"Welcome!"
The instant he pushed open the Japanese Restaurant's wooden sliding door, Kannazuki's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
Warm yellow light, the aroma of miso soup, noisy diners.
At the counter to his left, the man in the black jacket held his glass in a textbook tactical grip; behind the potted plant to his right, the louvers of a ceiling vent sat at an unusual angle.
A fleeting reflection suggested a miniature pinhole camera might be hidden there.
L had moved even faster than he had calculated.
The surveillance network had already reached this place.
"Table for two? Right this way." The server cheerfully led them inside.
Still holding Jiang Shiyu's hand, Kannazuki calmly chose a table for two farther inside.
The spot lay just outside the suspected camera's field of view while giving him a clear view of both the entrance and the passage to the kitchen.
He pulled out a chair with impeccable grace. "Sit."
Jiang Shiyu obediently sat down.
Ever since they had entered, her face had been as red as a ripe apple. Her eyes darted everywhere except toward him.
Kannazuki sat opposite her and took the menu.
At some point, Ryuk had crouched on the empty chair beside them. He gnawed on an apple he had stolen from somewhere, each crunch setting teeth on edge.
"Tsuki, that guy in black has a gun."
Ryuk spread his horrifying mouth into a grin. "Want me to write down his name?"
Kannazuki ignored the Shinigami. He opened the menu and scanned it.
"Any dietary restrictions?" he asked.
"N-no.
You can order, senior."
Jiang Shiyu twisted her hands together, her voice barely louder than a mosquito's hum.
"Thick-cut salmon, grilled sablefish, chawanmushi, and vegetable tempura."
Kannazuki closed the menu, his tone steady.
"What would you like to drink? Plum wine