The bustling chatter and footsteps outside dulled as a sudden quiet stillness enveloped the entire space. Miu instinctively stepped closer to Aren, grabbing onto his shirt with a hand.
"…Okay," she whispered. "That's already weird."
Aren's eyes scanned the surroundings, imbuing ether into his eyes to try to spot any changes in the environment that could be dangerous.
Yet, he found none, which was odd. Even weirder was that the entire place was empty, not even working staff were present.
But more than the absence of employees, he noticed another detail about the restaurant itself, and how…plain it was.
A few cheap square tables lined the floor along with mismatched wooden chairs. The counters were plain, and the walls were bare save for a couple of faded menu boards that were hanging on for dear life via clear tape.
But despite everything, the place looked clean. Tables had been wiped down and the utensils were neatly arranged. Even the floor, though worn, had no visible stains.
