Inside a quiet café, Miko sat nervously, eyes glued to her phone.
When she finally received a reply, she let out a long sigh of relief.
She was being watched.
That morning, as usual, Miko had been on her way to school. But along the way, she'd nearly bumped into someone. Startled, she instinctively apologized.
That's when things started going wrong.
At first glance, the person didn't seem unusual from behind. But the moment they turned around, Miko's entire body went cold.
That grotesque, horrifying face nearly scared the life out of her.
A ghost!
"You can see me?!"
Unlike Miko, the ghost was elated.
That's when Miko realized it,whatever seal had been placed over her eyes had stopped working. She had accidentally revealed herself to a spirit.
It was a total disaster.
She turned and ran on the spot. The ghost had clearly realized she could see it, and there was no longer any hiding.
After blindly running through the streets, she stumbled into a small café.
And that's when something unexpected happened.
The ghost didn't follow her inside. Instead, it lingered outside, watching her from afar.
She didn't know why, but she wasn't going to question it. Her first reaction was to call for help.
Of course, she messaged Suyang.
Text after text went unanswered, and her heart sank deeper with each moment of silence.
If the ghost had followed her in, she would've lost all hope.
Thankfully, Suyang finally responded.
He told her to stay put,he was on his way.
Relieved, Miko immediately shared her location.
Two minutes later, Suyang stood outside the shop, staring at the sign: Anteiku Café.
At first, when he saw the name in Miko's message, he thought it sounded familiar.
Now that he was standing in front of it, he realized it wasn't just the name,the people inside were familiar too.
"Can I take your order, sir?"
A short,haired girl approached and asked politely.
Yep. No doubt about it.
This crossover world even had ghouls.
For the first time, Suyang genuinely felt bad for the humans in this world.
Ghosts.
Cursed spirits.
Ghouls.
Every damn one of them ate people.
Who knows what other maneating creatures were lurking out there?
The fact that humans hadn't gone extinct yet was honestly a miracle.
Was the ghost afraid to come in because of the powerful ghouls inside?
Suyang couldn't help but wonder.
"No need. I'm here to meet someone."
Suyang stepped into the café.
"Suyang,kun! Over here!"
Miko spotted him immediately, so relieved she nearly burst into tears.
Had they not been in public, she probably would've thrown herself into his arms.
Thank God… That was terrifying.
"It's alright now," Suyang said as he gently patted her head, comforting her. "It's gone. Don't believe me? Look for yourself."
He gestured toward the window.
Miko turned,and sure enough, the ghost was gone.
Suyang must've taken care of it.
"Suyang kun… I… I don't want to go to school today."
She looked up at him, eyes pleading.
Poor girl. She was absolutely traumatized.
Suyang shook his head slightly. She'd definitely been scared out of her mind.
Well, better not mention that this café was run by ghouls who also ate humans.
From the moment he walked in, he'd spotted Yoshimura and Renji Yomo among the patrons.
He wondered: Would killing ghouls earn me simulation points?
But thinking about it, their strength probably wasn't worth much in that regard.
"Alright. I'll take care of it."
He nodded. Skipping school wasn't a big deal. One call and it was handled.
He hadn't gone to school today either.
"Come on. Let's go back and reapply a proper seal on your eyes."
With that, Suyang left some money on the table and led Miko out of the café.
Only then did Yoshimura finally stop polishing his glass.
Whew. They're finally gone.
He let out a quiet breath of relief and only now noticed that his back was soaked with sweat.
"Manager, is something wrong?"
Noticing the strange atmosphere, Touka Kirishima asked quietly.
"It's nothing," Yoshimura replied with a gentle smile and a shake of his head. Seeing this, Touka didn't press further.
"Manager."
Just then, Renji Yomo, who had remained silent until now, waited until Touka walked away before speaking in a low voice.
"I just felt something strange from that human... something I can't quite describe."
He hesitated, then continued, voice laced with disbelief.
"It felt like… if he so much as looked at me the wrong way, I'd be completely obliterated."
"Was it just my imagination?"
"It wasn't," Yoshimura said gravely. "That man is a true powerhouse, someone who's already stepped into the extraordinary. He also clearly saw through our identities. The only reason he didn't act is likely because he sensed no bloodlust from us."
"We don't need to worry. People like that don't go around picking fights. He was probably just passing through."
So it wasn't my imagination...
Yomo looked in the direction Suyang had gone, a flicker of fear and wariness in his eyes.
A human like that actually exists…
Wait a second.
Where was Rize Kamishiro?
Why wasn't she at her usual seat?
Suddenly, Yomo noticed that the spot where she'd been sipping her coffee was now empty.
Meanwhile, just outside the café, Miko didn't notice anything unusual at first.
But as they walked, she realized Suyang was leading her further and further away from the city center.
"Suyang,kun, where are we going?"
When they arrived near a deserted, crumbling building, Miko couldn't help but ask.
"Here is good. What we're about to do isn't something others should see."
Suyang's gaze shifted past Miko toward the shadows.
"Right, Miss Ghoul?"
"So you knew?"
A tall, stunning woman stepped into view,dressed fashionably, but with inhuman eyes: crimson irises set in black sclera.
"I could already tell something was off about you back at the café. And now… looks like I've hit the jackpot."
Her eyes gleamed with hunger as she stared at Suyang.
Kamishiro Rize?
Suyang raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't expected the most pivotal ghoul from the original story to target him directly.
But still…
A mere ghoul? Where exactly do you get your confidence?
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