"Hi! What would you like to order?"
A cheerful woman in a black-and-red staff uniform stood beside Haru and Luna's table, her notepad ready.
Haru glanced over the menu before placing his order. "One A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Inaniwa Udon and an iced tea, please."
The woman nodded, jotting it down before turning to Luna. "And what about you, ma'am?"
Haru glanced at his companion. Luna's ears had drooped, and she had raised the menu until it concealed most of her face. The tip of her fluffy tail swayed uncertainly behind her chair.
"O-one udon as well…" she mumbled.
The woman was about to write down her order when Haru spoke up. "Wait."
He turned toward Luna, his voice softening.
"What's wrong? Don't you like anything on the menu?"
Luna's ears twitched. Her tail swayed a little faster as she tried to hide even further behind the menu, as though she could somehow squeeze her entire body behind it.
"I-it's not that! I-I mean, I do like the food! The udon is fine, b-but…" Her voice trailed off. She fidgeted with the edge of the menu, avoiding his gaze.
Haru watched her for a moment before a thought crossed his mind. "You want more?"
Luna froze.
Her ears perked up for an instant before slowly drooping again. She looked away, her cheeks growing warm.
"Y-yes, but… don't you think I eat too m—"
"Four bowls of A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Inaniwa Udon for her, please." Haru had already turned back to the staff member and placed the order.
The woman blinked, then smiled as she finished writing everything down.
Luna slowly lowered the menu. Her eyes widened.
"F-four bowls?!" she said in her mind.
"One bowl cost 650 yuan, and Master had just ordered five in total.." She had only been thinking of getting a regular bowl of udon!
"M-Master…"
Her voice came out as a tiny, helpless whimper.
Then her ears shot upright.
"O-ONE ICED TEA AS WELL!!"
The sudden shout startled the woman for a moment.
Luna immediately shrank back into her seat, her ears twitching awkwardly as she realized she had forgotten to order a drink. She watched the staff member leave before letting out a small breath.
Beside her, Haru had already returned his attention to his phone.
Luna peeked at his side profile, then gradually scooted closer. Curiosity soon got the better of her, and she leaned just far enough to see what he was looking at.
Haru noticed her movement from the corner of his eye. Without saying anything, he tilted his phone toward her.
It was nothing particularly important—just a collection of random videos from the internet.
Luna watched quietly beside him, her ears occasionally twitching at something that caught her attention.
Meanwhile, whispers began spreading throughout the restaurant.
"Isn't that the woman who was in the livestream?"
"Yeah, that's her. She moved so fast that it looked like everything happened in the blink of an eye."
Several customers stole glances in their direction, their conversations growing quieter whenever Luna's ears twitched.
Haru noticed the murmurs, too, but neither he nor Luna paid them much attention.
At a nearby table, a low-ranking Aberrant leaned toward his companion.
"If she's that strong… just how powerful is the guy she calls Master?"
His friend, another Aberrant, followed his gaze toward Haru.
"Wait, isn't that the famous guy with practically no Quinacity? The one who keeps entering Rifts to look for that girl… Yu? Yue, I think her name was."
A female Aberrant sitting with them scoffed, folding her arms.
"Relax. That guy's no big deal. Even if he awakened, he barely has any Quinacity. That girl probably just pities him—or he's paying her."
The others exchanged glances before breaking into dismissive scoffs of their own.
"Yeah, you're right."
Still, their eyes kept drifting toward Haru and Luna. Whatever they thought of him, none of them seemed eager to test the limits of the woman sitting beside him.
After a little while, a server approached their table, carefully balancing the dishes.
"Five bowls of A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Inaniwa Udon, and two iced teas!"
He set everything down before giving them a polite smile. "Enjoy your meal!"
The moment the aroma reached her, Luna's ears sprang upright.
Her fluffy tail began swishing back and forth with barely contained excitement. She leaned toward the bowls, her pink eyes practically sparkling as a little droplet of saliva threatened to escape the corner of her mouth.
Haru glanced at her.
For a moment, he simply watched her barely restrained excitement before letting out a quiet giggle.
"Go on. Eat as much as you want."
He gave her a warm smile and reached for his chopsticks.
But Luna suddenly went still.
His words lingered in her ears, and another voice rose from the depths of her memories.
«"Go on. Eat as much as you want. Luna."»
For a fleeting moment, the restaurant around her seemed to fade away.
