Chapter 87: Reze Does the shop owner have a girlfriend? Oh no, the shop is going to explode in popularity!

Evening.

After Kirishima Touka, Fueguchi Ryouko, and Fueguchi Hinami finished eating, watched the news, they took their packed food back to Anteiku.

Takatsuki Sen was drinking her new cup of hand-ground coffee, savoring it carefully.

This time, Hayashi didn't clean the machine after making it.

He would wait until closing time to clean it.

And after Reze finished her rice bowl, she leaned back happily in her chair, reminiscing about what had just happened.

Actually, when she saw everyone watching that news...

And during the light discussion.

Reze had already noticed something was a bit off.

But she was busy eating first and didn't observe carefully.

Now that she had come to her senses.

She remembered that during the discussion just now, everyone had an expression as if they already knew what would happen, and from beginning to end they weren't surprised at all, but were waiting for the news to happen.

Were these ordinary people?

Impossible!

Even that smallest girl, the one called Kanna.

She also sat in front of the TV, calmly watching from start to finish, just finding it entertaining.

Was this normal?!

None of the people here were normal!

After finishing her rice bowl and drinking some lemon tea, Reze squinted her eyes comfortably.

Tohru was cleaning up the dishes from Kirishima Touka and the others.

Hayashi came over to Reze and began sizing her up, chatting with her.

"I saw you working at that coffee shop the other day making signs. Did you just come to Tokyo for work?"

Reze nodded: "Mm-hmm, I just came to Tokyo."

"Where are you staying?"

"..." Reze lowered her head, embarrassed, her cheeks flushing red as she said: "I haven't found a place yet. The rent is all too expensive, so I'm temporarily staying at a single-person internet cafe."

Actually, Reze had already found a place.

But she didn't have much money on her, so she only found a very ordinary, very plain small room with no furniture at all - it was practically bare.

But Reze was still happy because it was her own home.

The privacy was all hers, much better than being in the organization.

As for single-person internet cafes.

In Japan, some internet cafes are very similar to hotels.

The ones with computers are single-person booths with just enough space for a bed, with the computer mounted above the bed, only a few square meters in size.

But internet cafes also have manga books, convenience stores, and bathrooms for showering.

It could be said they're very suitable for temporary single-person residence.

"Single-person internet cafe, huh." When Hayashi heard this and saw Reze's blushing appearance, he knew it was fake.

Because Reze's blush was itself fake.

"What about your parents? Where are they in Japan? Did you come out to work on your own, or did you run away from home?"

For someone Reze's age, running away from home really wasn't uncommon.

"Huh? Um..." Being asked about her parents.

Reze was suddenly struck speechless.

She didn't have those circumstances at all.

She had never known from the beginning.

"I came out to work on my own. My parents are in Osaka...."

Reze saying this seemed a bit unprofessional.

But she quickly realized she couldn't keep going back and forth with Hayashi on these questions.

So she hurriedly took back the initiative.

"Speaking of which, the shop owner's cooking is really too delicious! This is the most delicious food I've ever eaten in my life!"

"Is that so?" Hayashi smiled: "Then what have you eaten before?"

"Borscht, stewed potatoes, black bread, tofu, um..." Reze accidentally spoke the truth.

When Hayashi heard this, he laughed.

"Borscht? Is that a local Osaka delicacy?"

Borscht was Soviet food.

On this planet, it wasn't currently Russia, but rather the Soviet Union.

"There... there is, right?" Reze seemed to lack confidence.

But black bread really couldn't be explained away.

Japan really didn't eat black bread.

They didn't really eat stewed potatoes either.

Facing Hayashi's smile, Reze was becoming less and less able to handle it.

She was a professional assassin.

How was she being made to feel more and more unable to cope?

At this time, Hayashi asked again.

"How do you feel about coming to Tokyo? What are your future plans?"

"It feels alright." Reze immediately replied: "Just to work... make money, buy things."

"What do you like?" Hayashi asked.

"I like delicious food and beautiful things." After Reze finished speaking, she looked at Hayashi's face and physique, then blushed and added: "And handsome guys."

"..." Hayashi was used to this: "What a coincidence, of the things you like, I cover two of them."

"Mm-hmm." Reze nodded repeatedly: "So I'll come often!"

The more she chatted with Hayashi.

The more Reze felt unable to handle it.

He who could take down Makima was now a bit too intense for Reze.

Simply put, after defeating a boss, his experience increased greatly.

He wasn't afraid of these elite monsters anymore.

Reze couldn't handle it and was about to be exposed.

So she prepared to flee.

She hurriedly paid her bill, preparing to go back and calm down.

"Shop owner, the check please~!"

"Alright."

After paying the bill.

Hayashi walked her to the door.

Reze still had quite a bit of professional ethics.

Just before leaving, she suddenly lowered her head, blushing.

"Um..."

"Hmm?" Hayashi made a nasal sound.

Reze looked up, her face flushed red as she looked at Hayashi, her fingers fidgeting, her voice soft as she asked.

"The shop owner is so handsome, you must have a girlfriend, right?"

