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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Tokyo Ghoul, Tokyo Ghoul Root A and Tokyo Ghoul:re and other products related to the TG Series are all owned by Sui Ishida, Shin Towada and Shueisha.

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Case 9: Monochrome Drop (3)

Dealing with Kaneki Ken was perhaps one of the simpler aspects of the long-term case I had with him together with Hairu.

While at first I had my own issues regarding how 'wacky' some elements remained with his friendship with Nagachika Hideyoshi and his own annoying ways when he wanted, the case itself wasn't that difficult due to the routine kept by our current target we had to defend. Ken was incredibly unwilling to go out to places beyond the ones he would normally go to, especially since he felt 'slightly embarrassed' to take his own 'wardens' around to see the city. It didn't feel any different to what I had to do with Hairu's siblings. Not as 'exploration-drive' so to speak, but still a good way to not be directly thrown into tougher cases just yet. It also allowed me to spare some time on my own with Hairu. Time that we generally used to discuss recent events or future plans that might be important for us to entertain now that we could. In this case, one topic in particular stood out and it left me particularly unsure how to treat it with the pinkette's own concern on the matter.

We were sitting back in Anteiku, with Kaneki having turned the place in a nice rendezvous with his friend to do together their respective homework and I was really having a tough time trying to defend my stance with the girl considering how strange it felt from an external perspective of how 'appeasing' I was being on the matter at hand. Not by choice, but rather by necessity to not escalate things into violence.

"I understand that you're trying to take a slow approach with Juuzou-san, senpai. But perhaps… you are taking a far too soft approach?"

I sighed. "It's not a simple task to get Juuzou to talk if the situation is that difficult. I know that it seems I'm taking that much but-"

"You don't want to strain your friendship with him. But… I know this might sound incredibly insensible, but wouldn't perhaps be best to actually do that?"

"As I said, even if I went that route I would just get more refusal and no response. Trust me, I'm not doing it just because I care for Juuzou. I know it wouldn't get through him," I remarked with a serious tone. "I would like to help him, but I know that it's not going to happen directly. And… I know now why he is so reluctant."

Hairu raised a surprised brow. "Really?"

"I should have picked it up earlier, or done something about it when I saw the familiar signs about his behavior. It did happen just once in the past, and… I guess I just forgot due to how rare and unusual it was back at the time," I explained with a serious tone, taking a small break to sip at my cup of coffee. "Back to… about a year after I met Juuzou, I ended up bringing a subject to one of our usual conversations that left him sour and bitter for a full week. I wasn't exactly sure at the time what I had said to get him in that gloomy behavior, but I was eventually told about his bad experience with some elements of the Ghoul Restaurant."

The girl's eyes widened, showing clear attention to this discovery. "Juuzou-san was a-"

"Scrapper," I interjected, the unpleasant word tasting incredibly disgusting for me to digest even now after it's been so long since I first studied. The practice of employing humans, most of those having been augmented to sustain the unnatural stress caused by that arena-like battleground. It was something that Mirumo technically didn't take part due to his disinterest in being 'a competitor', preferring to announce and enjoy than else. His son shared that very mindset, so I didn't doubt that they were genuine about it. Still, I was opposed to the practice altogether due to its degree of depravity.

"But then… Do you think he is investigating his former… owner?"

My lips twitched at the choice of words, but I could tell Hairu herself wasn't happy for it too. 'Ownership' of a human from a ghoul… I just couldn't believe it. And yet it was something that I had little voice on the matter- at least, until I had the chance to outright dismantle the Ghoul Restaurant and get the main proponents killed or put in Cochlea. It was going to be an incredibly difficult objective, but it was feasible and I was going to put my best effort to get that idea going and working well for my ambitious idea.

"It's possible- no, I know it has to be the situation. I would have to find more info on it and… I know the place. Sadly, it's not a pleasant one," I answered dryly. "I'll go alone there, but it should be fine since it's a place where I know the rules and I can make it through without any issue."

I had already made plans to check on Itori and see what she could provide about this matter. The girl clearly knew something about the two targets I had to study for my current situation. One for the twins and one for Juuzou. It took me a while to come up with the proof needed to provide an equal exchange for the info I needed. Big concessions, but still some that were going to help me in the long-term when it comes to get Itori to my side. While Chie had her own network of informants, Itori was that one step that Chie couldn't reach no matter how many favors she scored through her efficient job with her clients.

