How To Prep Coffee Beans

Chapter 3: Cappuccino

Matsumae swiped her finger across a tablet screen and then tapped twice. "Order complete," she said. "The replacement furniture will be here later today, Master Mirumo."

Mirumo nodded once. "Thank you, Matsumae."

"My pleasure, Sir." Matsumae held the tablet at her side and followed her master's gaze towards the renovated guest room. Servants and workers had been cleaning and repairing it since before dawn. The damaged furniture had been removed, the walls had been plastered and painted, and the window had been replaced. The books were neatly stacked in the hallway, waiting for their new case. Not a speck of dust or debris littered the floor.

"Master Mirumo," Matsumae said after a short pause, shifting her eyes towards the tall man beside her, "what shall I do about Kaneki Ken?"

"Hmm?" What about him?"

"Kaneki Ken caused all of this. It is only because Master Shuu calmed him down that he didn't completely lose control."

"I'm well aware of what happened last night, Matsumae."

The servant immediately bowed. "My apologies, Master Mirumo. It was rude of me to speak in such a condescending way."

"But I can see why you'd be concerned. Shuu told Papa about what's happened to Ken over the years. Between Ken's personal struggles and the Doves looking for him, we knew it was a risk to take him in, but Papa couldn't say no to Shuu. Shuu is just so happy that Ken is here, and that makes Papa happy."

Matsumae stood up straight. "Master Mirumo, may I speak?"

"You may."

"I believe we should take steps to ensure that this does not happen again. If it does, it may draw unwanted attention."

Mirumo sighed. "You are quite correct, Matsumae. As much as Papa thinks Shuu did a good job handling the situation last night, Papa does not want this to happen again. Still, that does not mean that we will not allow Ken to stay with us. For now, we'll keep him in the guest room closest to Shuu's room. We'll decide what to do once he's feeling safe and stable enough."

The two suddenly heard light footsteps run down the hallway. When they looked up, they saw someone turn a corner.

"Kanae?"

"It would appear so."

"Shall I pursue him, Master Mirumo?"

"No, I will speak to everyone regarding Ken later. He will be part of that meeting."

"Understood."


Ken's eyes fluttered open at the feeling of warm sunlight streaming over him. He blinked as his eyes focused on the ceiling, and he shifted underneath the bed's thick blankets. His body felt heavy but comfortable, like he was wrapped in a protective cocoon. The pillows completely supported his head and neck, despite how heavy he felt. It took a minute before he turned his head, and his eyes widened slightly.

"Tsukiyama?"

Shuu remained sleeping, his head resting on his crossed arms as he knelt at Ken's bedside.

Ken slowly pushed himself up and realized that he was a lot less stiff than he had thought.

"Tsukiyama?"

Shuu's eyes twitched and he slowly joined the conscious world. He rubbed his eyes and yawned as he sat up. His muscles screamed in protest.

"Ow," he muttered, trying to rub his shoulder through his bathrobe. He yawned again and then turned towards Ken, a sympathetic smile on his face. "Bon matin, Kaneki, how are you?"

Ken rolled his shoulders and turned his neck from side to side. "Good actually," he said after another moment, his voice light but still groggy with sleep. "I…think I slept really well."

Shuu's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's weird, I haven't felt this good in a while."

Shuu watched as Ken stretched, his own muscles still crying out in pain every time he tried to move. "Oh, that's good. I'm glad."

Ken almost smiled. "And…you? What are you, um, doing here?"

Shuu took a breath as if ready to respond, but no words came out. His eyes shifted back and forth between Ken and the floor.

"…Tsukiyama?"

"You, um, you…don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

No response.

"Tsukiyama, what don't I remember?"

"That you…had a nightmare?"

"Oh," Ken said after a short pause. "No, I don't. That's weird, normally I remember all my nightmares. But I guess it's a good thing that I don't remember. I'm sorry I woke you up and made you sleep in here, you must have been really uncomfortable."

"Ah…non, Kaneki…"

Ken's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"You…"

"Tsukiyama, what is it?"

No response.

Panic began to creep into Ken's mind, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. "Tsukiyama! What the hell happened last night? Tell me right now!"

