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"We could always just ask," suggests Masanori.
"That's dumb," scoffs Chiasa.
"No, it isn't, Chiasa, Rose can—"
"Rose can what?" asks Karren, leaning into the day care room. Shiono, Hiroto, Akito, Tsukuru, and baby Emma are lying down for naps, Bing, Ruri, and Fuyumi paint at a table together, and the older kids are clustered in a corner. Rose sits between Chiasa, her best friend, and Masanori. Nashiro's arm is linked with Masanori's. Seidou stands above them, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Yuki leans forward on his knees, eyes wide, and Isamu sucks his thumb. Ryouko and Mie whisper to each other.
"Nothing, Mommy!" Rose calls, springing to her feet. Her elaborately styled hair flies out, whacking Masanori in the face. "Sorry!"
"No problem," Masanori says, beaming up at Rose. Chiasa scowls.
"Rose, it's time to go," Karren says. "Dad and I are leaving early today so you can see your grandfather." She crouches down, waking Tsukuru up. He whimpers in protest. "You can sleep in the car," she whispers. Their youngest daughter, Emma, blinks sleepily when Karren picks her up, and then presses her head against Karren's chest and falls back asleep. "Rose, help me with your brother."
Rose scrambles over. "C'mon, Tsukuru."
"I don't want to," he mumbles.
"You can sleep in the car," Rose repeats, her voice bossy. Karren smiles. Rose continually insists that she wants to be just like Karren, "but with long hair." She doesn't understand why her daughter would want to be like her, and Shuu looked appalled when Karren told him that. "Because you're amazing, liebling!"
Bouquets of roses started arriving daily, and gold and diamonds, until Karren had to tell him to stop, that all she ever wanted was him, and he was here. He wears the ring she slipped on his finger that day in a church, and she wears the rings he gave her. "You're all I've ever wanted."
"Rose!" calls Masanori, getting to his feet and scrambling to yank a piece of paper off a circular table. "I made this for you!" He thrusts a watercolor with a lot of swirled reds, pinks, and yellows towards her. "For you," he repeats, face as pink as his hair.
Karren raises her eyebrows.
"Thanks," Rose says, her face red too. She takes the picture as Chiasa shakes her head in the background and Nashiro giggles.
As they leave the room, Rose looks back over her shoulder.
Oh God. Karren steals a glance at her daughter.
"There you are!" booms Shuu as he appears in the stairwell. He scoops Rose and Tsukuru up, and Tsukuru's sniffles die away as he twirls them around. "Ready to see Grandfather?"
"Yep," Rose says, skipping when he puts her down. She glances at the drawing again.
"Rose," Karren says. "Why don't you tell Daddy who gave you that painting?"
Rose scowls. Karren narrows her eyes. Why is this upsetting you?
She already wants to hide things from me…
Maybe she doesn't admire me anymore.
"Masanori gave it to me," Rose says.
"Eh?" A smirk spreads over Shuu's face. "Indeed. I see." He tosses a look back at Karren, moving his lips as he asks what the hell? Tsukuru presses his head down on Shuu's shoulder.
"Be cool, Shuu."
He winks.
The limo picks them up. Rose hums to herself, peering out the window. Shuu leans over to whisper in Karren's ear. "It's cute."
Karren makes a face.
"Imagine if they get married," Shuu adds. "Ui's family will shit themselves."
"Shuu, they're six years old."
"Hairu would be a really fun mother-in-law though," he muses. His jaw drops in horror. "But we'd be stuck with Sir Stick-in-the-Mud forever."
"Doesn't Saiko call him Special Class Bowl Cut?"
"Rose is never getting a bowl cut."
"Why would I get a bowl cut, Daddy?" asks Rose, frowning.
"You never would," Shuu assures her. "They're the stuff of nightmares."
"Masanori and Ui aren't from nightmares," Rose counters. Shuu's jaw goes slack.
They arrive at Tsukiyama Mirumo's, and Rose runs into her grandfather's arms. Even Tsukuru finally snaps out of his bad mood as Shuu's father chases them around the garden, pretending to be a bear.
"How is the interrogation going?" asks Mirumo when he's finally exhausted. Rose and Tsukuru continue to chase each other. Emma rests on Shuu's lap. Mirumo reaches for her, and the baby gurgles.
"It's going," Shuu replies. "Actually, he had the day off today. And Juuzou's thinking of giving him a few more days off, randomly, because it'll make us harder to predict for him and that will frustrate him."
Karren wonders if that's the best strategy. She swallows.
"Actually, we got different news today," Shuu says. "Nishio Kimi's come up with a medication she thinks will enable ghouls to eat human food."
Mirumo's eyes widen. "She has?"
Karren nods.
"Are you going to try it?" he asks, accepting a cup of coffee from a servant. Karren takes a cup too, and thanks the girl.
"I don't know," Shuu says. "There's a lot to consider."
Karren rubs her forehead. They've only been able to eat human flesh their entire lives. They've never had a choice.
And now they might, and it's scarier than it should be. Based on Goat's beliefs, there should be no dithering, no questioning.
But it's not as if we're hurting people anymore. We eat the dead and unclaimed.
