Late at night, the silence of the small shop was broken by the voice of Touma Kazusa, no, Arcueid.
"Haruki, I've finished washing the dishes—ah, you're daydreaming again."
"Don't disturb him, he's not daydreaming."
Another voice sounded, belonging to the third person in the shop, or more accurately, a spirit. It was Justeaze, the legitimate lover who had come from Fuyuki City out of concern for Shinji.
Both Shinji and Arcueid had changed their names and disguised themselves. Justeaze was no exception; she placed her physical body in the small world created by Arcueid and accompanied Shinji in spiritual form. When the shop was empty, she would materialize to help with cleaning and sometimes even take care of the shop in Shinji's stead, also under a disguise and a new name.
Yes, she was the last member of the White Album Trio, Kitahara Haruki's legitimate lover—Setsuna Ogiso.
Shinji intended to fully embrace the White Album theme... of course, as for the relationship drama, that wasn't possible. Justeaze and Arcueid were both immortals, and their views on love were different from humans.
During the New Year period, the household was a constant scene of dramatic conflicts. Justeaze always observed quietly, never getting involved, and would gently console the losers.
Arcueid, after the harem ending of the Tsukihime Ciel route, publicly declared her acceptance of a harem, stating, "I don't mind if you have other lovers, as long as you love me."
Here, there were no conflicts between Kazusa and Setsuna; they got along very well.
"What is he doing?"
Touma asked.
"Listening to the symphony of souls," Setsuna replied.
"I don't understand," Touma shook her head.
"Improving the Third Magic," Setsuna rephrased.
"Got it," Touma pointed towards the curtain at the door.
"But there are customers outside..."
"At this hour?"
Setsuna wrinkled her high nose and then quickly dispersed her physical form.
"Next time, tell me sooner."
"Well, you didn't ask," Touma muttered softly. "Hey, Haruki, there are customers."
"Huh? At this hour?"
Kitahara Haruki, or rather Matou Shinji, had the same surprised expression as Justeaze.
It was understandable. The restaurant industry had specific time segments. Even a late-night diner had peak and low periods. Peak time was generally from half an hour after opening until one in the morning. After that until five in the morning was relatively quiet, sometimes with no customers for an hour. Justeaze usually took care of the shop during this period, while Shinji and Arcueid would clear fictional world instances.
Initially, Arcueid was against Shinji opening a shop because it was boring and severely cut into their time exploring fictional worlds. However, when Shinji said it helped perfect the Third Magic, she reluctantly tolerated it. The princess had become more understanding, perhaps influenced by Sakura and Fujino, who were exceptionally good girls.
Justeaze entered spirit form, and Shinji casually wiped the counter, just sitting and waiting. This mode of not needing to greet customers, just taking simple orders, and letting them eat was a key reason why he chose a late-night diner—easy and effortless.
"So this is the Grievance Pavilion those punks talked about. Not impressive."
The voice outside the curtain sounded like an adult woman, not very old, with an energy and vigor that was incongruent with the quiet late-night street.
From her words, it was clear she was a new customer who had come based on a recommendation. Late-night diners didn't make it onto any media, relying purely on word-of-mouth. The recommendation seemed to come from a yakuza member. Could she be a woman involved with the yakuza?
As Shinji irresponsibly speculated, he looked at the last few bottles of hidden liquor under the counter. The small bottles of cheap wine and vodka he had bought were mostly consumed by those yakuza members. He wasn't sure if they genuinely liked the strong liquor or were just showing off.
He hoped this woman could drink enough to clear out the inventory so he could bring in new stock. What should he get next? Cheap sweetened wine? Homemade rice wine from the local vendors? Maybe a bit of both?
While he pondered, the curtain lifted, and a woman matching the voice's impression walked in.
Shinji glanced at her casually, his hands on the counter suddenly trembling, the cloth in his hand quietly slipping away.
Long black hair reached past her waist, swaying slightly with her steps, and she carried a brown suitcase, seemingly just back from a trip. But these weren't the reasons for Shinji's near lapse. What truly shook him was her face—a familiar yet unfamiliar face.
The familiarity came from Aozaki Touko; the woman's features, including her eyebrows and nose, were very similar to Touko's. The unfamiliarity came from her eyes, a pair of blue eyes, clear and bright like a sky washed by rain.
It's her!!!
Shinji harbored a secret about the Grievance Pavilion.
The name Grievance Pavilion wasn't Shinji's original creation; it came from a fan-made manga he had read in a previous life, which also bore the same name.
The four rules of the shop were also derived from the manga. Originally, he couldn't remember them clearly, but somehow, when he decided to name the shop Grievance Pavilion, the vague memories inexplicably became clear. Perhaps this was fate.
To be fair, that single-chapter manga wasn't particularly well-drawn, nor was the plot especially remarkable. Despite this, Shinji never forgot it because of the author's heartfelt wish embedded in the story.
The manga's story was simple: the Aozaki sisters, Touko and Aoko, accidentally met at the Grievance Pavilion. Under the deliberate guidance of the shop owner, they mocked and complained about each other, almost coming to blows, but ultimately reconciled.
Like the author, who went by the pen name Werewolf, Shinji also hoped that these two equally talented and divinely favored legendary sisters could make amends. He knew very well that their relationship wasn't as bad as they described it. They always cared about each other. What they lacked was an opportunity—a chance for two equally proud, equally stubborn women to open their hearts.
Shinji hoped to create such an opportunity. So, when he decided to open a late-night diner, the name Grievance Pavilion naturally came to mind. He hoped that, like in the fan-made manga, one day the sisters would meet unexpectedly, speak openly, and restore the closeness they had in their girlhood.
Because they were sisters, true sisters born of the same parents. Although too many accidents and trials had brought things to this point, there was no need for it to be this way between them.
Touko had mentioned more than once that watching Shinji interact with Sakura reminded her of herself before she left the Aozaki family.
Shinji had also thought more than once about helping her reclaim her former self, even if only for a moment.
So, even knowing it might upset his regular customers, even knowing it might affect his business, even knowing he couldn't seek out Aozaki Aoko, he still chose this name.
Longing is strength; emotions create miracles—perhaps this wish could indeed create a miracle.
Now, it seemed that the door to what could be called a miracle had opened just a crack.