"Ah... I'm beat."
It was the weekend.
Iori lay slumped on the table like a dead pig. He realized that part-time jobs weren't nearly as easy as he'd imagined.
Especially after he found out that his fellow part timer was actually dating that bastard Kamishiro.
He had thought she'd be easy to get along with. Turned out she totally wasn't.
On his first day, he somehow ended up as her informant and had to endure psychological warfare (thanks to the arguments between Kiyoko and Busujima).
"AAAAHHH!"
I'm just a poor childhood friend! I barely kept in touch with Kamishiro after middle school! Why am I getting dragged into your fights?!
Please, I swear my opinion doesn't matter! Let me go!
X﹏X
"So where is that Kamishiro bastard?!"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Today, Iori was determined to settle the score. If this didn't wipe out at least 50,000 yen of that IOU, it'd be unacceptable!
But no matter how hard he looked, there wasn't even a shadow of Kamishiro Shiro. Not only that—Nanaka-san was also missing…
At the café, it was just the four of them and Uncle Kotegawa.
Iori looked around, confused. But everyone else looked just as lost—they clearly had no clue where Shiro had gone.
Chisa did mention her sister went to Tokyo today, but she didn't know about Shiro. After all, Shiro had refused to go to Tokyo earlier.
"Eh? Shiro and Nanaka? They left for Tokyo this morning. You guys didn't go together?"
Only then did Uncle Kotegawa realize something was off, looking at them with mild surprise. No wonder Iori and the others looked weird.
(???)
Iori and the others stared at Uncle Kotegawa with dead-fish eyes. They had no idea about this!
Also—Uncle, aren't you too chill?! Your daughter ran off with a known scumbag!
That's Kamishiro Shiro, the one known for never letting any girl escape his clutches!
Better be careful—by the time they come back, you might be a grandpa!
Thinking of this, Iori's gaze turned sharp. Why was he slaving away at a part-time job while that degenerate was off flirting and seducing Nanaka-san?
Absolutely unforgivable!
Chugging the beer in front of him in one gulp, Iori stood up like a general heading to war!
His eyes burned with resolve.
"Let's go! Target: Tokyo!"
Tokyo
"Well, Shiro, I'm heading off then."
Sitting in the car, Nanaka looked at Kamishiro with a hint of disappointment. She had thought he'd changed his mind about coming to Tokyo. Turned out it was work-related. Still, the fact that his novel was being animated—that was amazing.
Even if she wasn't in the industry, she understood how incredible that was.
"Mm, once everything's done, I'll show you around Tokyo properly, Nanaka-san."
Hearing that, Nanaka finally smiled. "Then it's a promise~"
And with that, she headed off to A Certain High School.
Watching the taxi disappear into the distance, Kamishiro Shiro—disguised with a mask and sunglasses—finally let out a sigh of relief. So far, everything was going according to plan. Now he just needed to wait for Hanabi-chan to come pick him up.
As for showing Nanaka around Tokyo...
That was just social niceties.
When the time comes, I'll just use work as an excuse to get out of it. Though... maybe I won't need to? The way I look right now, no one should be able to recognize me anyway.
"So, why exactly are you dressed like this? Cosplaying a superstar?"
Just as Kamishiro Shiro was seriously pondering the feasibility of his plan, a cool, clear voice shattered his illusion.
Looking up, a sleek black sedan had somehow pulled up in front of him without him noticing. In the driver's seat sat a refined beauty.
(???)
Logically speaking, seeing his beautiful editor again should've made Kamishiro Shiro quite happy. But...
Forgive him for not feeling the slightest bit of joy right now. Hanabi-chan, are you here just to mess with me?!
Kamishiro Shiro didn't answer. He quietly opened the passenger door and got in.
"If I'm a superstar, then next time could you please pull up in a Maserati? That'd be more fitting for my status."
"Pfft, yeah right. I'm not some rich sugar mommy with a boy toy. If anything, it should be you, Kamishiro-dono, who supports me, this humble little lady."
"Eh? Really?! I can give you 50,000 yen a month!"
"...Even a high school girl couldn't get by on that, you know."
"But you're not a JK, Hanabi-chan. These days JKs are pricey—ah, OW!"
Before he could finish, Kamishiro Shiro was abruptly cut off by a sudden brake. Seeing the fiery look in Hanabi's eyes, he quickly turned his head away, chastised.
Sigh... poor Hanabi-chan. No matter how cute, you can't go back to your high school days~
"Get out."
Hanabi snorted and stepped out of the car first. Sure enough, every time she saw this flakey guy, her mood just tanked.
Still, she'd let him act cocky for now. After today, he'd get what's coming.
Thinking of what she'd prepared, Hanabi couldn't help but smile.
"We're already here?"
Kamishiro Shiro was surprised. Had he known it was so close, he would've just walked over and spared himself a bruised forehead.
But, lacking any sense of self-reflection, he didn't even realize why he'd gotten that bump in the first place.
"Yeah. The coffee here is excellent, and the atmosphere is great. Perfect for talking business."
Hanabi nodded. She was already a regular here and often chose it as a meeting spot.
Kamishiro looked ahead, curious to see what kind of café Hanabi praised so highly.
Hmm.
Clean storefront, tasteful décor, and a lovely name too: Anteiku Café.
...Wait a sec.
Anteiku Café?!
(.;゜;:益:;゜;.)
That name sounded way too familiar.
Because of his little sister, Kamishiro had recently revisited Tokyo Ghoul in his head. If he remembered correctly...
Wasn't that super-elite café in the show also called Anteiku Café?
Gulp.
Kamishiro swallowed hard. It had to be a coincidence, right? Otherwise, how could he have spent so long in Tokyo without ever realizing it?
"What are you spacing out for? Let's go."
