When other people said it was a coincidence, Hayashi usually believed them.
People like Kasumigaoka Utaha or Kirishima Touka—sure, coincidence seemed possible.
But when Takatsuki Sen said it was a coincidence… he wasn't buying it.
Because he knew her true identity very well—this wasn't something that could be chalked up to chance.
"Quite the coincidence," Hayashi played along. "We came to stock up for the shop. Takatsuki Izumi, are you… shopping for new books?"
"Yes," Takatsuki nodded. "I came across an interesting one while browsing."
The two chatted normally for a while.
Then Takatsuki seemed to suddenly remember something and asked,
"Manager Hayashi, what time does your shop usually open?"
"6 PM. When the sun starts setting."
"You don't open early sometimes?"
"It's fixed."
"Ah… but I'm feeling a little hungry right now."
"Well… how about getting something to tide you over?"
"Hayashi-kun, what kind of meat do you think I can eat?"
"...…"
They chatted a bit longer.
There was no doubt—Takatsuki Sen was just trying to confirm how much Hayashi knew about her being a ghoul, and whether it had been Hayashi who told Rize to visit her the other day.
And after that conversation, she had her answer.
"So you're just here to mooch a meal," Hayashi sighed. "Fine. Come with us. I've got something at home that'll tide you over."
"Much appreciated." Takatsuki bowed politely.
And just like that, it became four people getting into the car.
Before getting in, Takatsuki made a clear show of goodwill toward Tohru, expressing that she was a decent person.
Tohru nodded, acknowledging the gesture.
Once in the car—
As they drove home—
Takatsuki chatted from the back seat:
"Hayashi-kun, are you aware that ghouls have been really active lately in the 20th Ward? It's been quite restless."
"Yes," Tohru wiped her mouth and agreed. "It's been like that a few times lately. But it hasn't affected us yet."
Takatsuki pretended to think for a moment, then said:
"I heard it's some organization called Aogiri Tree. Do you know them, Hayashi-kun?"
Hayashi: …
He really wanted to say no.
But he was still a young man in his early twenties—not exactly great at pretending.
Especially when Takatsuki Sen had that mysterious look on her face, as if she was sharing some top-secret info.
And considering he knew her real identity—
This whole act...
Felt exactly like when Tohru and Kanna first met him and started telling their own stories.
She was basically doing stand-up comedy right in front of him.
So Hayashi bit his lip, struggling not to laugh, while his face showed a mix of suppressed amusement and helplessness.
"..."
Seeing this, Takatsuki immediately realized—she'd played the clown.
This shopkeeper probably knew way more than she thought.
She felt a little embarrassed.
But she was still the One-Eyed Ghoul—and quickly recovered.
Her real purpose was to reveal more information and clarify her stance and intentions.
So she continued, speaking seriously:
"Aogiri Tree's original target was the dragon, but their leader seems to have abandoned that goal and withdrawn. Only a few officers are still acting independently."
At the mention of "dragon,"
Tohru and Kanna both turned around and stared at Takatsuki Sen .
In an instant—
Takatsuki raised her hands and gave a sheepish smile—even the One-Eyed Ghoul could look flustered.
"I was just trying to understand more, that's all. There's no way ghouls could compare to dragons. We just don't want to be enemies."
"Aogiri Tree's management is very loose. The actions of individual officers don't represent the whole organization. Only full-scale operations count."
Upon hearing Takatsuki's explanation—
Hayashi suddenly had a good idea of who it was.
"The officer you're talking about—does he like to wear a suit and tie, crack his fingers all the time, and carry around a pair of pliers?"
"!?" Takatsuki Sen was genuinely surprised. "Hayashi-kun actually knows?"
"Of course I know him." Hayashi didn't bother pretending.
Even if Takatsuki asked him now who she was, he could frankly say: You're the One-Eyed Owl.
It's just that—if she didn't ask, he wasn't going to meddle.
"Goes by the nickname 'Gecko,' right? CCG's most-wanted ghoul. Full-on scumbag," Hayashi said flatly.
That guy was infamous.
Within the CCG and even among ghouls, everyone hated him.
Because he stirred up chaos wherever he went, always doing things that enraged the public and caused massive social fallout—triggering large-scale CCG crackdowns that often got innocent ghouls caught in the crossfire.
And of course, there was another thing—
He was the originator of cracking his fingers and yelling "Oh-shi-kaidayo~!"
That guy was truly disgusting.
He loved cruelty and torture—normal people couldn't stomach it.
When Takatsuki heard that Hayashi knew exactly who she meant, and described him so clearly—
In that moment—
She understood completely: Hayashi knew far more about Aogiri Tree than he let on.
"Then what does Hayashi-kun think about him?" she asked, genuinely curious. "That ghoul, Gecko—everyone hates him."
"What's there to think?"
Hayashi shook his head.
