Hayashi wrapped dumplings.
One portion beef and glass noodles, one portion pork and scallions, no vegetarian ones.
Because Hayashi felt vegetarian dumplings really didn't taste good - vegetarian buns were okay, but dumplings, forget it.
After wrapping the dumplings, he put them in the steamer to steam.
Tohru finished cleaning upstairs.
Wiped her mouth and came downstairs with Kanna.
Kanna went to get the watering can to water the plants.
Tohru cleaned the restaurant interior, wiping down tables and decorations.
After a while.
The dumplings were ready!
"Time to eat~"
As soon as Hayashi called out and brought them to the table.
Tohru, Kanna, Pochita, and the cat all came over.
"One portion beef, one portion pork, eat as you like."
Hayashi took a beef one and popped it in his mouth.
Seeing him eat first.
Everyone hurriedly started eating.
Pochita and the cat waited on the side to be fed.
Hayashi picked one up and tossed it to Pochita.
"Pochita, catch it."
Pochita did a backflip and caught it.
Hayashi picked up another one for the cat.
"Kitty."
The cat did a high jump, hooked with its paw, and also caught it with a flip.
"Beautiful."
Everyone ate happily.
While eating, Tohru asked: "Are we going shopping today too?"
"Mm... we could."
Nothing else to do anyway.
After finishing the steamed dumplings.
Leaving Pochita and the cat to guard the door.
The three of them left in the small van.
Driving on the road out of the city center.
Pedestrians walked along the roadside.
When passing some shopping centers, they could already see CCG installing detection gates and similar devices.
But only at large shopping centers.
And at high-traffic facilities like light rail.
Most other places didn't have them.
Tohru saw this and turned to ask Hayashi.
"Hayashi-san, can installing these detection gates really prevent ghouls?"
"Uh..." Hayashi made a pinching gesture like he was disappointed at losing the market: "Probably just this little bit."
"Really just this little?" Tohru was surprised.
"Really just this little." Hayashi confirmed.
Only installing them at large shopping centers and light rail stations was basically just to prevent ghouls from going in and massacring people or carrying out terrorist attacks.
But in reality.
Normal ghouls still wanted to coexist with humans.
If they carried out terrorist attacks, they would be severely cracked down on.
There were also intermediary contacts between CCG and ghouls.
So only ghoul organizations dared to plan large-scale operations.
Individuals would be caught easily.
Otherwise, who would be imprisoned in ghoul prisons?
Even SS-rank ghouls were captured.
"Actually, it's more just for show," Hayashi said helplessly. "There's another point - it can check public figures to see who are ghouls, like Takatsuki Sen."
In the later stages, there would definitely be high officials, nobles, and celebrities thrown out as scapegoats.
After investigating a batch, that would count as a purge.
The core group could then be safe for a long time.
"Oh~" Only then did Tohru understand.
So this was politics.
The car drove to the market.
After Hayashi parked in the parking lot, the three got out.
Coming to the market entrance.
A group of people were having a heated discussion.
And one side was actually CCG's administrative department.
"What's the administrative department doing at the market?" Hayashi was puzzled. "Grocery shopping?"
Tohru showed a gossip-watching expression.
She quickly pulled Hayashi and Kanna to watch and listen from not far away.
Kanna couldn't see and was a bit anxious.
She tugged on Hayashi's sleeve: "I can't see..."
"Come here."
Hayashi picked up Kanna.
Let her sit on his shoulders to watch.
"Wow~!" Kanna was immediately happy: "So high!"
Actually not that high - if she transformed into a dragon and flew, it would be much higher. It just looked high from a human perspective.
Tohru noticed from the side.
Immediately spread her hands: "Me too, Hayashi-san."
"You go away." Hayashi glared at her: "With your peach butt, could my shoulders even hold it?"
Did she think he had refrigerator-wide shoulders like in manga?
If Tohru sat on his shoulders.
At most half her butt would fit.
"Hehe~~~" Tohru took it as a compliment.
So she held Hayashi's other hand and watched the show from the side.
The three watched the show.
The people over there were arguing.
The market manager said: "What are you talking about? Why should my vegetable market purchase your detection gates?"
The CCG administrative staff said: "Areas with high foot traffic need to prevent ghouls from entering! These are all potential threats!"
Market: "Why should we pay for these gates?"
CCG: "Because the gates are very expensive, and this is for your own good! What if ghouls sneak into this vegetable market?"
Market: "Do you even hear what you're saying, you bastard!"
CCG: "So what?!"
Market: "This is a vegetable market, you moron! What would ghouls come to a vegetable market for?!"
CCG: "...Well, you should still buy them!"
Market: "Baka yarou!!!"
Both sides argued irreconcilably, looking like they were about to fight.
The surrounding people immediately held them back.
Then began heated discussions.
On the side.
