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  ~~~~~

  A week had passed.

  The name Erwin Smith had spread like wildfire throughout Pi City.

  Ever since he cracked Mandy's case and, in the process, exposed one of the rgest drug dens, his reputation had skyrocketed.

  The blond-haired detective, with his calm eyes and sharp intellect, became the talk of the city.

  His photo—captured by a journalist—of him carrying Mandy out of the factory, his golden hair flowing in the night air, rinted in several neers and tabloids.

  "THE GOLDEN ANDER: PRIVATE DETECTIVE ERWIN SMITH SOLVES YET ANOTHER CASE IN RECORD TIME!"

  "WHO IS ERWIN SMITH? THE MYSTERIOUS IIGATOR WITH A 100% SUCCESS RATE!"

  "JUSTICE WITH GOLDEN HAIR—THE MAN BRINGING ORDER TO PI!"

  People loved a hero.

  And with each case he solved, his legend grew.

  Erwin took several more cases, solving them with an effiheard of in Pi.

  His decisiveness, his sharp dedus, his anding presence—all made him irresistible to ts seeking justice.

  His workload doubled. Then tripled. Yet, behind the charisma aation, only he, Zero, and Soma khe truth—

  That he was simply a e. A e created by an Archdemon, imbued with the abilities of a fial detective. And that secret was their greatest on.

  …

  Sebas, despite his refined preseill had no pce to go. Ever since Zero created him, he had been w where to embed himself. The best path for a butler like him—was through noble infiltration.

  But—

  Whioble house? It couldn't be too powerful—or they would be too cautious. It also couldn't be a fallen noble house, as they would have no influeo exploit.

  Thus, Sebas approached Erwin.

  One evening, as Erwin sat in Café Lebnc, reviewing his notes for another case, Sebas took a seat across from him. "Young Master Erwin, I have a request."

  Erwin gnced up from his paperwork. "What is it?"

  Sebas folded his hands elegantly. "I need you to iigate whioble house within the Kaldarion Kingdom would be ideal for infiltration."

  Erwin tilted his head. "You mean for yourself?"

  Sebas nodded.

  Erwin leaned back, tapping his pen oable. "That's a broad request. You wao iigate the entire ructure? That will take time."

  Sebas smiled slightly. "I have patience. But I would rather avoid the Duke's fa."

  Erwin's brows furrowed. "Duke Brenford? Why?"

  Sebas sighed, crossing one leg over the other. "Because he is a powerful figure in noble society. Someoh that mufluence will be too observant, too trolling. I need a house that is important—but not essential to the kingdom's politidscape."

  Erwin nodded slowly, taking notes. "Alright. I'll look into it."

  Sebas stood, bowing slightly. "I will duct my own resear the libraries as well. Let us see which of us finds the answer first."

  Erwin chuckled. "A petition, then? I like it."

  …

  While Erwin and Sebas focused on their respective goals, Café Lebnc had finally settled into a stable rhythm. The initial hype had faded slightly, but the drop in ers wasn't signifit. With their new m and evening-to-night shift system, they averaged between 400 to 550 Gacha Points daily.

  A solid ine.

  Meanwhile, Zero had finally expanded his es. He now had a total of five.

  Soma - His head chef, responsible for the café. (Sōma Yukihira, Remy)Erwin - The famous detective, making a name in Pi. (Erwin Smith, Edogawa, Background Character)Sebas - The butler, awaiting his noble infiltration mission. (Sebas Tian)Unnamed e #1 - Tasked with magical energy colle.Unnamed e #2 - Also colleg magical energy.

  For the first time—

  Zero truly felt like he was building something. His es had their owies, their own stories, their own roles.

  And now—

  It was time to roll the Gacha again. Zero stood at the café's register, his finger h over the s. Soma leaned on the ter, arms crossed, smirking. Sebas stood beside him, looking elegantly amused. Erwin, half-distracted, tinued flipping through his case a nearby table.

  Zero took a deep breath. "Alright, we've got enough points for two 11-pulls. Let's do this."

  He tapped the s twice. The mae whirred, and—instead of individual cards sliding out—two sealed packs appeared.

  On the front—

  A grinning Cecil, fshing a peace sign.

  Zero groaned. "Seriously? Cecil's on the packaging now?"

