After Rize left, the tense atmosphere in the café immediately dissipated.
"What's up with Rize today? She feels… different somehow."
"Yeah, yeah, today she looks like a girl in love."
"No way… could such a female demon actually fall for someone?"
The nearby ghouls whispered among themselves. Although Rize-san's behavior today was strange, abnormal even, their main focus remained on the human.
To captivate Rize so completely—what kind of charm did this human possess?
As everyone's attention returned to Hayashi, their senses sharpened after Rize-san's departure. Soon, they noticed something unusual about him.
Compared to other humans, Hayashi's scent was unusually strong. It was sweet and enticing, almost delicious just to smell. Several hungry ghouls couldn't help but swallow.
"Senpai, senpai, first that gentle big sister Rize initiated contact and even tongue-kissed you. And now I see several girls around here practically drooling. Your charm is too strong, isn't it?"
Suzuya's crimson-brown eyes sparkled with excitement, looking pleased.
"Don't misunderstand." Hearing this, Hayashi didn't know how to respond for a moment.
They weren't drooling out of desire to eat him literally — they were thinking about it in that sense. But no matter what, it didn't matter; they posed no real threat.
Only after Rize left did Hayashifinally exhale in relief. Rize was extremely dangerous — who knew what she might do next? If she truly lost control, who could say she wouldn't start a game with him on the sofa?
Shaking his head, Hayashi thought: This can't go on; Rize might escalate even more. Tomorrow, when they meet again, he must clarify things with her. If she refuses or disagrees, he'll need to properly "discipline" her, not letting her act recklessly.
He glanced at the clock. As the saying goes, wonderful times pass quickly. Unnoticed, it was already three in the afternoon, and his stomach was starting to growl.
"Time to go, Suzuya" Hayashi drained his coffee in one gulp and stood.
"Eh~Senpai, we're leaving now? Aren't you going to flirt with a few more girls?"
Suzuya also stood, tone trailing off in surprise.
"Talk less, you won't lose any meat." Hayashisighed and tapped his head.
"All these girls were practically drooling over you, senpai. Even eye contact made them blush."
Suzuya covered his head in mock frustration, looking pitiful.
Ignoring him, Hayashi tucked the book under his arm and approached the counter.
"Touka, the check please." He pulled out his wallet from his clothes.
"Two cappuccinos… that'll be 1,000 yen." Touka's sharp gaze scanned him, her tone cool.
"Alright, thank you~" He nodded and handed over the money.
As he prepared to leave, Touka suddenly handed him a note.
"What's this?" Hayashi paused.
"It's my phone number." Touk whispered, a faint blush coloring her refined face.
"If Rize keeps bothering you, you can call me." Perhaps embarrassed, she bit her lip and pressed the note into his hand.
"Eh?" By the time Hayashi realized it, she had returned to work.
"Senpai~Did Touka give you something?" Suzuya's small face peeked over, curiosity sparkling in his red-brown eyes.
"Mind your own business." Hayashi pushed him back and tucked the note into his pocket.
The two then stepped out of the café.
...
"Hayashi-kun?" Touka quietly watched his back, murmuring softly.
"Touka, I thought you didn't trust humans. Why help him today?" At that moment, a black-haired older woman named Irimiya teased from nearby. Though a staff member at Anteiku, she was actually an SS-rated ghoul, the Black Dog, leader of the Black Dobers ghoul group. She had been reformed by Yoshimura, which is why she still worked there.
"No, it's just… Rize recklessly hunting and breaking the rules annoyed me" Touka shook her head, voice low.
"Is that all?" Irimiya cleaned a cup, smiling lightly.
"Still, your taste isn't bad. That boy is indeed handsome, and he has a unique aura."
Touka nodded slightly, a faint blush on her face.
"Touka, why the blush? Could it be you actually like him?"
"Irimiya, you're so annoying!"
...
After leaving the Anteiku district, the two walked down the street.
"Senpai, what are we going to do now?" Suzuya blinked, curiosity sparkling.
"Eat. We haven't had lunch yet." Hayashi replied casually.
"Eat… where?" Suzuya's eyes lit up.
"At my place... This is my home…" Hayashi stopped and turned his head.
Suzuya looked up slightly, clearly interested in the elegant building.
"I just remembered I left something at the café. Stay here, don't mov." Hayashi ruffled Suzuya's fluffy head.
"Mm~"Obediently, Suzuya crouched by a nearby trash bin.
Out of view, Hayashi turned into an alley. It was a dead end; at the end, he stopped.
"Thank you for following me all this way. No one else is here… come out." His voice cold and calm, Hayashi spoke softly.
A figure dropped from a nearby building.
"Just a human… surprisingly sharp. No wonder Rize likes you. "A hooded ghoul in a hoodie rose from the ground, looking surprised.
He prided himself on his tracking skills, having never failed before. But he hadn't expected a mere human to detect him.
No matter, he was going to die here anyway.
"Rize must like you because of your unique scent, right? I wonder how you taste… I'll have to try." The hooded ghoul licked his lips, visibly excited.
"Do ghouls nowadays really have this much courage? Attacking an investigator in broad daylight." Hayashi watched with interest, like observing a dancing monkey.
"Investigator?" The ghoul froze, then realized.
"Where is an investigator without a quinque? Even if you are an investigator, without a quinque, killing you is effortless." He smirked cruelly as crimson kagune sprouted from his shoulders.
"Oh?" Hayashi touched his neck, moving slightly.
"Die~" The ghoul lunged with his kagune.
Even a top-class investigator is just a normal human without a quinque. Especially compared to someone like Hayashi, fragile and unassuming.
"I'll tear you apart and eat everything!"
Boom~A loud explosion sent smoke rising.
"Gotcha!" The hooded ghoul laughed wildly, satisfied.
He thought the human chosen by Rize would be stronger, more interesting. But this fight was too easy, almost boring.
"The man chosen by Rize isn't anything special… just a normal human." The ghoul sneered, face twisting.
"Why would she choose such a weak, useless human?"
"I confessed so many times, gave her food, gold, silver… my everything! And she wouldn't even look at me!" The hooded ghoul raged, swinging his kagune frantically.
At that moment, a hand shot out from the smoke, grabbing his neck. A sudden lack of air made him gasp.
"No way…" Smoke cleared. Facing Hayashi, unharmed, the ghoul's eyes widened in disbelief. How could a human withstand his attack? Not even a hair was out of place.
"Finished talking?" Hayashi tightened his grip, cold eyes flashing.
"Then it's my turn." The ghoul tried to free his arms, but it was like grappling with iron—no matter how hard, no mark was left.
He faced… a human?
The overwhelming gap in power brought despair he had never felt.
"You know why Rize isn't interested in you?" Hayashi slammed him into a wall, whispering.
"You're too weak, like an ant. To Rize, you're nothing more than a flea."
The hooded ghoul, already desperate, grew agitated again but could not escape.
"Still… I thank you. Your appearance was timely." Hayashi smirked faintly.
"Because…I'm in a bad mood and wanted to vent."
The ghoul shivered as oxygen left him; in his delirium, he seemed to see a devilish monster…