Pochita went in for a brutal one, surprising even Tohru.
Wasn't this just some stray mutt Hayashi-san picked up from a trash can? How was it intimidating?
But then—
Vrrr—!
Pochita's chainsaw suddenly extended with a roar.
Its body transformed from a squishy oval into a muscular beast, armored at the joints and edges with metallic plating.
In an instant, Pochita changed from a cute puppy into a savage beast—
like a tiger!
Tohru: !
Rize felt it even more intensely.
She could sense demonic energy radiating from Pochita.
So this little guard dog Hayashi kept... was actually a demon?
Rize then turned toward Tohru.
"You were the dragon from that riot in the 20th ward that night, weren't you?"
"That was probably me," Tohru said, hands on her hips. "I was badly injured at the time, nearly dead, just like you were earlier. Hayashi-san saved me and took me in."
Rize: !
One sentence, and Rize was stunned twice.
First, that even in a heavily injured state, Tohru could resist and kill multiple ghouls—including an S-rated one. If that was her while wounded, no wonder rumors claimed she was on par with SSS-level threats.
Second, it was Hayashi-kun who had saved her, which meant he had enough strength to snatch her from a crowd of ghouls without being noticed. And now he'd even tamed Tohru.
At this point, Rize more or less understood.
Pochita returned to its smaller form and lay down by the door.
Rize looked at Hayashi, her expression a little downcast. "So, Hayashi-kun was never really worried about threats. I overthought everything, didn't I?"
"If you insist on seeing it that way, then sure," Hayashi replied, not falling for it.
This woman was far from fragile.
Even now, Rize was still trying to use the appearance of vulnerability to attract Hayashi's concern.
But Hayashi understood exactly what Kamishiro Rize really needed.
One: a full stomach.
Two: reading novels—especially hot springs-themed ones.
Three: someone she liked.
As for protective instincts? She didn't have them.
If anything, she preferred the men she liked to be powerful.
Once she realized Hayashi saw through her, Rize liked him even more.
She pushed herself upright and held out her hand to Hayashi. "If I get the chance, I'll repay you, Hayashi-kun. Please take care of me from now on."
Hayashi reached out and shook her hand. "If you want to repay me, just visit the shop more often—uh…"
Before he could finish, Rize held his hand up to her nose and took a deep inhale.
Tohru clenched her fist at the sight.
Only then did Hayashi pull his hand back, shaking his head helplessly.
It was already close to 2 a.m.
Closing time.
Hayashi looked at Rize. "We're about to close. Can you make it home in your current condition?"
Rize clenched her fists and shook her head.
Even releasing her kagune was difficult now.
She could walk, but fighting was off the table.
Seeing this, Hayashi held up a finger. "That steak earlier isn't free. The diner has guest rooms you can stay in, but those aren't free either. Once you recover enough to use your kagune, you'll need to leave."
Rize looked confused.
"Can't I just pay to stay indefinitely?"
"No," Hayashi shook his head. "You're not staff. Only staff can live here long-term."
"That's a shame."
Rize seemed disappointed but had no intention of becoming a worker—which was expected.
Tohru relaxed after hearing Rize wouldn't be staying permanently.
Otherwise, she'd have to stay on guard against this sneaky cat every day.
"Tohru, lock up."
"Got it~" Tohru went to shut the door.
Hayashi looked at the remaining steak and pushed the plate toward Rize.
"Finish it. Don't waste food."
Of course Rize wouldn't waste it.
Even though it had gone cold, she still used her fork to skewer each piece and swallowed them all one by one.
After eating, she even smiled and thanked him.
Closing time.
Hayashi looked at the raffle result and silently wished for something good.
The result: a piece of exotic beast meat from another world.
The description said it enhanced virility.
Other than being delicious and useful, it had no other effect.
Next—
Hayashi brought Rize upstairs, found a guest room, and opened the door.
"This one. How is it?"
Rize nodded. "I like them all."
"Then it's settled."
As he watched Rize walk in, he was about to leave—
when he saw her start to undress for a shower.
"…?" Hayashi, in peak sigma fashion, quickly closed the door and reminded her, "Next time, remember to shut the door."
Inside the room—
Rize sighed when she heard the door click shut.
She entered the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and began washing her body.
Blood, stains, grime—it was filthy.
Rize closed her eyes and let the water pour over her head. As she showered, she gently bit down on her finger.
"Hayashi-kun…"
Outside—
Pochita returned to its little den near the stairs to sleep.
The den was well-decorated, with cushions, blankets, and everything it could need.
If it got hungry, it could eat the snacks Hayashi had left near the kitchen.
Compared to the nauseating hell it once lived in, this place was paradise.
Tohru bounced upstairs.
She glanced at Rize's room, flashed a sneaky cat-like smirk, and then leapt into Hayashi's arms.
"Hayashi-san, let's go play a game!"
"Alright," Hayashi was itching to play too.
Game addiction? What game addiction?
He played every day and didn't think he had one!
The two returned to their room.
Hayashi brought out a harder game for Tohru.
If earlier they were just playing puzzle or co-op games, tonight they were playing Overcooked.
The main gameplay of Overcooked involved coordination—one player preps and handles ingredients, the other cooks. With tricky terrain and tight time limits, teamwork was key.
Late at night, in the bedroom—
Hayashi was leaning back on a lazy couch, holding a controller, cooking and serving dishes.
"Meat, meat, meat! Veggies, veggies, veggies! Tohru, you didn't chop this—hurry up!"
Tohru, lying across Hayashi's legs, shouted back, "I'll chop it, I'll chop it! The meat's burning, the meat's burning!"
The two were having the time of their lives.
Only Kamishiro Rize in the other bedroom could hear the cheerful gaming sounds and, for the first time, truly began to understand Hayashi and Tohru.
Or rather—she started to see the entire Deep Night Diner in a new light.
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