[Rena Henmi Arc 1] I just want honest business practices

—A back alley in Kabukicho. A Chinese restaurant glowing under harsh red signage.

At the edge of a round table sat Hayata Saotome and Kosuke Kaname.

“Whoa, this looks amazing… But this place has to be expensive, right?”

Leaning forward, Hayata peeked curiously toward the kitchen in the back.

“It’s my treat. A little reward for your work. So eat up—don’t hold back.”

Kaname casually closed his menu and took a sip from his teacup.

Mapo tofu, pepper steak, chili shrimp, fried rice, xiaolongbao—

The rising steam and fragrant spices mercilessly teased Hayata’s appetite.

“Aaah… it hits the soul…”

Just after shoveling in the first bite, Hayata suddenly looked up as if something had occurred to him.

“Oh yeah—Kaname-san, you mentioned something before. About ‘forming a team.’ Were you serious about that?”

“…Yeah.”

Kaname set down his bowl and rolled his shoulders lightly.

“Bit by bit. Still a long way to go before I’d call it a proper ‘unit,’ though.”

“Have you already recruited anyone?”

“…Sort of.”

With a cryptic tone, Kaname’s eyes drifted across the table.

“Well, I have a feeling someone’s not too far away.”

“Wait, what? You scouting someone right now?”

“Maybe.”

Kaname gave a sly grin and took another sip of tea.

—It happened then.

“This shrimp’s undercooked. And the oil’s oxidized.”

A cold voice cut through the restaurant air.

“Wha—?”

With a mouth full of food, Hayata instinctively turned around.

Two tables over sat a woman with long black hair neatly tied back.

A white fitted shirt and slim suit pants—her outfit was clean and refined, but her gaze was sharp enough to pierce through the very air.

“And this XO sauce—store-bought, right? Not even Hong Kong-style, it’s the Taiwanese kind. The aroma’s completely faded.”

A flustered server hurried to the kitchen to pass along the complaints.

“Also, these clams—you’ve listed them as ‘domestic,’ but they’re clearly farm-raised imports from the mainland. And they haven’t been properly purged of salt.”

“We’re terribly sorry… We’ll remake everything right away.”

“I’m not asking for an apology. I just want honest business practices.

At these prices, this is practically a scam.”

(…Yikes.)

Hayata muttered under his breath.

“She’s scarier than my sister…”

Next to him, Kaname let out a knowing smile.

“—Just like I heard.”

Amid the chilled silence of the restaurant, the woman stood quietly, leaving most of her food untouched.

Straight-backed and steady-footed, she walked out of the restaurant.

Her stride carried the faint trace of restrained fury.

Hayata watched her go, then murmured:

“…Bit of a complainer, huh? Food’s amazing here, though.”

Kaname said nothing. He simply brought his teacup back to his lips.

Through the rising steam, the restaurant’s red neon shimmered faintly—

gently warping the lingering image of the woman as she disappeared into the night.