Kanari couldn't believe it.

In the lapse of ten minutes, her blonde haired friend took her to a cafe, which read Le Blanc. She inhaled so sharply that she actually began to cough.

A lot.

Ryuji was quick to stretch an arm out to pat her back, "Are you alright Kanari-chan?!" he stammered.

"Y-Yeah... I'm fine," Kanari replied after her cough settled down, "Just surprised is all."

"Why?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow at her.

"It's nothing really," Kanari smiled, "Why did you want to come here?" she changed the subject.

"I'm meeting up with a friend." Ryuji replied.

"Really, who?"

"The new transfer student."

Kanari nodded at her friend, "I met him earlier."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he didn't have an umbrella, and I offered."

Her blonde haired nodded, and he opened the door to the cafe, a small bell ringing, and she smiled softly before walking inside.

The cafe was rather small, and it was almost empty. The tables and seats were made of a dark mahogany, and the strong, bitter smell of various coffee beans was thick in the air.

Kanari scrunched her nose instantly to the smell. "That's strong."

"Yeah," Ryuji began, "It takes a while to get used to it."

"You go here often?" Kanari asjed.

"Of course, this place has some good curry!"

Of course. Kanari looked around, examining the place. This is where Alibaba wanted to meet.

"Wait, didn't you say you were going to meet a friend?"

"Yeah, why you ask?"

"Shouldn't we be going to his house?"

Ryuji rose an eyebrow, "But this is where he lives."

It took Kanari a moment to realise what he had meant. "Wait a second," she replied quickly, "This is where he lives?"

"Uh yeah, he lives in the attic." Ryuji walked over to the counter, where an older man was standing behind the counter. He was balding, but long jet black hair fell down his head from the sides, leaving the top of his head completely bald. He wore a pair of rectangular thin-framed glasses that were rested near the tip of his nose. He wore a long-sleeved pink button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up right above his elbows. The man also wore a black apron, wich covered a majority of his outfit.

"Welcome to Café Leblanc," he greeted, "What brings you here today?"

Ryuji nodded at him, "Boss, I was wondering if he was here by any chance?" Ryuji immediately answered.

"'Boss?'" Kanari quoted.

"Oh yeah," her friend remembered that she was here, "Kanari-chan, this is the owner of the café, Sojiro Sakura-ojosan," he introduced, "Also the guardian of the new transfer student."

Kanari held out a hand, "Nice to meet you Sakura-ojosan."

He smiled, "Pleasure is all mine. Sorry Sakamoto-san, but he isn't here currently."

"Huh?" Ryuji stammered, "Then where is he?" He looked around.

"Well, tonight is the first night that I've let him out at night, so he might be exploring the city." the man explained.

"I see. I guess I'll see him at school tomorrow at school then. Thanks for your help Boss." Ryuji smiled.

"No problem, I'll tell him that you stopped by though!"

And with that, the duo left the café. As the door swung shut, Kanari looked over to her friend, who just heaved a heavy sigh.

"That..." he began, "Was a huge bust."

"At least you tried." Kanari reassured.

He looked over at her, smiling softly. "Guess you're right." He grinned.

"Why did you want to talk to him?" Kanari asked.

"I just wanted to chat," Ryuji replied, turning his back towards her, "Nothing more, nothing less."

"I see. I guess I should get going back to the dojo then. Uncle is going to be mad at me."

"I can walk you there and explain everything to him, I'm sure he won't mind."

"I think that I'm good on my own."

"You sure?"

"Totally. It's not far from here." Kanari lied.

"Alright then," he began, unsure of her answer, "Don't-"

"I got it Ryuji-kun, just get going already." she replied, and Ryuji walked forward a bit, stealing a glance at her before he continued off.

Kanari smiled, and she turned in the opposite direction towards the dojo. She only took ten minutes before arriving, and she barely had enough time to lean against the outer wall before she heard the door open, and she immediately looked over to see who it was.

