Creak—
Pushing the door open, Hayashi walked straight into Anteiku.
"Welcome—" Touka turned her head, surprise flashing through her beautiful eyes.
"…Why are you here today?"
Lately, probably because he'd been busy, Hayashi had been coming far less often.
Unless he had something specific to do, he almost never showed up.
Was he here to look for someone?
Thinking that, Touka glanced sideways at the person next to her who was wiping down a cup.
Nutcracker was wearing a mask, carefully polishing the glass in her hands.
Even though she was dressed in loose work clothes, they couldn't hide her graceful figure.
The full curve of her chest was especially eye-catching—just one glance was enough to make it hard to look away.
More importantly, she was leaning forward slightly, making an already striking view even more… lethal.
At that moment, Hayashi walked over and greeted her casually.
"First day at work. How does it feel?"
Leaning against the counter, he glanced at the masked beauty beside him.
"It's pretty good. I'm getting used to it," Nutcracker replied, nodding slightly, her clear eyes shimmering.
Even with most of her face hidden, her stunning beauty was impossible to conceal.
"Good to hear. One cappuccino, please."
Hayashi turned toward the cashier.
"And you?" Touka took the money and asked. "What brought you here today?"
"Nothing much. Just killing some time," Hayashi replied casually before turning and sitting in his usual seat.
About ten minutes later, the door opened again.
A clean-looking, somewhat delicate black-haired young man walked in from outside.
"Finally."
Hayashi's eyes lit up the moment he saw him.
That's right — The person who had just entered was Kaneki, whom he hadn't seen in quite a while.
Kaneki was usually alone. Most of his time was spent between school, home, and this café.
Waiting for him here was the logical choice — though Hayashi hadn't expected him to show up so quickly.
After entering, Kaneki walked straight to the counter.
Despite having come here many times before, he still looked a little nervous when ordering coffee.
After that, he found a secluded corner seat and began flipping through a book.
Seeing this, Hayashi stood up and walked over.
"Long time no see, Kaneki."
Hayashi smiled and sat across from him.
"Hayashi…?"
Kaneki looked up, his eyes instantly lighting up.
He looked genuinely excited, his gaze filled with admiration for his benefactor.
"Kaneki, I need to ask you about something," Hayashi said, raising a hand to calm him down.
"What is it?" Kaneki asked curiously.
"I want to know—where does Sen Takatsuki usually appear?"
"Or to put it another way… where should I go if I want to meet her?"
Hayashi took a sip of coffee as he spoke.
As the saying goes, different people specialize in different things.
If you wanted to find Eto, you naturally asked her most hardcore reader.
And as far as Hayashi knew, among all her fans, Kaneki was basically the definition of hardcore.
So when it came to something this specific — You asked a professional.
"Sen Takatsuki?"Kaneki fell into deep thought.
"Generally speaking, if you want to meet her, the only real chances are running into her at a publisher… or at a reader meet-and-greet."
"She rarely shows herself online, so it's very hard to track her movements."
"Wait a moment—I'll check the most recent events."
As he spoke, Kaneki pulled out a small notebook he carried with him and began flipping through it.
"Thanks. I appreciate it," Hayashi nodded, taking another sip of coffee.
As expected, Kaneki really was an expert in this area.
"No doubt about it."
"The closest one should be next week, in Ginza…"
"The previous one was half a month ago, in Shibuya…"
Muttering to himself, Kaneki continued flipping pages.
Then — At one point, he suddenly froze.
He looked up, eyes wide.
"Sen Takatsuki is—"
Mid-sentence, he abruptly stopped.
He went completely stiff.
"…Say it. Don't stop halfway," Hayashi urged.
Who just stops talking in the middle of a sentence like that?
"For Sen Takatsuki to—"
Kaneki slowly raised a trembling finger and pointed behind Hayashi, his gaze blank and unfocused.
"Sen Takatsuki… Takatsuki is right behind you!"
"Behind me?"
Hayashi froze, disbelief flashing across his face.
Was Kaneki losing it?
Talking nonsense out of nowhere?
How could Eto possibly be behind him?
If she really were behind him, he'd—
The next instant, Hayashi turned his head.
And in that very moment—
A fragrant scent rushed toward him.
Long green hair swayed gently, brushing past his vision.
What appeared before him was a delicate, lazy-looking face—beautiful and dangerous all at once.
"Good morning~"
Eto placed both hands on his shoulders, leaning in close and exhaling softly by his ear.
"Young man~"