This Café Welcomes Everyone

    By that point, her eyes would soon grow wide and against her better judgment, she'll furiously blush... even though realistically speaking, he probably hadn't meant it in that way.

    "A-A-A-Another date?! Kaoru-dono, are you quite possibly hitting on me?!" Herja exclaims before frantically shaking her head. "N-No, wait... this must be a mere slip of the tongue, isn't it? After all, there's no way my love could ever be reciprocated," she'll ramble away, and sure enough, she begins facing him once more with a look of rigid determination seeping through her features after managing to finally collect her composure.

Rindo smiled sheepishly as she went through her outburst, preparing to apologize for using that word again. It was a little frustrating how he kept making that mistake knowing the implications it held to her. But that smile faded a touch when he overheard her muttering about returned feelings. He wondered if he was really leading her on with all of this, though he couldn't deny the way his own heartbeat seemed to quicken at the knowledge.

Even still, he knew better. Even if she was involved in his life now, he didn't want to get her deeper in than she had to be. And he lived a dangerous life. What was he going to do if he was killed on the field someday? What was she going to do if she lost him to a nonhuman...? Type 3 nonhumans were still a major problem in the world, even if their most recent debacle had been held with Type 1s. Or even worse yet, what would happen if he somehow ended up in the same situation as Shizuku...? He didn't even want to consider that potential.

Furthermore, there was also that to think about. Herja didn't know about Shizuku yet, and if they were to enter into a relationship she would almost certainly have to learn at some point about it. How would she feel about him then? Would she hate him? Would she demand he do something about it? What about Mikado? Would she do something to him, too...? He hadn't even hidden how he felt about Shizuku or her current form in front of Kotone. He certainly wouldn't do as much in front of Herja...

Even if he cared about her, even if he wanted to entertain the idea of a relationship, it was just too risky...

    Who could it possibly be now? Sure enough, Herja then brings herself to whip her head around before squinting towards the direction Rindo had been focusing on... yet at the same time, she failed to detect any individual standing outside, leading her to wonder whether or not the unknown speaker was elsewhere somehow. Him subsequently raising his voice, however, has Herja immediately flinch, for this was the first time she ever heard him getting angry; as a matter of fact, she didn't know Rindo could even get mad. Either way, she's quick to cast a worried glance his way all while remaining silent.

    Of course, despite having many questions, Herja figures it would be way politer to wait for him to hang up before voicing aloud any queries, so it was only once the call ended did she finally part her lips. "N-No, you needn't apologize, Kaoru-dono! I mean, I too have moments where I have been frustrated at my subordinates, so it would be hypocritical of me to judge you for losing your cool like that," Herja finally shakes her head. "And don't worry, I never intended to in the first place," she goes on to admit.

Rindo laughed softly and shook his head, "No, nothing like that. His name is Akira Mikado, and he's the head of the research and development branch here and GPM. He's... an eccentric sort, and he can be more than a little obnoxious sometimes, but despite all of that he is... regretfully, a friend of mine. And while our history isn't quite into our childhood, we do have a rather long history together. He... He does mean well, he's just... Well, you heard him, I'm sure you can extrapolate what kind of person he is."

The idea of Mikado being his ex-lover almost sent a shudder down his spine, and somehow, he could only imagine his sister's amused face at the suggestion of it, making little quips at both of them about it. The thought was both warm and painful, and he quickly shut it out again without giving much hint to the fact besides a short moment of his eyes becoming pained and distant. When he jerked back to attention, his smile returned and he gave his full attention back to Herja.

    Truth be told, Herja would much rather he call than text, but in the event he did text her, she wouldn't complain; after all, the most important thing was that he contacted her to begin with. Still, despite him already finishing his conversation over the phone, she would bring herself to remain patiently seated, due to how she wasn't yet officially dismissed. Once Rindo assured her he still wanted to correspond the natural way, however, the corners of her lips would twitch upwards into a soft smile.

