"what am I looking at here?" Special Investigator Itsuki Marude asks, gazing at a world map in the CCG's command center. Red dots scatter the surface of Japan, pulsating readily. Looking across to other countries, Marude sees that Germany and China are beset with red dots, along with the United Kingdom.
"These are known ghoul hotspots, Special Investigator," replies Doctor Kouitsu Chigyou , head of Ghoul Identification Operations. Marude has never taken to him or his team. They're nothing but nerds that lounge at their desks and tap a few keys while the real investigators risk their lives. Brushing his black curtains off his face, Marude sighs impatiently.
"I can see that, Chigyou. What I don't see is why you've dragged me down here to look at something the students are taught at the academy."
"Well, we have had an interesting development," the doctor replies "do you remember the case of Yaku Tamashi, dubbed the 'spontaneous ghoul'?"
"Of course I do. That was a major occurrence. The poor man's body randomly generated Rc cells. It turned him into a ghoul in a matter of seconds. What does a two-year-old case have to do with my lunch hour?"
Chigyou opens his mouth to respond but is cut off by another voice from behind the two men. The Special Investigator turns to find a young scientist, her name escapes him, scrambling through the door.
"Sorry I'm late, Doctor Chigyou," she pants in a voice so delicate it sounded like it would shatter under pressure. "I completely lost track of time."
"that's quite alright, Midare." The doctor replies, still smiling "allow me to introduce you to Special Investigator Itskui Marude. He's taken time out of his busy schedule to see what we've found."
The girl, Midare, runs up to Marude and grasps his hand, pumping it up and down frantically.
"Wow! A real life Special Investigator! How exciting!" She gushes, her pale face turning slightly red. "I'm Investigator Rank Two Midare Katsura. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Marude, slightly taken aback by her forwardness, simply smiles and continues to shake. "Um... thanks. Now, Doctor Chigyou was telling me about this new case you've found."
"Ah, yes!" Katsura says, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "well, it isn't really a new case at all, but a repeat of an old one."
She skips over to a computer and begins typing, her slender fingers flying over the keys. In no time at all, the map has zoomed in on Japan, then on Tokyo itself. At the click of a key, the thousands of pulsing red dots disappear, replaced by only one blue dot, still heavily pulsating.
"This was the Rc signature of Yaku Tamashi when we picked it up two years ago. As you can see, it was completely different from any ghoul, half-ghoul or kakuja signature. Those three types follow a similar pattern so are easy to track, but the spontaneous ghoul housed a wildly different one."
"This still doesn't explain why you need me here." Marude says, still confused and lightly irritated by the scientists dancing around the point.
"Well, we were going to call for Chairman Washuu, but he was unavailable, so we decided on you instead." Chigyou smiles innocently.
"Riiiiight..." Marude growls, vexed at being downplayed, as usual, by that stuffed shirt Washuu "so get to the point already."
"Of course, sir," Katsura says, giving a salute. She then lowers her hand, looking thoroughly embarrassed. Moving swiftly on, the continues her lecture.
"We've made a worrying find in a routine global scan." Her fingers again begin to fly over the keyboard and the display zooms back out to a global view. Marude can still see the blue dot in Tokyo, but now it is joined by others- five blue dots sit over England, pulsing smugly right next to each other. Marude's eyes widen at the sight.
"T-There are more of them?" He stammers. "W-Who?"
"That's just it sir. We don't know yet" Katsura explains, still calm, even cheerful. It annoys him.
"Fine." He grunts "Keep on alert and notify me as soon as we know who these spontaneous ghouls are."
"Of course, Special Investigator" Chigyou confirms with a salute. Marude responds with something unintelligible about a meeting and walks out, slamming the door behind him.
"Strange... He seemed a little more uptight than usual," the doctor observes, still hearing the Special Investigator's booming footsteps down the hall. "he must be under a lot of stress."
"Haha. Aren't we all?" Katsura laughs "Can I be dismissed now, sir? I have to meet some friends." She flashes him a startling smile, showing all of her pearl-white teeth.
"Of course, Midare! I was about to head home anyway. I think the minions have everything covered for today. Have fun with your friends!" The Rank Two bows and rushes out, her black hair billowing behind her.
"That girl," Chigyou wonders "must have some important friends to rush off like that.
Katsura curses as her petite loafer steps on a glass bottle and crushes it, getting shards in the fabric. She pulls them out, majorly agitated. Why did they have to choose such horrid spots, like this warehouse, to meet?
She spies a figure in the rafters, crouching and staring intently at her.
"You'd better be paying for this!" She says, holding up the pierced shoe. "I loved these!"
"It's your own fault," Rabbit replies, dropping to the ground with unnerving silence. "Now, what's the status on the spontaneous ghouls?"
"I had to tell Marude, the old doctor insisted we tell somebody high up, but of course I held some things back."
"Like?"
"Like the names. The CCG thinks the names of these five new ghouls are unknown, but they're actually easy to find."
She sees no change from behind Rabbit's mask, no movement of his scruffy purple hair. He simply pulls his parka jacket closer to his body.
"Well? You scientists always take so long to get to the point. What are the names?"
Katsura produces a tablet from the folds of her windbreaker coat. With a few frantic taps, five images appear on the screen. A small noise comes from rabbit, possibly one of surprise.
"T-These are kids." He says, zooming in on each in turn. "We're gonna kidnap children?"
"Is that a problem?" Katsura asks, calmly inspecting her nails. "I thought you were going to any means to get these ghouls."
Scared of being made out as a coward, Rabbit straightens up, puffing out his chest slightly.
"Yeah. Of course we will." He says, and takes the tablet "what are their names?"
Katsura walks up next to him, pointing to each picture in turn.
"This blonde guy is Daniel Bernard Powell, fifteen years old. The tall girl is Alice Mcluggage, also fifteen. This guy with the black hair is Mason Canny, fifteen again. The girl with the long curly hair is Georgia Watson, fifteen and the chubby guy is Oliver Underhill, once again fifteen. They all attend the same school, which is interesting."
Nodding, Rabbit gives the tablet back to Katsura. "Make sure this gets to the rest of the Tree," he says and she nods. "You make a fine mole, Katsura. Perhaps you'll be part of Aogiri's inner circle someday."
"Thank you rabbit." She responds "I presume the inner circle is going to Manchester?"
"Naturally. We have to get these ghouls." Rabbit confirms, and with a swoop of his coat, he vanishes.