On her fourth day working at the hostess club "Stone Bridge," things were going smoothly for Kanata. The job involved no heavy labor—any physical tasks were handled by male staff—and she never had to haul supplies to or from the warehouse.

Her schedule stayed flexible. Ingredients arrived via delivery, sparing her the need to shop publicly at the market. Guest tips varied, but this life felt far more comfortable than serving in that damn Imperial Guard, with no bullying to endure.

The girls at the club were generally kind. Sharing similar hardships, they didn’t undermine one another. After the previous chef—whose cooking left much to be desired—was dismissed by Miss Wang, everyone had survived on cold bento boxes. Hot meals had become a distant memory.

Now, Kanata had become indispensable.

"Say," Miss Wang murmured before dinner, tasting each dish discreetly. "Who taught you to cook? You're young, yet your skills are impressive." Though experienced in many ways, cooking wasn’t her forte—and most girls here felt the same.

"I learned from my father," Kanata replied, stir-frying vegetables in the wok with practiced ease. "He was a wonderful cook, but always busy. Once I was older, I started cooking daily for my little sister and him. At first? Terrible. I kept burning everything. But I improved."

Steam rose as raw ingredients transformed, filling the kitchen with an enticing aroma. Just a few dishes left. Another peaceful day.

Or so Kanata thought—until a girl yanked the kitchen curtain aside and burst in, flustered.

"Emergency... A woman arrived with a whole crew... surrounded the club... She looks really... intimidating. Says she’s here for Kanata Himemiya. Please—go see!" The girl’s voice trembled. Clearly shaken by the uninvited guest.

*Clatter!*

The spatula slipped from Kanata’s hand, nearly hitting her foot. *Alessia.* Of course. That woman loved grand entrances, flaunting her "superior" status just to show off—so tedious. Was she here to shatter Kanata’s fragile peace again? Not just hers… but everyone’s at Stone Bridge.

"I’ll handle it," Kanata said calmly. "Don’t speak. Don’t move. No matter what she does to me—pretend you saw nothing. Please. Or you’ll bring trouble on yourselves."

...

Only Kanata could face Alessia. Hiding would only make her lash out at innocents—and Kanata couldn’t live with that.

Honestly, Kabukicho had been kind. No one mocked, abused, or insulted her for being Masaki Himemiya’s daughter.

But had this half-week of quiet happiness already ended?

She sighed, untied her apron, hung it precisely where it belonged, washed her hands slowly—giving herself a quiet moment to steady her mind.

Alessia’s cruel smirk from their last encounter still haunted her. Fear coiled in her chest. Yet if she ran, others would pay the price.

"No… I’m not afraid of her… I’m not."

The only way to conquer fear was to face it head-on.