[color=ffbf69]“I’m Limen. No surname.”[/color] Seated at the very back, Limen couldn’t see what Da-Xia was typing. Using a mobile phone on a motorcycle was probably a traffic offence. Then again, so was riding without a helmet, and his barriers probably didn’t count. It wasn’t like he distrusted the hunter’s driving skills or anything, but… All the same, he held on to Hanako a little tighter. — The Japanese economy’s growth had already slowed to a crawl when Limen had set off for the Moon, but the yen must have suffered from some [i]terrible[/i] inflation in the past decades. These prices were absolutely mad! Main dishes started at four digits, and even the appetisers and drinks were still at a positively exploitative price. He had intended to pick a bowl of whatever was cheapest. Now it seemed that he would have to weigh which of Da-Xia’s purse and his stomach was of greater importance. She was a kind lady. But she seemed ‘nice’ in both the modern and the archaic senses of the word — the sort who would give whatever salary she had left (after deductions for gratuitous collateral damage) to any pitiful-looking fellow on the street, even with rent due in a week. It was that rare moral simplicity, a pure code of ethics without discrimination or self-deception. No exceptions; an absolute personal rule of law. She reminded Limen of some devils who would never compromise on their tenets, even if it meant the end of their existences. Those devils had always felt like automatons or forces of nature more so than sapient beings. For a human, it was an uncommon but respectable way to live. Maybe he was reading too much into things. Much like Hanako, and perhaps the vast majority of otherworldly creatures, Limen had not met such a friendly fellow among the Devil Hunters in many decades. Across all sorts of times and territories, this seemed like a constant policy among them: to shoot first and ask questions only if shooting didn’t work at first. And even then, such questioning sought but one ultimate answer — what methods were needed to kill this daemon? Da-Xia was paying for his food. She was different from the rest. [color=ffbf69]“I’ll have a bowl of kake udon.”[/color] Nothing extravagant. It would still make for a hefty bill on its lonesome. The restaurant’s service was good. Limen’s order arrived in no time, a piping hot bowl of thick noodles and broth with a simple seasoning of sliced scallions. Some would think it bare-bones, or as the critics and connoisseurs say nowadays, ‘minimalist’. Either way, it was hearty warmth in the heartless cold, and that was all he needed. He dug in. A full day’s worth of hunger was at once satisfied by the heat of the soup and the soft texture of the noodles. It was better than a kotatsu in winter. Hanako was pointing finger guns at Da-Xia. [color=ffbf69][i]Slurp. [/i][/color]Wasn’t that a threatening gesture? …apparently not. It would seem that it had taken on a playful meaning as of late. Too bad she’d been turned down. [color=ffbf69]“This body of mine’s perfectly edible too. I promise you, it’s one hundred per cent authentic human flesh and blood. Made it myself.”[/color] He extended a hand in offering. [color=ffbf69]“I reckon I’m your senior, after all. Can’t have a kouhai like you starving.”[/color] Now he’d laid his chopsticks to rest on the rim of his bowl, freeing up his other hand. There was this scene that had been on the screens in Akihabara, part of some sort of promotional video. He had seen it played a whole bunch of times; enough times to imitate it by heart. A cutesy head-tilt and a coquettish finger on his chin. It was body language totally unsuitable for what Limen was about to say. [color=ffbf69]“Would you like plasma? Lymph? Or perhaps… C・S・F ?”[/color] Well, that was embarrassing. The offer still stood, though. [color=ffbf69]“By the way. Da-Xia — earlier, in the warehouse, you said you heard the yuurei speak, right? I didn’t hear that, but I [i]did[/i] hear some kind of strange music.”[/color] He looked over to the motorcycle where he had stashed his backpack, rocks included. [color=ffbf69]“I thought taking some of those black rocks would stop it, but apparently not. I still hear the music even now.”[/color] Limen pointed vaguely in the direction of the ‘happenstance’ bar. [color=ffbf69]“It’s been pulling me towards someplace over that way. Either of you want to have a gander?”[/color]