And so, when Shizuku returned to the agency, there was another new member at their side.
"Finally back."
Looking at the familiar agency before her, Shizuku stretched and sighed.
"I'm starving. Let's go eat first."
"Big Sister Shizuku, did you forget? Didn't the ramen shop downstairs move away already?"
"Oh, right."
Hearing Mayu Hinase's reminder, Shizuku finally came back to her senses. The first floor of the agency building had been a storefront, run by a shop owner in his sixties who operated a ramen shop there. In fact, he had been the only tenant in the building who had not moved out, remaining there ever since Shizuku took over. He was a gentle, warmhearted owner, and his ramen was quite good.
Originally, because the place was haunted, the owner would close before sunset. But after Shizuku drove away the evil spirits lingering there, he stayed open until the early hours of the morning. Thus, Shizuku had developed the habit of running downstairs for ramen whenever she got hungry.
Unfortunately, people inevitably grew old, fell ill, and died. As he aged, the old owner seemed increasingly unable to keep up. He had previously told Shizuku that once his contract expired this year, he would close the shop and return to his hometown to look after his grandchildren and enjoy his retirement. Though Shizuku found it somewhat regrettable, she could only nod in agreement.
"Come to think of it, they're renovating down there now, right? What's the new place again?"
Looking at the storefront on the first floor that was being renovated, Shizuku frowned slightly before turning to Mayu Hinase with a question. She had always left such miscellaneous matters, including rent, to Mayu Hinase.
"It's a coffee shop. The owner is a very kind old man, and I heard he's