"Don't try to play clever with me. I don't care how bad Gecko is. I'm not going to waste my time chasing him down—even if I knew exactly where he was, I wouldn't bother. It has nothing to do with me."
Tohru thought for a second and raised her hand:
"If Gecko tries anything against Hayashi-san or the Midnight Diner, I'll go."
Kanna copied her, raising her hand too:
"Kanna will go too."
Hayashi waved them off. "There's no need to overthink it. Just ask yourself if he even dares to come. Don't let others mess up your plans. Got it, Tohru?"
Tohru nodded. "Okay."
After that, Hayashi looked at Takatsuki Izumi and said:
"Aogiri Tree is a mess. That so-called legendary leader wanted to create a world that only exists in fantasy—and that's not necessarily a problem."
"The problem is—the leader doesn't want to do it himself, says he's not capable."
"So instead, he wants to find someone else to do it—even if it means raising them from scratch."
"That's what I call irresponsible. And cowardly."
"My advice to that leader: give up. Even if you could succeed, the cost would be who-knows-how-many lives… and you'd still need perfect timing and luck."
When Hayashi finished—
He ignored Takatsuki Izumi's stunned face and hit the gas, driving straight home.
He had said it before:
Takatsuki Izumi and Arima Kishou were the same—both thought they weren't good enough, both had rough childhoods.
So they believed they were unworthy.
And then they tried to raise a "King" or "Dragon" to create a world where humans and ghouls could coexist through ultimate force.
That was laughable.
Two of the most powerful figures in the ghoul world—yet they thought they weren't worthy? That they couldn't do it?
And it all came down to childhood trauma?
If that's all it took to feel unworthy—
Then Hayashi agreed. They were unworthy.
Too weak.
On the surface, he was speaking to the "leader."
But in truth—he was talking directly to Takatsuki Izumi.
The van rattled down the road.
Tohru asked curiously,
"Why would a leader like that want to create such a world, but not do it himself? Even if it worked by sheer luck, it wouldn't really be his."
Tohru couldn't understand—if it's your dream, and you don't pursue it yourself, then even if it comes true, it has nothing to do with you.
Kanna, sitting in Tohru's lap, nodded.
"Kanna wanted to find Tohru-sama, so Kanna came here. That's why I have this life now."
After saying that, she added:
"And tasty food too!"
Tohru patted her head, smiling warmly.
"Kanna is the best. Not like my old man. He kept talking about wiping out humanity, teaching me the same. I never wanted that kind of life."
Kanna thought about it, looked at Hayashi, then nodded in agreement.
"Mm!"
Tohru's father was the leader of the dragon clan's chaos faction—the End Emperor.
He looked like a destroyer of worlds.
But in truth, he was a very reasonable old dragon.
The ones he wanted to fight were only the hostile humans from another world—not all of humanity.
Hayashi knew this.
And deep down, that dragon also wanted Tohru to live the life she loved.
He just didn't know how to express it.
All the way home—
One man and two dragons chatted happily.
But Takatsuki Izumi was silent.
Because Hayashi's words—and the dragons' perspectives—had hit her hard.
To these powerful beings—
Her actions were laughable.
"Irresponsible. Cowardly. Delusional."
Each word described her perfectly.
The truth was—
She had created Aogiri Tree.
But she couldn't even appear as its leader in the ghoul world.
That alone said everything.
It was like founding a company with big dreams and noble ideals…
Only for the founder to refuse the CEO role.
And just act like a silent shareholder.
While letting the management run wild.
If that wasn't irresponsibility and escapism—then what was?
Takatsuki Sen felt utterly crushed.
When the van finally pulled into the alley—
Everyone got out and began unloading.
Hayashi noticed Takatsuki was still spacing out and gave her a nudge:
"You either give it everything you've got, or you give up completely. Don't try to have both. Got it, Ai—Takatsuki Sen."
"!?" At the word "Ai," Takatsuki's head snapped up.
Her real name was Yoshimura Eto.
She was, in fact, the daughter of the manager.
They locked eyes.
Hayashi gave her a look that said, "You know what I mean."
He raised his eyebrows, then walked off with Tohru to carry the groceries inside.
As for him? He was only here to offer advice.
Doing the work? Not his thing.
But pointing fingers and commenting on life? Sure.
Yep—he was exactly what he called himself: a professional slacker.
Working hard? Not happening.
"Sigh." Hayashi could only offer suggestions—he wouldn't make decisions for others.
So he patted Takatsuki Sen on the shoulder and sighed.
"I won't say anything more, Takatsuki. Just one last thing."
She pursed her lips, hesitated, then listened closely.
Hayashi pointed at the Antique Café at the end of the alley.
"When you came back, you looked at that shop several times."
"You and the manager… you're the same type of person. You both want humans and ghouls to coexist. But the manager lives alone, quietly. You, on the other hand, chose a more extreme path."
"So here's my advice: You can't change the past—but you can change the future."
Either fight for it—or give it up.
