The morning light streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting warm patches on the room's floor, and He Xi Qian Yu slowly opened his eyes.
He quietly got up, dressed, and washed his face. The cool water splashed on his face, dispelling the last trace of sleepiness.
Faint clinking of cups and saucers and low murmurs drifted from downstairs, signaling the peaceful beginning of the coffee shop's day.
He Xi Qian Yu descended the stairs, his nostrils first enveloped by a rich and mellow coffee aroma, followed by the slightly burnt, wheaty scent of toast, making him feel familiar and at ease.
It was still early, and there were only a handful of customers in the shop, a few scattered in corners, enjoying the morning's brief tranquility.
Behind the counter, Ru Jian Xuan was skillfully wiping the coffee machine, a gentle, habitual smile on her lips. Dong Xiang, meanwhile, was diligently arranging tableware, her expression focused, a few strands of hair falling across her forehead.
"Good morning," He Xi Qian Yu approached the counter.
Ru Jian Xuan looked up at the sound, her smile deepening: "Good morning, Qianyu Jun. You're up quite early today too."
Dong Xiang lifted her head, a hint of warmth in her purple eyes, and nodded gently.
"Good morning," she responded softly, her hands not stopping their work.
He Xi Qian Yu's gaze naturally fell on Dong Xiang, and he casually asked, "Where's your father? Not up yet?"
"He went out with the manager," Dong Xiang placed a set of dried cups back on the shelf. "The manager said he wanted to take him to familiarize himself with the surrounding environment and routes of the Twenty Ward, so he could adapt to life here as soon as possible."
He Xi Qian Yu nodded, understanding the arrangement.
Fangcun Gongshan always thought so thoughtfully.
"Oh, right," Dong Xiang seemed to suddenly remember something, turning to take a folded note from under the counter and handing it over. "The manager instructed me to give you this if you came down before he left."
He Xi Qian Yu took the list and unfolded it; it clearly listed several items that needed to be replenished, the handwriting in the manager's steady style.
"Got it," he quickly scanned it, put the list away, "I'll take care of it shortly."
...
Twenty Ward, Street
He Xi Qian Yu carried the purchased items, walking unhurriedly back to Anteiku. The morning street gradually woke up, and the flow of people began to increase.
At a street corner, a figure unexpectedly bumped into him, though not with much force.
"Oh dear~ Sorry!" A light, even somewhat cheerful, voice rang out.
He Xi Qian Yu steadied himself and saw who it was.
It was a slender boy in casual clothes, with somewhat messy white hair and a pair of large eyes looking at him, a naive smile on his face.
"It's fine," He Xi Qian Yu only felt the boy's face was somewhat familiar, he responded indifferently, not thinking much of it, and continued walking forward.
The white-haired boy also hopped and skipped, disappearing into the crowd.
After walking a dozen steps, He Xi Qian Yu frowned slightly and slowed down.
The boy's bright smile flashed in his mind—he remembered, that seemed to be... Suzuya Juuzou?
Realizing this, He Xi Qian Yu immediately checked his pockets.
[...No need to look... The wallet's gone...] Slaughter let out a low chuckle in his consciousness, [...Interesting bug... Quick hands...]
He Xi Qian Yu didn't hesitate and immediately turned around. Paper money was a minor matter, but the black card given by Yueshan Guanmu was also inside.
He ignored the bustling street and directly turned into a quiet alley nearby.
Deep in the alley, the white-haired boy from earlier—Suzuya Juuzou—was squatting on the ground with his back to the alley entrance, gleefully flipping through his newly acquired spoils. He held the good-quality wallet, pulling out the banknotes one by one to count them, humming an out-of-tune melody.
"Is the amount correct?"
A calm voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Suzuya Juuzou's body stiffened abruptly, like a startled cat, almost springing up as he turned around. Seeing that it was He Xi Qian Yu, a flicker of surprise crossed his face, but it was immediately replaced by that innocent smile, and he quickly hid the hand holding the money behind his back.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Big Brother? What amount isn't correct?" He blinked, trying to bluff his way through.
He Xi Qian Yu didn't speak, he just extended his hand, his gaze calmly fixed on him.
Suzuya Juuzou's smile diminished slightly, and he pouted, seemingly finding it a bit boring.
He slowly took his hand from behind his back, just about to reluctantly hand the money back—
"Juuzou! Where did you run off to again... Hmm?"
A steady, slightly weary voice came from the alley entrance. The tall Shinohara Yukinori stood there, one hand on his hip, an expression of helplessness and headache on his face.
He immediately saw the two people in the alley, as well as the banknotes and wallet in Suzuya Juuzou's hand that clearly didn't belong to him.
Shinohara Yukinori's face immediately darkened, and he strode into the alley.
"Juuzou!" His voice became stern, "How many times have I told you! Don't do this kind of thing again!"
Suzuya Juuzou seemed a little afraid of Shinohara Yukinori, shrinking his neck, and stuffing the wallet and money into He Xi Qian Yu's hand, muttering, "...I just thought it was fun..."
"This isn't about whether it's fun or not!" Shinohara Yukinori's tone was heavy. "This is theft! It's absolutely wrong behavior! Apologize to this gentleman quickly!"
Suzuya Juuzou looked at Shinohara's serious face, then at the expressionless He Xi Qian Yu, and quickly said in a perfunctory manner: "...Sorry."
Shinohara Yukinori sighed, clearly not expecting any sincerity from that apology. He then turned to He Xi Qian Yu, bowing deeply and solemnly: "I am very sorry, I am Shinohara Yukinori, and this child is under my care... It's my fault for not disciplining him strictly enough, I've caused you trouble! Were your belongings not lost?"
"Nothing was lost, there's no need to be so formal," He Xi Qian Yu put his wallet away and shook his head.
Shinohara Yukinori straightened up, carefully observing He Xi Qian Yu. A very vague sense of familiarity suddenly surged in Shinohara's heart, not in appearance, but an indescribable feeling.
Especially the other person's eyes, he seemed to have sensed a similar aura somewhere before.
He hesitated for a moment, but still, with a hint of doubt, he asked, "Um... May I be so bold as to ask, have we... met somewhere before?"
He Xi Qian Yu inwardly marveled at the Special Class Search Officer's intuition, but his face remained expressionless.
[...Good... sense of smell...]
"I don't think so," He Xi Qian Yu met Shinohara's probing gaze, his tone firm. "This is my first time meeting you, Mr. Shinohara."
Shinohara Yukinori looked at him for another two seconds, then finally shook his head.
Perhaps he was just too tired lately and was imagining things.
"Is that so... Then I apologize to you again. We won't bother you any further."
With that, he grabbed Suzuya Juuzou, who was still looking around, by the back of his collar, carrying him out of the alley like a kitten. Faintly, one could still hear his scolding of Suzuya gradually fading away.
He Xi Qian Yu stood in place, watching the two figures disappear around the alley corner.