Looking at the exclamation mark "!" in Kasumigaoka Utaha's message on his phone, Hayashi realized things weren't going the way he thought.
He had assumed that since Takatsuki Sen was a famous writer with higher sales than Kasumigaoka Utaha, she would be happy to receive the photo and become a regular at the store, leading to potential interaction between the two.
But instead, they had turned into rivals?
Ah, this...
Hayashi tilted his head, thinking.
He typed back: "Utaha, your new work is full of potential, and I've read it, so I know it'll do well. Takatsuki Sen is a friendly writer, easy to get along with."
Yes, Takatsuki Sen was easy to get along with.
But it had nothing to do with "Eto Yoshimura" or "The One-Eyed King." Let's just focus on Takatsuki Izumi.
When Kasumigaoka Utaha saw the message, she exited the conversation and opened the photo again.
In the photo, Eto Yoshimura was wearing simple work clothes, no makeup, her hair tied in a messy bun.
Aside from her beautiful smile, her style wasn't particularly fashionable.
So Hayashi described her as "friendly," not as "beautiful" or "a gorgeous woman."
Kasumigaoka Utaha felt relieved after seeing this.
"Cough, cough, I'll go talk to her tomorrow, don't worry Hayashi-kun, we won't fight at your store."
"Huh? Fight?"
Although Hayashi enjoyed watching women argue, it wouldn't be good for them to do it in his store.
And... how could you fight with someone like "The One-Eyed King"?
Hayashi: "Cough, cough, as long as you can have a good conversation, that's fine. I also hope your new work sells well."
Kasumigaoka Utaha: "I appreciate your blessing."
Hayashi: "That means you can come to my store every day and spend lavishly."
Kasumigaoka Utaha: "I take back what I just said, you baka!"
After chatting a little longer, Kasumigaoka Utaha confirmed that she would definitely come tomorrow, and they finished the conversation.
Hayashi was about to put his phone away when a message popped up.
Kanna: "My stomach doesn't hurt anymore, thank you Hayashi."
"Huh?"
Hayashi turned and looked at Kanna, who was playing with her phone nearby.
He didn't respond to the message but asked aloud, "Kanna, why are you sending messages so close to me?"
Kannadidn't speak. She poked at her phone screen with her two little fingers.
Then another message popped up.
Kanna: "Kanna just learned how to use this magical tool and is trying it out, chatting with Hayashi and Toru."
Hayashi had just read the message when Toru's voice came from upstairs.
"Kanna, don't send messages when you're this close!"
Kanna finally put away her phone.
"Okay." (Got it)
Hayashi chuckled and turned off his phone.
As the evening grew late, the store's time also drew to a close.
Hayashi glanced at the clock and saw that it was already after 9 PM.
"I still haven't read today's book."
He took out the basic knitting guide.
Hayashi began learning the most basic winding techniques.
Things like "three up, three down" and "diagonal weaving."
And "one up, one down," creating a "treasure weave."
Hayashi watched and practiced with his own fine thread, simulating the motions.
At first, he thought it would be difficult to learn.
But after reading a few pages of the tutorial, he was able to finish it quickly.
He started following along with the practice.
Hayashi not only had fast hands but also had such precise control over his fine thread that he could interweave it by himself. In no time, less than half an hour, he finished making a... transparent scarf!
No, it wasn't completely transparent.
It was more like a very thin, almost invisible tape!
This scarf was 80 cm long and 15 cm wide, like a long, wide strip of transparent tape.
Hayashi pulled it, but it wouldn't break!
Rize, sitting in the corner, rubbed her eyes and walked over.
"Hayashi-kun, what is this...?"
"Uh..." Hayashi couldn't really explain what it was, "It's a scarf woven with my special ability, just a learning piece."
Rize looked at it curiously: "Can I see it?"
"Sure."
Hayashi handed her the scarf.
She sat next to him, inspecting the transparent tape scarf.
She looked at it, touched it, sniffed it, and even bit into it.
Then, Rize gasped and looked at Hayashi.
"Hayashi-kun, this could be used as a CCG kagune weapon material. Compared to kagune, these fine threads would probably be stronger."
Now, as an SS-class ghoul, Rize was quite familiar with the strength of such threads.
As soon as she touched it, she felt something wasn't right.
So, she bit into it to test the strength of the threads.
What surprised her was how strong they were.
"Compared to your kagune?" Hayashi asked.
"Hmm..." Rize thought for a moment, then tested it again and nodded. "Maybe even stronger than my kagune."
After speaking, Rize looked even more curious and asked, "How did you do this?"
