"Fair enough..."
Byakuya felt somewhat exasperated.
So her trump card was just... him.
Observing Eto's intimate gesture with Byakuya, Roma roughly understood why Eto could so casually self-detonate earlier.
She felt helpless. Unfortunately, she herself was already an old lady—she definitely couldn't compete with Eto in that regard.
So she was destined to lose to Eto on that front.
"By the way, where's the manager? I haven't seen him anywhere."
Eto asked.
"Miss Eto, the manager just happened to go upstairs for something."
Kaya Irimi spoke up from nearby.
"Thanks. I'll go find him."
Eto showed a mild smile.
"Hinami-chan, let's go upstairs together."
Eto also addressed Hinami.
"Okay~"
Hinami followed Eto, preparing to go upstairs together.
Only Byakuya remained seated, unmoved.
"Not coming along? You've always been so concerned about my situation with Kuzen."
Eto asked Byakuya.
"..."
Byakuya smiled wordlessly and stood up.
He could tell Eto was feeling awkward and wanted a familiar face to come along. But he saw through it without calling her out.
Upstairs, they found not only Yoshimura but also Touka Kirishima.
With plenty of staff at the café now, Touka could take breaks upstairs to study.
"Byakuya, Hinami, and this is...?"
Seeing the quiet, sweet-looking girl with green hair beside Byakuya, Touka wondered who she might be.
She'd never met Eto before. The time she'd gone to find the manager and Byakuya at the shelter, Eto had just left moments earlier—they'd perfectly missed each other.
"Eto..."
Yoshimura spoke involuntarily upon seeing his daughter appear.
"Hm? The manager knows her too?"
Hearing the manager's reaction, Touka immediately asked.
"We meet again, Dad~"
Eto smiled at Yoshimura.
"...Dad? What?!"
Touka was stunned, looking incredulously between Eto and Yoshimura.
She never imagined the girl before her could be the manager's daughter.
"You must be little Touka, right? I've heard about you from Amaha-kun."
Eto greeted Touka: "As you heard, I'm the manager's daughter."
"Oh... Is that so? He told you about me?"
This piqued Touka's interest.
...I never said anything of the sort...
Byakuya almost wanted to retort but held back.
"That's right. He said there's a very hardworking, very cute girl named Touka at this café."
Eto smiled.
Upon hearing this, Touka felt both happy and flustered, fidgeting with the pen in her hand.
Damn Byakuya, now I can't concentrate on studying at all.
Meanwhile, Yoshimura had gone to retrieve the cup he'd kept for Eto all this time.
"Since you've come all this way, sit down and have some coffee."
Yoshimura poured Eto a cup of coffee he'd personally brewed. He'd waited so many years for this moment that his hand trembled slightly as he poured—his emotions were overwhelming.
"Amaha-kun, Hinami-chan, would you like some too?"
Yoshimura asked.
"Yes, thank you, Manager."
"Thank you, Manager!"
Byakuya and Hinami both nodded.
Eto picked up the cup. "This cup is quite pretty..."
She took a sip. This was her first time tasting Yoshimura's coffee.
Both Yoshimura and Eto had been influenced by Ukina. Yoshimura had opened the Anteiku café in Ward 20 for Ukina and Eto; Eto, meanwhile, enjoyed frequenting coffee shops for creative inspiration.
Only... before today, Eto had never once set foot in the café Yoshimura had opened.
"How is it?"
Yoshimura asked.
He cared deeply about Eto's opinion.
Compared to their last meeting, Yoshimura was doing much better now—not at a loss for words.
The environment and circumstances were completely different, especially since Eto was no longer in the state she'd been in before.
Last time, Eto had been wrapped in bandages with only her face visible, looking weakened from her injuries. The dark, oppressive atmosphere had also played a role.
Additionally, Yoshimura had mentally prepared himself this time. The cup Byakuya had brought back had been polished until it gleamed.
"Delicious."
Eto answered straightforwardly: "Better than any coffee I've had anywhere else..."
Hearing this, Yoshimura relaxed slightly, a gratified smile appearing on his face.
But then Eto added: "It would be nice if Mom could have tasted this too."
"..."
These words made Yoshimura's expression freeze.
Byakuya shook his head slightly. This woman really doesn't hold back, even at a time like this—still saying things that stab at the manager's sore spot.
Of course, this might have been Eto's uncontrollable sentiment. After all... Ukina was Eto's sore spot too...
The atmosphere grew awkward.
Touka and Hinami both looked between Yoshimura and Eto with puzzlement. They didn't know what was going on, but the tension made the problem obvious.
It seemed to be something quite heavy, so both Touka and Hinami wisely kept silent.
At this moment, a thought suddenly occurred to Byakuya.
If only I could bring Ukina back to life—that would be the best solution.
But from a practical standpoint, it was essentially impossible.
Even if Byakuya eventually obtained the Rinnegan and mastered the "Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique," he wouldn't be able to forcibly resurrect someone who had died over twenty years ago.
The Samsara of Heavenly Life had time limitations. Those who had been dead too long couldn't be revived—their souls might have already reincarnated.
Unless... this world had no such thing as soul reincarnation? Or perhaps the "Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique" could be modified by the System? Then there might still be hope...
...
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