Kaneki wasn't sure what to expect of the mask maker he was going to meet. He had never met one since he never needed a mask till now. According to Touka, Uta was an eccentric but kind person. He was a talented mask maker, though.
The shady Hysy shop amid the dark alleys of the 4th ward made Kaneki wary.
"Uta-san!" Touka called out as the two entered the shop. The room was dark and practically consisted of dozens of masks decorating the walls and ominous mannequins. They ranged from full-face masks to half-masks, masquerade masks and demon masks.
"Are you in here?" Touka searched around the shop for the mask maker. "Could he be sleeping?"
Kaneki noticed a large lump covered by a blanket on one of the pedestals in the room. Catching his attention, Kaneki approached it.
"What's under here?" Kaneki wondered before grabbing the blanket and pulling it down. He was met with a pair of glowing red eyes.
"Boo."
"W-WAHHHHHH!" Kaneki exclaimed in surprise and stumbled, tripping over his feet. Touka whirled around at the noise then sighed. She put on a smile as if she were used to such a thing. "What are you doing, Uta-san?"
Kaneki assumed that the person curled up on the pedestal with piercings and various tattoos on his body was Uta.
"I thought I'd surprise you." Uta replied in a calm yet playful tone.
Touka held up her hand in introduction. "This is Uta-san, who will be making your mask."
"H-Hello…" Kaneki mumbled, still recovering from his shock. Uta stood abruptly and began sniffing Kaneki, causing him to yelp out in fright. "You smell...unusual."
Kaneki gulped. The tattooed man smelling him intently made him feel uncomfortable. He let out a sigh of relief once Uta backed away from him.
"Sit over there. I'll take your measurements."
Kaneki did as he was told while Uta began scribbling in a sketchbook as he asked a rapid string of questions.
"Do you have any allergies?"
"Um, no-"
"What about rubber or metals?"
"They're fine-"
"You want this full-face?"
"Um-"
Uta leaned forward to observe the young ghoul. "It's your first one: maybe a half-mask, instead."
"O-Oh…" Kaneki sweatdropped. The man didn't even wait for him to finish replying as he continued to the next question.
"The eyepatch is cute. Do you like them?"
"I-I guess so…" Kaneki lied. He didn't feel like telling Uta the real reason why he needed to conceal his left eye.
"Hm…" Uta then held out a slick, slimy ball that Kaneki soon realized was an eye. "Want a snack?"
"I-I'm good…"
Uta shrugged and stood straight.
"Kaneki-kun, I hear you're Rize-san's brother?" Uta licked the eyeball in his hand.
"Um, yes…"
"What do you think of her?"
Kaneki watched the mask maker enjoy his eyeball. Was he also acquainted with his sister? It seemed that Rize had been associated with many people that Kaneki didn't know about. She didn't talk to him much about her life outside, after all.
"Since she's my only family, and I really like her…"
"What about your parents?" Asked Uta. Kaneki's face fell, and he glanced to the side awkwardly. "I don't have any…"
"Oh…" Uta replied impassively. "Kaneki-kun, do you have a girlfriend?"
"Huh?" The answer to that question was an obvious no. "No, I don't...um, do these questions have to do with anything?"
"They do." Uta placed his sketchbook down and began to take up some measuring tools. "I feel more motivated if I get to know you better."
"This guy really is strange…" Kaneki confirmed Touka's previous statement.
"What about Touka-san?" Uta eyed the female ghoul trying on masks in the corner of the room.
"Eh?" Kaneki spoke in a soft voice so that Touka would not hear. "She's kind of scary…"
"Scary?" Uta gently placed his hands on the sides of Kaneki's head and turned him so that he faced straight. He wrapped a long strip of white measuring tape around his head. "You think so? I find her to be a hard worker."
"A hard worker…?"
"For us to blend into human society, we need to have a mask that we never take off. If we're suspected for even a moment, we're done for, so we have to conduct ourselves seamlessly enough so that we don't become too involved."
Kaneki could barely see Touka out of the corner of his eye as Uta continued taking his measurements. "She lives her life accepting that risk….her work at Anteiku...and even going to school…"
It was only then that Kaneki realized what an amazing person Kirishima Touka truly was. Unlike him, she fought to live amongst humans peacefully, something he never really thought about because he often stayed home with Rize.
"What reason could she have for being so involved with people?" He wondered out loud.
"That's a good question. But, when I get the occasional human customer, right here," Uta reached up and touched one of the tattoos on his neck. "my pulse races. It's hard to explain, but it's enjoyable."
Kaneki's eyes widened at this. Enjoyable? He wouldn't know...He had even tried to attain that so-called joy that Touka had, but…
"I think I'm jealous of her." Kaneki watched Touka sadly.
"Kaneki-kun, why don't you try going to school like Touka-san?" Uta suggested, as if he had read Kaneki's expression.
"Eh?" Kaneki blinked, then shook his head. "N-No, I can't…"
"Why not?"
"There are...reasons…"
"I see…" Uta tapped his chin thoughtfully. "But, Kaneki-kun?"
"Eh?"
If you really want to, then you should just go for it."
Kaneki grimaced at this and gritted his teeth. Of course, there were times in the past when he wanted more that just Rize as a companion. He wanted a friend, ghoul or human, but Rize insisted on him staying home. He would spend his days reading and gazing out the window, wanting to venture into the outside world, which he only did occasionally, but with Rize, and not far from their apartment.
After much pleading, Kaneki finally convinced Rize to let him attend school. It had been the happiest day of his life, though he was also extremely nervous. He made a few friends and got a taste of what humans were like.
But then, disaster struck. And he swore to listen to his sister and stay home.
He couldn't go to school. He couldn't be so close to humans so often. He couldn't befriend them.
Because he would eventually eat them.