"Hey, Aki, when Nishiki gets here will you tell him I went to the store? I'm getting our dinner for tonight, so don't go out! ...And keep that nasty wound clean."
"Sure thing, Kimi!" The previous night had been a rollercoaster and Akeno was still reeling from it. She hadn't told Kimi what had happened in fear she would somehow get Kaneki in trouble. At this point the boy seemed kind of like an enigma; being around him on campus (supposedly), seeing him come and go, learning a bit more about him each time. He was a mystery Akeno wanted to crack. She rubbed her bandaged arm, biting her lip in the process. Any sort of pressure put on the wound make it throb and start bleeding again. Kimi thought the wound was just a nasty scrape from falling on the ground last night. Each time she touched the wound she thought of Kaneki and his smile. 'I wonder how ghouls feel about everything going on in the world.' Akeno sighed, knowing she had things to do today. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't sit around all day and dwell on the previous night's events.
So, instead of dwelling, she turned on some music and opened the windows. Kimi was gone and Akeno was alone, so slowly sauntering around to the slow lul of the music wasn't nearly as embarrassing as it would've been had her roommate been home. Little by little she cleaned up the apartment, closing her nose when she picked up some old food one of them had left sitting around and throwing clothes in the hampers. She scrubbed the kitchen counters and swept the floors, vacuumed the living room and to reward herself made a delicious chocolate sundae- for breakfast. She softly hummed the words to the song she was listening to as she scooped ice cream into her mouth. "Damn, this place was really dirty…" She whispered to herself. After finishing her sundae she turned on the television in the living room and watched a show with two girls bickering over who had created a better dress for about an hour before making her way back to her room.
When she walked into her shared room she heard something ringing and looked to the cherry wood dresser in the corner of the room. Her eyes widened and she cursed herself when she seen what was ringing. "Oh shit, I forgot that was here." She picked up the green phone Kaneki had dropped the night before while he was leaving and marveled at it. On the screen read 'Touka.' A female, most likely one of Kaneki's friends. The door to the room opened and Akeno let out a small shout, dropping the phone to the ground. Nishiki pushed his glasses up and groaned when he seen only Akeno in the room.
"I come for Kimi and get you instead." He griped.
"Tragic." Akeno huffed out. She reached to pick up the phone and Nishiki raised his eyebrow.
"Hey, that looks like… nevermind."
"What?" Nishiki rubbed the back of his neck.
"Nothing, I just thought it looked kind of like my co-worker's phone. I'm sure a lot of people have that phone. It's just that his is missing and he can't find."
"W-Who is he?" Akeno raised her voice by accident and Nishiki's brows furrowed.
"Kaneki… you know him?" Akeno sighed, obviously relieved.
"Great… I thought I'd never find him."
"...How did you end up with Kaneki's phone, Akeno?" Nishiki sounded more serious than Akeno had ever heard him sound before and it made her shiver.
"I-We hung out last night. He dropped it on his way home after he dropped me off." It wasn't a complete lie, but Nishiki wasn't buying it. He pointed to Akeno's arm.
"What happened to your arm?" Akeno laughed nervously.
"Fell. Bad scrape. I'm super clumsy, ya know?" The older male sighed and shook his head.
"You're not a good liar. Want me to give him his phone back? I'm about to go into work. Tell Kimi I just stopped by to tell her good morning."
"I-I'll tell her, but, if you don't mind I'll take Kaneki his phone myself. I just think that would be more appropriate. Besides I wouldn't want him thinking there was anything going on between us." Nishiki rolled his eyes and waved Akeno's excuses off.
"Whatever. He works at Anteiku. It's not to far from here, but be careful on your way there or you might end up with more than a hurt arm." Akeno opened her mouth to reply but couldn't really find the words. Nishiki knew. He knew and even though Akeno was a bad liar she knew she hadn't said anything to make Nishiki think a ghoul had bitten her. 'Does he know Kankei's…'
"Nishiki-!" He turned and tossed a look back at Akeno. It was so not-Nishiki. He looked dangerous. There was a glint in his eyes… 'The same kind from before.' "I… Why do I need to be careful on my way to Anteiku?"
