The Morning After Chapter 10
I opened my eyes to a room filled with darkness.
Ugh... what time is it?
I got up and looked at the clock, and it was already 10 AM.
Kaneki wakes up so much earlier than me... it's probably because he has to go to school, but still, I have lots of things to do today.
I performed my daily routine and proceeded to exit the room and begin my day.
First things first... I'll go visit this so-called Dr. Kanou. Everyone knows head doctors don't actually work that much, so he should be free to talk today.
I dressed in normal casual clothing with my hair tied up in my usual ditzy bun.
Takatsuki Sen is supposed to be clumsy and eccentric. This is the persona I've chosen for my human life... It works pretty well, if I say so myself.
I stood in front of the hospital where Kanou was located. I walked in, and talked to the person at the desk for permission to see Dr. Kanou. Just as I thought, he was free and it was surprisingly easy to get in.
Hmm... no wonder so many people die by ghouls daily. All I had to do was give my fake identification and I'm granted free access of this building filled with humans. ...Good thing that's not what I'm here for, though.
I walked through multiple flights of stairs in the hospital, and accidentally bumped into what seemed like an older man with aged, white hair and wrinkles on his face wearing some sort of lab coat. I assumed he was a doctor.
[Eto: "...Woops! Sorry about that..."]
I scratched my head and chuckled clumsily.
The man looked down at me and wore a curious expression.
[Man: "...Why are you up here? Are you here to see someone?"]
[Eto: "A-ah, yeah, I'm here to see Dr. Kanou...?"]
He stepped back, and smiled.
[Man: "...That should be me. What business do you have?"]
Oh... this wrinkly old dude is Dr. Kanou? He looks just like a normal doctor, but using ghouls for his craft is a concept the world has never seen before. It'll be a tool worth using.
[Eto: "...Let's get to the point. I am the leader of Aogiri Tree, and I've heard that you've been working on a couple of... experiments, no?"]
He smiled cunningly. It seemed that he finally revealed his true colors.
[Kanou: "...I see. Come, follow me. You wish to escape this bird-cage, don't you?"]
By bird-cage, he meant this world that ghouls live in. Unable to escape this prison, we are trapped and discriminated against as if we were inferior beings.
[Eto: "Yeah... that's right. I think your work can be of some use to me. I can also fund your research if needed."]
I threw my "Takatsuki Sen" persona out the window and transformed into what I called the "ghoul" me. The ghoul that strives to escape the bird-cage.
[Kanou: "I'll show you the products of my experiment. There haven't been any successful results, but there have been many... interesting prototypes."]
I followed him outside of the building until we reached a dark and secluded abandoned building. It was pitch black and showed no sign of recent entry. We entered and Kanou continued to show me the way to his secret lab.
There was a locked basement door without any sort of key for it. Kanou revealed a hidden button near some debris, and pressed it to unlock the door.
Wow... he went over the top with this kind of security, didn't he? There's no way anyone would be able to get in here without the man himself.
I finally got to the place I wanted. There was a "green" atmosphere and sterile feeling in the room. There were... people contained in cases with only a tube attached to their mouths.
[Eto: "...So, tell me what you've accomplished, Kanou."]
He walked over to one of his experiments in the center of his lab, and opened it.
Out came a monstrous looking entity, something that was no longer human nor ghoul.
[Kanou: "...This was originally a human. I tried to implant the kakuhou of a ghoul into it, but the result was... strange, to say the least."]
I examined the beast further. It was quite large, with its organs swollen and bulging out as if it were going to burst at any moment. The creature groaned and could barely move. It was a grotesque sight.
[Kanou: "But... this is one of the only prototypes that had a different outcome. All of the other humans died when I tried to transfer a kakuhou into them. Their body couldn't handle the sudden change, and they died almost instantly."]
He admired his work until describing it further.
[Kanou: "...This, is far from successful, but it goes to show that creating artificial half-ghouls is surely possible."]
I looked at the creature, then looked at Kanou.
[Eto: "...What's your purpose for doing this? What'll you gain from it?"]
