Once again, we are encouraging you to contact the CCG Headquarters hotline on this number, any confirmed information regarding the whereabouts of Special Wanted Criminal HS and his accomplices will be rewarded.
The screen shows a picture of Sasaki Haise and Hirako Take along with CCG's hotline number. That broadcast is attached to the end of every news program these days.
"Akira-san, you are awa—" He abruptly stopped speaking when he notice the overhead TV screen.
"What does this mean?" Akira Mado put down the remote in her hand, her brows knitted in a deep frown, her hand was shaking with anger. "You betrayed the CCG? You betrayed us?" She grabbed a knife on the counter that has just been used to cut up her sandwich by a female waiter, Touka, the waiter, tried to stop her, but Akira's hand are faster.
"You bastard!" She charged at him with genuine murderous intention.
Kaneki Ken, perplexed by this sudden turn of event obviously did not expect this. "Akira-san I can ex—"
"Shut your mouth!" She swung the knife at his neck.
It can't hurt him, of course, he reminded himself of the pathetic attempt to cut open his own stomach many years ago, but Kaneki didn't want to hurt Akira, so he just tried to grab her and take the knife away. Akira ducked and she thrust the knife into his stomach. Kaneki forgot that she is a CCG investigator that fully qualifies to be front line fighters, he curses under his breath, she thrust it with enough power to make the knife snap in half on impact.
Ignoring this, Akira skillfully reverse her grip on the knife, using the blunt edge of its handle to hit Kaneki's temple and delivers a kick to lower abdomen that knocks him back against a table. "Akira-san, please—"
Touka only watched in silence and sighed as one of the vase fell down and shatter. At least she haven't open the café, otherwise things will be much more complicated.
The backdoor opens, one of the Squad 0 member pop up his head to see what the commotion is about, his eyes widened when he saw Akira.
"Take-san! I think we might need you here!" He called out.
"How could you do this?!" Akira discarded the knife to the side after it made her hand bleed, turning it into a fist and hitting Kaneki's face.
"Akira-san you are hurting yourself!" Kaneki winced when he speak, he thought that last hit somehow dislocated his jaw, that's the Mado Punch for you.
One of the member of Squad 0 that called Hirako stood behind Akira and used his arm to hold off Akira's hand, "Please calm down!"
"How could I calm down knowing what… What HE did!" She's still trying to struggle, Kaneki lifted one of his hand when another Squad 0 member showed up and try to restrain Akira as well, his other hand is holding his jaw feeling the slightly dislocated joint lodged itself back when his regeneration kicks in.
Akira's breath is heavy, she can felt the toll of her action on her recovering body, but her anger didn't show any sign of going away.
"Akira…" Hirako, one of the person who just entered the room, looked at Akira. "Go get some bandages." He ordered one of his squad member.
"Y-Yes, sir." She turned around to Touka, asking her quietly if she got any first aid kit.
The other squad member still holding her up, looking at Kaneki who in return gives a small nod allowing him to let go of Akira.
"And you too, Hirako-san? You're the last person on my mind to do something like… like this." She threw another glare at Kaneki. "I don't even want to think about what will he do, knowing both guy he trust so much betrays his own cause and sided with… with ghouls!" She pointed at Hinami who stood behind Hirako.
Kaneki scans the room, he was having a meeting ealier, Tsukiyama, Ayato, and Naki who were with him are now standing on the doorway, watching. He noticed Naki's clenched fist when Akira mentions ghouls, but Tsukiyama is holding him down, Kaneki silently mutters a 'thanks' when he looked up at Tsukiyama. Having Naki and his temper involved is the last thing he wants. Behind Hirako are Banjou and Hinami. Yomo are returning with a first aid kit box, handing it to the Squad 0 member who awkwardly stood beside Akira, not knowing how to approach her.
"He…" Hirako didn't finish his sentence. The Squad 0 member that presents also looked down.
Akira turned back to Kaneki, still glaring at him.
"Arima-san… Is dead." Kaneki also refused to meet her eyes, taking the first aid kit from the Squad 0 member and got up to reach for Akira's hand. "You're losing blood."
"Don't give me this nonsense! She jerked her bloody hand away from Kaneki's hand.
"Please trust me, Akira-san." He didn't know what else to say, his voice are trembling.
"I did trust you, Haise. I did."
