Tsukauchi hummed thoughtfully at my answer.

"...sometimes."

He didn't sound like he believed that understatement.

Sansa, on the other hand, was far too focused on his breakfast to question it.

The man ate like someone who had been personally betrayed by food shortages.

I took another bite of my eggs.

Quiet settled between us for a moment.

Then Tsukauchi glanced toward the corner of the café.

The one where I usually sat.

The small table near the wall.

"...so," he said casually, "you eat over there every day?"

I followed his gaze.

"...yeah."

Sansa looked up mid-bite.

"By yourself?"

"Yes."

He frowned slightly.

"That sounds lonely."

I shrugged and took a sip of coffee.

"Not really."

Tsukauchi leaned back slightly in his chair.

"You said you run the café alone."

"Yes."

"And you eat alone too."

"Yes."

"...every day?"

I thought about it for a second.

"...pretty much."

Sansa blinked.

"Even during business hours?"

I gestured vaguely around the café.

"Well..."

I paused.

"...that depends."

Tsukauchi tilted his head.

"On what?"

I tapped my fork lightly against my plate.

"Customers."

Sansa nodded.

"Right."

Then he looked around again.

The café was still empty.

The morning sun came through the windows, lighting the quiet tables.

No one at the door.

No one walking in.

"...so when do people usually show up?" he asked.

"Around four or five."

Both men paused.

"...in the evening?" Tsukauchi asked.

"Yes."

Sansa slowly lowered his fork.

"...so until then..."

I finished the sentence casually.

"There isn't much going on."

They stared at me.

The café was silent except for the faint hum of the coffee machine.

Tsukauchi glanced at the door again.

"...none in the morning?"

"No."

"Lunch?"

"No."

"Afternoon?"

"Not really."

Sansa leaned back slowly.

"...that's weird."

I shrugged again.

"Weekdays are slow."

"Slow?" Tsukauchi repeated.

"Yes."

Sansa pointed around the empty café.

"This is beyond slow."

I stabbed another piece of egg with my fork.

"Well."

I chewed thoughtfully.

"Sometimes weekends are different."

Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow.

"Different how?"

"Sometimes people come earlier."

"Like... noon?"

"Three."

Silence.

Sansa stared at me.

"...three."

"Yes."

He rubbed his face slowly.

"That is the strangest café schedule I've ever heard."

I shrugged.

"It works."

Technically.

Tsukauchi looked thoughtful again.

His eyes drifted around the café.

The windows.

The street outside.

The quiet neighborhood.

"...strange location for an evening café," he murmured.

I finished my coffee.

"It's peaceful."

Which was technically true.

At least until the villains arrived.

But they didn't need to know that part.

Probably best for everyone involved.

Sansa leaned back in his chair after finishing the last bite of his eggs, looking significantly more alive than when he'd walked in.

Food did miracles apparently.

Tsukauchi folded his hands around his coffee cup, still thinking.

I could practically hear the gears turning in his head.

Then he looked at Sansa.

Sansa looked back.

They shared one of those silent conversations people who worked together too long seemed to have.

"...what?" I asked.

Tsukauchi pointed his cup at me.

"Question."

"...okay."

"You serve breakfast until ten."

"Yes."

"And you said you also have lunch?"

"Yes."

"What kind?"

"Nothing fancy."

I gestured toward the small menu board again.

"Sandwiches."

"Soup."

"Simple stuff."

"Sometimes pasta."

Sansa's eyes lit up again.

"...pasta?"

"Sometimes."

He looked at Tsukauchi.

Tsukauchi looked back at him.

Another silent conversation.

Then Tsukauchi turned back to me.

"You know what?"

I had a feeling I was about to regret whatever came next.

"What."

He set his coffee down.

"Our police station isn't far from here."

I blinked.

"...okay."

Sansa leaned forward enthusiastically.

"And we have a lot of breakfast groups."

"...groups."

"Night shift ending."

"Morning shift starting."

"Detectives who forget to eat."

Tsukauchi nodded.

"Very common."

Sansa pointed around the café again.

"You have space."

"Yes."

"You make good coffee."

"Thank you."

"You make great breakfast."

I nodded once.

Tsukauchi leaned forward slightly.

"...so we're thinking."

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

"That's dangerous."

He smiled faintly.

"We could start bringing people here."

I blinked.

"...people."

"From the station."

"Police officers."

Sansa nodded enthusiastically.

"For breakfast."

"And lunch," Tsukauchi added.

My brain took a second to process that.

Police.

Groups.

Regularly.

In this café.

The same café where villains planned crimes over cake every evening.

Ah.

Fantastic.

Sansa kept going.

"Our station has a lot of teams."

"Patrol."

"Detectives."

"Support staff."

"And everyone needs food."

Tsukauchi added calmly, "Especially people coming off night shifts."

I stared at them.

"You want to bring police officers here."

"Yes."

"For breakfast."

"Yes."

"And lunch."

"Yes."

I slowly leaned back in my chair.

"...that's a lot of police."

Sansa grinned.

"Great customers though."

Tsukauchi nodded.

"We pay."

That was fair.

Very fair.

And technically...

I had wanted normal customers.

Right?

Normal customers.

Normal breakfast crowd.

Normal lunch rush.

I rubbed the back of my neck slowly.

"...you know what."

They both waited.

"...sure."

Both men lit up immediately.

"Great!" Sansa said.

Tsukauchi smiled slightly.

"We'll spread the word."

Oh.

Good.

Word spreading.

Wonderful.

I took a sip of my coffee.

"...how many people are we talking about."

Sansa thought for a second.

"...depends on the day."

"That's not reassuring."

Tsukauchi shrugged slightly.

"Maybe five."

"Maybe ten."

"Sometimes more."

I stared at them.

Then I looked around my café.

My very quiet café.

My extremely villain-populated evening café.

"...this is going to be interesting."

Sansa grinned.

"Don't worry."

Tsukauchi stood up and picked up the empty plates.

"We're very polite customers."

I believed that.

The villains were too.

The problem was when both groups eventually existed in the same place.

I stood up and collected the dishes.

"...yeah."

Interesting.

That was definitely the word for it.