Under the disapproving gaze of the Middle-Aged Shopkeeper, and on the principle that they were already here, the high school students followed the short-haired woman in an apron into this unusual café.
Sensing someone enter, a customer leisurely drinking coffee in the corner was startled.
He swiftly turned around, putting his back to the entrance, and secretly observed the group through the reflection in the glass window before him.
He had turned just in time. The high school students, chatting as they entered, did not notice the suspicious person in the corner.
Everyone's attention soon fell on the room before them.
—This was a very traditional Japanese courtyard home. A sunken hearth had been built into the middle of the tatami floor, with a round iron pot hanging above it. Passing through the room to the back, they could see mountains in the distance painted red, yellow, and green—a beautiful sight.
Handmade wood carvings were displayed all around the room. After taking a few steps, Jiang Xia suddenly noticed that the Ghosts were gathering in a certain direction.
He looked over as well and saw a plump bird quietly perched on a shelf in the room. Its yellow eyes occasionally glanced at the guests, then fixed on the Ghosts gathered around it.
"What is it?"
When Jiang Xia stopped, the other students noticed it too.
Suzuki Sonoko leaned over beside him for a look and exclaimed in delight, "Look, there's a live eagle here!"
"An eagle?" Mouri Ran looked at the unfamiliar bird, somewhat puzzled. "But it looks so cute. It doesn't really look like the eagles in cartoons... Is it an eagle or a hawk?"
"Of course it's a hawk. It's a bird of prey called a Harris's Hawk." Hattori Heiji looked the bird over from top to bottom.