The first thing that she noticed was the familiar mop of raven hair, and she immediately knew who it was. "Kurusu-san!" Kanari exclaimed.

He jumped at her sudden introduction, and he took a deep breath realising it was only her, he was still dressed in a pair of jeans that seemed to be newly bought, a pair of brown shoes, and a short-sleeved button up. "You startled me there for a moment Sutsunomi-san." Kurusu greeted back.

"What brings you here to the dojo?"

"I just wanted to look around town for a place to train."

"But..."

"But I'm too old for this one. Such a shame too, the review were ally great."

"Oh, well, Ryuji-kun was looking for you earlier."

"'Ryuji-kun?'" he replied, and then there was silence, "Oh I know who you're talking about. Sorry, yeah I'll try to talk to him tomorrow. What brings you here?"

"Well," she began, "It's kind of hard for me to avoid this place." Kanari sighed.

"Why so?" Kurusu asked curiously.

"My uncle kind of... Runs the dojo."

"You don't sound content about that."

"It's complicated. That's all." she dismissed him, not wanting to go farther into the subject. She looked over to him, he had his phone out, and he was staring into it.

She sighed. "Kurusu-san, if you need a place to train, I can open the dojo after my uncle leaves, and I can even show you some moves." Kanari offered.

"You sure? I don't want to come between the two of you."

"Nonsense. It'll be fine, besides, I need some practice anyway."

Kurusu smiled at her. "Thanks." he held out his hand, and Kanari moved hers into his for a firm handshake.

Kanari felt a sudden slight zap run through her hands, and an echo ran in her head, like a pair of chains breaking. "You alright?" Kurusu asked concerned.

"I'm fine. Have a good night Kurusu-san." Kanari reassured.

"Can we trade numbers, so I can let you know when I'm going to use the dojo?" he asked.

She nodded, and they exchanged numbers, Kurusu bidding her a good night before he began to walk home. Kanari sighed in relief, and she rested her back against the wall.

She had found where she was going to meet Alibaba, a small cafe in town, which just so happens to be the place that the new transfer was living in.

That could potentially cause an issue. She shook her head. Kurusu couldn't possibly be able to interrupt her. She would just be a customer after all. 

Kanari waited outside for her uncle, who was still inside teaching the lesson.

She waited pariently, looking at her phone. As she stared into the bright light, she noticed something rather odd.

An app was on her home screen. But this was different than most apps on her phone, as she couldn't seem to recall when she had installed this app specifically.

The app was a black eye that was in a red box, the app didn't have a name, but it seemed to emit an ominious aura, and it kind of freaked Kanari out a bit.

So in response, Kanari rested her finger against the app, holding it until it could be moved around, and she dragged it into the trash icon.

No more creepy apps on her phone.

As she sighed, the door swung open, and about ten kids walked out, chatting amongst themselves. They were sweaty, and they appeared to be beat up.

They all bid Kanari farewell as they went to the various vehicles in the parking lot, which drove out of the lot to go home.

"What a freaky app." Kanari mentioned, and she heard the door opened yet again, and Kanari turned her head to look at her uncle.

"I saw the work you did. I greatly appreciate your work," he greeted, his expression softening when he saw her own, "What's wrong Kanari?" he asked her worryingly.

She sighed gently, "It's nothing Uncle." she replied, and she put her phone away in her pocket.

"Alright, if you say so." was all he offered before he pulled out his car keys, slowly walking over to the vehicle. He unlocked it, and he opened the passenger door. "You coming?"

Kanari nodded, and she walked over to the vehicle, and she stepped up into the vehicle, her uncle closed the door softly. He then walked to the other side to get in while Kanari buckled her seatbelt.

He started the car and he began the drive home, and there was barely any conversation.

Kanari could hardly recall when exactly they had reached home, but the next thing she knew, she was in bed, her eyelids dropping as she fell asleep.

Translation Notes: Fukushin is Confidant, which I believe is written as 腹心.