Hayashi ate melon seeds while watching the drama.
Even cracked sunflower seeds.
This drama was so delicious!
So delicious he was about to faint.
Hayashi couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth.
"Hahahaha~~~"
Tohru hugged Hayashi's arm and couldn't stop laughing.
Wiping tears: "So they want the market to pay part of the money for these gates, trying to sell gates to the market, but ghouls don't need to buy vegetables..."
After watching, Kanna said: "Idiots."
Did ghouls need to buy vegetables? What a joke.
Only dishes made by Hayashi could be eaten by everyone and taste good to all.
Other than that, ghouls could only eat human flesh.
So who needed to buy vegetables?
Unless ghouls were hiding their identity and putting on a show, but that was too few cases, completely unnecessary to deliberately come buy vegetables.
This CCG operation.
Was like trying to sell gaming consoles to blind people.
Or selling Bluetooth headphones to deaf people.
Too fucking ridiculous.
Both sides almost came to blows.
But were pulled apart by surrounding people again.
Some people who understood the situation also laughed uncontrollably on the side.
Finally, the CCG administrative... no, sales staff also felt they were in the wrong, so they left cursing.
Don't just think they were stupid.
Actually, many things really were like this.
Like Japan's TV advertising and channel services, etc.
They all went door-to-door asking for money like this.
Getting it was earning it.
"Really outrageous."
Hayashi, Tohru, and Kanna finished watching the comedy and went into the market to buy groceries.
Meat, vegetables, bought everything.
Also bought some fruit.
Then the three came out and continued strolling around.
Then went home.
The car drove on the way home.
Hayashi counted on his fingers, calculating who was planning to come to the shop today.
It turned out he didn't realize until counting.
So many people were coming!
It seemed like everyone had scheduled to come today!
Fortunately, even if they all came together, there actually weren't that many.
"Then it's fine."
The car entered the city center.
When passing a park, Kanna saw toys inside.
"What's that floating chair?" Kanna pointed at a wooden board hanging from two ropes.
Though the car passed by quickly, Hayashi still caught sight of it from his peripheral vision.
"That's a swing." Hayashi explained: "A hanging chair that can sway back and forth."
"Oh~~~" Kanna indicated she understood.
But seeing her eager expression.
Hayashi knew Kanna looked very interested.
So he directly turned the car around.
There was nothing to do in the afternoon anyway.
Getting out of the car, he said: "Want to try it? If you like it, we can make one in our courtyard too."
"Try it!"
There were three swings in total.
A triangular frame with a row of swings hanging from it.
Kanna sat on the left one, Tohru on the right one.
Then Tohru pointed to the middle one and said to Hayashi: "Come on, Hayashi-san, you sit here."
"I'll pass..."
"Come on~~~"
"Alright."
So in the park.
The three swung on swings, swaying back and forth.
The summer heat also dissipated quite a bit while swinging.
Just the afternoon sun was a bit too strong.
Getting a bit hot from the sun.
"Let me cool things down."
Hayashi stopped first, touched the ground with one foot, creating ice vapor under the earth that slowly rose.
Then got caught up in the airflow created by the swings.
Finally, the three of them swung cooler and cooler.
"Wow~~~" Kanna's hair fluttered in the breeze.
She looked very happy and swung quite vigorously, flying high up before coming back down.
"Hahaha~~~"
Tohru was also swinging.
When the swing reached its highest point.
She let go with her hands, flew out directly, did a 720-degree spin in the air plus side flips, then landed steadily and raised both hands.
"Perfect score!"
Hayashi clapped.
Then Kanna also tried this.
Did several aerial spins before landing.
"Also perfect score!"
Hayashi applauded.
Then seeing their expectant gazes.
Hayashi immediately shook his head.
"Impossible, don't even think about it."
Just like that.
The three played in the park for a while longer.
After playing enough, they got back in the car and drove home.
When the car stopped at the alley entrance.
Hayashi asked Kanna: "Did you like it? If you do, we can make one and put it in the courtyard."
Kanna nodded decisively: "I like it!"
Tohru: "Agreed."
Indeed, Hayashi nodded, he quite liked it too.
Who could refuse swinging when there's nothing to do?
It was really interesting.
Back at the restaurant.
Hayashi began planning the swing design.
"Definitely putting it in the front courtyard as decoration, by the window, would look nice too."
"But should we buy a frame, or figure out where to hang it from, or..."
Hayashi wasn't worried about the "hanging" problem.
He could use String-String Fruit threads inside the chains later.
Or even use only threads to achieve better visual effects.
Like a floating swing!
Like rainbow-colored swing ropes!
But if buying industrial equipment, the overall style wouldn't match the midnight diner's decor and exterior.
Better to do it himself.
"Plant one myself?" Hayashi fell into thought.