He sighed and began to walk about the laboratory.
[Kanou: "Nothing much, to be fair. I just believe ghouls can have a far more useful application than just being made into quinques. It's... wasted potential. Ghouls certainly are fascinating creatures."]
Well... he does what he wants to, I guess. His research seems promising enough. I don't have anything to lose from this. It's a win-win for Kanou and I.
[Eto: "I... see. I believe you'll be able to achieve a satisfying result soon enough. I want you to join Aogiri, but all you have to do is keep working like this. I'll reward you with some funds in exchange for your cooperation."]
He rubbed his chin with his hands and thought for a moment.
There's no reason for Kanou to say no. It's not like anyone will find out he's in Aogiri, so he won't be in any danger. And even if he were, Aogiri would be able to protect him.
[Kanou: ...Alright. I'll accept your offer. However, one condition."]
I raised my eyebrow, slightly confused.
[Kanou: "...Don't question the morality of my work."]
...Hmm? I... don't mind. Why does he think that I would care? I've already done plenty of messed up shit, enough that something like this wouldn't phase me anymore. I... shouldn't feel any remorse. Nothing negative can come out of this deal. ...Unless something goes wrong, but the chances of that happening is pretty much zero.
[Eto: "Uh... okay. Whatever you say."]
Kanou stood quietly, examining the contents of his lab.
[Eto: "I'll... be leaving now. Good luck."]
He seemed to ignore me as I exited through the hidden trapdoor.
Sigh... that was strange. That's one thing down, though. Next up is...?
My mind came to a blank.
I... can't think of anything to do. Is there really nothing? I can try to conduct another raid on the CCG, but it'd be risky as they're protecting themselves a little bit better.
No One-Eyed King candidates. The contact with the binge eater resulted in nothing. My father... I can't do anything about him. ...And Kaneki is probably still at school. It was just about afternoon.
I wandered about the bustling streets of Tokyo and saw something in the corner of my eye. In the distance, atop a building, there seemed to be a clown, laughing.
Hmm...? What was that?
I stopped and tried to redirect my gaze onto what I saw. However, as soon as I turned my head, the figure vanished, as if it were never there.
Huh. Probably just my imagination. I just need to take a break, maybe write a little...
I changed my direction and headed towards my apartment, opening the door and feeling a wave of relief.
I haven't felt this nice in a while... the only thing that could make this better is if Kaneki were here.
...There's no use in wanting him by my side if he's not able to. I should get some work done today, since I've got literally nothing else to do.
I sat at my desk and let my imagination run, letting the floodgates drip onto the paper I was scribbling on.
Hours that felt like minutes passed, and I had just finished the climax of the story.
Whew... I feel really good about this submission. It might just be better than my last one.
I laid my head back and sighed.
I've...I've done everything I needed to do. Everything should be running smoothly for at least a couple of months. I don't have to worry about anything.
I put my head on my desk, exhausted, and closed my eyes.
I can finally... rest for a while.
Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
About one hour passed, and I awoke upon hearing the door quietly open.
[Kaneki: "Oh... Were you asleep, Eto?"]
I tried to sit up as fast as possible, embarassed from him seeing my sleeping face.
[Eto: "A-ah... Yeah."]
Kaneki set aside his belongings on the floor besides him.
[Kaneki: "...Sorry that I woke you up. You can just go back to sleep, if you want to. I'll try not to make too much noise."]
Modest as always... I was waiting for him to come home, yet he thinks that I don't want to spend time with him just because I was tired. I won't let something as trivial as that get in the way of my relationship with Kaneki.
I stood up from my desk and hugged Kaneki from behind.
[Eto: "...I'm good. I want to be with you for a while."]
He blushed, and stood still as I didn't allow him to escape from my grasps.
[Kaneki: "O-oh... okay."]
We remained in this position for a good, long while. It was quite comfortable, for me, at least.
[Kaneki: "E-Eto... I've got things to do..."]
I let go of him and pouted, crossing my arms.
[Eto: "Okay. I see how it is."]
