Chapter 64: Black Star Café

Yuki hesitated between two choices: silencing witnesses or handing them over to the authorities. Silencing them would be the simplest solution. Senior Ayu had already found a pile of illegal weapons on their persons; with a claim of self-defense during an attack, and given his own official capacity—tasked with handling extraterrestrial affairs as a plainclothes operative—there would be no trouble at all.

However, this man was a high-ranking member of the Association of Evil; he might possess valuable intelligence. Killing him would be a waste.

In the end, Yuki called the hotline and reported the incident, asking Officer Sakura to bring a team to take them away. It was, as always, the inertia of the script—though a little earlier than expected, the old fox was still sent to the station.

Soya Ayu’s expression was complex. Clearly, he had been inclined to silence them, but upon further thought, he realized that the old fox wasn’t the only one who knew the truth—could he possibly kill every potential witness? Who knew where those people were, scattered across the country?

“Don’t worry, Senior Ayu,” Yuki said, standing shoulder to shoulder with Soya Ayu against a wall, watching as Officer Sakura led a squad to handcuff the suspects and gather up the illegal weapons.

“These things aren’t important. Let’s just focus on the upcoming exam.”

From Yuki’s observations, Captain Hazumizu’s team was severely understaffed—so much so that no one would care about the minor indiscretions of one’s youth. If that superior was truly interested, he would simply ask you directly, and you’d end up, before you knew it, pouring out every embarrassing story you’d ever had, unable to stop yourself.

So there was no need to fear informants. If anyone were to inform, it would be you informing on yourself.

Returning to the private room, he found the grill already extinguished and President Sasaki having woken from a nap. Now sobered, Sasaki was refreshed and alert. Mirika had already paid the bill, and seeing Yuki and Soya Ayu return, she scowled and asked crossly, “Did you fall in?”

“I went to rescue him,” Yuki answered quickly.

Soya Ayu, still a bit dazed, hadn’t even realized that he had ended up “falling” into the restroom.

…

The next day.

Yuki took the little card he’d received from Captain Hazumizu and followed the address to 11, 5-chome, Shinmachi, Shinjuku Ward.

“Face north… that’s north, go forward twenty meters, turn right…”

At last, Yuki stopped in front of a gray-white wall.

He closed his eyes and began to carefully sense any abnormalities in the surroundings. He didn’t possess the sort of advanced detection tech that the SSP had—he could only rely on his enhanced physical senses, a bit like a low-budget version of Ultra-perception, to scan the area.

After a few breaths, Yuki opened his eyes again.

Sure enough, an odd feedback emanated from the wall before him. It wasn’t as though he’d found an empty spot—but rather, as his senses swept over the wall, there was a conspicuous, almost self-incriminating sense of “Yes, there’s a wall here! Really! Don’t believe me? Look!”—a declaration as unsubtle as a thief crying “Stop thief!”

Yuki reached forward, feeling the rough texture of the wall. It was a simulated sensation; pressing harder, his fingertips sank into the wall, and he felt a doorknob.

It was a peculiar feeling, as if passing through a curtain of water and slipping beneath the surface. He wondered if passing through the wall at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters in Harry Potter would feel the same.

Ding-ding!

Yuki passed through the wall and pushed open the door, the bell above it chiming brightly.

A waft of fragrance greeted him.

Yuki stepped into the dimly lit shop, pausing at the entrance to survey the modest space. The faint scent of wood and fresh varnish drifted over him, quickly joined by the familiar aroma of incense common to many shops—or perhaps the scent came from a similarly fragranced cleaning product.

Behind the bar stood the familiar bald-headed proprietor, silently wiping a glass, which flashed with dazzling light as it turned in his hand. Rows of bottles lined the wooden shelves behind him, some expensive imports, some everyday spirits—all united by their beautiful, crystal-like designs, reminiscent of art pieces.

Yuki frowned at the card in his hand. Wasn’t this supposed to be a coffee shop?

At that moment, Black, the proprietor, glanced up at the sound of the bell, a flicker of annoyance in his eyes, then returned to polishing his glass.

Yuki’s eyes swept the store. Perhaps he’d come at the wrong time; the place was empty… or not quite. Squatting by the door was Norba, who looked up curiously at the day’s first customer.

A new face—hadn’t seen this one before.

Yuki suddenly recalled details about Norba. After all, his own childhood coincided with the airing of “Ultraman Leo,” and this little monster was a fixture of those childhood nightmares. Just after watching Doraemon, where teru-teru bozu were symbols of hope, Norba had appeared, turning them into elements of ghost stories.

Norba had a talent for creating illusions; the hidden entrance, no doubt, was its handiwork. That explained why it sat by the door, acting as doorman.

“Good morning,” Yuki greeted the diminutive Norba with a nod. Norba nodded back and, though it couldn’t speak, extended three or four tentacles from its blood-red “cloak” in a polite gesture to invite him inside.

Yuki stepped onto the creaking wooden floor and sat on the center barstool, meeting the proprietor’s scrutinizing gaze.

“We don’t serve minors here,” the proprietor intoned, voice low and seemingly indifferent, still polishing the glass.

So this really was a bar?

Yuki was taken aback.

So this place—called “Black Star Coffeehouse”—was actually a bar…

Clearly, the proprietor still felt bitter about his shop being smashed in the Orb universe. Though he’d told Gai that he’d just open a ramen shop instead—a platitude between adults to save face—the pain was still there.

But that wasn’t the point!

“I’m an adult!” Yuki protested. He really was—he could show his driver’s license if needed.

The proprietor glanced at him again, sighed, and hung the sparkling glass upside down on the rack above the bar. Turning, he fetched a drink menu from a cabinet behind him and set it before Yuki.

Yuki thanked him and opened it. As before, there was only one item listed: “Drink.”

He had no idea what the point of the menu was—perhaps it was all for the ritual of ordering.

Yuki scratched his head. He’d wanted to ask if they sold coffee beans. Watching the food bloggers of the SSP savor coffee in Orb had made his mouth water—how delicious must Black Star’s brew be?

Just then, the doorbell clanged wildly. With a bang, a towering figure burst through the door, bringing a gust of wind with him. Norba barely managed to scuttle aside, terror clear on its teru-teru bozu face—normally expressionless, but Yuki could see the fear.

“Boss! Help me out, please!”

It was a burly giant, nearly two meters tall, with flaming orange hair and the air of a visual kei rocker. He barreled to the bar and, with a thud, dropped to his knees in a deep bow before the proprietor.

The display startled Yuki, who quickly jumped from his stool and retreated to the wall, Norba at his side.

The proprietor’s face darkened—true to his name, he looked positively black.

Man and monster huddled together by the wall, casting wary glances at the bar, like a pair of comrades in adversity.