“And what would Kami no Ha want with us?” Liu Xiaokai asked. “We aren’t connected with the List anymore. It’s destroyed.”

“Oh, so you do know who we are.” Khun dropped one elbow onto Daichi’s shoulder and leaned into him. “I was worried I would have to explain.”

“Then you can leave us alone.”

“No, that doesn’t change anything. I still want to talk to you.”

Liu Xiaokai seemed to be considering it. He glanced at his companion, who still had not taken his weary gaze off Khun and Daichi, and rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he said. “But I want food as well.”

Again, that made Khun smile. He already liked Liu Xiaokai. “Of course. Follow us.”

They took the two men to their best room, which was usually empty for Kami no Ha business. Liu Xiaokai’s companion’s name was Zhang Weiran, and if he was cautions when Daichi and Khun first approached him, he was even more cautious now that he knew they were Kami no Ha.

“So.” Daichi leaned back in his seat as they all ordered their drinks. “Where is your older brother on this fine evening?”

“Working, but he said he’d join us later. Why, did you get attached?”

“You’re a lot more entertaining to talk to than your brother, you know that?”

“I’m well aware, actually.” Liu Xiaokai tilted his cup toward Khun. “What about you? Could you entertain me?”

“Xiaokai.” Zhang Weiran elbowed Liu Xiaokai in the ribs. Liu Xiaokai laughed at him. He had a beautiful, bright smile, Khun thought.

“What? I’m just trying to get to know our hosts.” Liu Xiaokai picked up his glass and sniffed at it a few times. “So, Dr. Khun. What kind of business does Kami no Ha have here? I didn’t think your territory extended this far.”

A few things here: firstly, Liu Xiaokai called him “Dr. Khun,” which meant he’d done his research. That was mildly alarming, since most people still didn’t know anything about Khun. Secondly, he was aware of the territorial boundaries of Kami no Ha—this was a pretty recent expansion, after all. Thirdly, it was very likely Liu Xiaokai had come here because he was under the impression that it wasn’t Kami no Ha territory, and now was feeling a little tricked.

He went for a casual answer, matching Liu Xiaokai’s energy. “Oh, you must know how it is after working in business for so long. Once business starts booming, you have to make room for all the people flooding in. You and your brother—and you, Zhang Weiran, I’m assuming—took down everyone higher up in the List, but everyone who worked under those people who were arrested…where do you think they went?”

“Ah…so you’re saying the List wasn’t destroyed. It was just absorbed.”