Or perhaps the distance between them had never been the distance between a ghoul and a human. Then what exactly was the gap between them? Tōka pondered.
"Damn it!"
"Hey!" Tōka shouted at Lin Yan from the café entrance.
"Tōka, at least call me by my name."
"Keep me company after work!"
"Got it."
"Manager, sorry, can I leave work early today?"
"It's fine to leave early once in a while. You're always so diligent."
With Manager Yoshimura's permission, Tōka and Lin Yan got off early. Lin Yan had already guessed most of it—it had to be related to Yoriko—but he still asked curiously.
"Tōka, where are we going?"
"Just shut up and follow me!" Tōka was as short-tempered as ever. Clearly, things had reached the point where they had to be resolved. Or perhaps Tōka had suddenly figured something out and was acting on it, which was why she seemed so rushed.
Lin Yan looked at Tōka's back as she led the way and asked.
"Huh? We're going in here?"
It was a supermarket, a place ghouls had little interest in. It was piled with human food, all carrying nauseating smells.
"What should I buy?"
"Huh? Buy what?"
"Ingredients for bento dishes!"
Lin Yan burst out laughing. He had really guessed Tōka's problem right, though only halfway. He had not expected Tōka to try to make Yoriko happy this way. Tōka had truly made a huge sacrifice for her friend.
"Don't laugh!"
"Sorry! Hmm, I get what you mean. It would be good to make something easy for you to eat, but still impressive when arranged. Supermarkets usually have magazines about making bentos on the shelves. Shall we go take a look?"
As it turned out, bringing Lin Yan had been the right choice. He helped Tōka solve all