What if it doesn't work? And then the hope goes away? What if it does, and living with human food is a disappointment?
Touka seemed thrilled at the prospect, as did Amon and Hinami. Ayato agreed to try it too, although he looked as perturbed as Karren and Shuu. Takizawa and Kurona also said they'd think about it, but Takizawa looked as if he was ready to take it right then and there.
Will this affect our kagunes? What if it makes us sick? Kimi can't guarantee anything for them.
"If we try it and it works," Karren says slowly. "We'll have to decide whether or not to give it to Rose, Tsukuru, and Emma."
Shuu's phone buzzes. He lets out a laugh.
"What?" Karren questions.
He shows her. Chie's sent a photo of a cheesecake. You could be eating this someday soon.
"What's that?" pants Rose as she runs over to them, peering at the image.
"A cheesecake," Shuu says longingly. "Imagine the gourmet options, Karren."
"We could actually use our spice rack," Karren muses.
"Is that from Chie?" asks Rose.
"Indeed it is," Shuu confirms. "It could taste holy, Karren. I haven't had an exciting meal in—so many flavors undiscovered—" He's practically salivating.
"Can I help Chie with computer stuff again?" Rose asks. "Ryouko and Mie said I'll have to learn computers in school."
"Sure," Shuu answers. He winks at his father. "She's got your brain."
"I want to draw a picture for Masanori," Rose announces, sliding away from her father. "Since he painted me one. I'll draw him the flowers here."
Mirumo raises his eyebrows. As Rose skips off with the servant to find crayons as Tsukuru wriggles onto Karren's lap, he mumbles: "Do I need to kill this kid?"
"He's a human," Shuu reports. "Well, three-quarters human. It'd be too easy. Besides, Masanori reminds me of me when I was growing up."
"That's why I'm worried," Mirumo states, and Karren snorts.
"Hey!"
"It's cute," Karren cuts in. She wonders if her parents would have seen her crush on Shuu as cute. She knows they'd be happy with her now, because Mirumo tells her so.
She hopes, anyways.
"A Tsukiyama and a human?" Mirumo says, shaking his head.
"Whatever she wants to do," Karren says, meeting Shuu's gaze.
He nods, reaching out to clasp Karren's hand. "We'd support her."
You'll always be Tsukiyama Rose, our daughter. We just want you to be yourself, live your life following your own heart. That's all we want for Tsukuru, for Emma.
She and Shuu are proud of them just for being who they are, and nothing less. She never wants Rose to have to hide her name, her identity, her ghoulhood even.
Is this hiding it or just offering a different path?
She remembers all the lives she took, trying to help Shuu, trying to quiet the demon in her stomach. She remembers the medications Tooru takes daily, to keep his brain well.
"I'll tell Kimi, Shuu," she says. "We'll both do it."
"I have bad news," announces Takeomi as he enters Goat in the afternoon. The sun shines brilliantly, but outside, Ui spots dark clouds blustering in, ready to shred the blue sky and claw the sunlight away.
"Another incident," guesses Hide, putting his lunch away.
Takeomi nods just as Amon bursts out of his office. "Yomo, Juuzou—the prime minister's on the phone."
"This can't be good," Akira remarks as the three of them disappear into the office, door shutting with a soft click.
Ui rests his head in his hands.
"What happened?" Hairu wants to know.
"They killed two schoolchildren," reports Takeomi. His face is gray, no doubt thinking of Fuyumi. "A seven-year-old boy, and his nine-year-old sister."
"Shit!" Karren curses. Takizawa balls up his fists.
"The family thinks Goat doesn't want to respond—they're on the news saying maybe Goat wants ghouls to rise up and destroy humans, and maybe that's been their mission all along—"
"Bullshit," says Ui. "Take, Takeomi—we can go on the news. We're human. Completely."
"You married a half-human and have a child," says Higemaru with a shrug. "Sorry, but they'll use that to discredit you. And Hirako raised Yusa, Rikai, and Shio."
"Sorry we forge connections with ghouls," Hirako says sarcastically. "How awful of us, right? God forbid we see each other as more than monsters. God forbid we have any empathy."
Why can't people in this stupid world get it? Ui claps his hand to his forehead. Hairu raises her eyebrows.
Then again, it took me a long time to get it too.
There is no justice without mercy.
"There are times when I almost wish we could torture Furuta," Kaneki admits, voice cracking. "He still won't say anything, and he could end this, and it's putting Yuki's life—all our kids' lives—"
"We can't," interrupts Tooru, face green. Urie clasps his shoulder. "We can't be like—"
"I know." Kaneki covers his eyes with his fists. "I'm sorry."
"He's bored. He wants entertainment, and this is probably a game to him," Arima observes, resting his chin on his hand as he looks over the back of his chair.
"He's the only lead we have," says Saiko.
"Unless we hit the streets," says Hsiao. But no one's eager to volunteer.
We all have kids we don't want orphaned.
"I'll do it," volunteers Aura. "I don't have anyone depending on me. Higemaru and I can go undercover."
Higemaru nods eagerly. Aura swallows.
