaughter was muttering.
"...Betrayal...This is betrayal...Trading our freedom for those...trash...Stupid...Extremely stupid!..."
"Heh heh," He Xi Qian Yu rolled an invisible white eye in his mind.
He who doesn't keep house doesn't know the cost of living.
Besides giving him an apartment, the System hadn't given him a single penny. If he didn't find a meal ticket soon, he, a dignified symbiote host, would starve to death.
Fangcun Gongshan put down the teapot, clasped his hands on the desk again, and began to explain the details in a calm tone:
"Well then, from today on, you are a member of Anteiku. Dong Xiang will familiarize you with the specific duties later. The work in the Anteiku Coffee Shop on the first floor is not complicated, and I believe you will get the hang of it quickly."
"As for your living arrangements... For convenience and safety, there is a vacant staff lounge on the second floor of Anteiku. Although it's not large, it's fully equipped. I think it will be more 'suitable' than your apartment outside."
He Xi Qian Yu had no objections. For him, living anywhere was the same, and the shop was more convenient. As for the apartment, he could just rent it out.
He nodded: "Understood, Yoshimura. Thank you for the arrangements."
"Your monthly salary will be paid on time. The first month will be considered an advance; settling in always requires some expenses."
Fangcun Gongshan's tone was gentle, with a hint of elder's thoughtfulness, but then he added, "Additionally, as a member of Anteiku, you will also need to undertake the 'Anteiku's' routine patrol duties. Hmm..."
He pondered briefly, his gaze seemingly passing through the door panel to a figure downstairs, and then announced in a seemingly natural tone,
"...You and Dong Xiang will be a team."
...
The moment the door opened, the faint sounds of the coffee machine operating and Dong Xiang wiping cups subtly drifted up from downstairs.
He Xi Qian Yu took a deep breath, stepped out, and gently closed the door behind him.
He knew,
A new life had begun.