He turned around and saw how I was acting. He remained silent and just stared at me.
[Eto: "...I'm just kidding! I-I'm sorry!"]
He sighed and sat down, taking out what looked like papers from his backpack and laying it in front of him.
He must be stressed or something. Kaneki usually doesn't act like this, but I guess this time of the year is always quite exhausting.
[Eto: "Hey... if you need anything, I'm free for this whole day! ...So, if you need to loosen up or something, just ask."]
Kaneki smiled to himself.
[Kaneki: "...I know. But I don't really need it right now. Thank you, for being here with me. Just that is more than enough to give me motivation."]
Even though I've heard these kinds of words so many times, I've never stopped feeling so... fluffy. He can say it as many times as he wants, just his pure acknowledgement and praise can make me feel like this.
I blushed a bit and returned to my seat besides Kaneki.
[Eto: "...Alright. I'll just go back to work then. Do you wanna give my new novel a read when you're done...?"]
Kaneki studied away, glancing back and forth between piles of notes.
[Kaneki: "...Yeah, sure. It'll be a good way for me to relax, because your stories are always so captivating."]
Oh, Kaneki. You don't realize how captivating you are.
[Eto: "Just tell me when you're ready."]
About another hour and a half passed, and the sun was almost completely down.
Kaneki stretched his arms and stood up, signifying that he was finally done studying.
He leaned over my shoulder, peering into what I had written.
[Eto: "A-ah, I'm about 75% finished with this story, I think. It's about an innocent child who has their life completely turned upside-down after a series of tragic events..."]
He grabbed the stack of papers and turned it to the first page, examining the first couple of paragraphs.
[Kaneki: "Hmm... sounds a bit like me, doesn't it?"]
[Eto: "E-eh? ...Well, in a way, I guess so. I do admit that I snuck in a couple of references to you, but you'll be the only one to notice them."]
Kaneki continued to quickly skim through the pages, intrigued.
[Kaneki: "...I think this one's better than your last."]
I looked up, surprised.
[Eto: "...And what makes you think that?"]
[Kaneki: "...This story isn't a simple tragedy. It shows how you can prevail through darkness, even if it seems like nothing will ever get better. It keeps that feeling of suspense, not being too dark nor bright, leaving the reader to have a sense of balance."]
The story I was writing was pretty much a twisted version of Kaneki's life with horror elements embedded into it. Because of that, I wanted to make sure that it wasn't just tragedy over and over. I wanted to make sure the protagonist would have a source of light, like how I am towards Kaneki.
[Eto: "...That's what I was aiming for. Looks like I did a good job, after all. ...Thanks."]
We spent the rest of our day talking, senseless banter that made us feel like a married couple.
Before we knew it, it had already turned dark and Kaneki was on the verge of falling asleep.
We laid on the bed together, lights turned off.
[Kaneki: "...Ugh. I can't wait 'till my next break from school."]
[Eto: "You'll be fine. You're really smart, aren't you?"]
[Kaneki: "...Yeah, but that doesn't mean it'll be easy."]
I've never had real experience with school. I learned everything I knew hands-on or from Noro. ...But I'm glad I don't have to deal with school. It sounds like such a useless hassle.
[Eto: "...Well, night, Kaneki."]
There was no response.
I turned to him and heard his soft breathing, meaning that he had already fell asleep.
Jeez. He didn't even say good night.
...It's a well deserved rest, though. Maybe I should do something for him, like a lap pillow.
...What am I thinking? Something like that is way too embarassing for me. ...Well, it actually doesn't sound that bad. I've done... a lot more than that in the heat of the moment. My confession to Kaneki was half-assed and couldn't be any worse, but I still managed to pull it off somehow. The awkwardness of it all keeps me up sometimes.
I eventually drifted asleep, unable to keep my eyes open any longer.
I feel like... this marks the end of something. I'm not sure, but the atmosphere today has felt as if... I don't know. It's just uncanny. I hope things can remain normal, just like this, for as long as possible.
Chapter 11 ~ Euphoria
END