Soma stood behind the café ter, his hands resting on the smooth wood, doing his best to mask his nerves.

  The leader sat fortably, as if they owhe pce.

  The leader—a man in a dark navy suit with a gold pocket watch—leaned ba his chair, legs crossed, an amused smirk on his face. His two guards remaiandihe entrance, watg the door like hawks.

  Soma could feel their eyes on him.

  The leader tilted his head slightly, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

  "You're too young to be the owner."

  Soma forced a polite chuckle. "I get that a lot."

  The man tinued, his voice smooth.

  "See, I heard the owner was a demon. Why don't you go ahead and bring him out here?"

  Soma's smile didn't falter, but he could feel his pulse qui.

  "Of course. Give me a moment."

  Turning on his heels, he hurried toward the stairs, keeping his movements casual.

  The momeepped into the living quarters, Soma found Zero lounging on the couch, casually flipping through a notebook.

  "We got a situation downstairs"

  Zero gnced up, raising an eyebrow.

  "We're not opeell them to e back for lunch."

  Soma ran a hand through his hair.

  "They're not guests."

  Zero sat up a little straighter.

  Soma lowered his voice.

  "Looks like thugs. Or a mob. I don't know—but they have a gun."

  Zero's expression didn't ge, but there was a shift in his posture—more alert, more focused.

  He set the notebook aside and stood up.

  "Alright. Let's go."

  As Zero desded the stairs, his eyes swept across the room.

  The leader sat casually, iing his nails. The two guards he entrance barely gave Zero a g their hands rested heir holsters.

  Zero took a deep breath, pstering on a calm, posed expression before stepping forward.

  "Is there anything I help you with, sir?"

  The leader's eyes lit up with amusement as he gestured toward Zero.

  "Ah, there he is. The demon himself."

  Zero held his ground, keeping his posture rexed.

  "That's me. If you're here for a meal, we're closed until the evening. But since you came all this way, I make an exception."

  The leader chuckled. "You're quick. I like that. But no, I'm not here for coffee. I'm here for business."

  Zero feigned mild i. "Oh? What kind of business?"

  The leader leaned forward, resting his elbows oable.

  "Proteoney. You know how it is. A tle pce like this? Unfortuhings could happen. Acts. Fires. Broken windows."

  Zero tilted his head. "Huh. Funny, I don't remember signing up for a prote pn."

  The leader's grin widened. "Oh, you don't have to sign up. We're generous like that."

  Zero pced a hand on his , mogly thoughtful.

  "That is generous. But here's the thing—I've already got the best security."

  The leader raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And who might that be?"

  Zero smiled. "The Pi Police Department. They're practically my neighbors. Very responsive. Very thh."

  For a split sed, the leader's smirk faltered.

  But then he ughed—loud and boisterous.

  His men followed suit, their ughter filling the café as if Zero had told the fu joke of the year.

  Zero stood still, unfling.

  Then—without warning—the leader's ughter cut off sharply.

  In a single, swift motion, he grabbed one of Zero's horns and smmed his head against the ter.

  Once.

  Twice.

  The impact rattled the coffee cups on the shelves, and Soma flinched.

  Blood dripped from Zero's nose, but his expression remained eerily calm.

  The leader released his grip, patting Zero's cheek mogly.

  "You demons sure are resilient. That's why you make such good sves."

  Zero didn't react.

  Instead, he simply moved his lips—silent words toward Soma.

  I'm okay.

  Soma ched his fists.

  "Let me make you lunch." His voice shook slightly.

  The leader tilted his head, intrigued.

  Soma straightened his back, trying to suppress his trembling hands.

  "Take it as a courtesy. For letting my boss go."

  The leader sidered it for a moment befrinning.

  "Alright. But I want a full-course meal. Treat me and my men like the Kings of Kaldarion."

  Soma nodded. "Deal. But let my boss go first."

  The leader smirked, grabbing Zero's hair before tossing him backward.

  Zero crashed into the coffee jars behind the ter, sending gss shattering onto the floor.

  The leader ughed.

  "There. Now he smells like a coffee owner. Not a sve."

  Soma inhaled slowly, f himself to remain posed.

  Zero walked past him, whispering under his breath.

  "I know what you're thinking. Don't poison them."

  Soma whispered back, "What? But—"

  Zero cut him off.

  "I already burheir faces into my memory. I'm not letting this slide. But for now, we py along."

  Soma ched his jaw. Then, after a long moment, he sighed.

  "Alright. I hope you already have a pn cooking."

  Zero grinned.

  "Always."

  …

  Soma moved with practiced precision, his knife dang across the cutting board as he prepared the full-course meal.

  He had sidered every petty reveactic possible.

  Spitting in their food? Too childish.

  Lag it with dog shit or cat vomit? Satisfying in theory—but he was a chef first and foremost. He couldn't disrespect food like that.

  No matter how much he despised them, his hands still moved with muscle memory, ensuring each dish erfectly crafted.

  'Damn it. Even now, I just want to make the best meal I .'

  The st of seared meat, rich sauces, and freshly baked bread filled the air as he pted each course.

  Outside, the men ughed and chatted, pletely unaware of the turmoil brewing inside him.

  'If I had my way, I'd make sure this was their st meal.'