  Soma chuckled. "This really feels like opening a Pokémon pack. You ready for disappoi?"

  Zero rolled his eyes. "Shut up. My luck 't be bad."

  He tore open the first pack. The cards slid out one by one.

  10 Magical Energy10 Magical Energy10 Magical Energy10 Magical Energy10 Magical Energy10 Magical Energy10 Magical Energy10 Magical Energy10 Magical Energy10 Magical Energy

  Silence.

  Soma immediately burst into ughter. Sebas offered a sympathetiod. Erwin? Didn't even look up from his notes.

  Zero smmed his head on the ter. "Why. Why do I even try."

  Soma patted his back mogly. "Don't worry, boss. Maybe you'll get another Background Character card."

  Zero gred. Then, sighing, he held up the sed pad threw it toward Erwin. "Here. You open it."

  Erwin finally looked up, catg the pack with one hand. "Me?"

  Zero nodded. "Yeah. My luck is garbage. Maybe you'll ge it."

  Erwin exhaled. Theore the pack open. A golden glow immediately fshed. The room went silent.

  The first golden card slid onto the ter.

  "V - The Phantom Rebel"

  There was a moment of silehen—chaos.

  Soma practically lu the card. "NO FREAKING WAY!"

  Zero grabbed Erwin's shoulders, shaking him. "YOU PULLED V?! ACTUAL V?!"

  Sebas—even the ever-posed butler—tilted his head, intrigued. "A masked anarchist. Fasating."

  Soma read the description aloud. "A master of deception, disguise, and bat. Known for his theatrics, eloquence, and strategid."

  Zero grinned wide. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun."

  "Hold on—" Soma cut in. "Do we give this to the e now or do we just keep it for now?" They all turo look at Zero.

  Zero thought for a moment. Then smirked. "Let's hold onto it for now. I wanna think about this one."

  Erwin cleared his throat and flipped over the st golden card. The room fell silent again. The name on the card read:

  "Gojo Wakana - The Passionate Doll Artisan"

  Pause.

  Soma: "...who?"

  Zero blinked. "Gojo… Gojo Wakana?"

  Sebas narrowed his eyes. "The name Gojo suggests a powerful figure…"

  Soma quickly flipped the card over, sing the description. Then his expression dropped.

  "Wait. Hold on. This guy isn't a fighter at all."

  Sebas raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

  Soma read aloud. "A highly skilled artisan specializing in traditional Hina doll-making. Gifted in sewing, e design, and fashioe his timid nature, his dedication to his craft is unmatched."

  Zero, Sebas, and Erwin all stared.

  Sebas was the first to speak. "...He makes clothes?"

  Soma slowly looked up from the card. "...He makes clothes."

  Another long silence.

  Then—

  Sebas csped his hands together, smiling. "Excellent."

  Zero blinked. "Wait—what?"

  Sebas' smile widened. "A man talented in fashion design? With the right branding, we could start a treing fashion empire."

  Zero and Soma exged gnces.

  Soma muttered, "Did we just actally pull the world's greatest tailor?"

  Zero groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Not gonna lie… I was really hoping for a swordsman or something."

  Sebas, still posed, tapped his . "Don't uimate the influence of fashion. Nobles, aristocrats, and socialites all pete to wear the test styles. A tailor of extraordinary skill could infiltrate high society with ease."

  Zero raised an eyebrow. "You're seriously suggesting we use this guy… to start a fashion brand?"

  Sebas smiled. "Why not? Every business empire starts somewhere."

  Soma shook his head, ughing. "So let's summarize—"

  We pulled V, the most dramatid stylish terrorist ever.And we pulled Gojo Wakana, a high schooler who makes dresses.

  Zero rubbed his temples. "You know what? Screw it. We'll make it work. Like we always do"

  Erwin, having finished his role in all of this, picked up his case notes again. He smirked as he flipped a page. "I told you I'd have better luck."

  Zero poi him. "ime, you're pulling every Gacha for me."

  Soma grinned. "Alright, gentlemen. Now, let's get to work."

  …

  M sunlight spilled through the café windows, illuminating the bustling rush hour at Café Lebnc. The warm aroma of fresh coffee and sizzling breakfast filled the air. Zero and Soma moved in sync, serving ers, taking orders, and engaging in casual banter.

