"Work?" Nutcracker blinked, her clear eyes full of confusion.
She had originally thought Hayashi called her here to talk about something important… maybe even confess something. Even if not that, she was mentally prepared to receive some serious instructions.
But she absolutely did not expect that Hayashi brought her here just to give her a job introduction.
"That's right. To keep you from starving, I found a job for you." Hayashi nodded, glancing up at the sign of Anteiku.
"And it's not just any job. You've probably heard that this café is known as the Peaceful Zone."
"The ghouls of the entire 20th Ward help each other thanks to this place."
"So once you're here, you can rely on others and won't be stranded."
Nutcracker finally snapped out of her daze and looked at the café. From the outside, it looked completely ordinar y— nothing special at all.In fact, compared to the luxurious cafés downtown, this one even seemed a little worn.
"Come on, I'll introduce you." Hayashi headed up the stairs, and Nutcracker followed.
Ding-ling—
As the clear bell rang, a girl's voice greeted them.
"Welcome."
Touka turned from the cup she was drying, only to see the white-haired boy with that gentle, flawless face.
"You're here early today. Not going to work?"
"No, I just needed to stop by for something." Hayashi sat down as if he owned the place.
And that's when Touka noticed the tall figure behind him.
Even wrapped up head to toe, hood and mask included, Touka could instantly tell—this woman was beautiful. A very beautiful woman.And then…
Touka's gaze drifted downward—landing on the very obvious, very unfair curve beneath her clothes.
She looked down at herself.She could see her own toes. Clear as day. A gentle slope. Cute at best.
"…Who's she?"
"Nutcracker. You've probably heard the name." Hayashi took a sip of his coffee.
Nutcracker?
Touka froze.
Of course she knew that name.If she remembered correctly, Nutcracker was famous for one thing: Before killing men, she loved to crush their balls.
That kind of trauma-inducing hobby tends to stick in memory.
"Why'd you bring her here?" Touka frowned slightly. Whatever the reason was, she had a bad feeling.
"She lost her job. And CCG thinks she's dead now—she can't use her old identity. So I came to see if you're hiring."
Touka nodded slowly, thinking it over.
If Nutcracker worked here… that meant they'd be coworkers.
She looked again at the tall, stunning woman. Something felt… off.
"I can't decide that. We need to ask the manager. He should be back soon."
"Then I'll wait." Hayashi picked up a book — Black Goat's Egg by Sen Takatsuki.
Seeing the name, he remembered he owed her a visit. He'd handle that later.
Nutcracker leaned in close, curious. "What are you reading?"
"Sen Takatsuki's Black Goat. Heavy stuff. Like the kind you get hunted for if you upload it on the dark web."
"Ohhh." Her eyes sparkled—she seemed interested.
Touka watched from the counter, biting her lip. First Rize clinging to Hayashi nonstop… Now a Nutcracker appears out of nowhere…
Was there going to be an endless parade of women?
Just then, the wooden door opened.
The bell rang softly as an elderly white-haired man stepped inside. Though aged, his presence was calm and dignified.
"Manager, you're back." Touka nodded.
"Good work, Touka." The old man smiled warmly.
"Manager, he needs to talk to you about something." Touka gestured toward Hayashi.
"Oh?" The old man followed her gaze.
"Hello, Manager. First time meeting. I'm Hayashi." Hayashi stepped forward, unable to hide the spark of excitement in his eyes.
Yes — this gentle-looking old man was that person.
The leader of Anteiku.
The guardian of the Peaceful Zone.
The strongest ghoul of the 20th Ward.
One of CCG's greatest threats.
SSS-rated ghoul.
The Non-Killing Owl — Yoshimura.