"A girlfriend?"

Hayashi knew this was a subtle way of confessing.

Or rather, it was one way of expressing liking - asking about your relationship status indirectly.

"Well, I don't have one at the moment." Hayashi replied.

"Really?!" Reze showed obvious happiness, her cheeks pink and tender, looking especially beautiful.

"What's wrong?" Hayashi deliberately asked: "Not having time to go out and socialize is normal, isn't it? Who says being good-looking means you definitely have a girlfriend?"

"Nothing~" Reze smiled happily.

Then she waved and left: "Well, I'll go first, shop owner. See you tomorrow."

"Mm, see you tomorrow."

After seeing Reze off.

Hayashi smiled and returned to the shop.

As soon as he returned to the bar counter, he saw that Takatsuki Sen had finished a phone call, probably giving some instructions.

The moment she put down the phone.

Takatsuki Sen tilted her head and began teasing.

"Hayashi-kun is really popular with girls."

"I can't control that." Hayashi spread his hands innocently like a little bear: "I can only not disappoint their enthusiasm."

"Is that a playboy declaration?"

"No, I'm a Great Love Immortal."

"?"

"Ahem, just kidding. Whoever is good to me, I'm good to them. There's no need for me to choose."

"That's true. After all, everyone has reasons they can't escape from you."

Those with conditions, those with abilities.

Being fearless with something to rely on - that was Hayashi.

At this time.

Thud.

There was a loud noise from the entrance.

Hayashi and Takatsuki Sen turned to look.

Kamishiro Rize was leaning against the doorway, half-covered in blood, but blinking bright eyes as she looked gently at Hayashi.

"?"

Hayashi got up and came to the entrance to help her up first.

"Rize, what happened to you?"

After he helped Rize up, he discovered that the wounds on Rize's body had healed - she might just be weak.

Hayashi had thought she was seriously injured, so he wanted to let go and let Rize walk by herself.

But Rize grabbed onto Hayashi's arm.

She pressed it into her embrace and walked while hugging it.

"..."

Hayashi could only first bring her to a seat.

But when he set Rize down.

Rize also pulled him down to sit, then leaned against Hayashi's shoulder and sighed in relief.

"Where have you been these past few days?"

Hayashi couldn't help but ask: "Didn't you say you were going to handle a house transaction? How did you get ambushed again?"

Kamishiro Rize pressed her forehead against Hayashi's shoulder.

She took a deep breath of Hayashi's scent.

Then shook her head, lifted her head and said.

"The house transaction is already done. I just happened to discover some additional clues about the group that attacked me last time."

"So..." Hayashi asked: "You went and killed them all?"

"Mm." Kamishiro Rize nodded.

"I knew it." Hayashi had an expression of 'I understand you.'

And Kamishiro Rize nodded proudly, reaching out to hug Hayashi again.

"Wait a minute, we're in the shop. What does this look like? Eto is still watching."

Kamishiro Rize turned to look at Eto.

And Eto was still savoring her coffee.

She took a light sip and thought for a moment.

"Rize, did you find another reason why that group captured you? It was for experiments, right?"

Experiments!?

When Hayashi heard this word, he knew what it was about.

Rize being captured had two reasons: 1) the Washuu family head wanted to bring Rize back. 2) A doctor called Kanou needed Rize's kagune for mass transplantation to create one-eyed ghouls.

The later Yasuhisa sisters and others were all created this way.

Kanou had unspeakable collusion with the CCG.

Simply put, it was biological experimentation.

When Kamishiro Rize heard Takatsuki Sen's words.

She first looked at the coffee and could tell who made it just by smell.

"Hand-ground."

Rize looked at Hayashi: "Hayashi-kun, I want a cup of hand-ground coffee too."

Hayashi looked at his hands, deeply buried in softness: "If you let go of me, I'll go make it for you."

"Never mind then." Rize wanted to hug him a bit longer.

Then Rize answered Takatsuki Sen's question.

"You're right, that's exactly the reason."

"That day, by chance, I encountered another kidnapping incident. I tracked and investigated all night, only to discover it was for kagune transplant human experimentation."

"So part of the purpose for capturing me that day was also for this reason."

This was indeed as Hayashi had thought.

So Hayashi used his other hand to make a slicing motion at his neck, indicating: "You killed everyone there?"

"How could that be possible? There wasn't time." Kamishiro Rize smiled: "It was a hospital basement. I destroyed all the ghouls, as well as the biological instruments and materials, and killed a doctor called Kanou, who should be the main culprit."

Kanou was killed too?

That's good.

This way, at least the Yasuhisa sisters wouldn't be transformed into one-eyed ghouls.

But without Kanou.

There might still be other 'nous' appearing.

After hearing Rize's answer.

Takatsuki Sen sipped her coffee and nodded in confirmation.

"The beginning part matches the intelligence I just received, but I only knew it was related to a hospital. I wasn't clear on who it was. I didn't expect you'd already found and eliminated them."

After speaking, Takatsuki Sen took out her phone and opened an encrypted message.