"Don't be stupid," requests Nakarai.
"Knock knock!" calls Chie, flitting into the room. "I sent Rose back to the day-care room, so don't worry, Shuu and Karren. Hinami and Ayato are looking after her."
"Did she see the news?" Tsukiyama asks with a wince.
Chie sighs and nods. "Only a glimpse, before I turned her away."
Karren curses in German. Ui sucks in his breath. If Rose saw the news, she will probably tell the other kids. I don't want Masanori to worry.
"She asked why ghouls would want to hurt people when they can just eat people who are already dead." Chie snorts.
Tsukiyama's jaw drops. He looks ashen. Chie snaps a photo.
Kaneki smiles. "Well."
"This is the world we're creating," says Akira, pulling her hair up. "She thinks it's not normal to hurt someone."
That's a world that's never existed before, Ui thinks. Because he grew up thinking it wasn't just normal, but good and right to hurt ghouls.
Juuzou, Amon, and Yomo emerge after a grueling two-hour call with the prime minister. "We have only a week, or they'll put restrictive measures on ghouls again."
Fuck.
When Ui picks up Masanori at the end of the day, they find Rose chattering about what she saw when working with Chie on computers.
"I saw the bad guy," Rose announces. "Today. The clown. He looks like a sad prince."
"You're wrong," Yuki declares. "He's a clown. He has to have a huge nose."
"Well, he doesn't."
"Koma has a huge nose and he's not a clown," adds Chiasa, crossing her arms over her dress.
A prince? Ui could gag himself. He remembers when he supported Furuta too. His next interrogation with the man is the following week.
Do you finally feel like you're a hero of justice, Ui Koori? Furuta crooned last time. Interrogating the evil clown to save the world? Do you and Hairu have more kids now, or did you decide not to create any more new ghouls?
Ui swallows.
"Ui, Ui," calls Ryouko, getting to her feet. "I heard that people are angry at ghouls." Her lip trembles.
"Ryouko," Hinami starts.
"Some people are small-minded," Ayato interjects.
Yes—and no. "They're just scared," Ui says, forcing himself to smile. "They probably don't know any ghouls. They don't have ghoul friends, so they're scared. People are scared of things they don't understand."
"Like Seidou's scared of the dark," teases Yuki.
"Not nice," warns Ui. He's heard about Seidou's fear of the dark from both Akira and Amon. "And I used to be afraid of ghouls, too. But then I made ghoul friends."
"Oh." Mie frowns. Hinami smiles at him.
"So you were scared of me?" asks Nozomi, eyes widening. She holds up her hands like claws, eyes gleaming.
Why is your child like this, Arima? "No," says Ui with a snort. "I made ghoul friends before you were born."
Nozomi looks almost disappointed.
"Bye Rose," sings Masanori. He kisses Rose on the cheek.
Wait, what? Ui's eyes widen.
"Puppy love," Ayato says, leaning back against the doorjamb. His smirk tells Ui he knows exactly what he's doing.
"You smell good," Rose giggles. Masanori grins.
"Let's go," Ui croaks, reaching for his son's hand. Masanori waves goodbye.
Why Tsukiyama?
My son has a crush on a full ghoul. Not just a full ghoul, but a Tsukiyama.
Why, God?
"Did you just see a ghost or something?" Hairu questions as she waits outside with Takizawa. Nashiro races towards their son.
Ui shakes his head. Masanori scampers down the sidewalk with Nashiro.
"Oh, you must have just found out," Takizawa says, twirling a pen between his fingers. "Shiro told me and Kurona a month ago that Masanori was sweet on Rose. Shiro had all these elaborate plans to get them together."
"What?" Hairu's jaw drops, and then she laughs.
"I thought it was bad enough when he was best friends with your kid," croaks Ui.
"Hey!" Takizawa glowers at him, but they both laugh, because they both like each other. We're friends.
"If Nozomi tells Eto," mumbles Hairu. "We're so screwed."
Ui shudders. When they get home, they have dinner and then they give Masanori a bath and send him to bed. Ui and Hairu comb through some of the old CCG files on their computer, looking for any sort of clue.
"Daddy? Mommy?" they hear a whisper.
"Masanori?" calls Hairu.
He stands in the doorway. "Can I have a glass of water?"
Hairu leaps up to get him one. Ui studies.
"Am I bothering you?" Masanori asks.
"Huh?" Ui jerks his gaze away from the screen. You've never asked something like that before. It feels like a kick to the chest.
Masanori's brow creases. "Are we bothering you? At Goat, I mean. You're so busy—"
"It's just because we've got an important case to work on," Ui assures his son, shutting his laptop. "You're not bothering us."
Hairu returns, a worried look in her eyes. Ui remembers how she's said she grew up in the Sunlit Garden, a place where she was a bother to everyone, a failed half-ghoul. Just like Furuta. Arima's the only one who showed her even a smile.
"I was raised to think I had a use, but I wanted a life," she said once.
"I hope you solve it soon," says Masanori, drinking the water. "And you will. I know you will."
Up next: Miza and Naki are forced to break the law to save their children, and Eto finds her daughter snooping.