"The world's a crazy place and from what I'm hearing CCG agents are swarming this ward. That means an increase in ghoul attacks. Just be careful out there, you're not quite used to this environment yet." It sounded sincere enough but there was more Nishiki wasn't saying and it was obvious- what was more frightening was that Nishiki wasn't one to hold his tongue.
"I-I will… I-If you can will you tell Kankei I'll drop by after I take care of some business at school?" Nishiki nodded, making to close the door.
"Sure thing." And then he was gone leaving Akeno alone to her thoughts. Music still played and filtered through the room but the slow tempo and mellow vibe no longer lifted her spirits. Her parade had been rained on and the rain had come from nowhere.
"So how's your schedule looking?" Nori asked over the phone. Akeno held the device to her ear using her shoulder as support while she held her new schedule in her hands.
"Rough. It's a lot more work than I thought it'd be." Akeno replied.
"Know any students yet?"
"Nope. I haven't went to a class yet. I'm just glad I switched majors sooner rather than later. I could've just wasted a whole year."
"Good point. So, you gotta spill what these classes are titled. Is it like 'Ghoul 101' or more alone the lines of 'How To Survive the 20th Ward?' I'm dying to know." Akeno chuckled.
"Well, no. The titles aren't anything like that. It says G-Anatomy 1, Underground and Subculture Studies, Secondary Organism Biological Studies-"
"Secondary Organism? Damn, that's harsh even for us humans." Akeno sighed.
"All in the way we were raised. We were bred to think that we're superior in any situation."
"Shit man, sounds like you're gonna have a packed schedule. At least you got your liberal arts over with in high school. Otherwise you'd have even more to worry about."
"Right you are." Akeno carefully eyed each and every name on the shops she passed. Still not an Anteiku in sight.
"I'm gonna let you go. I'm on my way to class, so I'll call you later."
"A-Alright. Have a good day."
"Right back at ya." The line went dead and Akeno stuffed her phone back in her pant pocket. Recently it seemed that every time she and Nori made plans they got canceled. It was obvious that the latter was becoming fed up with the tedious pattern, but it was something Akeno had little to no control over. She planned on working more frequently now that she would no longer be getting financial support from her parents and switching majors tacked on extra classes she hadn't accounted for. School came first in the equation, work second, and at the end of it all came relationships and it scared Akeno to think she would lose important ones. Without thinking she reached into her jacket pocket and lightly tapped Kaneki's phone as she continued to search for Anteiku.
The further she walked the more she began to take Nishiki's words to heart. It wasn't a rundown area or anything like that, but there was much room for human error and ghoul attacks as a result. Too many dark, unattended alleyways, too much hustle and bustle to notice if people went missing, too much camouflage for ghouls to kill without consequence. No wonder there were now cases of binge eaters. It was nothing like the ward Akeno had come from with clean streets, orderly lines, and minimal escape routes. It was open and big and full of life here- the perfect place for abduction.
Anteiku was a small shop on the corner that had barely caught Akeno's attention. It interceded a road with barely any activity and a whirlwind of fallen petals. There were multiple bikes on multiples bike racks on the side of the road and benches as well. Akeno rushed past the crowd in front of her to make her way to the homey shop. The air was different- it was kind of like an 'exclusive club.' No one entered or exited the shop, but people could be seen through the window sipping coffee, but not a single person by themselves- always a pair or a group. Akeno slowly made her way to the entrance before taking the steps to enter. A jingle alerted everyone in the shop of her arrival. Akeno was greeted by a smiling girl with eccentric blue hair in a cute waitress uniform.
"Welcome to Anteiku," She spoke. "What can we do for you-"
"Ah, you actually came. I thought I'd psyched you out enough to stay home." Akeno was struck by Nishiki's words as he greeted her on her left. She sighed and playfully hit his arm.
"Nothing you say can intimidate me Four Eyes." His eye twitched as the blue-haired girl let a small chuckle escape her lips.
"Oh yeah? Let's get somethin' straight ya freakin' Puffball-"
"Don't call me a Puffball, when you came out of the womb with that horrendous fringe."
