The night air drifted through Café Lebnc, carrying the lingering st of fresh-brewed coffee and the faint traces of warm spices from the evening's st meal.

  Outside, the final guest stepped out, bidding a tired but satisfied farewell.

  Soma, Zero, and Sebas remained inside, gathered around the diable, finishing their own te-night meal.

  Ptes were nearly empty, gsses half-full, the warm glow of the café lights casting a soft e hue over the polished wooden ter.

  Zero stretched zily, sighing in tent.

  "Another successful day."

  Sebas gave a small nod of approval.

  "Ihe café's reputation is steadily growing."

  Soma leaned ba his chair, popping a grape into his mouth.

  "Yeah, yeah. But it also means more work for me. I swear, if I have to expin to one more idiot why I don't serve pe for dinner—"

  Zero cut him off with a smirk.

  "Well, good thing I've got a way to make your job easier."

  With that, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an espresso cup filled with dark red liquid.

  Soma stared at it.

  "Uh… why am I being served a cup of your blood?"

  Zero wordlessly held up a small card.

  Soma's eyes widened.

  "Oh, hell no."

  Zero grinned.

  "Oh, hell yes."

  In his fingers was the Remy the Rat card.

  "No way. You're not adding the rat to me."

  Zero tilted his head.

  "Why not? You'll get more cooking knowledge."

  Soma crossed his arms.

  "I don't need a rodent to teach me how to cook."

  Zero leaned in, smirking.

  ", be ho. You did say you could always improve."

  Soma clicked his tongue.

  "Tch." He eyed the espresso cup, then sighed. "…Fine. But if I start craving cheese, I'm bming you."

  Zero pressed the Remy card to Soma's forehead.

  For a moment, nothing happened—

  Then—

  A pulse of energy rippled through Soma's body.

  His eyes widened as knowledge flooded into his mind.

  eiques. New instincts.

  And then—

  "WHAT THE HELL?!"

  Soma jumped baearly knog his chair over.

  Sebas and Zero watched in arm.

  Zero raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

  Soma rubbed his temples. "There's a ghost. A fat chef ghost."

  Zero and Sebas exged gnces.

  "…Gusteau?" Zero asked.

  Soma snapped his fingers. "Yes! That's the name. Gusteau. Big guy, round face, French at."

  Zero tilted his head. "Uh-huh. And… we're supposed to be seeing him, too?"

  Soma looked between them.

  His face slowly fell.

  "Wait… you guys 't see him?"

  Sebas folded his arms. "I am afraid not, Young Master Soma."

  Soma suddenly turo the empty space beside him.

  "What do you mean you're just my imagination?! You're standing right there!"

  Zero sighed, rubbing his forehead.

  "Yeah, he's talking to the air now."

  Sebas nodded. "It would be wise not to do this in front of guests, Young Master Soma."

  Soma gestured wildly at the air.

  "I'M NOT TALKING TO AIR! HE'S RIGHT THERE!"

  Zero snorted. "Sure, buddy."

  Soma pointed acgly. "You're just jealous because your summons don't e with ghost chefs."

  Before Zero could respond, the front door of the café swung open with a loud bang.

  Erwin stood in the dooranting heavily, his suit slightly disheveled from running.

  His sharp blue eyes locked onto Sebas.

  "Sebas. I need your help."

  Sebas immediately stood, straightening his jacket.

  "Uood. What is required, Young Master Erwin?"

  Erwin motioned for him to follow.

  "I'll expin on the way. Let's go."

  Sebas turned back toward Zero and Soma, bowing slightly.

  "Good night, Master Zero. Young Master Soma."

  He adjusted his gloves, then followed Erwin into the night.

  Zero called after them.

  "Good night. Happy hunting."

  The door clicked shut behind them.

  Soma crossed his arms, frowning.

  "…Hey. Why am I Young Master, but you're just 'Master'?"

  Zero smirked smugly.

  "Because I'm the main body, obviously."

  Soma rolled his eyes.

  "Ugh, hierarchy bullshit."

  Then—

  A faint chuckle echoed through the room.

  Soma's face darkened.

  He slowly turned back toward the empty space beside him.

  "What. Are. You. Laughing. At?"

  Zero raised an eyebrow.

  "…Soma, are you talking to the air again?"

  Soma pointed aggressively at nothing.

  "No, I'm talking to him."

  Zero sighed, shaking his head as he headed upstairs.

  "Right. Well. Have fun arguing with your imaginary friend."

  Soma threw his arms in the air.

  "I HATE YOU BOTH."

  …

  Sebas and Erwin rushed through the empty streets of Pi, the moon casting long shadows over the cobblestone roads.

