"Welcome! Please take any open seat!"
Following the waitress's words, the three of us entered the cafe and sat down at the table we were shown to.
This was a cafe, but not just any cafe.
"Well... I'll just have a coffee, I guess..."
"I'll have everything from here to here."
"You'll get fat," I said cruelly to Yoko, who was pointing at every single cake on the menu.
"No, I won't. I'm still in my growth phase."
"Sugar doesn't turn into flesh and blood, you know..."
Well, Yoko also eats a ton of meat. Lately, our food bill has skyrocketed, and it's been a headache.
"But there are places where I need to store fat... I feel like it'll be a problem if I don't start getting bigger soon..."
Yoko placed a hand on her chest and mumbled. Her chest was indeed small. Or rather, non-existent. It was even smaller than Aria's, who was constantly teased by Riko about her small size. Considering that Aria's growth had been delayed since she was 12 due to the effects of the Hidan, well... I felt like I had to apologize.
"I can only say, 'Do your best.'"
"I will. In one year... no, in six months, I'll have a nice body."
"Is that so..."
Well, dreaming is free. It's not like it's impossible. But the fact that her body shape doesn't change despite all that she eats makes me wonder if she has some kind of medical condition.
Now, I turned my attention to the other girl next to Yoko. She was so fidgety that it made me worried. She had just called the waitress to place her order.
"You know, if you're that curious, you can just go over there."
"O-Oh, is that alright? T-Then..."
With that, Kurumi, in her black Gothic Lolita dress, scurried out of her seat.
I knew exactly where she was headed.
A short distance from our table was a glass-enclosed space that you entered after taking off your shoes. Inside were cushions, lots of toys for animals to play with, and, most importantly, the stars of this place.
Cats.
On Saturday, we went to the Yagami family house to pick up Einhart's device. Today, Sunday, we came to a cat cafe at Kurumi's request. Lately, my weekends have been spent helping everyone training for the tournament. So this was my first real day off in a while.
Yoko also said she was interested and came along.
Kurumi, who was visibly excited even from the back, immediately started playing with the cats. She was hugging a cat and rolling around on the floor. "Stop that," I thought. Even the staff were watching her with a warm smile. See, Yoko and I were taking pictures. This would be a real problem for her later.
I put milk and sugar in my coffee, stirred it, and vaguely thought about things like that. It was truly a peaceful time.
"Speaking of which, Sho, aren't you going over there?" Yoko asked, having already finished about half of the cake she ordered. She had started with about ten plates, hadn't she?
"It doesn't matter to me. Are you going?"
"Munch, yeah, I think I'll go now that I'm done eating."
Done eating? When she started talking to me, there were still five plates left, weren't there?
Are you a fast eater?
But her face was completely normal, so I guess it was fine.
"Then I'll go too... I'm kind of tired from yesterday."
"Thanks for all your hard work."
It was a rare compliment with no sarcasm.
"Still, everyone was a mess yesterday."
"Well, it was the first time our opinions were so divided. I think I was careless, too."
Yesterday, I told everyone that I had decided to join Section 6—the Bureau—and it caused a huge uproar.
I grabbed my belongings and stepped into the cat area.
"Purrrrr, hehe, do you like this, little one?"
Yoko started filming. Of course, I did too. It would be a crime not to record this.
This was a side of her she would never normally show. How careless could you be, Kurumi-san? It's not just me here; there's also the problem child, Yoko.
Yoko, who had already sent the video to our group chat, squatted down and started calling the cats herself.
"But Yoko, I didn't expect you to join. I thought you hated organizations."
"If I join, I'll get an ID card, right? The one that proves your affiliation."
"Well, yeah."
"I want to use it to throw my weight around."
"That's your reason?!"
My voice was so loud from her ridiculous reason that it scared away the cats around me.
"Sho-san..."
"Sho..."
"My bad. Here, kitty, kitty..."
I knew I had done something wrong. I focused on trying to lure the cats back while thinking about yesterday's meeting.
---------
"...Sho? Could you say that again?"
I repeated myself to Aria. At this point, I knew she was on the verge of exploding, so I tried to prepare myself mentally.
"I decided to join Special Duties Section 6."
"Haaaah..."
Surprisingly, she didn't explode. Instead, she let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
"Is that right?! Then Sho-kun might be my coworker!"
Unlike Aria, Sakura was genuinely happy. Well, Sakura was already a part of Section 6. No, she was a special student, so maybe Sakura's situation was also Yagami-san's doing.
"So, is it just you?"
"I think everyone's going to join? You see, Special Duties Section 6 was established to deal with that 'three-year' incident. So I thought if we were there, we could be actively involved in that kind of incident."
Asuna, who had come with me, tried to back me up.
"Ah, yes, I get that. But... hah, it's just so much trouble..."
"For starters, is this Yagami-san person trustworthy?"
"Well, yeah, she is."
"Hmm? Do you have any proof? Doesn't that sound a little too flimsy for you, Sho-kun?"
I could trust her because I knew who Hayate Yagami was as a character. Of course, that was hard to explain to people in this world. The girls I summoned seemed to understand, though.
But I knew my trust alone wasn't enough. Riko was a bit skeptical.
"First, let me say that my position makes it so I can't just decide so easily," Aria said, starting the conversation.
