"Eh?!"
Kobeni Higashiyama's mind went completely blank.
She hadn't seen Quanxi move at all. One moment everything was normal, the next, Manager Tachibana's head was already in the air.
Manager Tachibana...
Dead?
Thud.
Tachibana Yuumi's headless body hit the floor.
Blood sprayed everywhere, the sharp metallic smell flooding Kobeni's nose.
Aaaah!
Murder!!
Customers inside Family Burger screamed and rushed out in panic. Chairs scraped loudly, trays crashed to the floor, and the entire place erupted into chaos.
The staff bolted into the kitchen, huddling together as they frantically called the police.
Then, just as quickly, the noise faded.
A suffocating silence took over.
Tears still streaked Kobeni's face as she stood frozen, unable to speak or move.
Blood from Tachibana Yuumi splattered across her clothes.
Quanxi calmly pulled out a clean handkerchief and gently wiped Kobeni's tears.
Then she took out a small tube of ointment and applied it carefully to Kobeni's cheek.
"The skin's a bit broken," Quanxi said softly. "This is erythromycin ointment. It'll keep it from getting infected."
"Th... thank you..." Kobeni forced out a stiff smile.
What the hell is wrong with this woman?
She just killed someone.
Why isn't she panicking?
Does she not care at all?
But for Quanxi, none of that mattered.
Flirting with women came first.
The moment Tachibana slapped Kobeni, Quanxi had already decided her fate.
While Quanxi focused on Kobeni, the others moved without hesitation.
Pingtsi, Long, and Cosmo went into the kitchen and came back carrying a large tray of food, setting it down like nothing had happened.
"Quanxi, let's eat," Long called.
Quanxi took Kobeni's hand and lightly kissed the back of it, her expression calm and gentle.
"Don't be afraid. None of us will hurt you. That man must have scared you, right? Come sit with us and eat. It'll help you calm down."
"Uh... okay..."
Kobeni didn't dare refuse.
She was terrified.
Not of Tachibana.
Of you.
If she said no, her head might end up on the floor too.
Her coworkers must have called the police by now.
Please hurry...
Kobeni sat stiffly, barely resting on the edge of the chair. Her entire body trembled.
Pingtsi, Long, and Cosmo were already eating like nothing happened.
Quanxi, however, didn't touch her food.
Her eyes stayed locked on Kobeni.
"I'm Quanxi. What's your name?"
Kobeni clutched the hem of her uniform.
"H... Higashiyama Kobeni..."
Quanxi stirred her drink slowly, watching Kobeni's panicked expression.
"Have you ever had a boyfriend?"
Kobeni froze.
"Eh? W-why are you asking that?"
"Don't worry about why. Just answer."
Kobeni lowered her head, biting her lip.
"N-no..."
She had never had a boyfriend.
She was almost twenty-one and hadn't even had her first kiss until just now.
Her life had always been tight and exhausting. Hand-me-down clothes, no money, no chance to enjoy anything. Even getting into university meant nothing when she couldn't afford to go.
Relationships had never been an option.
And after what her father once tried to do to her, the idea disgusted her even more.
The closest thing to intimacy she had ever experienced was Quanxi kissing her hand just now.
Quanxi glanced at Pingtsi.
"Check."
"Got it, Quanxi~"
Pingtsi closed one eye and formed a circle with her fingers, holding it up to her other eye.
Her dark ponytail floated up, the strange eel-like ends forming another circle that aligned with her fingers.
As the Insight Fiend, her ability allowed her to see through lies and into the truth.
Thoughts, contracts, secrets, nothing stayed hidden from her.
Even things people would rather die than reveal.
"Hmm... yeah, she's telling the truth," Pingtsi said with a slight smirk. "Clean record. Honestly, that's kinda rare."
Quanxi smiled faintly.
"That's good."
Kobeni didn't understand what Pingtsi said, but the expression alone made her uneasy.
Quanxi set her drink down and looked straight at her.
Then she spoke clearly, in Japanese.
"Kobeni Higashiyama, be my woman."
"Eh?!"