It was dark, so dark. She could not see a thing. It was like in the attic. Or was she in the attic the entire time? Was all of that a dream? A false sense of hope? She felt her resolve crumble. She had never left this gloomy place. She never met the people from 'Anteiku'. She never had a name. It was all a dream. She wailed piteously. Why? She wanted a new life! Why could she not live like an average person? Why can't she eat normal food? Why? She then remembered about the people living below. If they heard her sniffling, they would most definitely come up to beat her up. She held her breath in a desperate attempt to silence her hiccups. She had to stop crying.
"Aloysia? Aloysia!"
She shook her head sadly. There was no way such wonderful things would happen in this dull world. Her dreaming mind was playing with her again, giving her fake optimism. There was no point. No way out of here. She would continue living in here until she dies. That was the conviction for a ghoul.
"Aloysia! It's me, Touka!"
Touka? She raised her head. Touka? Suddenly, something pushed gently against her shoulder.
"Aloysia?"
"Hm? What?" she blinked open her eyes, squinting in the light. She then realized she was sleeping on a soft mattress. A small smile of relief crept onto her delicate features.
"You were all weepy," Touka told her. "Aloysia?" Touka said her name again, which lead to her crying again.
"I, I am so, so relived…" Aloysia cried. "I thought… this was all a dream… I…" she wept.
Touka's eye flashed with anger. Who haunted Aloysia and left her in this state? Touka pulled Aloysia into a tight hug.
"Don't worry. This is real. All real. And it will stay this way. I will make sure that it would," Touka assured Aloysia. Aloysia nodded.
"Welcome to Anteiku!"
Aloysia and Touka sat at a corner table watching the waitress greet the customers warmly as they entered. The entire café was full of ghouls but a few humans were also among them, oblivious that humans did not run the café. Ghouls were able to drink coffee and that was about the only human foods that they could take. Ghoul investigators were also coming in rather often although the 20th ward was where the least ghoul happenings took place. Imagine the number of ghoul investigators in the 13th ward.
Ghoul investigators were also called 'doves' as Aloysia was informed. They usually bring quinques wherever they went and the ways to recognize them from the crowd was their large suitcases used to keep quinques, their trademark trench coats and their habit to travel in pairs. Aloysia eyed the two men sharing a table opposite them in matching beige coats. Their rectangular metal bags rested on the floor between their legs as if they were too precious to lose. Of course they were precious. Getting a kakuhou from a ghoul was never easy.
"Aloysia?" Touka spoke, gaining Aloysia's attention. Touka blushed a little from embarrassment. "I kinda have forgotten your birthday."
"No, its fine," Aloysia laughed. "Mine is on the 10th of January. And I'm ten years old if you have forgotten that as well."
"I'm not that forgetful!" Touka retorted. "I know that you have been with us for three years so far and that I am the same age as you makes you ten!"
Aloysia shrugged. "Well, you could forget which room I live in, why not my age?" Aloysia stated, earning a cold 'shut up' from Touka. Comfortable silence fell on both of them and Aloysia continued people watching. Just then, both of the ghoul investigators abruptly got up from their seats and made their way towards them. Aloysia glanced away causally and took another sip from her coffee before purposefully bumping her mug into Touka's fingers. Touka looked up at her but soon realized the ghoul investigators approaching them.
"Good day, younglings," one of the investigators tipped his hat in greeting. Both Touka and Aloysia simultaneously gazed up at both of the slightly intimidating men.
"Hello!" Aloysia smiled brightly and as innocently as she could. She was a brilliant actress. "Funny that you guys approached us, we hardly ever get noticed!"
"You're regulars here?" he raised an eyebrow and Aloysia nodded, stating that they were familiar with the owner. "Then, do you see any odd people around?"
"A few here and there. Like pickpockets," Aloysia shrugged naturally.
The man sighed, ruffling his large hand through his messy dirty blonde hair which was black at the roots. It was obviously dyed. The other man, slightly smaller in stature, pulled out his ID from his coat pocket.
"We're ghoul investigators," he explained. "I bet you know what ghouls are." Aloysia and Touka gestured that they knew. "We want your help."
"Really?" Aloysia exclaimed excitedly. "How?"
"Ghouls can't eat human food. I believe you know that. However, they only able drink coffee and eat human flesh," the shorter guy stated. "We were informed that there were a number of ghouls in this café. And since both of you are regulars, we were hoping that you knew something about them."
"That is true," Aloysia piped up suddenly, shocking Touka into glancing at her. There was a possibility that she might reveal their secret. "I thought I saw a man eating a few fingers last week. He was sitting at that table," she pointed to the table next to theirs.
"Do you still remember his face?" the blonde questioned.
"No…" Aloysia murmured. "But you do know that they ask for your name or part of it when you order so that they could call for you later? His name or part of it was Haku. He had long black hair and a beard. I wanted to report but I was afraid he knew and attack me. Don't tell anyone about me, okay?" she added in a whisper. The ghoul investigators nodded solemnly and bided their farewell.