The comment drew a laugh from his lips, and gloved fingers curled around a thin stack of paperwork to lift and tap it on the desk. All of it was filled out now, adjusted and ready to go for whatever happened to come of this. The future they painted for themselves almost felt idealistic given the circumstances, but it was a future he wanted to hope on anyway. As much as he loved Kotone and the rest of the gang at Enchante, his life in isolation was something he didn't know if he could tolerate much longer. Spending time with Kotone had taught him that much, even if they had never really gotten much closer than friends. He still understood now the importance of caring for others and being cared for in return, and even if he did not wish to push this life onto others, he didn't think he could go on pretending everything was like it always had been.

Somehow he remembered Souan teaching him that very thing himself... If only he'd listened while the old man were still alive...

"To be honest, I think it would be fun to explore Tokyo as a man and not on business for once," Rindo replied, tucking the newly completed forms into a folder together. "There's so much you miss out on when you're having to deal with the supernatural. Everything is a catastrophe. Everything. I never get a chance to breathe, haha. But with you, I think I could enjoy a nice vacation... Hopefully, anyway. I should be receiving that email within the next couple of days at most, so I'll be sure to inform you whe--"

The sound of a ringtone cut Rindo off before he'd even finished his sentence, and he reached into his pocket to lift out his cellphone. Once again, that sour expression that he'd momentarily had when speaking to his bosses reached his face. Regardless of his displeasure, however, Rindo answered, the call, motioning for Herja to wait with an apology in his face.

"You know, if you really need something this badly, my office is right here," Rindo replied, jaw tightening as he gazed out of the door of his office. There was no one there, but his eyes seemed to focus anyway, as if he knew exactly where this call was coming from. "What do you want?"

The other voice on the line was not as those of Rindo's previous call this time. The man's voice was loud and dramatic, making Rindo tilt his head to the side to keep from hurting his ear while the other called in such a manner as everyone in the room could hear him.

"I'm offended, Rindo! I would think you'd be glad to hear from me in your hour of need! Why, I don't know why you wouldn't come to beg for my aid to begin with!"

"I can handle my own issues," Rindo groaned back into the receiver. "I don't need your help."

"Well, too bad! You know it's my job to look out for you now that--"

"What do you want?"

Rindo's voice and face snapped into something akin to rage so suddenly that the other was stunned into a momentary silence. Though, this unexpected outburst only seemed to halt him for a moment.

". . . I spoke on your behalf, you know," The voice was greatly toned down now, almost to a volume that couldn't be heard. "I heard about your mishap with the demon clan... I thought... Kotone doesn't deserve to be alone and... Neither do you. Please fill out the forms, Rindo."

And then the man on the other line hung up without giving Rindo a chance to respond.

    From the sounds of it, though, whoever was addressing him must have hit a sore spot at some point, because sure enough, she could've sworn his expression appeared pained. Of course, she could only make out the word 'sister', yet still, she could at least surmise whatever they said about her must have soured his mood considerably; regardless, her shoulders would soon jolt upright once Rindo proceeded to finally insert the phone back into it's cradle.

    Had things ended on a somewhat positive note, she wondered? Or had he failed to successfully negotiate? Before Herja could ask, however, Rindo would suddenly address her, causing her hastily parting lips to snap back shut.

    "Ah... yes, from a professional standpoint, I can see your point. After all, had I been in your position, I would probably have reached a similar conclusion," came her eventual concession, for when it came down to it, Rindo was only doing his job. Even so, a sigh would end up issuing past her throat. "Still, I had hoped this information you gleaned about me would be unravelled in a more... organic manner and not learned through questionable means. But I suppose it's now a bit too late to wish we could have gotten to know each other as naturally as possible over tea or lunch."

He shrugged lightly and shook his head, "They said they would deliberate and send me an email. I'm putting my faith in my abilities, however, and filling out the necessary paperwork ahead of time."

A page turned and the pen returned to the paper, writing up information to fill out the forms. He would be saving himself some trouble if it worked out, and if it didn't he could always just keep them as a reminder of what could have been. Or... Maybe what he needed to avoid in the future. He didn't want to drag people into this life that didn't need it, and even though he was fairly certain Herja could take care of himself, if the organization deemed her incapable of keeping the memories, he would have to remind himself what fate he'd be sending any future friends into. He didn't like altering their memories. Losing them...

