"..."
Amaha Byakuya fell silent.
He could simply tell Manager Yoshimura not to worry, but after thinking it over, he decided against it. Revealing too much to the manager ahead of time might not be a good thing.
So he chose not to say anything for now.
Yoshimura didn't press the topic either. "I apologize. Please forget what I just said. I'll take good care of Chika-san."
"Thank you, Manager."
Byakuya nodded.
"...Speaking of which, Amaha-kun, it's been quite a while since you've come by for coffee. Since you're here today, how about a cup?"
Yoshimura smiled warmly.
"That sounds good."
Byakuya gave a slight nod.
He returned to the break room and addressed Washuu Chika and Rize. "Let's head downstairs and sit for a while. Also, Washuu Chika—from now on, introduce yourself as Rize's younger sister. Try not to mention anything about 'Washuu.'"
He wasn't saying this to hide Chika's Washuu identity from someone like Roma Hoito. Rather, it was to protect Touka and the others. If they learned about the Washuu connection, it could bring trouble down on their heads.
Besides, given the Clowns' intelligence network, concealing this from Roma would be pointless anyway.
"My name is Kamishiro Rize now," Rize told Chika. "You can use the Kamishiro surname as well."
"Oh, okay."
Chika nodded obediently. "Then I'll be Kamishiro Chika..."
...
When they came downstairs, the Anteiku staff were surprised by Byakuya and Rize's sudden appearance.
"Huh? When did you two get here? And you came down from the second floor..."
Touka Kirishima looked genuinely puzzled.
She hadn't seen Byakuya or Rize enter the café at all.
And who's that unfamiliar woman next to Byakuya?
"We came in through the second-floor window. There were some... unexpected circumstances."
Byakuya offered a casual explanation.
"I see. So who's this?"
Touka studied Washuu Chika beside Byakuya with curiosity.
Chika appeared somewhat shy and withdrawn, practically hiding behind Byakuya.
"I'm Rize's younger sister... My name is Kamishiro Chika..."
Chika hadn't forgotten what Byakuya and Rize had told her upstairs.
"Oh, so you're Rize-san's sister! Now that you mention it, you do look alike."
Touka glanced between Chika's face and Rize's, suddenly noticing a resemblance between them.
This made her even less likely to doubt Chika's claimed sisterhood.
After all, both Rize and Chika were members of the Washuu clan—pure-blooded, without any mixing. They were essentially relatives, so it wasn't strange that their features bore some similarity.
"That's right. We're not biological sisters—more like distant relatives."
Rize smiled as she spoke.
Technically speaking, she wasn't lying. Chika really was a distant relative of hers.
"So does that mean Chika-san is planning to join Anteiku?"
Touka asked.
"Yes..."
Chika nodded.
"That's wonderful! We have a new member!"
Roma Hoito immediately put on a welcoming display, walking over and taking Chika's hand.
"Eh? Th-thank you..."
Chika was a bit startled by Roma's enthusiasm.
Roma didn't actually know who this Washuu Chika was—she hadn't visited Dr. Kanou's underground laboratory, after all.
But upon hearing that Chika was Rize's younger sister, she found this very interesting. She knew that Rize was a "Breeder" of the Washuu clan.
If this Chika-san really was Rize-san's sister, wouldn't that be quite the development?
"Will you be working as a server, or handling food procurement outside? You could also do both, actually."
Kaya Irimi inquired.
Renji Yomo's role, for instance, covered both serving and outside procurement, though his primary job was gathering intelligence. If any danger arose, Anteiku could respond quickly.
"Chika-san will handle server duties."
Yoshimura had also come downstairs by now.
Chika understood what "server duties" entailed and nodded in agreement.
"Good. With more staff to rotate shifts, I can carve out more time for studying."
Touka remarked.
At this, Byakuya asked curiously, "How's your studying going lately, Kirishima-san?"
"...It's alright, I guess. I haven't seen dramatic improvement, but there's been some progress..."
Touka's tone lacked confidence. Clearly, things weren't going ideally.
She quickly changed the subject. "By the way, why haven't you been coming to the café lately? Is the CCG keeping you that busy?"
"More or less. I'm often working until late, and by the time I'm off, you've already closed. But vacation time is coming up soon."
Byakuya nodded.
This "vacation" he referred to was actually the period following the Owl Suppression Operation. After that, there would be collective time off.
"CCG?"
Chika immediately perked up at this, turning to Byakuya. "You're a CCG investigator?"
"Yes."
"You didn't know?" Touka addressed Chika. "He's an investigator, sure, but surprisingly, he gets along pretty well with us ghouls."
"Oh... I see..."
Chika was stunned.
Because she suddenly remembered something—when she'd lost control and attacked Byakuya, her kagune had already been released.
Which meant he must already know that she, a member of the Washuu, was a ghoul.
And he was an investigator for the very CCG that the Washuu clan had established...
Chika leaned close to Byakuya's ear and whispered a rather foolish question: "Um... do you already know I'm a ghoul?"
Seeing Chika-san whispering to Byakuya at such close range, Touka couldn't help but take notice.
Touka merely watched with keen eyes, but Rize's reaction was more direct—she used one finger to push Chika's face away.
When her face was pushed aside, Chika found herself meeting Rize's gaze head-on. She could feel the chill radiating from Rize's expression and eyes.
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"