"My family is the Holmes family; we're considered nobility in England, and I'm the eldest daughter. I'm not in a position to make decisions so freely."
"They're starting to decline, though. The Watson family, the assistants, are actually wealthier now."
A bullet was fired at Riko. It was a normal occurrence.
"And Riko, Riko doesn't really want to join the Bureau either. It's not that I don't trust Sho-kun, but it's just my personality. I don't think it would last long."
That's true. It would probably be better for Riko to stay a Butei and have her freedom than to join an organization.
"I'll pass as well. It doesn't seem very important to my goals."
And Yami, whose top priority was to protect Vivio, also declined. She might not be able to spend as much time with Vivio if she were a part of the Bureau.
"Besides, a unit that was forcibly established in preparation for the three-year mark must have been created with a lot of compromises, right? Getting caught up in all that useless trouble would just be a waste of time."
"Ah... that's true."
Aria's words were convincing.
Humanity wasn't a monolith. Gathering talented individuals from all over would surely create some resentment, and the commander was a young upstart. It wasn't hard to imagine that she was accumulating a lot of hate from various directions.
Even if I knew the people running it, that didn't make it an absolute certainty.
Hmm, she's right. I might have been too hasty. But it was still a great opportunity...
"Sho, are you thinking of a way to only get the good parts?"
"Yeah, exactly. To put it bluntly."
I tried to think of a way, but such a clever trick wouldn't come to me easily. Maybe it's important to have people who can move freely, like a two-pronged approach.
"For now, I'll leave it up to big brother."
"Yes. I'll do the same."
"I was already planning on participating."
"I'll do my best."
"I'll participate."
"I'll leave it to Master's judgment."
"Yes. We are your swords. Please use us as you see fit."
Kuro, Yukina, Asuna, Tina, Yoko, and the Sabers—most of the girls I summoned said they were okay with joining.
But there was one, and only one...
"I will have to decline this time."
Kurumi was the only one who decided not to participate.
"Then let's do this. Sho-san, you and your group will join Section 6 and investigate from that angle. We will investigate the more complex matters that are beyond your reach. Fortunately, both Riko and I are good at that sort of thing."
"Yeah. In fact, I think we'll be more useful that way."
It was true that these two excelled in that skill set. I'd have them do that.
And so, we decided to split into two groups: those who would join Section 6 and those who wouldn't.
---------
"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay... So, I contacted Yagami-san last night and told her about all that."
I stroked the cat's chin. The cat narrowed its eyes and collapsed to its side.
The three of us were all playing with cats. I couldn't compete with Yoko's skills, of course, but a good number of cats were gathering around me, too.
"Your technique is amazing as always... So, what happened?"
"Nothing much. She said it was no problem. But she said it would be difficult to hire anyone below elementary school age, and middle schoolers would be candidates. But she also said those who don't join are welcome to participate in the mock battle as an apology for the trip ending early."
"...Well, that's fine, I suppose. It's not like the other party is an enemy. Though we don't know when they might become one."
"I'll be careful."
"Please do. Considering the matter with your senior, they might be looking for 'something' other than just combat power from you."
"...Yeah, you're right."
Even if I knew the characters and had some knowledge of their pasts, that was all it was—just knowledge.
Impressions could change completely through actual conversation, and talking to them as if I already knew them might make them uncomfortable.
"Of course, I will also provide various support from the outside. That's why I decided not to join this time. I'll leave the inside to Asuna-san."
Kurumi, holding a cat, turned to face me. The black Gothic Lolita dress and the chubby cat created a strange contrast.
"I'm counting on you, Kurumi."
"Yes, Sho-san."
"Hate to interrupt your little moment."
"I wonder if I'm seeing something amazing?"
Two voices brought us back to reality. Wait, two?
"Wha- Mei-Mea?!"
"Y-You! Why are you here?!"
Her distinctive pigtails were the same as always. The only difference was that her uniform had been swapped out for casual clothes. It was a bit surprising that Mea had such fashion sense, but she was rocking it. I could describe her outfit... but who cares about that?!
"W-Why are you here?"
And why did you bring her here, Yoko?!
"Well, I'd never actually seen you before. I was curious what kind of person you were."
"Oh, nothing much. I just happened to see you two from outside. Since I was here, I decided to say hi, but it looks like I'm bothering you."
They both answered nonchalantly.
These two had a similar vibe. They both seemed to enjoy stirring up trouble.
"...At the very least, we aren't close enough to have a pleasant conversation," Kurumi said with a smile, but she put down the cat she was holding and started emitting an aura so intense that it made the other cats scatter.
"Haha, it would be a shame to fight here... Who knows how many people would die. There are cats here, too. If we fight, neither of us has anything to gain, you know?" Mea said.
"..."
Mea really didn't seem to have any intention of fighting. But not having the intent to fight didn't mean she had no ill will.
"I really don't intend to do anything. At least not right now. For now, I'm just observing. Your sister."
"Hey, Mea! You're not planning something weird, are you?!"
"Haha, of course I am! After all, I have to make Yami-oneechan go back to normal. You changed her, Sho-kun, so I have to change her back."
She said it with a completely normal face, showing no intention of changing her mind. I thought Vivio was the one who changed Yami the most, but this was a thousand times better than having Vivio meddle with her.
"So, be careful. If you're not, I'll take Yami-oneechan away."
With that, Mea left the cafe.
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