"I don't know what happened!" Shuu finally said, looking at Ken with watery eyes. "I don't understand it myself, but you should know that no one is angry with you. No one is kicking you out. We're not abandoning you—we won't abandon you no matter what. It doesn't matter if you tear the whole estate down, we'll—!"

Ken grabbed Shuu's throat, his grip tightening as he stared the other down. He looked very much like the version of himself that had feasted upon Yamori's kakuhou. "Tsukiyama," he said, voice dangerously low and clear. "What. Happened. Last. Night."

Shuu took in whatever air he could and whispered, "You almost destroyed your room."

Ken let go of Shuu's neck, and Shuu's own hands flew to it. Ken watched as Shuu coughed once and then cleared his throat, looking back at Ken with sympathy. Ken's hands began to shake.

"Tsukiyama…"

"You didn't do it on purpose," Shuu said quickly. "I…I don't really know what happened—"

"Then you don't know that I didn't do it on purpose."

"Yes, I do, because I know you wouldn't."

"Bullshit! You don't know anything!"

Shuu's eyes narrowed. They were turning pink with frustration. "I know you and—"

"You don't know anything about me!"

"Kaneki—"

"You don't know anything about what I've been through! You don't know anything about what's been done to me! What I've seen! The life I've been forced to live!"

"Kaneki!"

"The Kaneki Ken you knew all those years ago is gone. He died at V14 like he was supposed to. This Kaneki Ken…no one knows him! No one knows what he's capable of! No one knows what he would and wouldn't do. Stop talking like you know him!"

"KANEKI!"

Ken stopped, his cheeks flushed and his eyes glassy. His breathing was uneven, and Shuu watched his hands continue to shake.

"There is no way you could have tried to destroy your room on purpose last night," Shuu said, his own hand inching towards Ken's. "I didn't see it happen, but Aliza, one of the maids, did. She said that you went to the kitchen, and you were startled when she found you. I guess you accidentally dropped a cup? Aliza said that you started screaming and ran back to your room with your kagune out. I only saw you there."

Ken swallowed hard. "And?"

"And…you calmed down."

"When you were there?"

Shuu nodded. "You actually fell asleep the moment your kagune receded, so I brought you here. It's the guest room closest to my bedroom. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Ken rubbed his eyes and sniffed. "…Thank you."

"De rien."

Shuu tried to smile, but Ken's miserable face stopped him. "Are you sure I won't be thrown out?" Ken asked, looking down at his hands. They had finally stopped shaking. "Even if I didn't destroy the guest room on purpose, I still destroyed it. If that happens again…if I lose myself again, it could cause some unwanted attention. I don't want the police or the CCG to suspect you or your family."

"Even if Papa wants to kick you out, I won't let him," Shuu replied. "If we have to, we'll get ourselves an apartment like we did in the old days."

"…You'd do that for me?"

Shuu nodded.

Ken almost smiled but another sad thought prevented it once again. "It couldn't be too much like the old days though, even if Hinami is around."

"What do you…oh, Monsieur Banjou is…not?"

At the mention of the name, Ken's lower lip began quivering, and he turned away from Shuu.

"…Oh no."

"I don't know where he is," Ken explained, sniffing. "Neither does Hinami. No one knows. I haven't heard about his friends either."

"Oh, Kaneki…"

Ken's face scrunched up in grief.

"I'm sure we'll find him though!" Shuu said quickly, putting on a smile. "I'm sure we'll find all of them. If we find Banjou, we're bound to find his friends, too. They don't go anywhere without him, and he doesn't go anywhere without them!" He took one of Ken's hands and held it in both of his, looking at the other meaningfully. "Don't worry, Kaneki, we'll find them. And then we'll all be together again. And little Hinami will be able to live here as well! I am grateful to Monsieur Kirishima for rescuing her, but I would feel better if she were here. Ah, but I'm sure she's just fine where she is! I'm sure Monsieur Kirishima is taking good care of her! It would just be nice if she and the others could all be here, that's all I mean. It would certainly make me a lot happier, and I'm sure you'd like that."

Ken relaxed a little and wiped his eyes with his free hand. "Yes, I would."

"Then that's what we'll do. We'll have all of them live here with us."

"Like a little dysfunctional family."

"Oui! Because that's what we are!"

Ken finally smiled. That, in turn, made Shuu smile back.

