Night had deepened. It was 9 PM at the coffee shop.
There weren't many customers—just a few scattered about—casting the place in a quiet, tranquil hush. Soft, amber lighting warmed the cozy interior, casting gentle shadows across Himeno, who sat at her table nibbling on a cookie, a Portuguese egg tart clutched tightly in her hand.
"Hey?! Reze! What are you doing? Taking so long? Are you slacking off?!"
The manager's voice echoed sharply from the kitchen.
"Ah, Manager, this person is an acquaintance of mine. I'm just chatting with her for a bit," Reze called back.
"That's fine, but don't take too long!"
This time, the voice held a trace of leniency.
"Okay, okay~ Don't worry, Manager~"
Reze gave a half-hearted wave, sighing before turning back to look at Himeno, her expression a swirl of tension and unease.
"Is there any new development?" she asked.
Himeno didn't answer right away. She popped the last piece of strawberry toast into her mouth, chewing slowly and deliberately.
Not only was she patient, she ate with complete seriousness. As she chewed, a thin line of saliva began to trickle from her lips. But just as it was about to drop onto the plate, her tongue darted out—quick and precise—rolling back the droplet and the remaining crumbs at the corners of her mouth.
Once she'd finished, she wiped the lingering cream from her lips with her index finger, licked it clean, then picked up the menu again.
"Excuse me, I'll take two more milk toasts, box bread, ***," she paused and then added, "and chocolate cake, please. Oh, and two slices of strawberry cake as well."
She didn't look up, but her eyes eventually met Reze's again.
"What's wrong? Haven't I already placed my order?"
Reze stared at her.
"Hey… are you serious?"
Himeno nodded without hesitation.
Still, Reze didn't move. She simply watched Himeno, her eyes unwavering. After a long moment, she glanced up at the clock in the center of the shop.
"The time is now 9:47 PM," Reze said quietly. "Renji will walk through the door in about thirteen minutes. He usually does around this time. Are you really going to keep this going?"
Himeno blinked.
"I'm not in a stalemate with you, am I? And as for this 'new situation'—there's no such thing. I'm just an ordinary customer, waiting to be served her meal."
"Then what are you here for?"
"I'm here to check on your progress," Himeno replied flatly. "To see how far you and Renji have gone. Has he become infatuated with you the way we anticipated?"
Reze's cheeks colored, a flustered heat rising into her face.
Himeno, watching her closely, tilted her head slightly in thought.
"If I had to say... all the recent forceful strategies have failed—and miserably. What about you? How's it going on your end?"
Reze exhaled, her breath unsteady.
"Progress… is… is it going well?" she murmured. "He must feel something for me. I mean, he… every day…"
Her voice trailed off as both of them looked out the window.
A taxi had pulled up outside.
Renji stepped out, exchanged a few words with the driver, and began walking toward the café.
"Alright. The target is here. I'll take my leave," Himeno said.
Suddenly, the black hat on her head was lifted—by an invisible hand—and gently set on the seat.
And just like that, Himeno vanished without a trace.
Only the quiet, solitary hat remained behind on the chair.
The door to the coffee shop swung open with a light push, and the chime of the welcome bell rang clearly, shattering the silence.
A familiar figure stepped in—Renji.
"Welcome~!"
The shop owner called out, emerging quickly from the kitchen. When she saw it was Renji, her face instantly lit up with warmth.
She wasn't sure why, but every time she saw Renji, her mood inexplicably lifted. Her heart would skip a beat—or two.
"Oh my~ It's Renji~ Come in, come in! Here again today?"
She beamed.
Renji returned the smile, his eyes scanning the shop.
"Hmm, shop owner, is Reze here?"
"Yes, yes, she is," the owner replied quickly. But before she could finish, she noticed something odd.
She glanced toward the seat where the first guest had been.
It was empty.
Only Reze sat there now, cheeks tinged pink, waving slightly at Renji.
Behind her back, Reze stealthily hid Himeno's black hat.
"Eh? Strange… Didn't Reze say she was chatting with a friend? Where's her friend?"