Tohru thought for a moment beside him: "How about I go pull up a tree from the mountain and bring it back to plant?"
"Uh..." Hayashi thought about it.
The main issue was that mountain trees looked pretty ordinary.
So he still shook his head: "Let's wait and see. The swing isn't urgent for these few days anyway."
"Okay." Tohru nodded.
If the swing hung from a tree, it would indeed look good.
Peach trees, cherry trees, willow trees - they all had unique charm and atmosphere.
But those trees on the mountain really didn't look good.
And they were all straight.
The branches were just so-so too.
So wait and see.
Hayashi nodded and said to Tohru: "Let me research what trees look best, then we'll go pull one up and bring it back, how about it?"
Hearing this, Tohru immediately became interested: "Yes, yes!"
Alright then.
The afternoon time slowly passed.
The sun gradually descended from noon, falling toward below the horizon.
By 6 PM.
Dusk had begun.
Those getting off work had left, those working overtime were still working, and there were more people on the streets.
At the alley entrance.
The long-absent Kasumigaoka Shiyu and Sakurajima Mai arrived together.
At the same time at the alley entrance.
They also encountered Takatsuki Sen, who had hurried over after not sleeping all night.
After the two sides met, they immediately felt curious.
Takatsuki Sen smiled faintly: "Utaha -san, congratulations on your new book's great success."
Utaha returned the courtesy: "Thank you, Takatsuki Sen-sensei. Looking forward to your new work."
New work...
Takatsuki Sen's smile became a bit happier: "Indeed, it's coming soon."
"?" Utaha was very surprised.
A new book so soon?
That was indeed very fast.
The three came to the midnight diner together.
Just as Tohru opened the door and saw them.
"Long time no see, you all came together."
"Mm, we met at the alley entrance."
Upon entering.
Utaha and Mai first found seats.
Only Takatsuki Sen went directly to Hayashi, handed him the manuscript she was carrying, and said with anticipation and excitement.
"Want to see the opening? It's already 10,000 words."
"Already 10,000 words?!" Hayashi was a bit surprised.
Writing this kind of book wasn't like writing light novels where you could pad things.
This was published literature - content had to be compressed, stories better interwoven with various narrative techniques, backgrounds, philosophy, etc.
10,000 words in one night was already a lot.
Hayashi looked at Takatsuki Sen's slightly baggy eyes.
"You didn't sleep all night, did you?"
"Mm!" Takatsuki Sen nodded: "The inspiration was just too much."
"What about your plan? You didn't forget, did you?"
"How could I? It's all planned out. I just wait for them to make their move. It's tonight, and I don't even need to act personally."
"Hiss..."
So you're also a strategist.
Looks like the ghouls' big operation would start tonight?
However, Hayashi first put down the manuscript.
He said: "But I still want to make the customers' dishes well. For you, let me make a hand-ground coffee first."
"Mm mm." Takatsuki Sen nodded.
Hayashi began making coffee first.
At another table.
Utaha had just finished ordering.
When Utaha heard that Takatsuki Sen's new book already had an opening draft written.
And had handed the opening to Hayashi to read.
Her hair immediately stood on end!
She became very nervous, feet pressed together, eyes wide.
Takatsuki Sen's new book?!
No wonder she said "soon" at the alley entrance!
This wasn't "soon" - the draft and opening were already done!
With Takatsuki Sen's fanbase and operational level.
It probably wouldn't be long before publication!
Mai was also a bit surprised after hearing this.
"She's Takatsuki Sen? I heard she's a very amazing great author. She's willing to show her new book draft to Hayashi-kun? Then Hayashi-kun must have great insight."
Utaha nodded in agreement: "My new work... I also showed it to Hayashi-kun first."
Mai was immediately surprised.
If that was the case, it indeed showed Hayashi had good judgment.
And she understood why Utaha was nervous.
Competing with such a fellow female author with considerable charm.
Though everyone was in publishing.
But Utaha wrote light novels, while she wrote literary publications.
It would be fine if sales were close.
After all, everyone talked through sales.
But she was a great author whose literary publications sold well - that pressure would be too great.
Mai patted Utaha and said softly.
"It's okay, keep working hard, Utaha . Hayashi-kun isn't someone who cares that much about results anyway."
"Don't forget I'm here too. If I make a comeback, together we'd definitely have more popularity than Takatsuki Sen."
"If there's a chance, we could even pool money and start an entertainment company."
"Let's focus on improving ourselves first."
In terms of popularity.
Among Hayashi's shop customers, Mai was indeed the biggest.
After hearing this, Utaha nodded in agreement.
"Looks like I need to keep working hard and write new books with even better results!"
At the bar counter.
Hayashi finished grinding the coffee.
While Takatsuki Sen tasted her coffee.
He began reading Takatsuki Sen's new book: Beastars, huh.
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