"Thank you, Tsukiyama."

"Mon plaisir."

After a beat of silence, Ken looked down at their hands and cleared his throat. "Um, Tsukiyama?"

"…Oh!" Shuu gasped, letting go of Ken's hand. "I, uh, I'm sorry." He wrung his hands together and, after another beat of silence, said, "Now then, let's get you up and out—"

Ken paled. "No."

Shuu's smile disappeared. "Okay, you don't have to get up if you don't want to. Do you need anyth—"

"NO!"

"…Kaneki?"

"No, no, I don't need anything!" Ken cried, bringing his hands to his head. His arms covered his face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't need it. I don't need anything! Please don't, I don't, I don't need it. I don't need anything."

"…Are you sure?"

"I DON'T NEED ANYTHING!"

Shuu jumped at Ken's sudden outburst. "Alright, I understand! You don't need anything."

"No, no, I don't."

Shuu bit his lip and glanced towards the other end of the room. "Well, if you decide that you want to take a bath or something, there's a bathroom connected to this guest room. It's just beyond that door there next to the fireplace. I'll tell all the servants to leave you alone, too, since it seems you want some privacy." He turned back to Ken. "I know you said you don't need anything, but do you want anything? Food or coffee—"

"NO, NO, NO, I DON'T NEED IT!"

"Okay, okay! Capisco!" Shuu said, standing and backing away towards the door. He went to speak again but decided against it when he saw Ken start to shake again. Reluctantly, he took a hold of the door knob and showed himself out.

"Master Shuu!"

Shuu looked up. "Oh, Kanae."

"Good morning, Master Shuu, did you sleep well?"

"Ah…well enough."

"Shall I help you get ready for the day?"

"Erm, oui, merci."

Kanae grinned and bowed, leading the way to the master bathroom and shooting the guest room a glare as he passed.


Later that day, Mirumo called all the servants to a meeting in the entrance hall at the grand staircase. He stood at the lower level so everyone could see him, Shuu at his side. The younger was dressed in a surprisingly neutral suit.

"And so, no one is to approach Ken unless specifically told to do so," Mirumo said. "If you see him, do not acknowledge him until he acknowledges you, if he acknowledges you. But you will still refer to him as 'Master Ken.' He is our honored guest, and you will treat him as such."

"Yes, Master Mirumo," the servants said in unison.

Mirumo glanced at Shuu, who was looking down at his hands, and then turned back to the servants. "Shuu will be the only one who comes into direct contact with him."

Shuu flinched and stared at his father.

"If you would like to offer Ken something or ask him about something, do so through Shuu."

"Yes, Master Mirumo."

"Très bien. Any questions?"

After a pause, a hand rose.

"Yes, Aliza?"

"Master Mirumo, what if Master Ken…ahem, loses control again?"

Mirumo sighed. "As I said, we will not throw Ken out under any circumstances, though it may become necessary to hide him further depending on his state. I certainly hope it doesn't come to that though. According to Shuu, Ken was living in a tiny break room at :re with no access to the outside world. That's no way to live. At least here, he can walk around the estate's property freely. And now that he's situated in the guest room closest to Shuu's, there should be less of a risk of him running wild. However, if he does lose control, come get Shuu and Papa as quickly as possible."

"Understood," Aliza replied, bowing. "Thank you, Master Mirumo."

Mirumo nodded once. "If there are no other questions, you are all dismissed."

The servants dispersed and returned to their usual tasks. Mirumo himself headed towards the kitchen, Shuu following after a brief pause. "Papa—"

"Papa hopes you don't mind the responsibility, Shuu. You are the only one Ken seems comfortable with right now."

"Ah, non, Papa, it's not that. You just caught me by surprise is all. Thank you for, um, this…everything."

"It's not a problem at all, Shuu. Ken is important to you, so he is important to all of us."

Shuu sucked in a sudden breath and brought his hands to his lightly flushed cheeks. He was thankful his father did not turn to him.

"Ah, Papa, speaking of Ken," Shuu continued once they were in the kitchen, "I'm worried about something he said to me."

"Oh?"

"I asked him if he needed anything, and he started shouting about how he didn't and how sorry he was."

"Do you have any idea of what he was talking about?"