Silence. It hurts. The disappointment in her voice felt a thousand times worse than her punch.
"And yet you—"
"Tsuneyoshi and Yoshitoki Washuu are dead, but to hell with them because Washuus are just ghouls trying to run their rotten empire by killing others! The man currently in charge is also a ghoul, not just a ghoul but a maniac, Furuta, you know him, he's with the clowns, and sooner or later he's going to fucking destroy everything, putting everyone important for you and for me in danger. I am trying to stop this from fucking happening. I'm trying to stop the people that I cared for from dying. Yet…" He stopped to draw breath, his fist are balled, trembling.
"Hais—"
"I can't—save everyone. Arima-san died. I killed him. I KILLED HIM. I didn't want to, but if I don't, he will start slaughtering more of my friends!" Kaneki was losing his cool, his voice are cracking now, he grabbed both of Akira's shoulder, "I killed Arima-san…" he shut his eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling.
Kaneki has been holding it in, he must not show weakness if he want to be acknowledged as the One Eyed King. How can he expect to be followed when he's crying about killing The CCG's Reaper, that man is technically one of ghoul's biggest enemy and most hated man, but he just can't bear it anymore, he was lucky that only the one closest to him present in this room.
Akira push him away with her good hand, she still can't accept the fact that this man is the sweet, caring, subordinate that always looked up to Arima Kishou.
This action only hurt Kaneki even more, he backed off, picking up the first aid kit that he dropped earlier, still sobbing quietly, and handed it to the Squad 0 member that froze beside him the whole time. "Please take care of that hand…"
Akira sat down on a chair, letting the young man bandaged her hand. "What are you looking at?" She barked at the door where Naki, Tsukiyama, and Ayato stood.
"Why you—"
"Cut it off, Naki. Let's go." Ayato dragged him by the arm, returning to the room, not wanting to cause a scene because he knew Kaneki would chew them out if they are picking trouble with that investigator woman.
"Kaneki-kun…" Tsukiyama looked conflicted, he wanted to be at Kaneki's side to try and calm him down, Kaneki is still sobbing after all. He did not expect his king to break down like that, but maybe despite what happened deep down inside he is still the same naïve boy from years ago.
"You too, Tsukiyama, we still need to go through some of the plan." Ayato called out.
Tsukiyama only follows silently after looking at Hinami and nodded, as if asking her to do something about this.
"Onii-chan." Hinami took the clue and approached Kaneki.
"I'm sorry, Hinami. I'm sorry." He only muttered words of apologies between his sobs.
"It's alright. After all that man is important for you, right? You cared about him just as much as you cared about us…" The words felt bitter in her mouth, but all she want to do is to calm him down.
"Important? Cared about him? Do you even look at yourself?" Akira spoke again, taunting Kaneki.
"Akira, cut it out—" Even Hirako is trying to put an end to this argumenet.
"Who are you to think of all that? You are just another ghoul, you are a killer, Kaneki Ken."
She said it. Kaneki got up, his expression are now equally mad.
"You know what, you are right, Akira-san. I'm just Kaneki Ken. I never asked to be spared, I never asked to be a CCG Investigator, but I did it anyway, I'm an Associate Special Class for fuck's sake. I never asked for any of this, never asked to be Haise Sasaki." He gritted his teeth, "That bastard Arima should've just killed me on that sewer four years ago, none of this would happen then!"
SMACK!
Kaneki's eyes widened, the Squad 0 girl just punched him in the face.
"You should never talk about Arima-san that way, Haise."
"Right." He only looked at her for a second, his face showed nothing, no anger or sadness, even though his eyes are still red from crying earlier. "Touka-chan, I'm going to clean this up, can I borrow your broom and mop? I'll pay for this broken glasses and vase." He walked up to Touka who gets back to picking beans for the coffee.
"They are in the storage, left hand door on the end of the hall." She didn't even look up to him, "And be quick about it, we are going to open in one and a half hour."
"Thanks." He muttered, then turning to Akira, "I know you're Mado, but please stay here until they are say you're done. You've got too much RC Cells in your blood, you can end up like Shirazu's little sister if you let it be. The CCG are looking for you too. Takizawa Seido is also here, I'll let him know that you're up."
Akira said nothing in reply. Maybe she was wrong, after all, only Haise can make a pun that bad.