She remembered another time, another place, and someone who had once said those very words to her. Her fingers tightened slightly around her chopsticks.
Then Haru's voice gently drew her back.
"Luna? It'll get cold if you wait too long."
She looked at him.
The ache in her chest remained, but this time, she didn't let the memory pull her into tears. Instead, her lips curved into a small, genuine smile.
She gave him a cheerful nod, her ears lifting once more.
"Mm!!"
And at last, she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.
—
Thud—!
A woman's hand slammed against the desk.
"Easy, Yumi."
The familiar voice belonged to Aezeth, who watched her colleague with a composed expression.
"I told you!! He wasn't lying!"
Yumi struck the desk again, her frustration evident in the sharpness of her voice.
"And how can you be so certain about such dangerous information?"
A firm, coldly calm voice cut through the room. Every word carried the weight of authority.
"What if he's merely pretending? What if he turns around and sinks his fangs into our necks when the time comes?"
Yumi's jaw tightened.
Without another word, she snatched the stack of files beside her and hurled them toward the center of the table. The papers burst into the air, fluttering and scattering across the polished surface.
As they slowly settled, a pair of beautiful, crimson-red eyes emerged from behind them.
The woman sat perfectly straight, her arms crossed beneath her ample chest. Long, silky black hair framed her face, shifting slightly to reveal a crystal-sharp earring. She wore black attire beneath a dark cloak, its shoulders reinforced with protective armor. Above her head stood a pair of dark-red fox ears, their stillness matching the cool composure in her gaze.
Kizume Noukata — SS-Rank - Archbrid - 3rd Division Commander.
She regarded Yumi for a moment before speaking.
"Perhaps you're acting this way because you like him?"
"I—"
Yumi stopped short.
For the briefest moment, her expression faltered. Her lips parted as though she had an answer ready, but no words came out.
Kizume's crimson eyes remained fixed on her.
Then Venill finally intervened.
"All right. That's enough."
His usual playfulness was absent from his voice. He leaned forward slightly, his expression turning serious as he looked between the women.
"This matter shouldn't be handled lightly. You know that, Kizume."
Kizume said nothing.
"Indeed," Aezeth added, her tone measured. "Let's wait for the President's decision. It should arrive any minute now."
Kizume shifted her gaze toward Aezeth without turning her head. After a brief, unreadable glance, she closed her eyes.
The room fell silent.
Yumi slowly lowered herself into her chair, her fingers curling against the armrest as she tried to rein in her frustration.
With the scattered files still covering the table, the four Division Commanders waited for the President's word.
—
The clatter of chopsticks against an empty bowl rang loudly through the restaurant.
Several customers—both Aberrants and ordinary humans—glanced toward the sound. After a moment, they returned to their own meals and conversations.
"Thank you for the food!!"
Luna beamed, her fluffy tail swaying from side to side as her ears twitched playfully.
"Glad you're full," Haru replied with a small smile.
He gathered the empty bowls and neatly stacked them together, arranging everything so the staff could clear the table more easily.
Then—
Luna wrapped both arms around his arm and rubbed her cheek against it, her face brightening with a warm, adorable smile.
"Thank you so much, Master!!"
"No problem." Haru glanced at her before looking toward the restaurant's exit.
"Shall we head to a dungeon now? I need to train."
Luna lifted her head to look at him. Her ears perked up, and she nodded enthusiastically.
"Mm! Yes!!"
At another table, the three Aberrants who had been whispering about them earlier rose from their seats. Before leaving, they exchanged smirks and cast one last glance toward Haru and Luna.
Haru paid them little attention.
"Let's go, then."
Luna followed closely beside him as they made their way toward the exit.
The moment they stepped outside, however, three figures were already waiting for them. The same Aberrants stood in their path, wearing smug grins as they moved to block the way.
Luna's ears twitched once.
Her cheerful expression vanished, replaced by a cold stare as her tail stilled behind her.
"Don't be so grumpy, miss," one of the men remarked with a grin.
Haru's eyebrows drew together. A faint trace of annoyance crossed his face.
The woman among the three stepped forward, looking Luna up and down before gesturing dismissively toward Haru.
"We know you're just being paid by this guy. Don't feel pity for him. Come with us instead. We'll pay double—no, triple!"
"Paid? "
Haru's expression slowly changed.
"Pity?"
He fell silent.
The warmth in his eyes faded, and his face darkened as the woman's words settled in.
