"Hello, young man."
Yoshimura nodded gently, looking completely kind and approachable.
No one would ever guess that this amiable old man was a SSS-rated ghoul.
In the early and mid stages of the anime, he was practically the peak of power, almost godlike.
It was a shame he was forced off the stage midway through.
Thinking about it now, Hayashi felt a pang of regret.
"This should be our first time meeting, right?" Yoshimura's eyes opened slightly, a warm smile on his face.
"Yes, that's right. I came today to discuss something with you." Hayashi nodded respectfully. Ever since watching the anime, he'd admired the manager as a beautifully crafted character.
"Let's go to the second floor then. We can discuss it properly in my office." Yoshimura walked ahead and opened the door leading upstairs.
"Thank you." Hayashi turned to Nutcracker. "I need to talk to him upstairs. Don't wander off. Wait here for me."
Nutcracker sat sweetly with the book in her hands, looking surprisingly obedient.
The two went upstairs and the door closed behind them.
Touka glanced at the closed door, then at Nutcracker quietly reading at the table. She set down her tray and sat in the seat across from her.
"Hm?" Nutcracker raised her head slightly when someone sat down.
"What's your relationship with Hayashi?" Touka asked immediately.
"What do you think?" Nutcracker replied softly, her voice seductive and smooth.
"Don't you hate men? You crush their balls before eating them. Why don't you crush Hayashi's?" Touka asked with a light, teasing tone, her cold eyes narrowing.
"Because Hayashi is different. He's not like them." Nutcracker shook her head. The moment she mentioned Hayashi, her eyes brightened.
"What's so different about him?" Touka's whole posture tightened instantly.
"You wouldn't understand. He's one of a kind." Nutcracker closed her eyes, recalling the dazzling white-haired boy from the previous day.
"If I could have him one day… I'd take my little whip, pin him under my feet, sit on his face, and then…" Her voice grew more excited the more she spoke, her eyes sparkling.
Touka froze.
Wait—You can… do that?
Having always been straightforward and pure in her thinking, she'd never imagined there were so many… techniques. Nutcracker's words were like opening the door to an entirely new world.
No. No! Touka shook her head quickly.
Nutcracker's fantasies were dangerous. She absolutely could not allow her near Hayashi.
Hayashi was pure—completely inexperienced with things like this. If she didn't intervene, and he fell into Nutcracker's hands, he'd be doomed.
The seriousness of the situation dawned on Touka.
There was only one solution if she wanted to officially watch Nutcracker and block her from Hayashi: Nutcracker had to become her coworker. If they worked together, Touka could monitor her constantly and reduce her contact with Hayashi.
Touka looked up at the ceiling.She had no idea how the discussion upstairs was going.Would the manager agree?
…
Second Floor — Reception Room
"Tea." Yoshimura handed Hayashi a cup kindly.
"Thank you." Hayashi took a sip.
"Tell me, young man. What did you want to discuss?" Yoshimura leaned back gracefully, sipping his own coffee.
"Are you short on staff here?" I want to introduce someone. The one downstairs wearing the hood." Hayashi got straight to the point.
"The young woman downstairs?" Yoshimura thought for a moment and remembered her silhouette.
"She's had it rough. After losing her job, she almost starved to death. I couldn't stand watching it, so I wanted to help her find work — and thought of this place." Hayashi explained in one breath.
"I see." Yoshimura nodded kindly.
More or fewer employees didn't matter much, and they actually were short on staff lately.Touka was preparing for exams and often couldn't come in.
Although he didn't remember all the details about the tall, attractive girl downstairs, there was one thing he could tell at a glance — she was definitely a ghoul.
A human recommending a job to a ghoul… that was rare. It seemed their relationship was closer than expected. Instead of being eaten, Hayashi had befriended her.
Yoshimura smiled gently.He had always been compassionate toward humans, avoiding killing whenever possible. The café only used the corpses of suicide victims. He didn't mind human–ghoul relationships at all — he found them admirable.
"Manager? Manager?" Hayashi's voice brought him out of his thoughts.
"So? Are you short on staff?" Hayashi looked hopeful.
"We are. As for her pay, we can discuss it in detail." Yoshimura chuckled softly.
"Thank you so much." Hayashi exhaled in relief.
If Yoshimura rejected Nutcracker, Hayashi genuinely wouldn't know what to do.The job wasn't the real point—the safety was.
If she worked in Anteiku, ghouls would help protect her, she'd be less likely to slip up, and it would reduce danger.
Fortunately, the plan was working.
They discussed salary and work hours.
"Have her start tomorrow. I'll prepare her uniform." Yoshimura extended his hand warmly.
"Thank you. Really—if you ever need anything, just tell me." Hayashi shook his hand.
"Since you mentioned that… there is something." Yoshimura stood, walked to his bookshelf, and took down a photo frame. He gently brushed his fingers over the yellowed picture.
"But it's not about me. It's about my daughter…"