At eight that evening, a coffee shop in Ward 20 was putting away the last few things, bringing the day's business to a close.
"I'm so tired..." Roma Hoito slumped over the counter, looking utterly exhausted. "Why hasn't Lord Kaneki come back..."
"Lord Kaneki?" Nishiki Nishio looked up at her from the dishes he was washing.
That name rarely came up at Anteiku these days, so he was curious why Roma, who had never had any contact with Kaneki, would mention him.
"Yeah, Lord Kaneki was a big part of why I came to Anteiku." Talking about Kaneki suddenly perked Roma up again. She clenched her little fists in front of her chest, her expression full of longing.
"Lord Kaneki, struggling painfully between humans and Ghouls, as though he's sinking into a swamp-just hearing about it gets me so excited!"
Roma wanted to say more, but a freshly washed rag landed on her face.
"Then hurry up and wipe the tables."
"Hey, I'm a girl, you know. Can't you be a little gentler with me?"
"Then please go wipe the tables. Sorry for the trouble..."
"You..." Roma was furious and was about to fire back, but then she caught sight of the murderous look on Nishiki Nishio's face.
"Hey, Roma, you broke your own record for dropped plates today, didn't you...? This happens every time we're on the same shift. I'm starting to wonder if you're doing it on purpose..."
"On it!" Roma shrank back, grabbed the rag, and took off running.
Meanwhile, in the upstairs living room, two figures in black robes, one tall and one short, stood before the Manager.
"Mr. Yoshimura, I'll leave her in your care." The taller figure pulled back her hood first, revealing a heavily made-up face in the light.
"Of course." Yoshimura