"Manager, what do you think of this place?"
Partway through the party, Louis found the manager and drew him aside to ask.
Aside from bringing over the people Hinami knew, he had another reason: he hoped Manager Yoshimura could offer some guidance with his wealth of experience.
Louis had discussed setting up a refuge here much like Anteiku with the manager. Another base would also mean another place to fall back to.
As long as this place called re remained, their friends would know there was still a refuge in Ward 6.
"It's very nice. Seeing how well you're doing puts my mind at ease."
"Manager, your coffee is still as delicious as ever..."
Their cozy time together was all too brief. Someone pushed the door open, and Banjō leaned halfway inside, waving insistently at Louis.
But before he could do anything else, a short woman with dark green hair suddenly poked her head in and waved, smiling at everyone in the room.
"Pfft-"
The moment Louis saw who it was, he spat out a mouthful of coffee, utterly dumbfounded. Even the manager, who was usually unshakable, jolted.
Their unusual reactions were immediately noticed by sharp-eyed ghouls like Yomo and Irimi. They all turned toward the living room door, and like a chain reaction, the lively room suddenly fell silent.
Holy shit?
Louis felt as though his neck had gone stiff. He turned it a little, almost creaking, and cautiously studied the manager's expression.
"Mr. Louis, I remember Hinami really likes Teacher Takatsuki's books." Banjō still looked delighted. "Teacher Takatsuki came to visit our café, so I tried inviting her to Hinami's birthday party."
"I heard there was a new café here and thought I'd stop by. I never expected to catch a birthday party."
Sen Takatsuki looked very