"That was fake," Touka muttered the moment when the pair was out of earshot.
"Of course it was. That's all about acting!" Aloysia replied hotly. "They actually suspected we were ghouls but the guy's ID showed that they were only third class investigators. They're gullible and they would never think that a ghoul would reveal another ghoul's whereabouts."
"So you based your lies on that?" Touka raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. If they were first class investigators, I would have needed a far more complex story to entertain them!"
"True…" Touka murmured in agreement.
Just then, the manager called. "Touka! Aloysia! We're running low on coffee beans! Can you go to the back and get some?"
"Ah! Yes! Coming!" Aloysia pulled Touka out from her seat and dragged her to the back of the shop. They made their way through the corridor and opened a pale blue door into a room full of coffee bean sacks. Touka picked up 1kg bag of them and Aloysia did the same. As they were dragging them out of the store, the same two men stood, blocking their path.
"Um," Aloysia began innocently. "Please make way, we have to pass these to the manager."
"Come with me," one of them said sternly. Aloysia and Touka shared glances of bewilderment and fear but uttered nothing. They followed obediently behind the investigators to the alley.
"Tell the truth," the blonde commanded. Aloysia felt as though she was like a young child scolded for a stupid lie.
"What do you mean?" Aloysia replied curiously, doing her best to remain composed.
"You two are ghouls, isn't it?" the blonde continued.
Aloysia burst out laughing. "What? Ghouls? Are you ridiculous? Those filthy creatures? Never! Why should I? They are such low –" she was interrupted by the smaller man.
"Cut the crap! We've been observing you two! At least one of you are ghouls!" he shouted.
"W-what?" Touka squeaked. "It can't be! You must have got it wrong! Aloysia and I never have been ghouls!"
"It's okay Touka," Aloysia brushed her bangs from her face. With a creepy smile, she stared at the investigators with darkened eyes as cracks formed across her face. "I'm the ghoul and you didn't know," she sang and her kagume swept out from behind her.
"Four limbs? I never seen one with four limbs…" the blonde murmured, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Aloysia!" Touka cried. "You can't!"
"Girl! Come here! The ghoul is dangerous!" the smaller investigator had his quinque in one hand and the other extended out to Touka. Touka did not budge. She did not want to abandon her friend. Aloysia stared coldly at her for a moment before kicking her hard on the back with her foot. Touka stumbled forward into the man's arms.
"Aloysia!" she wailed. Aloysia gave her a warning look not to release her kagume as well. Touka noticed then quietened, hoping Aloysia knew what she was doing. The blonde was on the phone, whispering feverishly into the device, perhaps calling for support.
"You need assistance fighting a ten year old? Don't be ridiculous," Aloysia laughed and one of the tails slashed at the man's hand, making him drop the phone. However, he did not exactly drop the phone. He lost a hand. The man shrieked in agony and thrashed on the ground. His partner stared at him in wide-eyed surprise. He stayed rooted on the spot, his grip still tight round Touka.
At that moment, two other ghoul investigators ran out from both sides of the alley. Aloysia narrowed her eyes. A few seconds after, her kagume shot wildly through the air, aiming the other two investigator's faces. They were experienced. Both of them dodged the attacks well but as they got closer, one was stabbed in the stomach. He basically vomited blood before falling limp on her kagume. Disgusting. Aloysia swung him into a wall and dislodged her kagume.
"Kenji!" the other investigator yelled. He then swung his quinque at Aloysia. His quinque was rather simple, resembling a bendable double-edged sword. One of her tails were cut but it grew back near instantaneously. "Huh, for a young'un like you, you're not bad," the investigator huffed. "What's your name?"
"Aloysia," she replied monotonously, using her kagume to lift herself out of reach from his quinque.
"Randall," he returned, swinging his quinque once more. "And I'll be the person to lock you in prison!" Aloysia smiled knowingly and wrapped her kagume around Randall's torso.
"You were wide open," Aloysia giggled. "Next time, swing smaller strokes. Saves energy and time to recover. Unless you're hundred per cent sure you would hit the target of course," she advised. "I –" A sharp dagger stabbed her in the back of her neck. Aloysia instantaneously fell to the ground. She had been complacent. Naturally, there would be other ghoul investigators about.
"You're rather dangerous for a kid like yourself," she heard as she fell. "You deserve the SS ranking. However, it is against the law to kill young ghouls like you. You'll just have to land up in a cell. Sadly. That sort of kagume is indeed rare. One in a thousand ghouls have that sort and one in a hundred of that thousand ghouls have them in fours."
"Aloysia!" Touka screamed, struggling in the small man's grip.
"Young girl," the same voice spoke. "You don't deserve a friend that keep secrets from you. Why so loyal? After all, ghouls are just filthy, low-lying creatures that don't deserve living."