Ward 20, The Safe Zone, also known as the Anteiku Coffee Shop.
In this timeline, Yomo Renji had not yet been rescued by Yoshimura Kuzen. Kirishima Touka's parents, Kirishima Arata and Kirishima Hikari, had not yet met with misfortune, and Touka, only a few years old, was naturally not here.
Only the manager Yoshimura Kuzen and the staff Irimi Kaya and Koma Enji were present.
However, in the past few days, the Safe Zone had added a new employee...
"Welcome~"
Minami Uruka greeted customers at the entrance with a smile.
She was wearing a server's uniform.
"After these past few days, has Uruka-chan gotten used to working here?"
During a break, Irimi Kaya asked Minami Uruka with concern.
"Mm, I feel like it's fine. I adapted quickly."
Minami Uruka smiled and nodded.
"That's good. If you have any problems in the future, just ask us."
Irimi Kaya said.
"Okay, thank you Irimi-san."
Minami Uruka expressed her thanks.
After a short while, the break was nearly over, and Minami Uruka stood up, silently cheering herself on.
For her, working part-time at the Safe District not only allowed her to legitimately obtain rotten meat to stave off hunger, but also to receive wages.
In the past, Minami Uruka would take money from her prey during hunts, because it was extremely difficult for ghouls to find normal jobs to earn money.
But working part-time at the Safe District, she could at least properly receive a salary.
After school, she could come directly to Ward 20 to work part-time, and after closing, return home to Ward 19, which was not far away. It was quite convenient for her.
This also showed that Yoshimura Kuzen had earned quite a lot of money in his youth while in V Organization. Later, without killing or doing other work, he could rely on his savings from his younger years to open a coffee shop, pay his employees, and keep it running.
When the break ended, Minami Uruka continued serving customers.
But in the next moment, an unexpected customer appeared at the entrance...
"Ihei-kun...?"
Seeing the extremely familiar figure before her, Minami Uruka was momentarily stunned.
"What's wrong? Is it someone Uruka-chan knows?"
Irimi Kaya asked from the side.
"Yes... my classmate."
Minami Uruka could only answer like that.
"..."
At this moment, Yoshimura Kuzen also noticed the situation over there.
He remained silent, his expression slightly serious as he watched.
The classmate Uruka-chan mentioned, and a boy at that...
Could it be that half-human boy who once escorted Uruka-chan to the shop's entrance...?
Although Yoshimura Kuzen could not be completely certain, he had already taken notice.
"Uruka-chan, I wanted to try the coffee here."
Ihei Byakuya said with a smile.
He naturally knew Minami Uruka was working part-time here. She had already told him earlier.
"That's wonderful. Please come in."
The smile on Minami Uruka's face was somewhat forced.
Ihei-kun suddenly coming to the café should have been something to be happy about, yet she could not feel happy at this moment.
Because the manager, the staff, and even most of the customers here were ghouls, and Ihei-kun's true identity was a ghoul investigator...
So she was worried about Ihei-kun's safety here, even though she clearly knew how strong he was...
In the next moment, when Ihei Byakuya stepped fully inside, the atmosphere in the café instantly changed.
Because in his hand he carried a white suitcase. Nearly every ghoul in the shop, including ghoul customers, recognized it. It was the weapon of the Doves, a quinque...
"!!"
The expressions of the ghouls in the café changed immediately.
No one had expected a ghoul investigator to suddenly come here, and someone acquainted with that staff member at that...
"..."
Seeing this scene, Yoshimura Kuzen became even more certain. This young ghoul investigator was likely that half-human boy.
Then... why had he suddenly come to the Safe District?
Next, Ihei Byakuya did not make any special moves. He simply drank his coffee normally.
When he had pierced Ice Devourer's koukaku, he had also shattered the mask on Ice Devourer's face.
He remembered Ice Devourer's approximate appearance, so with one glance he would know whether Ice Devourer was hiding in the Safe District.
As a result, he did not see any customer resembling Ice Devourer in the café...
However, this did not mean Byakuya's visit was in vain.
After all, he also wanted to meet Yoshimura Kuzen.
After finishing his coffee, Ihei Byakuya directly asked Yoshimura Kuzen, who had come to clear the cup, "You should be the manager here, right? Would it be convenient to have a chat?"
"What would you like to talk to me about?"
Yoshimura Kuzen said with a kindly smile. "If you do not mind, please come upstairs and sit for a while."
"Alright, thank you."
Ihei Byakuya replied politely.
Seeing the manager lead that human investigator upstairs, Koma Enji looked surprised. "Manager, this is..."
"The manager must have his own reasons. Let's not worry blindly."
Irimi Kaya said. "Rather, Uruka-chan having a friend who is a ghoul investigator is truly unexpected."
Afterward, on the second floor, Ihei Byakuya sat down in the lounge.
"So, what would you like to talk to me about?"
Yoshimura Kuzen sat opposite Byakuya.
"First, thank you for what you've done for Uruka-chan."
Ihei Byakuya said.
"...There's no need to be polite."
Yoshimura Kuzen's expression remained calm at Byakuya's sudden words.
But in the next moment, he could no longer remain composed.
"Then there's..."
Ihei Byakuya said, "Are you still not planning to meet your daughter?"