  At one of the tables, Sergeant Wolfe sat, casually cutting into his breakfast. Between bites, he muttered— "You know… you should add that pancake from yesterday to the fixed menu."

  Before Zero or Soma could respond—

  Another er chimed in. "No, no—add the pe with the quail eggs! That was the best!" A few others nodded in agreement, throwing in their own suggestions.

  Zero chuckled, pg a fresh cup of coffee on Wolfe's table. "I'd love to add a fixed menu, but our chef over here still has a mountain of recipes to gh."

  Soma, iping his hands on a kit towel, scoffed. "You know what? Fine." He crossed his arms, smirking at the crowd. "Tomorrow, I'll let you all vote on which breakfast dish should be permaly added to the menu."

  The guests cheered, ughing. "We finally cracked his stubborn ass!"

  Zero grinned, leaning against the ter. "He's finally giving the people what they want. Democracy, baby."

  Soma rolled his eyes, shaking his head with a smirk. "Yeah, yeah. Enjoy it while it sts."

  The café buzzed with ughter, the m rush carrying on with lighthearted energy.

  Upstairs—in the living quarters—two unnamed es sat in silent tration. Their job? Magical energy colle. It was a slow process, but necessary.

  The first e (let's call him One) suddenly jolted upright—his eyes widening. His entire body shivered for a brief moment.

  The sed e (Two) frowned.

  "Hey… did you feel that?" One asked, gng at him.

  Two, still calm, raised an eyebrow. "Feel what?"

  Oated, then pced a hand on his ow, as if trying to feel something deeper.

  Then—his expression ged. "Something's growing."

  Twhtened. "Really?"

  One nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Here—"

  He reached forward, toug Two's forehead—transferring the sensation. For a moment, Two sat still.

  Then—his eyes wideoo. "Oh… my."

  One grinned. "Right? You feel it too now, don't you?"

  Two leaned back, crossing his arms ihought. "I do. But don't push it yet. We don't know what kind of sequehis could have on the main body… or the other es."

  One sighed, but nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm just excited."

  They sat in silence for a moment, both processing what they had just felt. Then, after a brief pause—they resumed their magical energy colle. But now—with a new mystery unfolding.

  …

  The m rush was finally over. Café Lebnc's doors were locked and the kit ed—signaling their usual midday break. Soma stood by the stove, flipping ingredients in a pan, while Zero prepped the side dishes. The aroma of sizzling garlid butter filled the air.

  But—

  Zero raised an eyebrow, watg Soma. The chef was occasionally talking to the air.

  Again.

  "Gusteau still talking to you?" Zero asked, smirking.

  Soma let out a deep sigh, setting down his knife. "Yeah. He pops up whenever I'm cooking."

  Zero chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, at least he's useful."

  Soma poi thin air, clearly direg his words at the invisible spirit. "He said you're helpful. Doesn't mean you're not annoying."

  Zero simply ughed, turning back to the food. As they finished cooking, Soma called out— "Oi, es! Food's ready!"

  The two unnamed es appeared from the living quarters upstairs, taking their seats at the dining table. A simple lunch spread ced before them—steaming rice, grilled meat, and fresh vegetables.

  Zero, Soma, and the es dug iing in fortable silence.

  Then—

  One of the unnamed es–One–paused mid-bite. He g Zero. "Hey, Boss. I o tell you something."

  Zero, still chewing, raised a brow. "Yeah?"

  Oated for a moment, then leaned forward. "It's easier if I just show you."

  Then—

  Without waiting for permission, he pressed his forehead against Zero's.

  Instantly—

  A wave of unfamiliar sensations flooded Zero's mind. A tingling energy coiled deep within him—something dormant, yet undeniably powerful. It wasn't just magical energy. It wasn't just his usual abilities. It was something else entirely.

  As the informatioled, One pulled back. Zero sat there, staring into space for a sed, processing what he had just felt.

  Soma—now curious—leaned forward. "Alright, what is it?"

  Zero finally exhaled, rubbing his temples. Then—he grinned. "I think… this is another racial power of our Archdemon lineage."

  Soma's eyes widehe two es looked at each other.

  A new power… And this was just the beginning.