  But Zero had told him not to poison them.

  'Tch. Fine. But that doesn't mean we'll let this slide.'

  Soma carefully set the dishes in front of them, his expression unreadable.

  The leader picked up his fork, twirling it between his fingers.

  "Let's see if you're as good as they say."

  The first bite—

  A moment of silence.

  Then, a low hum of approval.

  "Hah. You're wasted in this dump."

  …

  Meanwhile, upstairs in the living quarters, Zero stood ihroom, gripping the edges of the sink as he stared at his refle.

  A trickle of dried blood ran from his nose down to his lips, smearing slightly across his cheek.

  He reached up, pressing his fingers against his horns, wing slightly from where they had been yanked earlier.

  His own goldeared back at him, unblinking.

  'Well, at least I know I'm resilient as fuck.'

  He chuckled, shaking his head.

  "Guess it was only a matter of time before I ended up like this. I am a demon, after all."

  He ran a hand through his hair, sighing.

  Then, with a mock-serious expression, he poi himself in the mirror.

  "Still handsome as ever, though."

  His lips curled into a grin.

  "If we were in our past life, we'd be top-tier celebrities with this face."

  But then—as if a switch had flipped—his ughter faded instantly.

  His expression darkened.

  'I'll make them pay.Ten times over.'

  His fingers curled into a tight fist.

  He exhaled slowly, looking down at his hands.

  'Should I hahis myself… or should I let my es do it?'

  The thought lingered.

  And then—he smirked.

  'Why hesitate? It's my life now.I'll use every tool at my disposal.'

  With that deade, he shrugged off his shirt and stepped into the bathtub, letting the warm water soothe his muscles.

  For now, he would wait.

  But soon—very soon—they would regret ever stepping into his café.

  …

  Downstairs, the leader leaned ba his chair, setting his utensils down.

  "You're an amazing cook."

  Soma didn't react, simply waiting for the iable.

  The leader licked his lips, sav the aftertaste.

  Then—

  "e work for our boss."

  Soma finally looked up.

  His voice was calm, unwavering.

  "Unfortunately, my existence is for this café, sir."

  His eyes hardened.

  "I will not, under any circumstances, leave this pce to work anywhere else."

  A tense silence.

  Then—the leader ughed.

  "Shame."

  He stood up, adjusting his coat, before heading for the door. His men followed, stepping onto the street.

  Soma let out a quiet breath, finally allowing himself to rex.

  And then—

  BANG.

  A gunsh out.

  Soma jerked back, his cheek stinging sharply as the bullet grazed his skin.

  The leader stood at the doorway, l his pistol, smirking.

  "Think it through, stupid chef. My offer wasn't out of weakness. It was out of kindness."

  With that, he turned and walked away, his men following close behind.

  Soma stood frozen, the faint sting of the wound nothing pared to the rage boiling inside him.

  His legs finally gave out, and he colpsed onto the flripping the edge of the ter.

  "Goddamn it… I should've put dog poop in that ice cream."

  …

  The cold night air bit against Erwin's skin as he made his way through the quiet streets of Pi.

  His coat billowed slightly as the wind picked up, but his focus was locked on Café Lebnc's darkeorefront.

  'That's strange…'

  Lebnc was closed.

  Not just for the night shift—fully shut down.

  His pace quied.

  The momeepped inside, his eyes swept the room, sing every detail like an iigator pieg together a crime se.

  The first thiiced—

  Shattered coffee jars behind the ter.

  Someone had been thrown into them.

  —

  Blood smeared on the wooden ter.

  Not enough for a fatal wound, but enough to tell him someone was smmed into it. Hard.

  And then—

  A bullet hole in the wall.

  His gaze lowered—

  A small pool of blood, dried but fresh and parallel to the bullet hole.

  His jaw tightened.

  Something had happened while he was gone.

  Erwin stormed upstairs to the living quarters, his coat still flowing behind him.

  He flung the door open.

  Zero and Soma sat at the table, zily eating ice cream.

  Erwiwitched.

  "What the hell happened?"

  Zero licked his spoon. "It's faster if I just show you."

  Erwin narrowed his eyes. "You mean thought transmission?"

  Zero smirked. "Yeah, yeah. Forehead toug."

  Erwin sighed, stepping forward and pressing his forehead against Zero's.

  The moment their heads ected—

  Memories flooded in.

  Zero's day. The thugs. The sm. The gunshot.

  At the same time, Zero saw Erwin's day. The merts. The gang shake-down. The prote racket.

  As they pulled back, Zero leaned ba his chair.

  He scoffed. "Man, what a b day you had."

  Erwin cracked his knuckles. "We'll do everything we to ruin that bastard."

  Soma smiled. "Why stop there? Let's ruin his whole gang while we're at it. I wanna sm their boss's head into dog poop."

  Zero chuckled darkly. "I like the way you think."

  Then—his expression ged.

  "ge of pns. How many Gacha Points do we have now?"

  Soma leaned back, thinking.

  "Last I checked? 1004."

  Zero's grin widened.

  "Perfect."

  Soma yawned, stretg. "Alright, let me take a bath first—"

  Zero grabbed his wrist, dragging him toward the stairs.

  "No need. We're rolling now."