Lycoris Cafe stood halfway down an alley just wide enough for a single car.
So when the white Lexus parked outside the entrance, it blocked the road completely.
"Should we go around?" Kisara asked quietly as she followed Luo Shu outside.
"No need."
Luo Shu answered, then lifted his foot and kicked the car door.
Just then, the Lexus's window slowly rolled down, and Tachibana Kirika, wearing sunglasses, poked her head out. "Hey, hey, is that any way to treat your former boss?"
"You said it yourself. Former boss."
Luo Shu shrugged, opened the rear door, and motioned for Kisara to get in. Then he walked around the car, opened the front passenger door, and sat down.
Once Luo Shu was in, Tachibana Kirika teased him from the driver's seat with a smile:
"How did your first day as department head feel?"
Luo Shu rolled his eyes at that.
"My department has no staff, the funding hasn't come through, and even the equipment hasn't arrived, but I've already been assigned work. How do you expect me to feel?"
"Hahaha!"
Tachibana Kirika pressed the accelerator and started the car, laughing as she said:
"I heard Him dumped her work on you?"
Luo Shu raised an eyebrow, speechless.
"I seem to recall only telling you, 'I need your cooperation in going to the Metropolitan Police Department to retrieve intelligence on Ghouls,' right?"
"But with you saying that, how could I not realize Him had dumped her responsibility on you?"
Tachibana Kirika wore a broad smile, seemingly thoroughly amused.
"Threat reports on new species have always been the Intelligence Department's responsibility. With you suddenly getting involved, of course I could guess Him had dumped it on you."
"She teased you pretty badly, didn't she?"
Luo Shu pretended not to hear and silently buckled