"And this, the sashimi is all mine too."
Power stacked several plates beside her.
Hayakawa Aki's eyelid twitched.
"Power, put some back. What are the rest of us supposed to eat if you hog everything?"
Power ignored her and picked up a cilantro leaf with her chopsticks. Her brows furrowed immediately.
"Tch! Cilantro in the sashimi? Gross! Not eating this!"
Just like at home, she flicked it into the air.
Plop.
It landed straight in Aki's beer mug.
"…!" Her fist clenched.
Hayakawa Aki's brows knitted as she bellowed, "Show some respect for the food, you bastard!"
Across the table, a man in his early thirties with laugh lines and a slightly weary expression chuckled faintly.
"Easy now, Aki. The Fiend you have here is unusually rational. Fiends who can suppress their killing intent are rare."
Power rubbed her nose and smirked.
"So that's praise for being smart? Nice eye, old man."
Hayakawa Aki sighed. "Mr. Fú, you have a Fiend too, right? Why didn't you bring them?"
Mr. Fú smiled bitterly. "I wouldn't dare. His bloodlust is too intense."
Cael stayed quiet, listening. He wasn't familiar with most Public Safety faces and had no desire to join the chatter.
A girl who looked like a waitress, wearing an old-fashioned coat, approached with a tray.
"I… I brought the sticky rice balls you asked for, and a fresh fruit platter."
Power leaned in, then immediately lost interest. "Shorty, don't put stuff that isn't meat in front of me."
"Eh? O-Okay!" the girl stammered, setting down the dishes and retreating with part of the tray.
Cael's eyes lit up. "Akai?"
"Oh? Zombie Killer, you know Akai?" Yasuda Yuzuki, seated two chairs away, asked.
"Zombie Killer? Are you talking about me?" Cael replied, puzzled but polite, given her age and demeanor.
Yasuda smiled gently and glanced at Himeno. "That's the nickname Himeno gave you. During the last operation against the mob, you killed thousands of zombies solo."
Himeno, chugging beer, flushed red. "Oh! I came up with it! Zombie Killer—cool, right?"
"I just did what I could," Cael waved modestly.
Chew, chew, chew.
"So… Cael is amazing," Higashiyama Kobeni mumbled between bites of char siu. Her eyes were slightly red from emotion. The food was so good it almost made her cry.
Cael remained neutral. Killing zombies was nothing. Kobeni surviving Sawatari Akane and the Snake Devil was far more impressive.
"Akai, Akai, come here," Yasuda called, waving.
"O-Okay."
She placed a large piece of grilled salmon in Kobeni's bowl. "Akai, you send your salary home, right? You need to eat more; you're still growing."
"Hey! That's mine too! Don't take it!" Power tried to snatch the plate, but Aki smacked her hand away. "Finish what's in your bowl first!"
"Tch!" Power grunted.
Kobeni blushed. "Thank you, Senior Yasuda. I… I've never had food this good."
Cael thought, Does she really need money? Is it for her family?
Soon, the table was nearly cleared. Mr. Fú called the waiter over and continued ordering.
"Three sundaes and three servings of colorful dango."
Himeno held up a finger. "And another crate of beer!"
Aki, wanting to skip ordering for Power, hesitated, then handed her the menu.
"Bring me one of every meat dish! Pure meat, no cilantro! Or I'll turn this place into a sea of blood."
Kobeni trembled with fear, but the others ignored her.
The burly man ordered, "Four more orders of fried chicken and two of sashimi. That Fiend ate all the previous ones."
The menu was passed to the Angel Devil, quietly eating.
"For me, another chocolate sundae. And a cushion—I always feel like sleeping after I eat," he said listlessly.
Yasuda chuckled. "The Angel really is lazy."
Angel sighed. "Thinking about having to work… maybe it's better to just die."
Aki gave him a disdainful look. So negative. Lazy dog.
"Here." Angel handed the menu to Cael without looking up.
Cael was cautious. A subtle thought and he pretended to brush the back of Angel's hand.
[Triggered 'Dark Water' Advanced I effect ten times; Luck attribute limit increased (2/10)]
Good, it worked.
The Angel Devil's reaction was immediate. He sprang as if stepped on a nail, eyes wide, terror replacing listlessness.
"You just touched me?!" he shouted, disbelief cracking his voice.
"Uh, sorry?" Cael looked innocent.
The Angel's chest heaved. "Is that 'sorry'? You're trying to get yourself killed! Don't you know touching me drains—"
Mid-sentence, he froze.
No lifespan had been drained. Logically, a month should've vanished, but nothing.
How could this be? A contracted devil's effect?
The Angel's outburst silenced the room.
Mr. Fú tried to smooth things over. "Just be careful next time. A light touch shouldn't matter."
Clink, clink, clink. Himeno tapped her glass with chopsticks, flushed red.
"Namu Amida Butsu. Our Zombie Killer lost two months of lifespan. Let us offer our condolences. Amen!"
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