Luna, who clearly hadn't understood what they meant, began to step forward. Before she could move, Haru extended his arm in front of her, stopping her in place.
She froze.
His sudden movement caught her off guard. When she looked up at him, the expression on his face made her ears lower slightly.
"Master…?" she whispered.
"Ooh~ The guy with barely any Quinacity is making that kind of face now?" the other man sneered.
The three burst into laughter.
Luna glanced anxiously at Haru, her ears twitching as she watched his expression grow colder.
"Weak," the woman added with a scoff.
"Like what you're gonna d—"
Haru's eyes instantly locked in at the man.
BAM—!
The man's words were cut short.
Haru's fist struck him squarely in the face with such force that his body flew backward. He crashed hard against a tall post before dropping flat onto the ground.
Silence fell.
Luna stared at Haru, her eyes widening slightly. It wasn't the punch that held her attention—it was the anger on his face.
The remaining two Aberrants stood frozen, staring at their fallen companion. Slowly, they turned back toward Haru.
Both took an instinctive step backward.
"Pay…?"
Haru moved forward.
His footsteps were unhurried, yet each one seemed to weigh heavily against the ground.
"Pity?"
The woman stiffened. Her smug expression crumbled as she stared at him in disbelief.
"T-this is impossible… Y-you barely have any Quinacity! How… how can you be this strong?"
The remaining man suddenly turned and bolted.
"Hey! Get back here, you coward!" the woman shouted after him.
Haru didn't even look away from her.
"Luna."
He called her name just once.
In the next instant, Luna vanished from where she stood.
A blur crossed the distance, and she reappeared beside the fleeing Aberrant. Before he could get far, she seized him by the clothes and lifted him off the ground with one hand.
"Please…! Please, let me go!"
The man struggled desperately, kicking his legs and grabbing at her arm. It didn't budge—not even an inch.
Haru stopped in front of the woman, his gaze fixed on her.
"How dare you think she can be bought with money?"
His voice was cold. Not loud. Not frantic.
Just cold enough to make every word feel like a threat.
A shiver ran down the woman's spine.
Her breath caught in her throat, and sweat began to gather against her skin. She tried to move, to force herself to take another step, but her body refused to cooperate.
Something was wrong.
She could feel it.
There was something about the man infront of her—something that had yet to awaken. Something far more frightening than the strength he'd just displayed.
The realization showed plainly in her widening eyes and trembling lips.
"I-I'm sorry…"
Her voice came out faintly.
"I won't do this again… I swear, I won't do this to anyone else! Please, forgive me…"
Her words grew quieter with every breath, trembling as though she were struggling to keep her voice from disappearing altogether.
Haru stared at her.
For a moment, he said nothing.
His gaze alone was enough to leave her frozen in place.
Then he turned away.
"Let's go."
Luna immediately released the man she was holding. He dropped to the ground, stumbling backward as soon as his feet touched the pavement.
Without another word, Haru continued walking.
Luna hurried to his side, matching his pace as they left the three Aberrants behind.
She glanced up at him, her ears lowered slightly. Even now, the coldness in his expression lingered in her mind.
There was something about her Master that she still didn't understand. And she had the unsettling feeling that she had only caught a glimpse of it.
—
BEEP—BEEP—
A holographic device sounded inside the meeting room.
The four Division Commanders immediately turned toward the device positioned at the front of the room.
Light shimmered above it, forming the holographic image of the President.
Long, dark hair faded into crimson at the tips, falling down her back. A dark cloak trimmed with red concealed most of her figure, leaving her face hidden in shadow. Atop her head rested what appeared to be a pair of dark-red horns, while a sword hung at her right side.
Even through the hologram, her presence commanded the room.
"The matter concerning the celestial beings is not a lie."
Her voice carried a regal quality—calm and composed, yet firm enough to leave no room for careless dismissal.
"They have not made a move until now. But that has changed. There is something important about that man."
The four commanders listened without interruption.
"The beings beyond this world are preparing to make their move."
A brief silence followed.
"Keep an eye on that man."
Her voice grew slightly firmer.
"Haru."
None of the commanders questioned the order. They understood the gravity of her words, and they knew what was expected of them.
The President remained still for a moment before delivering her final statement.
"A new beginning is about to rise."
The holographic image flickered.
Then the transmission shut off, leaving the four Division Commanders in silence.