But don't fight half-heartedly and refuse to let go.
That only leads to getting hit from both sides—and ending up lost and broken.
In truth—
That was Takatsuki Sen's original story arc.
She got hit from both ends.
The world she dreamed of did come to pass—
But it had very little to do with her. It was the protagonist who made it happen.
After those words—
Hayashi left the dazed Takatsuki standing there.
He and Tohru brought Kanna back into the shop.
After putting everything away, Tohru came back to the door and saw that Takatsuki was still standing outside.
"Hayashi-san, is she okay like that?"
"Don't worry about her. Just CPU overheating," Hayashi waved it off.
"She's someone stuck in self-conflict. Feeling lost and dizzy is normal. Whether she moves on or not… is up to her."
Tohru tapped her cheek with her index finger in thought, then nodded.
"I think she'll come around."
"Why?" Hayashi asked, curious about her reasoning.
"Because she's tasted Hayashi-san's cooking, and she's heard Hayashi-san's advice!"
"?" Hayashi looked confused. "What kind of logic is that?"
Since when was he a life coach?
Shouldn't that come with a government subsidy?
Even Hayashi himself didn't know.
Tohru, on the other hand, beamed with a radiant smile.
She spread her arms, gesturing toward the entire Midnight Diner and Hayashi's presence as she declared:
"Once you've tasted Hayashi-san's food, who would ever want to go back to their old life? Who would still long for death!"
"If I had a choice, I'd want to spend the rest of my life with Hayashi-san!"
"I don't care at all about my old world!"
Hayashi froze, a bit flattered. "That's… kind of an exaggeration..."
"I meant every word!" Tohru insisted.
"To prove it—Kanna, come here for a second."
"Mm?" Kanna walked over.
Tohru looked at her and asked, "Kanna, if one day there were no more of Hayashi-san's meals, and we sent you back to the other world, would you be happy?"
"?!"
The moment Tohru said that—
Kanna froze, like she'd turned to stone. Her whole dragon body almost cracked, paralyzed with disbelief, like her system had crashed.
Hayashi quickly patted her head.
"Tohru was just joking. Come back to us."
"!" Kanna snapped back to normal.
"See?" Tohru gestured at Kanna's earlier reaction. "She's only been here a few days, and look at her now."
Tohru concluded, "The more of Hayashi-san's food you eat, the more you fall in love with this life!"
"Hayashi-san is a great person! A super great person!"
"Thanks to Hayashi-san's cooking, everyone ends up becoming like Hayashi-san!"
It sounded fine at first.
But the phrasing at the end got a little weird—
And Hayashi could tell she had slipped in her own agenda.
Still… it wasn't exactly false.
"Alright, let's see if you're right. I'll go prep the seafood. Tonight, we're having a big seafood feast."
"Yay~!" Kanna cheered. "Kanna will help!"
Tohru immediately rolled up her sleeves. "Then I'm helping too!"
"Sure, the more the merrier."
Who would say no to extra help?
Meanwhile—
Takatsuki Sen looked toward the Antique Café at the end of the alley.
Her body moved on its own as she slowly walked over.
She arrived at the entrance.
It was 4 PM, the street bustling with people.
The café was quite busy.
Koma Enji and Irimi Kaya were brewing cup after cup of coffee.
Kirishima Touka served customers and cleared tables.
They were ghouls too—
But they were now living the peaceful life they had once only dreamed of.
It might not look like much had changed, but in truth, the difference was massive—like night and day.
And the price for this life?
They had to protect everything related to the Midnight Diner—especially the Manager.
Eliminate any potential threats.
Takatsuki stood across the street, silently watching for a long time.
Just as she was about to leave—
She saw the café's back kitchen door open.
Manager Yoshimura was speaking with Kamishiro Rize. They exchanged polite bows with a smile, and Yoshimura sent her off.
The staff inside caught a glimpse—
And all exchanged knowing looks, raising their hands for invisible high-fives.
Then they got back to work.
Takatsuki Sen suddenly felt like she'd missed something important.
Kamishiro Rize—that notorious binge-eater—was now working with Antique Café?
Why?
Weren't those two sides basically supposed to be enemies?
And that Manager Yoshimura...
Suddenly, Takatsuki's breathing grew heavier.
The truth was—she hated Manager Yoshimura.
She resented her origins and everything about her past.
She'd had it worse than a child left behind—she'd been forced to survive since she was little.
If she didn't want to die, she had to kill.
If she wanted to live, she had to feed.
That's why she hated her father.
But at that moment—
Hayashi's words echoed in her mind.
The past has already happened—it can't be changed.
Looking back serves no purpose.
But the future is something you can still fight for.
Either fight for it—or give up.
Don't let yourself get hit from both sides.
Takatsuki Sen closed her eyes in deep thought. Then, with resolve, she muttered to herself:
"Aogiri Tree is still useful to me. I'll use my own way—to completely change the ghoul world."
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