    "W-Wait a moment, Kaoru-dono... do you mean to tell me you have already done a background check on me?" Herja finally questions, allowing slight disbelief to lace her tone. Though it wasn't as if she treated her past like a closely guarded secret, the fact he already uncovered so much about her did feel like a small breach of privacy, and soon, she'll sheepishly begin fidgeting with her fingers upon wondering exactly how much information he remained privy to.

    Why, despite not really minding Rindo knowing she had originally hailed from an aristocratic family in Iceland, the fact he was possibly aware of how she never had a boyfriend and was oftentimes flustered around the company of men who aren't her subordinates seemed embarrassing somehow. ...Then again, he did have a point, since by most standards, she was by no means an ordinary woman, and upon realizing this, she'll awkwardly lower both amber brown eyes back down towards her lap.

Rindo shot her a squinting sort of smile, something between playfulness and apology but he focused on the phone call. The voice on the other end could be barely heard, but his demeanor shifted to match those stiff voices, being calm and stalwart in the face of the discussion. He patiently explained the situation and gave a brief report of the incident they had just left. He was cut off, but he remained calm and simply waited for his turn to talk again.

"Yes, I understand. However, I do believe this could be an exception. We have this individual on file, and I feel like this could be good for the organ-- ... No, not as a researcher. I think the connections would be sufficient... Ah... I... do have a relationship-- ... Yes, that's correct."

Suddenly his expression soured. Whatever was being said was hitting a sore spot, and it was either that she didn't qualify for keeping her memory, or something equally upsetting. In fact, Rindo was being reminded that his own sister had caused the last catastrophic disaster that the organization suffered. That because of him and his relationships, they had lost people and money to a drastic degree. The implication was that someone else that had a close relationship to him, being friends or family or lovers, would undoubtedly follow in his sister's footsteps and create chaos and destruction. Considering how out of left field his sister's actions had felt, it was a particularly painful insinuation.

His jaw set tight, but he replied with the same measure of calm as he had started the conversation with: "I understand your concern, but I would remind you that this single event has been an outlier in my time with the organization... No, I don't. I'll be happy to monitor her just the same as I do Enchante... Yes, I'll take responsibility I won't-- ... Yes, sir."

Having been completely cut off without a last word, Rindo sighed and lowered the phone back down into its cradle again. There was no point in talking about it. He'd been told they would consider the request and send him word through an email. But either way, he had a lot of paperwork to fill out as a new subject to monitor, so he went to work getting those ready instead. And though he knew he needed to explain what was going on to Herja, he chose to answer her previous question first instead.

    As soon as Rindo mentioned non-humans again, though, she's quick to sigh. "Yes, it's quite unfortunate that I stumbled across one. Still, I can only pray you would somehow succeed in convincing them, using that trademark smooth talk of yours," Herja adds before following him inside an elevator. Of course, once they finally arrived at his office, she's quick to note how everything seemed relatively tidy.

Rindo thumbed through the files on his desk and pulled one out labelled "Herja Busujima", filled thick with paper documents. He opened the file on his desk and picked up the phone sitting to the side. He had collected extensive information on Herja shortly after meeting her, so much so that he knew almost everything about her now. But he never mentioned any of that. He liked the natural process of getting to know people better than just conversing about all of the facts he'd picked up rummaging through their files. He could learn her life, but he couldn't learn about her through that process.

"I think I have a good chance of changing their minds about it," he assured her as he punched a code into the phone. "Considering your background I think they likely won't have as much of a problem as they would with someone more mundane."

    As soon as Rindo brought up removing her memories again, her brows were quick to droop with lips pulled into a taut, thin line, for while she understood there was no helping it if his superiors denied his request, Herja still wished she didn't have to solely rely on his vouching. Still, she'll bring herself to hasten her way behind him while managing another nod.

    "Alright, I understand. In that case, I'll have faith you can somehow change their minds and ensure no drastic measures would be taken. But please, if you can, Kaoru-dono... do whatever it takes to keep my memories intact," Herja then earnestly pleads, since when it came down to it, she really would rather not forget who he was to her at all. The whole entire time they made their way to his vehicle, however, she could only think about how surreal it was that she had previously struck down a slime monster and how miraculously, she would soon find out where he exactly worked.