Hayashi held up the book and gestured, "It's woven with very fine threads."
"Fine threads? Is this your ability?"
"Yes."
"That's amazing, can I...?"
"See for yourself."
Hayashi knew what she wanted to see.
He pulled out another fine thread from his fingertips, cut it, and handed it to Rize.
Rize took the fine thread with a look of amazement.
She carefully examined it, pulled on it, and it didn't budge.
Hayashi said, "Don't try to snap it. Toru already tried, and she couldn't break it without turning into a giant dragon."
"A giant dragon couldn't break it?!"
Rize looked at the fine thread in her hand, shocked.
A tiny thread with this kind of power?!
"Amazing, right?"
Rize nodded.
This wasn't just amazing; it was incredibly powerful.
It was hard to see clearly.
If used to kill enemies or set traps, it would catch them completely off guard!
Hayashi looked at the transparent tape scarf in Rize's hand.
"I'll give you that scarf, take a bit of it and use it to wrap something."
"!?" Rize looked surprised at Hayashi, "You're giving it to me?"
"Just consider it a gift for a regular customer." Hayashi waved it off, "I've got plenty of this stuff."
It was just the thin threads of the String-String Fruit. He could produce as many as he wanted.
He could spin more silk than Spider-Man!
This scarf, once made, wasn't something he planned to absorb back—after all, it was meant to be given away.
To him, it was nothing noteworthy.
But for Kamishiro Rize, she looked at Hayashi with pure delight.
"So, does this count as a gift from Hayashi-kun? Even if it's not the right season, I love it. I'll make sure to return the favor someday."
"I'll look forward to it," Hayashi nodded.
He had already finished reading the first knitting book.
Next, he planned to study industrial weaving techniques and designs.
Perhaps it was due to the String-String Fruit's ability.
His talent for weaving had skyrocketed.
He could master the techniques and ideas from the book at a glance and even come up with better, more intricate methods!
He was practically a genius among geniuses!
After receiving the threads, Kamishiro Rize went upstairs to experiment.
But before she left,
She turned to Hayashi and said, "Hayashi-kun, I won't unravel this gift. Just one strand is enough. This is the first gift I've ever received in my life… and the most precious one."
With that, Rize blinked playfully and left.
"…!" That genuinely surprised Hayashi.
Her first gift… ever?
Kamishiro Rize's life really had been miserable.
If things had gone according to the original story, had she not killed those people last time, she would've been captured and turned into an experimental subject—eventually becoming the ghoul known as "Dragon," a tragic fate.
But now, she was much better off. More… human.
The old Rize, upon seeing something this valuable, wouldn't have cared if it was a gift—she'd have torn it apart without hesitation.
But now, because it was from him, she refused to ruin it, taking only a single strand.
This wasn't just her becoming more human—it was her becoming more socialized.
No longer just a feral ghoul.
That was good.
As he watched Rize leave, Tohru approached and whispered,
"Hayashi-san, Kanna's asleep."
She pointed to the corner of the sofa.
Hayashi looked over—sure enough, Kanna was already fast asleep.
Checking the time,
It was past 10 PM.
"Take her upstairs to bed," Hayashi said.
"Mm," Tohru nodded. "Which room?"
"Prepare a separate one for now. You can sleep with Kanna, or once Rize moves out, you two can have your own rooms."
Tohru: !!!
Hearing that she'd either sleep with Kanna or alone,
Tohru's eyes widened, and she immediately clung to Hayashi.
"I refuse! I want to sleep with Hayashi-san!"
"What about Kanna?" Hayashi rubbed his temples. "Are you saying she should sleep alone while you're with me?"
"But Kanna—"
Before Tohru could argue, Hayashi cut her off.
"We can't have both you and Kanna sleeping with me. There are plenty of rooms—it's unnecessary."
"But…" Tohru almost regretted bringing up Kanna's nap in the first place.
But whether she mentioned it or not, Hayashi would've brought it up when closing the shop.
"Look, it's not like I'm banning you from my room. It's just temporary."
"Kanna just got here. She's not familiar with the place yet. Stay with her for now. Once she's used to sleeping early, you can come over later, right?"
Hayashi pointed out—he didn't lock his door.
If Kanna slept early, Tohru could always sneak in later.
For now, though, she shouldn't leave Kanna alone. The little dragon needed a sense of security.
After some thought, Tohru finally understood.
There'd be plenty of time later.
But for now, she wouldn't get to spend the entire night with Hayashi-san.
Still…
She could always sneak in!
Where there's a will, there's a way!
Later, Tohru carried the deeply sleeping Kanna upstairs to bed.
By then, the late-night diner was empty.