The message indicated that some of the ghoul corpses at the scene, as well as CCG and innocent human corpses, had mysteriously disappeared.

The key point was that the CCG hadn't said anything, even acting like they hadn't seen it.

So after analysis, Aogiri Tree believed someone was using the corpses for experiments.

The intelligence ended there.

After reading it, Kamishiro Rize nodded in agreement.

And thanked Takatsuki Sen.

"Speaking of which, I should thank you. If you hadn't caused such a big commotion in District 13, I couldn't have launched a surprise attack on that hospital alone, and no CCG personnel would have come."

"There were many doctors inside who were ghouls, and the security were all A-rank ghouls. There were even S-rank ghouls with quinques, which gave me quite a bit of trouble and got me injured."

S-rank ghouls weren't much to Kamishiro Rize.

But limited time + confined space + clear targets + quinque weapons + multiple factors.

These were the reasons Rize got injured.

Otherwise, fighting at her own pace.

She could have dragged it out until she killed everyone, just needing a bit of time.

After hearing this, Takatsuki Sen nodded: "No need to thank me."

On the sofa here.

Kamishiro Rize had been hugging too long.

Hayashi's arm was starting to sweat: "Are you still drinking coffee or not, Rize?"

"Yes." Kamishiro Rize finally had enough hugging and let go of his arm, letting Hayashi go make coffee.

Good thing the hand-grinding machine wasn't washed.

Now it was being used again.

While Hayashi was hand-grinding.

Tohru finished washing dishes and came out.

She wiped her hands like Hayashi, then suddenly sniffed and looked around puzzled.

"Why is there a bit of a bloody smell? Who's injured?"

Tohru looked toward the source of the smell - Rize.

Rize shook her head indicating: "It's already healed. The injury wasn't serious."

"Miss Rize, didn't you go to buy a house? How did it take so long? Why did you get injured?" Tohru immediately became curious.

Rize explained to Tohru as well.

After hearing it, Tohru clenched her fists hard.

"People who do human experiments really deserve to die! Miss Rize did well!"

Hearing Tohru's approval.

Rize became even more certain of her thoughts.

She was the type who didn't let grudges sit overnight - if she had a grudge, she'd settle it on the spot!

So these past two days she'd been tracking, finding the destination.

Then tonight she directly eliminated them!

Hayashi was grinding coffee on the side.

After grinding, he began brewing.

After brewing, he added milk and handed it to Kamishiro Rize.

Rize first smelled it.

Then let out a long, satisfied breath, her expression intoxicated.

"I haven't had this for days, I really missed it..."

"?" Hayashi's expression seemed a bit off.

Mainly because Kamishiro Rize's performance was a bit too much.

Rize smiled at Hayashi, then began carefully savoring it, drinking sip by sip, her cheeks slightly red, body relaxed, completely absorbed in the experience.

Takatsuki Sen nodded at Hayashi, indicating this was normal.

Next.

After Rize had drunk a few sips and recovered.

She turned to look at the large ice sculpture in the center of the restaurant, then looked at Hayashi.

"Is this a perk? It's quite cool."

Hayashi asked: "Want me to carve one for you two?"

Both Kamishiro Rize and Takatsuki Sen decisively shook their heads.

"Is it cool?"

Then they both nodded.

"Is it beautiful?"

Still nodding.

"Then that's enough."

Hayashi was also very satisfied with his work.

At this time.

Takatsuki Sen finished her coffee again and handed it to Hayashi.

"Another cup."

"Eto, you've already finished two cups. It's almost 11 PM now. Are you still going to sleep?"

"I'm a ghoul. Caffeine has no effect. Didn't you know?"

"I really didn't know that... Then I'll make it for you."

Hayashi made another cup for Takatsuki Sen.

So she and Rize together.

Slowly savored their coffee.

At this time.

A message came to Hayashi's phone.

Opening it, he saw it was from Utaha.

Utaha: "Something big is about to happen, Hayashi-kun. Some fans of Love Metronome found that someone had previously promoted your shop, discovered the photos and content were very similar to what's in the book, and have already confirmed the location. Tomorrow they'll probably organize a group visit to check it out."

"Your business is going to explode tomorrow. Remember to rest early. Wishing you prosperity~!"

Hayashi: "Huh!?"

Wait, where did they find this from?

Who promoted it? Who?

Hayashi's brain raced, then he remembered - it seemed to be Kirishima Touka's friend!

Or Takanashi Touka!

They could even find this!?

Oh no, it's going to get busy!

"Hayashi-kun, when you have time, could you help me move?" At this moment, Rize spoke up and asked.

Hayashi smiled bitterly and shook his head, telling everyone about the message on his phone.

"Unfortunately, I'm probably going to be incredibly busy during this period."

After learning about it, Takatsuki Sen congratulated Hayashi.

Kamishiro Rize said it was a pity, but kept staring at Hayashi, probably having some new ideas.

Tohru and Kanna together cheered for the prosperous business.

Only Hayashi felt that he might also have to experience pain and happiness at the same time...

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