    Once inside the car, however, Herja would proceed to fasten the seat belt shut around her before folding her hands across her lap; only, she couldn't bring herself to really say anything else throughout the whole ride due to how grim the situation was, making idle conversation seemingly out of the question. Instead, she'll focus her gaze on their surroundings through the windshield with immense curiosity, and the moment they parked by a large, towering structure, Herja notes it didn't exactly stand out amongst all the other skyscrapers; regardless, it doesn't take long for him to follow after Rindo following his departure from the driver's seat, and sure enough, she'll manage a strained smile in response to his subsequent words.

Rindo walked with her towards the building, coming in to an area that once again looked like any other office for a large corporation as would be found in any other part of Tokyo. At the mention of his work and his secretive nature, he can't help but smile, realizing that he had been more than a little mysterious about it. It wasn't as if it could be helped, but at the same time, he wondered if there might be a better way to conduct himself in the future. Generally no one really cared enough to know, so he could get away with being avoidant.

"Oh, well, we will, but I'll make it a phone call as to make sure I won't be abandoning you or anything. You understand now why I had to keep quiet about it, but I don't suppose there's much point now that you've seen a non-human for yourself. And don't worry. I will do everything in my power to secure our friendship."

    "Oh... y-yes, certainly!" Herja then nods, signifying she would indeed accompany him to his office. "I'll have to inform company headquarters something came up, of course, but I'm sure my subordinates are able to pick up the slack in my absence. Still, seeing as though this is an urgent matter, I'm willing to comply and conduct myself accordingly around the non-humans from now on, so that you wouldn't needlessly worry over me." Granted, there was probably no need for her to be so formal and no-nonsense, yet nevertheless, her brows would still furrow in solemn determination.

"Yes. We can go in mine. I'll try to make this quick so that you don't have to be away from your duties for too long. If we do end up... Having to remove your memories... I'll make sure that's a fairly quick and painless experience as well. I should like to hope I can change my superiors' minds. If anything that should be the only thing that has the potential to take up a lengthy amount of time. But I'll do my best to keep it from happening either way."

He lead her through the streets back to where his car was parked, moving just as casual as if they hadn't just dealt with effectively arresting and deporting a slime monster straight out of an rpg. A glance about himself at the other GPM members invesitgating around the area and ensuring no one else was dragged into the mess before he took to the vehicle and let Herja inside. And just like that they were on their way to GPM Headquarters, with Rindo assuring Herja that he was going to do everything in his power to make sure they could continue being friends.

It wasn't a very long drive to the establishment, and before long they were parked in front of a towering structure that stood high above many of the other buildings around it. Aside from that, however, it didn't stand out in any particular manner. It was just the same as any other impressive skyscraper one might find about Tokyo. There was nothing fanciful about it, for an organization that dealt in non-humans.

Then again, the whole operation was meant to be secret, so logic would dictate the headquarters should also be hidden. This one was merely hidden in plain sight.

{I wanted to update you guys. Things just sort of keep getting worse over here. 🙃 I don't really know how else to say it. And normally I would be more inclined to come online and stay here just to get away from everything that's going on, but I can't do that now. I can't abandon Sibling right now.}

{I really don't want to... but I think I'm going to have to call a hiatus or something until this reaches some kind of conclusion. I know I'm not going to be able to stop myself from getting on and liking stuff at least, but I'm for sure not going to be able to write.}

{That said, I think I still want to send things in every so often so I can have a lot of stuff to reply to when I get back, over any of my blogs. So could you guys reply or lmk in some way that it's okay for me to send you things with the knowledge I'm probably not going to answer your answers any time soon?}

{That way I'll feel more comfortable doing so instead of just trying to take a guess.}

"...Too much going on?" the fallen angel repeated, "Surely the workload hasn't increased more for you."

Il was of the few Regulars however that remained in the Human World longer than the others, and he wasn't quite unaware of the activity outside the café. Wormholes were normal occurrences, but he knew there was more to it.

"There have been a few incidents," Rindo said, drawing in a slow breath. "Humans getting a look at non-humans or in some cases even being attacked by them. We've been having to clean up after things and the paperwork alone is a nightmare. I don't really know what's going on, but non-humans everywhere have been taking to the streets and trying to get into all sorts of trouble lately. It's like they're trying to make my job difficult on purpose. I barely even had time to come in today, but I have to make a report on Enchante, too, or I'll get an earful about it."