They'd stay open a little longer before closing.
Meanwhile,
In a luxurious mansion,
As soon as Takatsuki Sen returned home, she stripped off all her clothes and began walking around naked.
She undid her hair, then glanced at a group photo on her phone.
Then, she pulled out a separate pager and sent a message:
"All 20th Ward executives, assemble."
The purpose was a meeting—the recipients being all executives of Aogiri Tree.
After sending the message, Takatsuki Sen tossed the pager onto the bed.
Then, she began dressing.
First, she wrapped her body in bandages—layer after layer, covering even her fingers and legs.
By the time she was done, she was nearly unrecognizable.
Her head and face were also wrapped tightly.
Only then did she put on her clothes.
Her outfit was a Cthulhu-style rabbit hoodie.
Once fully dressed,
Takatsuki Sen left the mansion through a hidden passage.
Her destination: an abandoned, unfinished building.
By the time she arrived,
The other ghouls were already gathering.
They moved at incredible speeds, leaving afterimages as they leaped across rooftops.
Since this was a sudden summons, most had only thrown on basic attire.
None wore uniforms, but all wore masks.
Except for a select few.
Once everyone was present, Takatsuki Sen—now in her "Eto" persona—scanned the group.
Kirishima Ayato, Bin Brothers, Naki, Oomori (aka "Jason"), and others were all here.
Among them, only Yamori wasn't wearing a mask.
Having been captured by the CCG before and later rescued, hiding his identity was pointless—he was already a permanently wanted criminal.
The assembled ghouls were all S-rank. No SS-rank.
This was because Aogiri's SS-rank elites were stationed in key districts to guard bases against CCG raids. They rarely moved unless a major operation was underway.
Crack!
Yamori, impatient, stretched his neck.
"Oi, what's the new order? I've got toys waiting for me back home."
Fresh blood stained his clothes—likely, before receiving Eto's message, he'd been in the middle of a "play session."
His latest victim's identity was unknown.
But it definitely wasn't another One-Eyed Ghoul.
Oomori's arrogance stemmed from two things:
He was naturally violent and unrestrained.
Eto's current identity wasn't Aogiri's leader—just a high-ranking liaison, a proxy for the "real" boss.
This fabricated role was how Eto usually issued orders.
At Yamori's question,
The others turned to Eto.
She sat on the edge of the unfinished floor, legs dangling over the几十-story drop.
Without turning, she replied:
"New orders. The search for the Dragon is canceled. We're returning to the original plan—the prison break at the CCG's ghoul detention center."
"…?"
The executives were stunned.
"The Dragon was fake?" Kirishima Ayato asked.
"It's real," Eto answered.
"Then why stop looking? It's a Dragon!"
"Because it's meaningless."
"…?"
No one understood.
What did she mean, meaningless?
Why would searching for a real Dragon be pointless?
Eto offered no further explanation, only saying:
"The Dragon's existence holds no significance for us. It's beyond our reach."
After seeing that Dragon last night—and then another new one today—
Eto knew one thing for certain:
They could not afford to provoke them.
Not one… not two Dragons.
Rather than face them head-on, it was better to establish a connection through her and reassess later.
Seeing Eto's stance,
The others assumed this was the leader's decision. Most accepted it without further argument.
"It's not negotiable. The leader of the Bronze Tree is rumored to be extremely powerful."
"But there is one exception."
Clang~ Clang~
Oomori Yakumo lightly but firmly slammed the tiger pliers into the palm of his other hand.
At the same time, he expressed his disagreement with Takatsuki Sen, or the leader's decision.
"Are we just going to let the dragon go like that? I won't allow it."
"I've never tried using a dragon as a torture target before. I wonder what that feels like."
"If you give up, I'll search for it on my own."
Everyone watched as Oomori Yakumo acted independently, then turned their gazes toward Takatsuki Sen.
Takatsuki Sen didn't respond.
She merely said, "Do as you wish."
Then, in an instant, she left the spot.
She left behind a single sentence: "Disband."
Everyone exchanged glances with one another before slowly leaving one by one.
After Takatsuki Sen left, she returned home and took out her phone to send a message to Kamishiro Rize.
"How do you feel about the store manager being a ghoul? Does she know your identity, Rize-chan?"
Rize replied: "He knows. I told him, and he's fine with it."
"Thanks. So I believe the store manager isn't targeting ghouls, I can rest easy now."
Rize replied: "Mm."
Then, the communication was cut off.
In the end, Takatsuki Sen took out a small notebook and put a cross on the file for the gecko.
"Then, please, become the emotional catalyst for me and the store manager."
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