PM 11:04.
Sunken Plaza, Yongen-Jaya.
The street was silent in the darkness of the spring night. Sparse moonlight filtered through the gaps in the banyan tree branches, striking the red and white awning above the coffee shop's entrance. The shop name, "LeBlanc," was clearly visible.
Sakura Sojiro wiped his shoe soles on the doormat, then twisted the doorknob, entered the shop, and pulled the light cord by the wall.
Click.
A row of sealed jars filled with coffee beans on the counter immediately bathed in a golden glow. Dozens of magazines and newspapers were neatly stacked, with a coffee pot resting on top.
The wooden countertop was wiped clean and bright, vaguely reflecting half of Sakura Sojiro's body.
He went into the kitchen to wash his hands, simultaneously asking Kurusu Akira outside, "Do you have any dietary restrictions?"
"I don't eat beef."
"There's no beef here either." Sakura Sojiro pointed to the two menus hanging on the counter. "The left side is coffee, the right side is rice and desserts. The ingredients are clearly listed."
Kurusu Akira sat down on the dark green sofa next to the dining table, tilting his head to look at the two menus. The handwritten, artistically styled hiragana and Arabic numerals crowded and wriggled in his vision like earthworms.
He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, finally squeezing out some rationality from his state of exhaustion.
The joke about "I don't eat beef" didn't seem to be popular here, but he said it subconsciously... He must be more careful with his words and actions in the future.
Kurusu Akira put his glasses back on and placed his only two thousand one hundred yen on the table. "Please bring me a plate of salmon risotto."
His answer was the sizzling sound of a hot pan being oiled in the kitchen.
'My internet fee is gone.'
Kurusu Akira looked at the banknotes and coins he had pushed onto the table and decided to find a part-time job tomorrow.
The stove fire was strong, and the coffee shop fell into a brief silence.
Only the aroma of seafood broth, rice, salmon, and shrimp gradually flowed from the kitchen, filling the entire space.
When the aroma was at its strongest, Kurusu Akira's hungry stomach rumbling and the clanging of the spatula hitting the bottom of the pan began to rise and fall in succession.
Sakura Sojiro came out of the kitchen carrying a steaming plate of salmon risotto and placed it in front of Kurusu Akira.
Up close, in the bright light, he could clearly see the middle-aged man's appearance:
A high, shiny forehead, wearing square-rimmed glasses, neatly combed black short hair, a dignified face with sparse wrinkles, and a thick beard on his chin and sides of his face.
He wore a light pink shirt paired with a black kitchen apron, his shoulders slumped, and his back slightly hunched, as if his not-so-broad back bore too much pressure.
Sakura Sojiro was observing Kurusu Akira with a gentle and calm gaze.
"Please enjoy." A spoon was stuck in the center of the rice.
"Thank you very much."
With that, Kurusu Akira handed Sakura Sojiro one thousand eight hundred yen.
Sakura Sojiro stroked his beard, looking at Kurusu Akira with some helplessness. "Keep that money yourself. I can afford one bowl of rice."
"Then consider it payment for staying the night."
Sakura Sojiro still waved his hand in refusal. "If you really feel bad about it, you can get up early tomorrow and help me clean the shop."
Kurusu Akira politely thanked him, then withdrew the banknotes from his hand.
"Hey, kid, you're too mature for a high school student."
"But in reality, I am a high school student." Kurusu Akira continued the conversation.
"I know, Shujin Academy." Sakura Sojiro pointed to Kurusu Akira's school uniform.
Shujin Academy?
Kurusu Akira finally knew where he should go to school tomorrow.
He picked up the spoon, scooped up the hot rice and put it in his mouth, then quickened his pace, almost devouring the rice on the plate.
The middle-aged man in the pink work uniform looked up at the wall clock, then took off his apron and stuffed it into the plastic bin behind the counter.
Sakura Sojiro subconsciously pulled out a cigarette pack from his pocket, his fingers reaching inside. Suddenly, he glanced at Kurusu Akira, who was eating heartily, then silently put the cigarette pack back into his pocket.
"After you eat, remember to wash the plate and spoon clean."
"It's getting late. If you want to have the energy for school tomorrow, you'd better go to sleep quickly."
Then, he naturally pulled out a key from his pocket and handed it to Kurusu Akira, without even asking why the boy was "running away from home."
It wasn't until he left LeBlanc and walked down the street, feeling the night wind, that Sakura Sojiro suddenly realized he had placed too much trust in this young man he had just met.
He irritably ran his fingers through his short hair.
"If I misjudged him, I can always call the Police Department."
Sakura Sojiro muttered to himself, as if that would alleviate the growing sense of anxiety that came with age.
The middle-aged man's back unconsciously bent a little more, making his figure appear somewhat hunched and small.
The streetlights cast his shadow on the wall, making him appear broad and dependable like a giant.
The night wind blew through the wind chimes by the eaves of a doll shop, making a tinkling sound.
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Kurusu Akira placed the washed, grease-free plate in the sink, then rummaged through the counter for a MicroUSB cable and a plug.
He turned off the shop lights, held his phone, and walked up to the attic.
LeBlanc's attic had been simply cleaned. Idle cardboard boxes were piled up like small mountains in the corner, and three succulent plants were placed on a shelf. A hanging lamp cast a hazy white light.
Kurusu Akira found the only spot to rest in the attic—
A small bed reassembled from a disassembled sofa.
His phone was out of battery. After plugging in the data cable, the screen lit up with a charging animation made of large pixels.
Kurusu Akira watched the lightning icon on the screen slowly fill with green pixels, feeling that his fate was truly difficult.
A phone with 0% battery.
And a new world life starting from scratch.
Kurusu Akira lay on the bed with his phone for a while, until it had enough power to turn on by itself, making a "beep-beep-beep" vibrating sound.
The Phantom Thief, whose mind was gradually losing focus and who was on the verge of falling asleep, then concentrated a little.
Kurusu Akira, temporarily unable to use his superpowers, needed to integrate into this unfamiliar world in the shortest possible time.
So he opened his browser and began searching for crucial historical figures and current political news from his memory, one by one.
In the dim night, in the quiet attic, his fingers rapidly tapped the screen, making dull thuds like insects hitting glass.
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