  Erwihe way, his mind rag through everything he had uncovered just hours before.

  "Listen up, Sebas. Several ho…"

  …

  It had started as a routine iigation.

  Erwin had been watg the gang's movements, keeping track of who collected money and who answered to who.

  The lucky.

  A cargo shipment had arrived.

  The driver—clearly new—was lost.

  He had stupidly asked for dires to the main base, revealing the locatiht in front of Erwin.

  'Perfect.'

  Disguised in Background Character form, Erwin had blended into the crowd, memorizing every word of the versation.

  Then, things took a turn.

  As he approached the main base, a rundown abandoned factory, he spotted Mandy.

  'Tied up. Beaten. Held hostage.'

  And that wasn't the worst of it.

  'They po use her as ransom to force her husband int traffig.'

  Erwin had gritted his teeth.

  If Mandy's husba refusing, they would kill her.

  He had analyzed his surroundings, looking for weaknesses.

  But the guards were tighter than usual.

  That meant only ohing.

  'Something had gone wrong for the gang.Their other bases must've been raided.Their boss—or at least a high-ranking lieutenant—was here.'

  Erwin had felt fident in his own abilities, but the sheer number of men inside meant ohing—

  If he rushed in alone, he would fail.

  And with a hostage involved, failure meah.

  So he had chosen the smartest option.

  He had retreated.

  …

  As Erwin finished expining, he and Sebas skidded to a stop on a rooftop overlooking the abandoned factory.

  Sebas listened carefully, then nodded once.

  "That is troubling, Young Master Erwin."

  Erwin took a breath.

  "That's why I need you to not hold back. At least—not until we secure the hostage."

  Sebas pced a hand over his chest, bowing slightly.

  "Uood, Young Master."

  Erwin narrowed his eyes. "And no killing. If we do, we'll attrauch attention."

  Sebas smiled faintly.

  "As you wish."

  Erwin poioward the factory below.

  "That's the pce."

  Sebas scoffed.

  "An abandoned factory? How cliché."

  Then—he vanished.

  A blur of movement. A fsh of silver.

  Erwin barely had time to process before—

  Thud. Thud. Thud.

  One by ohe guards colpsed.

  By the time Erwin blinked, Sebas had already secured the entire perimeter.

  Erwin stared.

  "…Holy shit. What kind of butler did we summon?"

  By the time Erwin reached the factory's entrance, Sebas was already waiting for him.

  Behind him—

  A pile of unscious guards, ly tied up.

  Erwin blinked.

  "…Where the hell did you get rope?"

  Sebas adjusted his gloves.

  "A good butler is alrepared."

  Erwin shook his head.

  "…Okay. New priority. My job is getting Mandy out. Your job is keeping me unseen and unheard."

  Sebas smiled.

  "sider it done, Young Master."

  Ihe factory was dimly lit, the air thick with the stench of chemicals and sweat.

  Mandy sat tied to a chair in the er, unscious.

  A guard stood beside her, arms crossed.

  He barely had time to react before—

  A flicker of movement.

  Then—darkness.

  Sebas reappeared beside Mandy, having khe guard out without a sound.

  He cut the ropes in a single swift motion.

  Erwin exhaled.

  "Let me take her. Make sure no one sees us."

  Sebas nodded.

  Then—one by ohe guards colpsed.

  Erwin ran through the factory, Mandy slung over his shoulder.

  Each step he took—Sebas cleared the path ahead.

  Guards left, guards right—all knocked unscious before they could eve.

  By the time Erwin stepped outside the factory's perimeter, they were clear.

  Mandy was still out cold, but alive.

  Erwin exhaled in relief.

  "I'll take her to the hospital. You go back if you want."

  Sebas adjusted his cuffs.

  "Allow me to finish what we started, Young Master."

  Erwin raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

  Sebas' eyes glowed with a quiet iy.

  "I will deal with the man who dared attack Café Lebnc."

  Erwin nodded slowly.

  "…Fine. Just don't kill him. We don't hat kind of attention."

  Sebas bowed.

  "Of course."

  As Erwin disappeared into the city, Sebas turned back toward the factory.

  His eyes gleamed.

  "Time to take trol of these grunts."

  …

  Ihe abandoned factory, deep within its heavily guarded walls, the gang boss sat in a dimly lit room.

  His fiapped rhythmically against the wooden table, his gs gleaming uhe ntern light.

  Tension g to the air.

  His lieutenants—his most trusted men and women—stood guarding him, ons ready.

  Despite the powerful presence of his enforcers, the boss aranoid.

