"Welcome—" Kirishima Touka's clear, cold voice rang out, her amethyst-like eyes lingering on He Xi Qian Yu's face for a moment before dropping to continue polishing the coffee cup in her hand.
The shop was filled with the comforting aroma of roasted coffee beans and soothing music, a stark contrast to the cold, oppressive atmosphere of the CCG branch just now.
Surprisingly, he was the only customer in the coffee shop.
He Xi Qian Yu naturally walked to his usual corner seat.
Kirishima Touka didn't look up, but as he passed the counter, her movements paused almost imperceptibly for a fraction of a second. In the air, there seemed to be an indescribable, unusual scent, mixed with the rich coffee aroma, fleetingly present.
"...Tsk..."
Slaughter's whisper sounded in He Xi Qian Yu's mind, carrying an unsettling sense of excitement.
"...That girl...her scent...is very enticing..."
"...Much more fragrant...than those...rusty-smelling trash...from the CCG..."
"Quiet," He Xi Qian Yu warned coldly in his mind, his fingertips unconsciously tightening. He pulled out a chair and sat down, his gaze falling on the pedestrians outside the window, trying to dispel the restlessness brought by Slaughter and the tension he had just carried out from the CCG.
"The usual?" Dong Xiang's voice sounded beside him. Unbeknownst to him, she had already walked over with a glass of water, her movements as light as a cat.
He Xi Qian Yu came back to his senses, looking up to meet her gaze: "Yes, please, Miss Dong Xiang, a cup of cappuccino."
Dong Xiang nodded, but her gaze lingered on his face for an extra second.
She keenly caught a trace of unvanished fatigue deep in his eyes, as well as...a chaotic and unfamiliar aura, faint but causing her RC cells to instinctively produce a faint sense of vigilance. This feeling was strange, vaguely similar to a Ghoul, yet not entirely the same.
She subtly withdrew her gaze and turned to walk towards the coffee machine.
He Xi Qian Yu picked up the water glass, the cool liquid sliding down his throat, bringing a touch of clarity.
The coffee machine hummed steadily. Dong Xiang operated it skillfully, her movements fluid and elegant. She had her back to He Xi Qian Yu, seemingly focused, but her attention was highly concentrated on him.
That faint, almost imperceptible abnormal aura had not completely dissipated; it lingered like a thin veil, vaguely in that corner.
What concerned her more was the extremely faint scent of blood remaining on his cuff, almost masked by detergent—it wasn't fresh, but it carried an inhuman brutality, subtly overlapping with the scent of some Ghoul battlefields she remembered.
A moment later, Dong Xiang walked over with a steaming cappuccino. Delicate milk foam floated on the surface, and the caramel aroma was inviting.
"Please enjoy." She gently placed the coffee in front of him.
"Thank you." He Xi Qian Yu reached out to take it.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the cup and saucer, Dong Xiang's wrist seemed to subtly, almost imperceptibly, shake.
"Ah!" she cried out softly.
The coffee in the cup suddenly spilled out.
Just as the scalding dark brown liquid was about to splash onto He Xi Qian Yu—in a flash, his body slid sideways with inhuman speed, narrowly avoiding the spilled coffee, with only a few hot drops splashing onto the back of his hand.
His body, reinforced by Slaughter, didn't feel much pain.
"...Inferior...test..." Slaughter's voice carried a hint of playfulness, "...She was...doing it on purpose..."
"I know," He Xi Qian Yu knew clearly that with Dong Xiang's A-rank Ghoul physique, she couldn't accidentally spill coffee.
This was a carefully designed "accident."
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Dong Xiang immediately grabbed a nearby rag, her tone apologetic, but her movements were unusually quick as she covered He Xi Qian Yu's hand.
The cold dampness and rough fabric texture came at the same time. Dong Xiang's fingers, through the rag, pressed tightly on the back of his hand.
"I'm fine, Miss Kirishima." A few seconds passed, and He Xi Qian Yu, seeing that she still had no intention of letting go, slowly spoke, "Has the coffee already dried?"
He gently pressed the rag covering his hand with his other hand, "It's just a small accident, I can do it myself."
He slowly withdrew his hand from under Dong Xiang's tightly pressed rag.
Dong Xiang also released her hand accordingly.
The brief contact, though short in duration, was enough for her to perceive many things.
Of course, all of them were what Slaughter wanted her to perceive.
Dong Xiang looked up, her purple eyes gazing deeply at him. Her expression was complex and hard to decipher, containing apology, inquiry, and a hint of...gravity after confirming something. In that momentary contact, she did indeed feel it.
Although difficult to distinguish by scent, the power surging beneath his skin, which no human could possess, even if he deliberately suppressed it, its violent nature and strong inhuman aura could not escape her keen perception.
That aura...there was no mistake.
The young man in front of her was undoubtedly a kindred spirit, and his strength was unfathomable.
Those two Ghouls had indeed died by his hand.
"Sorry," Dong Xiang apologized again, her voice a few shades lower.
"It's fine," He Xi Qian Yu responded calmly.
...
"Can you really simulate a Ghoul's aura?"
He Xi Qian Yu picked up the coffee and took a small sip. Beneath the sweet milk foam was the inherent bitterness of coffee, sliding down his throat and bringing a nearly masochistic clarity.
"...Of course..." Slaughter's voice was full of arrogant confidence, "...As long as I want...no one can see through it..."
"Is it related to those two Ghouls from yesterday?" He Xi Qian Yu continued to ask.
"...That's right..." Slaughter confirmed his thought.
He Xi Qian Yu was silent. He didn't know what to say, only able to once again marvel at the power of the symbiote.
...
The music in the shop remained soothing, and sunlight streamed through the glass window onto the table, dappling with light and shadow, but the air in the corner seemed to solidify.
Dong Xiang didn't look at him again; she just lowered her head, wiping the coffee-stained tabletop over and over until the wood grain was clear again. And He Xi Qian Yu silently watched the pedestrians outside the window, as if drawn to the world outside.
After wiping the table clean, Kirishima Touka's gaze, heavy with thought, swept over him, then she said nothing, turning and walking straight up to the second floor, her footsteps unusually clear in the quiet shop.
He Xi Qian Yu's gaze followed her figure until she disappeared around the stairwell.
"...Do you...like her?..." Slaughter's voice suddenly sounded in his mind, with a hint of playfulness.
"Hmm?" He Xi Qian Yu was slightly startled, "Why would you think that?"
"...The person...is gone...and you're still looking..." Slaughter's tone was full of amusement.
"No," He Xi Qian Yu responded in his mind, with a hint of weariness, "Just some...emotion that's all."
"...Sighs of emotion...about what?..."
"It's only been a few days..." He sighed silently, "And my life has completely turned upside down...and you..."
He never thought he would one day transmigrate, or even get involved with a symbiote.
"...How is...life...now..."
"Much more..." He Xi Qian Yu pondered for a moment, looking at his swaying reflection in the cup, "...interesting than before."
"...We can...make this world...even livelier..." Slaughter's voice suddenly became excited, "...That would be even more interesting..."
"No, thanks," He Xi Qian Yu picked up the coffee and took a small sip, his gaze returning to the window.
"...Boring..."