"Enough with the nonsense. Tell me, what do I need to do to see him?"
The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, only Ayato's suppressed and hurried breathing remained, like a strained bellows, sounding exceptionally heavy in the silence.
He Xi Qian Yu met his almost burning gaze and slowly straightened up.
"It's very simple," He paused intentionally, his gaze fixed on Ayato, "When Bronze Tree attacks Kukulia, notify me in advance."
"That's… it?" Ayato froze instantly, the resolute expression on his face suddenly solidified, then turned into one of bewilderment.
This request was so simple, completely different from the price he had expected to pay, and the huge discrepancy left him speechless for a moment.
"Otherwise?" He Xi Qian Yu's lips curved into a sarcastic arc, his eyes sweeping over Ayato's taut body and glowing Kagugan, "What did you think it would be? Forcing you to solo the CCG's White Reaper? Or blowing up the CCG Headquarters?"
"You…" Ayato's face instantly flushed crimson, a sense of humiliation and anger at being played with surged to his head. His deep red Kagugan lit up uncontrollably, and a dangerous hum came from the location of his Ukaku.
He glared fiercely at He Xi Qian Yu, his teeth grinding, as if he would erupt in an attack the next second.
However, his remaining sanity forcibly reined in his impending loss of control. He spun around abruptly, as if to throw all his fury behind him.
"Wan Zhang," he snapped, his voice slightly distorted by suppressed anger, "Let's go!"
Shuichi Banjou, who was huddled in the corner, quickly called out to his three subordinates, stumbling to catch up with Ayato.
…
Outside the Antique coffee shop, Shuichi Banjou and the others practically scrambled on all fours to follow him out of that street. They ran far away, only daring to stop and lean against a wall once they were completely clear of the cafe, panting heavily, their hearts pounding as if they had just crawled back from the edge of hell.
Ayato stopped, his back to them, his chest still heaving. The night wind ruffled his dark blue short hair, but it couldn't disperse the gloom on his face and the humiliation of being mocked.
He took several deep breaths of the cold air, trying to suppress the agitation in his heart, and then he remembered Wan Zhang's excessive fear just now.
He turned around, his deep red Kagugan flickering with a cold light in the night, showing clear confusion and impatience: "Wan Zhang," his voice still held lingering anger, "Why were you… so afraid of him just now?"
In his opinion, besides He Xi Qian Yu's ridiculously strong power and peculiar methods, there didn't seem to be anything special about him. Wan Zhang and the others' desire to disappear on the spot was simply too abnormal.
Shuichi Banjou shuddered at his question. He wiped the cold sweat continuously breaking out on his forehead, his lips trembling, and it took him a long time to find his voice. It was dry and hoarse, filled with the fear of having narrowly escaped death:
"A-Ayato-san… You… You don't know…" Shuichi Banjou swallowed with difficulty, his eyes darting away, as if merely recalling the scene brought him to the brink of collapse, "Gecko… Gecko, he… he…"
"What happened to him?!" Ayato pressed impatiently.
"He… He's gone!" One of the subordinates nearby finally couldn't hold back, crying out, his voice distorted by fear, "Right before our eyes! That guy… he, he… Gecko…"
"What did he do to Gecko?!" Ayato's heart sank, and he snapped.
How could an S-rank Ghoul like Gecko, a core member of Bronze Tree, simply be gone?
Shuichi Banjou's face was ashen, as if it took all his strength to squeeze out the fragmented words: "Ate… ate him… He ate… Gecko…" The last few words were like a buzzing mosquito, yet they exploded in Ayato's ears like thunder.
Ayato's pupils suddenly constricted to the extreme, his deep red Kagugan, like blood-colored lanterns ignited, suddenly burst forth with terrifying light.
"Ate… ate him?!" He repeated these words, his voice filled with disbelief, and a cold shiver instantly shot from his spine to his scalp.
Gecko, as a backbone force of Bronze Tree, was not only an S-rank Ghoul but also a Half-Ghoul.
A monster who could so casually devour Gecko – how could Wan Zhang and the others' reaction be considered excessive? It was too restrained.
Ayato stood rooted to the spot, the night wind making his clothes flutter, yet he felt no chill, only a deep, bone-chilling dread that instantly froze all his previous anger and humiliation.
Just now in the coffee shop, he actually… made a move against such an existence?!
He subconsciously touched the base of his Ukaku; it seemed to still retain the cold sensation of being held immobile by those crimson tentacles.
"If that's really the case…" A glimmer of hope flashed in Ayato's eyes, and he murmured to himself, "Maybe he really can…"
…
Inside the hall, the heavy atmosphere did not dissipate with Ayato's departure. The broken window let in the cold night wind, stirring the debris on the floor.
Dong Xiang still stood in place, looking in the direction where her brother had disappeared, her eyes complex and unreadable, filled with worry, helplessness, and a hint of almost imperceptible heartache.
"One is worried sick but acts tough, the other clearly cares but insists on pretending not to… You two siblings are truly awkward, cut from the same cloth." He Xi Qian Yu did not look at Dong Xiang, yet his voice clearly reached her ears.
Dong Xiang's body stiffened abruptly, as if a hidden secret had been exposed. She suddenly turned her head, with a hint of shame and stubbornness at being seen through, glaring fiercely at He Xi Qian Yu: "You… what do you know?!"
"I don't quite understand the way you two siblings express affection," He Xi Qian Yu said slowly, finally raising his eyes to look at Dong Xiang, "But emotions cannot be hidden. The look in your eyes just now as you watched your brother leave, and the unconscious glance he gave when he mentioned you…"
He paused, tapping the rim of his cup lightly, making a crisp "clink" sound, "…both spelled out 'care.' It's just that one uses anger to hide fear, and the other uses silence to wrap concern."
Her lips moved, wanting to refute, wanting to deny, but she found any Refutation arguments seemed pale and powerless at this moment.
He Xi Qian Yu was completely correct.
She was indeed worried about Ayato getting into danger, worried about the potential impact he might face after learning about their father… And Ayato, that awkward brat, even when speaking the most hurtful words, his concern for her was real.
An indescribable bitterness and sense of powerlessness welled up in Dong Xiang's heart. She pursed her lips tightly, stubbornly turning her face away, not letting the other person see any weakness that might be revealed in her eyes, her voice tinged with a hint of weariness:
"…That's none of your business."