Hikigaya tilted his head; the movent of his hands didn't stop as the water continued to splash loudly.
A girl entered the shop. She was wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled over her head, and a face mask covered most of her face.
Hikigaya took a look, then withdrew his gaze and continued washing the dishes.
The girl walked in and sat to the left of Saeki Miria. She flipped back her hood and removed her mask, revealing short silver-gray hair and her true face.
Saeki Miria's eyes fell upon that face and paused for a mont.
Crimson eyes, with the corners slightly upturned; her gaze was as cold as if it were mixed with ice. The mask had covered most of her face, but a black adhesive bandage could be vaguely seen on her right cheek, forming a symtrical pair with the visible scar on her left.
Combined with her deathly pale skin, no matter how exquisite her features were, she was the type of person people would instinctively take a second look at on the street and then quickly, silently, make way for.
"Iced Aricano," she said, her voice raspy.
Hikigaya turned off the faucet, dried his hands, and began making the coffee.
The girl sat there, her fingers unconsciously tapping the bar, her eyes blank.
When the coffee was ready, Hikigaya pushed it over.
"Two hundred and eighty yen."
The girl pulled a handful of coins from her pocket and began counting them slowly on the bar: hundreds, fifties, tens, and fives.
She counted them twice, her movents getting slower and slower.
Finally, she looked up at Hikigaya.
"How much am I short?"
Hikigaya glanced at the pile of coins, then at her.
He took one hundred-yen coin and four ten-yen coins.
"It's enough."
The girl blanked for a mont.
"Didn't you say two hundred and eighty yen?"
"I forgot. It's the Boss's rule: the 100th custor of the day gets half price."
The girl looked at him, her gaze tinged with suspicion.
"You're lying, aren't you?"
"Believe it or not."
The girl stared at him for a few seconds before looking away. She picked up the coffee, took a sip, frowned, and said nothing more.
Watching this scene from the side, the corners of Saeki Miria's mouth curved slightly.
The girl drank very slowly, making a single cup of coffee last a long ti.
The bell on the door rang again.
Two n entered, looking to be in their twenties—one with yellow hair and one with green hair. Wearing gaudy shirts, they were laughing and shouting the mont they walked in, making the shop suddenly rowdy.
Then they saw Saeki Miria.
The two n exchanged a look and walked toward her.
They sat at the bar, right on the other side of Saeki Miria.
"Yo, kid, two beers," the yellow-haired one said.
"We only sell coffee here."
"Coffee's fine then, just bring three cups of whatever." The yellow-haired man waved his hand, but his gaze kept flickering toward Saeki Miria.
"Hey beautiful, you alone?"
Saeki Miria looked up, montarily stunned.
"Want to have a drink together? It's on us."
Saeki Miria shook her head and shifted slightly away.
"Don't be so cold, let's be friends."
Hikigaya put down the cup in his hand, but soone spoke before he could.
"Hey, you're annoying. Shut up, moron."
The voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.
The two n tilted their heads and saw her.
"Little girl, is this any of your business?" The yellow-haired man gave a contemptuous smile.
He stood up, fished a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and stuck it in his mouth. He took out a lighter, preparing to light it.
The girl in the black hoodie said nothing, only stared at him.
Just as Hikigaya was about to speak up and kick these two punks out of the shop, the lighter in the yellow-haired man's hand suddenly let out a pop, and a plu of fla shot out, nearly burning his hand.
"Holy crap!" The yellow-haired man jumped in fright, throwing the lighter away.
The fla traced an arc through the air and landed on a nearby table.
The lighter knocked over several empty cups on the table; the cups rolled to the floor and shattered into several pieces.
"...What the hell?"
The yellow-haired man stood there stunned, looking at his reddened fingertips, then at the girl in the black hoodie.
The girl sat there, her crimson eyes fixed on the man, her gaze so cold it made one's spine tingle.
The other man with green hair also stood up, and the atmosphere instantly froze.
"What's going on? What the hell did you do?" The yellow-haired man's voice was a bit weak.
"Your lighter caught fire on its own. What does that have to do with ?" the girl countered.
Hikigaya walked out from behind the bar and stood before the two n.
"Gentlen, the shop has surveillance for what just happened."
Hikigaya pointed above his head.
"The lighter was brought in by you, and the fire was caused by you. Now the cups are broken, and the table is scorched.
Do I need to call the police?"
The expressions on their faces shifted.
"What's your point?"
"The point is, you can choose to pay for the damages and leave now, or you can wait for the police to arrive and explain why you were harassing a custor and damaging the shop's property."
He glanced at the fragnts on the floor.
"The cups are custom-made; these few cost three thousand eight hundred in total. Adding the table cleaning fee, let's call it five thousand. Whether you want to pay or see the police is your choice."
The two n exchanged a look.
"You're full of it, kid."
Hikigaya didn't speak; he simply took out his phone and pressed a few digits.
"Wait!" The green-haired man waved his hands hurriedly.
"Fine, fine, we're leaving."
He pulled several crumpled bills from his pocket and slamd them onto the bar.
"Is that enough?"
Hikigaya scanned the money; it was roughly five or six thousand.
He nodded.
The two n left grumbling, the bell on the door ringing heavily.
Saeki Miria sat there, looking at Hikigaya.
The girl in the black hoodie also sat in her place, her expression returning to that look of indifference.
Hikigaya walked to the cash register and put the bills away.
Then he turned to the girl: "Thanks for just now, but..."
He pointed to the fragnts on the floor.
"You're the one who knocked over the cups."
"I knocked them over?"
The girl blanked for a mont.
"Though I don't know the principle behind it, you must have been the one who made the lighter explode. Even if it was him throwing the lighter that broke the cups, business is business."
Hikigaya stared into her crimson eyes.
"If I hadn't spoken up to stop it just now, what were you planning to do—burn the two of them alive?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." She looked away.
Hikigaya didn't press further. He took a broom and dustpan from under the bar and handed them to her.
"Sweep it up."
The girl looked at the broom and didn't take it imdiately.
Saeki Miria spoke up softly from the side: "I'll do it..."
"No need."
The girl stared at him for a few seconds.
Then she took the broom, walked over to the table, and began sweeping up the fragnts on the floor.
Her movents were clumsy and awkward.
Hikigaya went back behind the bar and continued clearing dishes.
Saeki Miria watched him, looking as if she wanted to say sothing but held back.
After a while, the girl finished sweeping the fragnts and clumsily mopped the floor.
She walked back to the bar and returned the broom and mop.
"It's done."
Hikigaya nodded, took three thousand yen from the register, and placed it in front of her.
The girl looked at the three bills, stunned.
"What does this an?"
"Your share of the compensation from those guys."
The girl didn't speak; she just stared at the money.
"Didn't you say I was the one who broke things?" her voice was a bit raspy.
"So you cleaned it up. The rest is what you deserve to take."
The girl stood there and didn't move.
Hikigaya didn't rush her.
After a long ti, the girl reached out and picked up the bills.
She kept her head down; her expression was unreadable.
"You... aren't calling the police?"
"Why would I call the police?"
"I... what happened just now."
"The lighter caught fire on its own," he said. "What does that have to do with ?"
She raised her head to look at him, tears shimring in her crimson eyes.
Saeki Miria spoke softly from the side: "He's just that kind of person. Don't worry about it."
The girl looked at Saeki Miria, then at Hikigaya.
She put the three thousand yen into her pocket and turned toward the door.
When she reached the door, she stopped.
"...Thanks."
Then she pushed open the door.
The bell let out a chi.
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