Minami sat alone at her table, waiting for her coffee as her expression remained composed.
She had seen plenty in her lifetime-coming to an unfamiliar place wasn't enough to unsettle her.
The so-called "customers" around her, all ghouls, weren't a real threat.
As an A+ ranked ghoul, only those at S-rank or above could be considered definitively stronger than her but S-rank ghouls weren't common; They weren't just wandering the streets like low-level thugs.
In some wards, even the ruling ghoul known as the manager was merely at S-rank, and in rare cases, some managers weren't even that strong.
The real threats in Anteiku were the owner and the staff. The lowest-ranked among them was at least SS-level. As for Touka Kirishima, she hadn't joined Anteiku yet at this point in the timeline.
Before long, Manager Yoshimura arrived at each of the three students' tables, placing a cup of coffee in front of each of them.
"Please, enjoy."
His voice was warm, his expression kind.
This was him-ten years before the events of the original story. This moment was captured in just a couple of pages, none of which would be appropriate to share now.
"Thanks," Byakuya said, accepting the cup before sliding one over to Arima.
As he sipped the coffee, Byakuya took in his surroundings. Aside from Yoshimura, he noticed only two other employees working in the shop.
One was a man with light brown hair, slicked back in a neat, professional style, with a rather prominent nose-this was Enji Koma. He appeared to be in his twenties, much younger than in the original story.
The other was a tall woman with long black hair-Irimi Kaya.
Enji Koma and Irimi Kaya.
Before Yoshimura arrived in the 20th Ward, these two had been the leaders of rival ghoul factions-Devil Ape and Black Dobers.
The CCG had designated them with the codenames "Devil Ape" and "Black Dog" respectively, and both were classified as SS-rated ghouls.
But after being won over by Yoshimura, they had given up their pasts and become employees of Anteiku.
Byakuya also noted that there was no sign of Renji Yomo, meaning Touka's uncle had yet to join Anteiku. He was likely still in the 4th Ward.
In the original timeline, after Arima had become a Special-Class Investigator, he was sent on a mission to the 4th Ward, where he had effortlessly defeated both Yomo and a ghoul named Uta.
Yomo had only survived because Yoshimura had taken him in, allowing him to later become part of Anteiku.
Finishing his coffee, Byakuya prepared to leave, giving Minami the space she needed to seek help from Anteiku alone.
"The coffee is really good," he remarked before heading toward the door.
Yoshimura gave him a warm smile. He genuinely appreciated it when human customers enjoyed his café's offerings.
Arima, on the other hand, remained as silent as ever. He simply drank his coffee, got up, and followed Byakuya out without a word.
With the two of them gone, Minami was now the only apparent human left in the café.
Of course, that was simply what the other ghouls assumed.
Taking a slow, deep breath, Minami finally spoke.
"Sorry to disturb you, but... I don't know who the manager of the 20th Ward is. Still, would it be possible for you to help me?"
The moment those words left her mouth, a ripple of surprise passed through the café.
Every ghoul in the room instinctively reacted-because an ordinary human girl wouldn't know to use a term like manager, a phrase exclusive to ghoul society in a situation like this.
Even Koma and Irimi, who had been busy with their tasks, turned their attention to Minami.
Was this student actually a ghoul?
Yoshimura was the first to react. His kind smile faded slightly, replaced by a more serious expression.
"Miss, please come upstairs to the second floor for a private conversation," he said to Minami.
"Alright."
Minami nodded obediently.
She was somewhat nervous about coming to an unfamiliar place like this, but she chose to trust Uchiha and Arima. If anything were to happen, she believed they wouldn't just abandon her.
Following Yoshimura, Minami made her way up to the second floor of Anteiku.
The second floor of the café was not typically accessible to human customers-it was a private space where ghouls could discuss personal matters freely.
Meanwhile, downstairs, the ghouls sitting in the café immediately started whispering amongst themselves.
"She looks like such a well-behaved girl. I never would've guessed she's one of us."
"But her scent is completely human. Maybe she's just spent too much time living among them?"
"She must be really good at blending in. I wish I could've gone to a human school too..."
Their conversations grew more and more animated, until Koma cleared his throat loudly.
"Oi, keep it down," he reminded them. "We're still open, and if a human customer suddenly walks in, we don't want them overhearing something they shouldn't."
The other ghouls quickly quieted down.
"That was careless of us," Irimi said as she continued cleaning. "I'd hate for the peace here to be disturbed by those CCG bastards."
"It's fine. The Devil Ape will handle them if it comes to that."
Koma smirked, wiping his thumb across the bridge of his nose with a self-assured gesture.
It would have come off as arrogant if not for the fact that, as an SS-rated ghoul, he did have the strength to back it up.
Irimi chuckled. "Talk big all you want, but I bet you'd be the first one to go down. Word is, the CCG's weapons are getting stronger."
Despite their banter, both of them had long since left behind the days of violent turf wars.
The Devil Ape and Black Dog's factions had been disbanded. Their former subordinates had been encouraged to integrate into human society and lead peaceful lives, though many of them remained frequent visitors to Anteiku.
Upstairs, Yoshimura led Minami into a private lounge.
He prepared another cup of coffee for her personally, but this time, he added a small piece of something into the cup.
The moment Minami noticed this, her instincts immediately put her on alert.
Yoshimura noticed her wariness and reassured her, "There's no need to worry. That little addition will help suppress your hunger, at least temporarily."
Now that he had confirmed Minami was a ghoul, Yoshimura could tell at a glance that she was suffering from starvation.
In fact, he had sensed something was off about her physical state earlier, but at the time, he had mistaken her for a human and hadn't considered the possibility of ghoul-related hunger.
"I see..."
Minami had no other choice-she had come here seeking help, after all.
And if anything felt off, Uchiha and Arima were just outside. They would intervene if something went wrong.
Realizing how much she was relying on them, Minami suddenly found herself feeling strangely naive.
Since when did I start trusting ghoul investigators this much?
Was it because of Arima...?
Shaking the thought away, Minami accepted the cup from Yoshimura and took a small sip.
The moment the liquid passed her lips, she felt a subtle but noticeable sense of relief.
Her body relaxed slightly, and for the first time in days, she felt a faint sense of ease.
Yoshimura gave her a warm smile.
"Welcome to Anteiku."