Shuu shook his head. "I know he's been through a lot, but…"

"But he won't tell you anything." Mirumo said, turning back to Shuu. When his son nodded, he brought a bag of coffee beans down from a cabinet and dumped a cup of the beans into a grinder. "Ken will talk when he wants to," he said before turning the machine on. He let the blades spin for a few seconds and then emptied the grounds into a filter. "And, if he doesn't want to talk, he won't. Still, I think he will eventually. You can't force those kinds of things though. They take time."

Shuu watched as Mirumo poured hot water over the grounds, but not even the enticing aroma of freshly brewed coffee was enough to comfort him. "I'm just worried about him."

Mirumo turned back to his son with a cup of the coffee. "I know. But, if Ken does talk, Papa is sure you'll be the first person he talks to. For now, see if he wants this coffee. It's decaf so it might calm him down."

This time, Mirumo could very clearly see Shuu's slightly flushed cheeks. "Merci beaucoup," the younger said as he took the cup. He headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to Ken's room. "Kaneki," he said, lightly knocking on the door, "can I come in?" When he heard a small "yes," he opened the door.

He found Ken wrapped in a blanket on the bed, not unlike how he had left him. Ken looked at him with pink, puffy eyes.

"Ah, I know you said you didn't want anything," Shuu began, "but Papa made coffee, and I thought you might like some. It's decaf so it might settle your nerves."

Ken's eyes widened and his entire jaw quivered. Suddenly, he burst into tears, and Shuu took a step back.

"…I wanted decaf," Ken eventually choked out.

Shuu swallowed hard. "What?"

"Last night. I had gone to the kitchen to make decaf, but I couldn't find it, and then I dropped a cup and it broke, so…"

Shuu's mouth dropped open. "Oh, Kaneki…"

"I'm so sorry."

Shuu set the cup down on the nightstand and sat down next to Ken on the bed. "Kaneki, you're not in trouble. No one is mad. That cup is easily replaceable, and your old room is almost completely repaired anyway." He went to touch the other's shoulder, but he stopped and brought his hand back to himself. "Papa had a meeting with all the servants. They won't approach you unless you approach them to avoid startling you. I'm sorry, we should have prepared you more for living here. We rushed you into it and didn't do anything to make sure you were comfortable."

Ken let out another sob and rubbed his eyes.

"From now on," Shuu continued, "if you need something, come tell me."

Ken jerked towards the other. "But I don't need—"

"Kaneki, everyone needs things sometimes. Whatever it is, you can come tell me about it until you're comfortable talking to the servants."

Ken went to argue but stopped, rubbing his eyes and looking away. Shuu took the cup off the nightstand and offered it to him, smiling gently as Ken took it and took a sip.

"Hey, Kaneki," Shuu said after a few minutes of silence, "I know you said that the Kaneki Ken I knew all those years ago died at V14. Honestly, I'm sad about that. I really wish that that Kaneki Ken hadn't left, that he hadn't fought in the Anteiku Raid, but he did and there's nothing I can do about it."

Shuu paused, watching Ken drink down the last of the coffee.

"And maybe you're right, maybe I don't know anything about this Kaneki Ken," he continued. When Ken took his last sip, Shuu lightly touched his shoulder, and their gazes met, Shuu still smiling sweetly. "But I'd like to get to know him."

After a long pause, Ken held up his empty cup. "Could I please have some more?"


Cappuccino

Cappuccino is an Italian coffee beverage typically consumed in the morning. It is made with equal parts espresso and hot milk and has a thick layer of milk foam on top. It is usually served in a small cup. In Italy, it is consumed very quickly, so quickly that people usually order it and drink it standing at the same counter. Slowly drinking a cappuccino at a table and/or consuming a cappuccino later in the day is a sure sign of a tourist!

You will need 1/2 cup milk and 1/3 cup of hot espresso for this recipe.

1. Place the milk in the microwave (remember to use a microwave-safe cup) and let it heat on high for one minute.

2. Use a metal whisk to vigorously beat the milk until the milk turns to foam. Put the foam in a separate cup until it measures to 1/3rd.

3. Pour your hot espresso into a mug and pour in the remaining hot milk. Spoon the foam over the top and serve immediately. (You can use a non-dairy milk if you're lactose intolerant/milk sensitive like I am!)

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home.