Around noon, Hayashi was driving a plain little delivery van to the market to restock.
Technically, he didn't have to shop—he could just buy the freshest ingredients from the system's marketplace.
But he still had to keep up appearances. A diner that magically has unlimited ingredients without ever going out to restock would raise serious questions.
At least until he became stupidly powerful, he had to keep pretending.
Once he didn't have to fake it anymore, he'd stop.
The van zipped down the road, cruising on the left side.
Thanks to his enhanced abilities, Hayashi could drive just fine using only his peripheral vision.
Left hand on the wheel, right elbow resting on the window, he half-watched the road while admiring the scenery.
Ward 20 wasn't in central Tokyo, so you could still see hills and landscapes.
Some of it even felt familiar—like déjà vu.
After a while, he reached the market.
He went on a chaotic shopping spree, grabbing vegetables, seafood, meats, and all kinds of supplies.
Then he packed everything into the van and headed home.
On the way back, he took in the scenery from the opposite side of the road.
It was only around 1 or 2 p.m.
He still had time to rest before 6 p.m.
His diner's hours were from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.—a perfect 8-hour shift.
Along the way—
Hayashi, in high spirits, hummed a tune.
♪ Oshi kai da yo~ oshi kai da yo~ ♪
Yes, that was the Tokyo Ghoul opening theme.
Still humming, he drove through familiar streets.
First, he spotted two people carrying silver briefcases. No doubt, they were from the CCG.
A bit later, just before turning into an alley—
He saw a red-haired woman in a suit walking down the sidewalk with a blue-haired man and a blonde woman who was lazily holding her head in both hands.
Hayashi froze. Oh shit—it's the bad woman!
And in that brief moment of eye contact—
The red-haired woman turned and looked directly at him.
They made fleeting eye contact, and Hayashi quickly looked away, driving to the very end of the alley to park.
Makima stopped at the alley entrance and glanced inside.
Then she looked at the antique café at the entrance of the street.
Aki Hayakawa stopped behind her and asked, "Was the fight here last night?"
Power, who had been strolling behind them distracted by the scenery, didn't look where she was going and bumped into Makima before bouncing off.
"Hey, you—"
She thought she'd hit some random person.
But when she turned and locked eyes with Makima, she immediately shrank back and said nothing.
Makima turned away, gazing down the street.
"There."
They crossed over to the next street.
That alley had already been completely cordoned off by the police.
The CCG had arrived.
And now the Public Safety Devil Hunters were here too.
The two groups glanced at each other but said nothing.
Ghouls ranged from absolute trash to terrifying powerhouses—same with devils. But to ordinary people, both were unbeatable threats.
And behind both the ghouls and the devils, powerful forces were moving in the shadows.
Neither side wanted a direct conflict. And there was no need for one.
So the CCG would investigate the ghoul-related incidents, while Public Safety would handle the devils.
Meanwhile—
Hayashi returned home after parking and unloaded all the groceries. The stuff he'd use soon went into the kitchen; the rest went into his system storage.
He tidied up the shop a bit, finishing his prep for the day.
Then, Hayashi made himself a glass of lemon tea and lounged in a deck chair out in the courtyard.
He propped his legs on the stone table, sipping his iced lemon tea while scrolling through videos on his phone.
Eventually, the algorithm pushed him a trending local clip.
The video was from last night.
The person filming had been hiding behind a window, peeking out just enough to film the chaos with their phone.
The camera quality sucked, and the angle was far—but the battle could still be heard and partially seen.
Even from that, you could tell that several homes and businesses had been damaged.
Without insurance, the property owners would be looking at major losses.
Hayashi checked closely—his shop wasn't in the video. Neither was he.
Even though both combatants died, there was no sign of a third party anywhere.
Hayashi let out a sigh of relief. "Mokapotoma is so overpowered… definitely top-tier rule-breaking magic."
Freezing time was insanely effective—especially for stomping weaker opponents.
Anyone strong enough to react to Mokapotoma would have to be very powerful. So for the vast majority, it was a one-hit KO move.
Often, the victim wouldn't even know how they died.
Even detecting it required an exceptionally sharp sixth sense.
After confirming he wasn't exposed, Hayashi relaxed and scrolled on.
Soon he was swiping through Shibuya street videos featuring local beauties.
"Mmm… this algorithm really knows me."
Around 3 p.m.—
He heard footsteps approaching.
Turning his head, Hayashi saw Touka Kirishima walking over, carrying a bag.
When she spotted him lounging in the courtyard, she paused for a moment, then raised a hand and greeted him.
"Good afternoon, Hayashi-san."
"Mm. Good afternoon," Hayashi nodded, then glanced at the time. "Just a heads-up—this place opens at 6 p.m."
"Oh, really?" Touka blinked. She seemed momentarily at a loss for words.
Everything she'd prepared to say just… vanished.
"Alright, I'll come back later then."
She turned around to leave.
Hayashi watched her back.
"Wait a sec."
"Hm?"
Touka turned around.
Hayashi got up, went inside, and returned shortly with a glass of iced lemon tea—sweetened to 70%.
He handed it to her.
"Thanks for looking forward to the opening."
"Ah! Thank you!" Touka quickly accepted it, then noticed, "This is a glass cup…"
Hayashi waved it off. "You'll be back later, right? Just return it then."
Touka thought about it and nodded.
She thanked him again and walked back toward Anteiku with her lemon tea.
Along the way—
She walked faster and faster while looking at the drink in her hands.
When she reached the café, she flung the door open—ding!
Everyone turned to look as she rushed in, bit the straw, and took a big sip.
The moment the lemon tea hit her tongue—
Even with just a bit of sourness, she blinked instinctively.
Then her eyes lit up.
"This is so good!"
But more importantly, it proved something:
The food made by that young chef really could be eaten by ghouls!