After a round of explanations, Touka more or less understood.
"So now you get it, right?" Seeing that she seemed to understand, Hayashi wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Calling it an explanation was generous. All he really did was roughly tell her that he possessed immortality, invincibility, limitless regeneration, healing abilities, overwhelming strength, flight, and teleportation. That was all.
"I understand." Touka nodded and fell into silence.
Originally, she had only wanted to ask how strong Hayashi actually was in combat. She never expected to hear things she had never even imagined before. Flying. Immortality. Instant movement. These were concepts Touka had never once considered possible. Logically speaking, such things should only exist in fantasies. Yet now, they seemed to exist in reality.
If anyone else had said this, she would have assumed they had completely lost their mind. But since it was Hayashi saying it, she had no choice but to believe him. After all, she had personally witnessed several completely absurd things already. That part was undeniable—just unexpected.
"So, what are you planning to do with him now?" Touka looked at Nishio, who lay on the ground like a dead dog. She rubbed her temple lightly, feeling a headache coming on.
"What do you think?" Hayashi asked with mild amusement. Whether Nishio lived or died was entirely up to him, and he honestly did not care either way. With his current strength, he was not worried about retaliation, nor did he care if Nishio tried any petty tricks later. In this world, strength was everything. Strength decided everything.
"I am not particularly close to this guy. We just know each other," Touka said, lightly kicking Nishio as he lay sprawled on the ground. "But according to the rules of the 20th Ward, we usually do not kill our own."
"I understand." Hayashi nodded and fell into a brief thought.
At that moment, a green kagune suddenly shot up from below. Hayashi did not look surprised at all; he threw a punch straight at it. Boom. A dull explosion echoed as the green kagune shattered instantly. The moment the blood-red mist dispersed, Nishio's figure vanished.
On a distant rooftop, a figure leapt desperately from building to building, fleeing. "It hurts like hell. Where did that bastard even come from? He is strong like a monster. Is he really human?" Nishio clutched his wound, his lips twitching from the pain. He had no idea where someone like that had suddenly appeared from. But since he had survived, the best choice was to never get involved with that man again. After returning, he had to warn Kimi; they could not come back here. Cursing under his breath, Nishio disappeared into the moonlight.
"He escaped?" Hayashi raised his head slightly, looking into the distance as his palm regenerated.
"You are not going after him?" Following his gaze, Touka asked coldly.
"No need. We will meet again someday." Hayashi shook his head, a faint smile forming. "That is my intuition."
"Intuition?" Touka did not quite understand, but she chose not to comment. "It is already late. Where are you going now?" A breeze brushed past her hair as Touka lifted her head slightly. In her cool eyes was a trace of expectation.
"I will wander around a bit, then go home." Hayashi stretched lazily. His body was always at peak condition and never truly felt tired. He barely even needed sleep. Still, he chose to sleep anyway, mostly because he enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped in warm blankets on a soft bed. It was incredibly comfortable.
"Is your place far from here?" Touka lightly kicked a small stone on the ground, asking casually.
"Not really." With just one glance, Hayashi saw through her intentions. Touka had almost no experience lying. When she actually tried to lie, it became painfully obvious. She probably did not even realize it herself. People also tended to pretend to be busy when they felt nervous or awkward. Hayashi found it interesting—very interesting. So, he decided to tease her a bit longer to see an even better reaction. "Well then, if there is nothing else, I will head home."
After saying that, Hayashi waved his hand and naturally turned around.
"Wait! Do not go yet." Seeing him turn away without hesitation, Touka instantly panicked. If he really left, what was she supposed to do? She had finally managed to find an opportunity like this.
Recently, Hayashi had been coming to the shop less and less. And even when he did, there were always too many customers to talk freely. Because of that, Touka could never find a chance to be alone with him. So while she looked cold and composed on the surface, inside she was nervous, excited, and even a little desperate. She wanted to be subtle and reserved at first, but if she did not seize the chance now, there might not be another one. With that thought, she finally made up her mind.
"What is it?" Hayashi turned back, pretending to be confused.
"I…" Touka lowered her head and walked up, stopping in front of him.
"Is there something you still want to say?" Hayashi grew even more interested.
"I have a cat at home. It can do backflips. Want to come over and see?" Touka looked up, a faint blush appearing on her cool, delicate face.
"You have a cat?" Hayashi froze for a moment. That was unexpected. If he remembered correctly, Touka liked rabbits the most. When did she start raising a cat? That was new.
"I will take you to see it. You will understand once you do." Touka shook her head instead of answering.
Hearing that, Hayashi nodded, curiosity getting the better of him. Even if she had dragged him there forcefully, he probably would have gone anyway. Now that there was a "cat" involved, it was an unexpected bonus. In his previous life, Hayashi had been a certified cat lover; he had absolutely no resistance to them.
Soon after, the two arrived at Touka's apartment. Click. A crisp sound rang out as the door unlocked. As the door opened, Hayashi stepped inside curiously. The room was not lit. Moonlight spilled in through the window, illuminating the floor. Everything felt quiet and serene, with a strangely sacred atmosphere.
"Kitty, where are you?" Not hearing any sound, Hayashi called out. Unfortunately, no matter how many times he called, there was no response. With his keen sense of smell, he could tell there was no cat scent in the air at all.
Something was wrong. His intuition warned him immediately. Just as he turned his head, a soft fragrance drifted toward him. His vision was instantly filled by Touka's exquisite, beautiful face.
"Where is the cat?" Hayashi asked after a moment.
"The cat is right here…" Touka murmured softly, a deeper blush spreading across her delicate face.
Bang.
A loud sound echoed as she kicked the door shut. The door slammed closed, her long, pale leg pressing firmly against it. Hayashi took a step back instinctively, his back hitting the door.
"This is the kitten, right here." Touka leaned in, staring at him intensely, then exhaled warm breath near his ear. "Meow."