"Thank you for sharing this meal with me. Tonight was wonderful."
Ibuki bowed slightly, her beautiful eyes filled with a gentle smile.
"No need to thank me. Having dinner with you was a pleasure."
Hayashi nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
After all, dining with such a breathtaking beauty sitting across from him was bound to make anyone's appetite stronger.
"Then I'll head home and get some rest. Goodnight, Hayashi."
She hesitated for just a moment, then added with a playful spark in her eyes,"If we get the chance, let's go out again sometime."
"Of course. I'd like that."
Only when she boarded the train did Hayashi finally look away.
This evening had confirmed something for him—the Horse Talisman truly lived up to its divine nature. When it came to healing and restoration, it seemed there was nothing it couldn't do.
As he walked, he kept replaying the thought in his head. By the time he came back to his senses, he had no idea where his feet had carried him.
The place looked like an abandoned factory, long forgotten. The area was pitch-black, not a single light in sight. Only the pale glow of the moon revealed faint outlines of his surroundings.
"Where… am I?"
Scanning the area, Hayashi realized the place was completely unfamiliar. He had never been here before. Perhaps some overlooked corner of Tokyo.
Forget it. Better to head back and catch the next train.
He turned to leave—but in that moment, a tall, imposing figure stepped out from the moonlit shadows.
The newcomer wore a black crow mask, silver hair flowing down his back and glinting faintly in the light.His very presence radiated calm, distance, and a chilling aura of detachment.
Hayashi froze. He recognized him instantly.
There was no mistaking the silver hair and that unique aura.
It was Renji Yomo — waiter of Anteiku, Yoshimura's right-hand man. Outside of daily work, he was responsible for gathering intelligence and collecting the bodies of suicides to serve as food. More importantly, he was Touka and Ayato's uncle.
But why was he here?
Hayashi frowned slightly, puzzled. Yomo was always busy. It made no sense for him to wander around a deserted factory at night.
"I've finally found you." Yomo's voice was flat and cold, utterly devoid of emotion.
"So you really came for me…" Hayashi wasn't surprised.
If Yomo wasn't wandering aimlessly, then he must have sought him out deliberately.The question was—why?
Without answering, Yomo advanced step by step.
This boy—this white-haired newcomer—had been appearing around Touka more and more often. And from what he'd seen, their relationship was… close.
A human investigator suddenly entangling himself with a ghoul? That was reason enough for suspicion.
After digging deeper, Yomo discovered the truth: Hayashi was a CCG investigator. And in just half a year, he had already risen to First Class.
An unprecedented pace. Terrifying, even. But Yomo didn't care about that.
What mattered was Hayashi's presence beside Touka.
"What's your purpose in getting close to the girl at the café?" Yomo asked bluntly, eyes narrowing with a flash of cold light.
"My purpose?" Hayashi instantly understood.
So that was it—Yomo had noticed his connection with Touka.
"I just find her interesting, that's all." Hayashi answered honestly. Of course, "beautiful" was another reason, but that part he kept to himself.
"Just that?" Yomo's eyes narrowed further, his voice edged with ice.
A human investigator, never once stepping foot in Anteiku, somehow becoming close to a ghoul within days—so close it already seemed intimate.
And his only explanation was "interest"?
Ridiculous.
Yomo couldn't tell whether Hayashi knew about Touka's true identity as a ghoul. But in situations like this, caution was better than leniency.
Which meant… he couldn't let Hayashi walk away.
Dark energy pulsed around him as Yomo's kagune unfurled, glinting dangerously under the moonlight.
"So it has to come to a fight?" Hayashi sighed, exasperated.
Yomo was Touka's uncle. Potentially, one day, even his own. Did he really have to clash with his future family here and now?
He didn't want to. But Yomo's killing intent made it clear—there was no avoiding it.
Reluctantly, Hayashi drew the Thousand Demon Daggers.
At that moment, the familiar voice of the system rang in his mind:
[You have triggered a Time-Limited Mission: Make Renji Yomo Recognize Reality]