Before Hairu could have asked for more, I held a hand up, stopping her as I realized that our conversation had stopped being private for a while. I glanced to the side, slightly behind me, and I spotted a certain Rio looking incredibly interested in the discussion. He looked surprised when he realized that I caught him eavesdropping, so much that he unconsciously let go of the tray he was holding. The sound of mugs cracking and coffee getting spilled on the floor seemed to wake up from that dread and put him in another kind of terrified mood as it didn't take long for Touka to be over him and pull him to the side so she could give him one of her infamous lectures. It seemed to be a normality whenever Rio committed a small mistake nowadays, but it was clear the damage he created with that stunt was exactly non-negligible. I've only heard he had a tough time getting his mind onto the job, but it wouldn't be a lie to say he had made some good progress since he came to live and work there. Something that I could tell from the slow decrease in accidents each week.

Yet, as I looked back at Rio, I couldn't help but think of a possible idea that would have benefited the two of us. And I just needed to bring this up to the manager, the elder sparing me a curious look as he helped at the counter while one of those assigned there cleaned up the mess left behind by the young man. Since he was the leader of the group, I knew that he was the one to have the final words on plans, but I knew mine would have been green-lighted if I worded it well enough to get it going.

Hopefully, this isn't going to bite me in the ass.

Rio looked a little nervous at the current situation. I couldn't blame him, not when I told him that I wanted to bring him for a little 'educational' trip to check on where to gain info through a reliable source. He was confused at first, but he was even more surprised that another Ghoul he knew and trusted was meant to tag along. To be fair, I hadn't expected for the manager to tie another condition on the matter, but I was reassured the man in question was someone trustworthy and that knew the informant himself on a personal level.

I was surprised by the news as I hadn't expected both this revelation and the 'request' forwarded by the old man, but I couldn't do much about it as I could tell this guy, Yomo, wasn't exactly a chatty individual and wasn't open for offering any hint as to how close and what kind of close he was with Itori. Slightly taller than me, buffer, but not one that was up and threatening with his appearance despite all good reasons. Even though my own interest and plan had been about just Rio and me going through this task so I could avoid getting ratted out as part of the CCG, I knew that I didn't have any leverage to make my own inclination evident to the elder. I knew the manager was aware of this, and I could see it on his slightly amused face when he said that the new point was non-negotiable.

So, after the boy's shift was over and around time of dinner, I went back to the coffee bar and retrieved the two before leading them through the streets of Tokyo. Yomo seemed to know the path already, but gave no hint about any shortcut or even questioned if I was taking a longer route or not. I didn't mind the lack of questions from his part, but I was sure distracted when Rio rightfully asked further details on the matter.

"Why do you require an informant? Is this… tied to a case?"

"It's tied to two operations targeting the Ghoul Restaurant," I answered flatly. "I can't give more without compromising both missions."

He opened his mouth, but then the last bit struck him quiet as he decided to change topic to another matter.

"So… this informant, she isn't part of the CCG."

"Considering she is a ghoul that uses her bar as a headquarters for her secret job and accepts only requests from those that aren't part of the CCG? No," I replied calmly. "But she doesn't know I'm from the CCG."

"She will know. Eventually," Yomo commented, offering a rare insight over the conversation that left me quite uneasy. The chances of that happening could easily translate in losing Itori as a possible ally or even worse, being forced to do her bidding through the blackmail she would have on me. I decided to keep by the risk and hopefully not get entangled in anything serious after this encounter.

As we arrived at Helter Skelter, I told Rio to put on his mask while I put on mine as we entered to find the main section of the bar completely empty, with only the small traditional pub area operational as Itori was serving a customer at the time. As we approached, the orange-haired woman spared a quick look at us before allowing a smile to appear on her face as she greeted the three of us for this occasion.

"Who would have thought that Yomo-kun knew about you, human-kun," She muttered mirthfully. "Tokyo sure is a small place when it came to coincidental encounters."

I nodded. "Itori-san. I hope your day has been a good one."

"It was a decent one, but now it is definitely better… especially when you brought a little assistant? What's your name, cutie pie?"

Rio looked a bit surprised by that sudden development, and, while I thought Yomo was going to say anything about it, I saw the man merely take a seat beside the other customer, sharing a nod with the guy as they both knew each other from their attitudes together. So, instead of leaving the boy at the maws of the teasing young woman, I decided to jump.

"That's my brother. You may address him as such."

A risky move on my part, mostly due to the part of the very reason that got a surprised look out of Itori as I finished uttering that. I was a human, he was a ghoul- it wasn't difficult for me to imagine the shock going through the ghoulette as she digested this absurd sentence. Yet, despite the stunning development, she didn't press on the matter and merely chuckled at the absurdity of the situation itself.