"It's alright, shop owner," Renji said easily. "I don't have anything important, just chatting as usual. Even if her friend was still here, I wouldn't mind meeting them."
"Ah~ You truly are Renji. Always so understanding."
The owner gave a cheerful sigh.
"So, what would you like to eat today?"
"The same as the past few days," Renji said with a chuckle. "A pastry and a cup of coffee."
"Alright~ I'll go prepare it for you right away~" the shop owner said, then turned and quickly walked into the kitchen.
Renji walked toward Reze's seat, choosing not to sit opposite her, but instead naturally sat beside her. Reze also cooperated, scooting further in.
[Ding~ Detecting Reze's nervous emotions, the system rewards 20 points.]
"What do you want to talk about today?"
In front of Renji, Reze put on that exquisite mask again. She buried her true self deep within and instead presented the image of a gentle, mischievous girl full of affection for him.
"Today, well... there's something to say. My companion and I were attacked by gangsters."
"Eh… attacked by gangsters… ugh…!"
Reze let out a soft, coquettish hum. Her voice carried a blend of shyness and charm, and her body involuntarily trembled slightly, gradually softening.
At that moment, Renji had once again silently reached his hand under the table, gently slipping it into Reze's apron. His fingers, through the thin layer of her shorts, subtly touched her thigh.
Renji's fingers seemed to possess a kind of magic—something that could effortlessly bypass the barrier of fabric, gently caressing the smooth, delicate skin beneath.
Each subtle stroke felt like an electric current running through Reze's body, making her heart flutter with every touch.
This feeling was both familiar and strange to her. Every time Renji did this, an inexplicable blend of nervousness and excitement welled up inside her.
This was the very thing she had just been about to confess to Himeno—and it had been going on for quite some time.
From their very first meeting, nearly every day around this time, Renji would show up at the coffee shop and treat her this way.
At first, being completely passive—entirely "manipulated" by someone else—Reze had considered resisting or avoiding it. But for the sake of her mission, she couldn't bring herself to pull away.
At the very least, by behaving this way, Reze could attract Renji's attention, making him focus more on her. That, in turn, helped pave the way for her upcoming plan.
After all, she wasn't the only one who was nervous.
Reze tilted her head slightly, her enhanced senses picking up on the subtle vibrations in the air—the sound of Renji's heartbeat. As the Bomb Woman, she had an extraordinary sensitivity to drumbeats and pulsating rhythms, and in this moment, that ability proved particularly useful.
Renji was clearly excited. And understandably so—Reze was a beauty, and he was molesting her.
Even emotionally, Renji was well aware that the blush on her face was just an act.
"That's how it went. After rescuing my colleagues, I came here," Renji said, recounting the day's events to her.
"Oh~ I see~ So that's what a Public Safety Devil Hunter's job is usually like. Not only is it life-threatening, but there are no regular holidays either," Reze said, recalling what Himeno had mentioned about the botched seizure mission. It must have been related to the Special Division's zero-casualty gangster raid.
"No, we still get weekends off—Saturday and Sunday—but I heard from Hayakawa Aki and the others that it's really hard to get any leave longer than three days," Renji replied.
"But it's different for you, isn't it, Renji? Didn't you say that for some reason, you were given a lot of authority? Not only can you take leave anytime, but you can even reject missions from your superiors at will."
Renji nodded, recalling the two days of leave he had recently gotten from Makima—it had indeed been surprisingly easy.
As the topic of holidays continued, something else occurred to Renji—something he had been planning to do.
"Speaking of… holidays… should I ask for two more days off? There are things about this city I want to confirm. I'm thinking of going to the edge of town to check it out—just treat it like a short trip."
He suddenly remembered that this world seemed to consist only of Tokyo and Kyoto. What lay beyond the cities?
To the right was blue, marked as sea, but the left side was completely black—what was it?
Suddenly, Reze leaned in and hooked her arm around Renji's neck.
"Then I'll take a leave too and go on a trip with you, Renji~"
The unexpected gesture made Renji's hand tighten instinctively.