Seeing him frozen in place, Hanabi simply grabbed his arm and walked in.
"Welcome!—Oh, Miss Yasuraoka! Long time no see."
"Long time indeed, Miss Kirishima. Same as always, we need a quiet spot to talk."
"Of course. Right this way."
(???)
Kamishiro went numb. Any last thread of hope was dashed the moment they stepped inside.
This was the Anteiku Café—that Anteiku Café. He'd already spotted that stunning figure with purple short hair in uniform.
Kirishima Touka!
Wait wait wait! Something's not right here. My little sister Rize was just born recently, so why is Touka looking just like she does in the anime? What happened to the timeline?
Still...
Touka was really pretty!
Short hair. Cool demeanor.
He was instantly smitten~
"Snap out of it. Staring at someone that long is rude, you know. Miss Kirishima already walked off."
Hanabi pinched Kamishiro Shiro's cheek. This guy really was hopeless. Just one pretty girl and he turned into a drooling idiot. She was starting to regret bringing him here.
But this time, Hanabi had misunderstood. Kamishiro wasn't being a creep—he was scared.
The café was exactly like how he remembered from the anime. The squinty-eyed manager, the smiling chubby waiter, the cool black-haired beauty...
If not for the fact that the news hadn't reported any ghouls lately, he would've thought he'd crossed into Tokyo Ghoul's world.
Still, he felt on edge. What if the manager suddenly opened those squinty eyes—and they turned out to be kakugan?
Apparently, not all squinty-eyed characters were created equal. And by comparison, he was the lamest of the bunch.
"I... was just surprised by the café, alright?"
"Surprised? You noticed something special?"
Hanabi was curious. She'd always felt this café was different. The moment she walked in, she felt at ease, which is why she liked having meetings here.
Sometimes she even worked here.
"No, I was just surprised I didn't find this café earlier! Miss Kirishima is so pretty!"
"..."
(???)
Hanabi clutched her forehead in pain. Why had she expected a sensible answer from this guy?
Seriously, thank goodness he hadn't discovered this café sooner. Miss Kirishima would've had a lot of trouble otherwise.
She shook her head and ignored him. After all, he didn't even live in Tokyo. No way would he be bold enough to hit on Touka.
—
"Miss Kirishima, it's such a pleasure to meet you. I'm Hanabi-chan's younger brother.
Lately, Hanabi-chan seems to be troubled by something, but she won't talk to me about it. I've been worried... I heard she comes here often, so I wanted to check how she's doing.
By the way, could I get your contact info? I study out of town, so I can't always be with her...
In fact, I don't even know what she's been going through lately. I've failed as a little brother."
As he spoke, a single tear fell from Kamishiro's eye—convincing the kind-hearted Touka, despite his galgame-tier speech, to share her contact info.
Meanwhile, Hanabi...
(?°?д°?)
Nice.
Real nice.
Her fists were clenching.
She had zoned out for just a moment, and this jerk had already made up a story and shamelessly used it to get Touka's number?!
Since when were you my little brother?! I don't have a shameless little brother like you!
CLENCH
Hanabi instantly appeared by Kamishiro's side, pinching his cheek with a grin that didn't reach her eyes.
"Oh? Since when did my mother give birth to a little brother, Mister Kamishiro~?"
!!!
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"M-Mister Kamishiro?!"
Still feeling touched, Touka looked shocked.
Wait, what?! He's not your brother?!
(;?＿?)
"Ahem, well, actually we're from a remarried fam—ah! No, no, wait!"
Feeling his cheek stretched dangerously long, Kamishiro went into full apology mode. He wasn't Luffy, okay?! If she kept pulling, his face was going to fall off!
Meanwhile, Touka watched them with a smile that said "employee mode activated"—she understood the situation now.
"Well then, enjoy your meal."
"Wait wait, Touka! It's not what you think—!"
...
(╥_╥)
"This is all your fault. Touka blocked me."
"And whose fault is that? Your excuse was trash. And you still haven't kicked your bad habit of calling people by name out of nowhere."
"Damn it! If it weren't for your sudden appearance, Touka and I would be on a date by now!"
"…Quit dreaming. Did you forget why we're here?"
"..."
At that, Kamishiro finally sobered up. Right, they had business to handle. Once they were done, he could hang around this café all he wanted.
"Fine, so who are we working with this time? And do you really need me for this?"
Kamishiro was confused. Usually, Hanabi would handle these kinds of negotiations—he wasn't particularly knowledgeable about them.
"It's not absolutely necessary, but apparently they had something else they wanted to discuss directly with you.
As for the company—it's an old acquaintance of yours."
"An old acquaintance?"
(′｀;)?
Kamishiro's mind went blank. He was a serial dropout with ten unfinished books. This was his first anime adaptation—how could he possibly have any "old acquaintances"?
Just then, a languid, seductive voice whispered in his ear.
"Oh my, long time no see, Kamishiro-kun~"
!!!
That voice... it really did sound familiar!
Turning around—
He saw a classy beauty with wavy hair, glasses, and a shawl draped around her shoulders.
"Shizuku-neesan?!"
"Mhm~ I'm so glad you still remember me, Kamishiro-kun. I wonder if you still remember our darling Hifumi~?"
As she mentioned Hifumi, a dangerous glint flickered in Hazuki Shizuku's eyes.(p.s; She is from New Game anime)
"Ahahaha o-of course I do! How could I ever forget the adorable Hifumi-chan!"
Kamishiro's smile looked a little forced. The woman in front of him was Hazuki Shizuku, a high-ranking executive at Eagle Jump, formerly the director and planner of the Fairy Tale series—
And currently, the director and planner of Otaku-chan.
Yes, the Otaku-chan game they'd been playing earlier was Eagle Jump's newest project.