"I suppose you're just that kind of weird, human-kun… but how about we switch to the business. I can tell you're itching to praise my knowledge and stroke my ego."

I sighed, sparing just a glance at Rio as he seemed lost in what was just said. That was going to be a tough predicament to handle once I was done with this but… I still had that main goal to get through first and at once. Picking up the two pictures I had about my target, I placed them on the counter so that Itori could give those a look. She focused over them, her eyes narrowing specifically on one and gaining my interest as she picked it up.

"I can understand Big Madame but… what about Madam A? She isn't that much important compared to that sleazy fat ball."

"The first one is more of a favor for a close friend of mine," I replied half-truthfully. "The second one is tied to a bigger target. One that is beyond my current reach."

The second half of the explanation further increased her interest. "Truly? Can I ask who?"

I sighed, knowing that perhaps it would be best to have this specific info flow as it would further alienate the doctor to the Japanese Ghoul Community.

"Kanou has been behind a couple of exchanges with Madam A, most of which entailed selling his failed experiments for her to use as scrappers," I replied with a calm tone, swiftly gaining a nod from the woman.

"And that means that the newest 'Doctor from Hell' was behind her sudden rise in power-"

"Is," I interjected, correcting her.

"What?"

"He is still keeping on with these exchanges. I have reason to believe that, while he isn't in Tokyo, he left behind loyal people to get through his usual transactions."

"So that means his influence is still in town, gotcha," She replied before nodding. "Still, I suppose you want to know where they are right? You know that this kind of information isn't free despite how 'important and life-saving' that could be?"

I nodded, and I prepared to unleash the concession. This was something I had to ask to Rize first in case she was up to put our relationship a bit on the public. Nothing too public, of course, but just enough to confirm rumors and put an end to any ghoul trying to get her as a mate or wife.

"I will allow for two questions regarding me and Rize, but those will have to be modest one. Nothing too exposing."

I noticed the customer, the tattooed guy with short hair tense up at my words, clearly caught off-guard by that comment. He had been stealing glances at me for a while, mostly aiming his Kakugan eyes right to my mask than anything else. Very unsettling, but he had kept away from making any direct involvement to the conversation and spared himself only to his current drink.

A cheshire smile appeared on Itori's face, and her response proved to be a positive one. "Deal. And I will start with one that I wanted to know for a while… how long have you known Rize?"

...That shouldn't be too bad.

"I would say… roughly two years. In a few months it would be our first anniversary since we… reunited. We met first when we were children-"

"Really?" Yomo asked, getting a confused look out of me. I didn't know that it was that much of a shock but… I still nodded.

"Yes. We would meet for several months at one of the parks here in Tokyo and then… we just stopped because of a small accident, then we met again a couple of months ago."

Itori looked ready to press for more, but she knew she just had two questions and she had already wasted one with that. Her lips twitched as she knew she had to switch up to another topic, but she still decided to go for something that approached quite the heavy topic.

"Are you two planning to marry?"

…

I glanced to the counter, sighing again.

"...Yes."

She tensed up, palms slamming on the wood as she made it clear how much invested she was on the matter.

"You serious?"

"Yes."

"Really serious?"

I smiled behind my mask. "Yes."

…

"When?"

"Can't tell."

"Oh come on, you give me a slice of cake and now I can't have the entire thing?"

"We have a deal, Itori-san," I reminded her and she scowled.

"Fine, but I will really ask for that next time as the price for our next deal."

"Okay," I said while shrugging and soon I listened to the woman and went on to elaborate on what she knew on both targets' schedules, locations, and routines. I wrote every single keyword down so I could then set up a plan for later once I was back home. With that exchange over, I ended up leaving with just Rio as Yomo decided to stay a few more hours before going back to Anteiku. With that in mind, I thought that the boy was going to inquire about what I said to cover his identity, but he remained awfully quiet. I tried to explain to him the situation and he seemed to listen to my words… except he was somewhat distracted by something else.

I didn't think much of it, as the main reason I wanted Rio with me was also to prevent Itori to get too confident that I might have been a mole trying to get info out of her while also giving Rio the chance to get in contact with someone that had information tied to the bigger aspects of the city in exchange for other info of equal or higher value.

Unbeknownst to me, Rio sure took the 'little brother' stunt despite the fact I said that it was to cover for him. If only I had paid more attention to that in a higher regard...

AN

Two ways to follow, the twins and… Juuzou's past. Which Kaizo will take? And who is going to tag along during those?