  He had stayed ht in the base, unwilling to return home.

  'He knew.'

  The police were moving too fast, too effitly.

  His house? Could be raided at any time.

  So instead of risking his personal mansion, he dragged every anding officer here, reinf the factory like a fortress.

  At least here, he was surrounded by men who would die for him.

  'Or so he thought.'

  A ma before him, fnked by two guards.

  The lieutenant bowed his head, speaking with a smug fidence.

  "Sir, we've secured another mert for transport."

  The boss's sharp eyes flickered toward him.

  "Good. So he finally agreed?"

  The kneeling maated.

  "Not… exactly."

  The boss narrowed his gaze.

  "Expin."

  The lieutenant gulped.

  "He still refuses. He insists on only paying for security prote."

  The boss's jaw ched.

  This again.

  Too many merts were resisting.

  "Then why are you here wasting my time?"

  "Because, sir…" The lieutenant smiled darkly.

  "We took his wife."

  The boss's expression finally shifted.

  A smirk stretched across his lips.

  "Good."

  "With her as leverage, he won't have a choice."

  His ugh echoed through the room, a deep and satisfied sound.

  Then—

  Something ged.

  The air shifted.

  Outside, the stant background noise of guards talking, walking, and patrolling…

  Vanished.

  The boss noticed immediately.

  His smirk faded.

  His ears strained.

  'Why is it so quiet?'

  His lieutenants tensed, hands drifting toward their ons.

  Then—

  Footsteps.

  Slow. Measured.

  A man in a butler's uniform stepped casually into the room, brushing invisible dust from his pristine white gloves.

  He looked around, sing the faces of the gang's top brass before his golden eyes nded on the boss himself.

  Then, he smiled.

  "Oh my…"

  His voice was soft, polite, refined.

  Yet every sylble dripped with quiet malice.

  "It seems I've finally found the ant queen of this little anthill."

  The boss froze.

  'Who the hell is this?'

  Sebas' gaze flickered around the room, casually sing each perso.

  Then—his eyes nded on one particur man.

  The one who had attacked Café Lebnc.

  'Found you.'

  Without warning—

  Sebas moved.

  A blur of motion.

  Before anyone could react—

  CRASH.

  The attacker's head smmed into the floor.

  The entire room jolted in shock.

  The lieutenants, the guards, even the boss himself—

  Too stuo move.

  Sebas, still gripping the man's head against the cold floor, let out a small sigh.

  "Oh dear."

  His tone was calm, versational, as if he were discussing the weather.

  "It seems I've made a mistake."

  He lifted the man's semi-scious face, tilting it slightly.

  "I should've smmed you into a ter first."

  His golden eyes glowed.

  "Just like you did to my Master."

  The ma out a choked gasp, barely registering what was happening.

  The rest of the gang?

  Still frozen.

  Still too scared to react.

  Then—

  Sebas released a pulse of energy.

  A wave of pure intimidation.

  All at once—

  The lieutenants, the guards, the boss himself—

  Colpsed.

  Their minds shut down, bodies dropping like lifeless dolls.

  Sebas exhaled, l his hand.

  The room was now dead silent.

  Except—

  For the one man still scious.

  The attacker.

  Sebas crouched down beside him, his calm smile never fading.

  "Now, young man… what is your name?"

  The man's lips trembled.

  His entire body shook.

  His voice came out as a pleading whimper.

  "P-please… I-I d-didn't know…"

  Sebas tilted his head.

  "Oh, I uand. You were simply following orders, weren't you?"

  The man nodded frantically.

  Sebas gave him a gentle smile.

  "It's quite alright. Here, let me heal you."

  A warm glow surrouhe man's swollen face, healing his injuries.

  The ma out a relieved breath.

  "T-thank you…"

  Sebas gently patted his cheek.

  Then, with zero hesitation—

  He grabbed the man's head again.

  And—

  BAM.

  Smmed it into the table.

  The wood cracked.

  Blood spttered.

  The ma out a painful scream.

  Sebas smiled.

  "That's two."

  The man's gasping breaths quied.

  Sebas' grip tightened.

  "You smmed my Master's head twice against a ter, yes?"

  The man choked on his owh.

  Sebas leaned in, voice softer than ever.

  "I will return the favor…"

  The man's eyes widened in horror.

  "Two huimes."

  Sebas smiled.

  "So don't die on me. I always heal you again until we get there."

  The ma out a terrified shriek.

  Sebas smmed his head again.

  BAM.

  The boss, still unscious, remained oblivious.

  The other lieutenants? Still out cold.

  But for the one unfortunate man—

  It was going to be a very long night.