"I can promise you don't wanna start with me you damn bird."
"If I'm a bird then you must be a worm."
"Listen here-"
"Nishiki! Leave our customer alone." The girl yelled. Nishiki groaned, but backed off even when Akeno stuck her tongue out at him. Though previously intimidating, she turned to face Akeno with a warm smile. "How can we help you today ma'am? Would you like to try our special?"
"Uh…" 'Should I maybe just say I need to speak with Kaneki and leave? Or would that seem rude?'
"Come on, ya know you wanna try some." Nishiki elbowed Akeno in the arm and she sighed.
"Y-Yes, I'll take whatever you recommend."
Oddly, what the trendy waitress with the blue hair brought out wasn't the newest latte or the most aesthetically pleasing cup with a surprisingly nasty liquid inside- it was black coffee. She set it down gently in front of Akeno and chuckled.
"If it isn't to your liking just tell me and I'll have something else right out for you." Akeno nodded and looked at the nametag attached to the front of the girl's shirt.
"Touka… what a pretty name and what an odd drink." Akeno giggled a bit as Touka bowed.
"That's what most say, but here at Anteiku we can guarantee it's the best coffee you'll taste. You'll never go to another Starbucks again, that's for sure." The brunette giggled, blew on her coffee and took a still-scalding sip. It wasn't bad, but it was unusual. With no creamer or sugar the coffee tasted much more earthy and bitter, but it wasn't terrible. It would just take some getting used to.
"It's different, but it's good. I think I'm just too used to having a pound of milk and sugar in my coffee," Akeno laughed. "But I could get used to this." Touka smiled and bowed before preparing to turn and walk away, but was called back by Akeno. "M-Miss. Touka!" The waitress once again turned her attention to the college student in front of her. "I-Is Kaneki working today?" The girl knitted her eyebrows together and she nodded.
"Y-Yeah, I can go get him for you if you need me to." Akeno nodded with a smile.
"Please."
"A-Akeno?" Akeno stood when Kaneki's rather shrill voice came from her side. He was dressed in his work uniform, but oddly enough had come from a second floor in the coffee shop that no one else seemed to be interested in. Akeno brushed the thought from her mind and bowed to Kaneki, smiling when her eyes met his. "Is something wrong?" He asked, returning the bow.
"N-No! I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you think anything was… wrong." Her voice was much smaller than she remembered it ever being as she felt eyes creeping over her form.
"What brings you to Anteiku?" Akeno chuckled.
"Well, it is a coffee shop, isn't it? Maybe I dropped by to have a nice cup of coffee." Kaneki's face went blank before he began shaking his hands in surrender.
"O-Oh! I'm sorry- I didn't know-" Akeno's laugh cut Kaneki off before she reached into her pocket and pulled out the green phone she'd kept stowed away.
"You dropped this last night." She whispered. "I thought I'd return it to you." Kaneki gasped and took the phone gently from Akeno's hands.
"Ah, you came all the way out here to give me this?" Akeno rubbed the back of her neck and sighed.
"Well, NIshiki offered to bring it, but I thought it'd be nice if I brought it. He's a jerk so he probably wouldn't have handed it over for until tonight."
"You know Nishiki as well?"
"Mmhmm. His girlfriend's my roommate- super sweet girl, but anytime they're together I have to get out of the dorm." She laughed. Kankei smiled and bowed quickly.
"Thank you so much for bringing it. I'll make sure your coffee's on the house for this one." Akeno giggled and shook her head.
"It's no problem and I know this probably isn't the right place, but… you said if we met again…" 'You'd explain.' Kaneki's lips parted in surprise before his gaze met the floor and Akeno instantly felt bad for even opening her mouth. "I-I mean, of course you don't have to!" She chuckled nervously. Her laughter died down when she noticed how tightly Kaneki was gripping his cell phone, his one uncovered eye swimming with pain. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"
"Follow me." He spoke softly. Everyone seemed to notice as the two of them disappeared upstairs, but no one seemed to care. No one except Kaneki. He looked around quickly, left and right as they made their way to a bedroom and Akeno's cheeks flared at the thought.
"I-Is this your bedroom?" She asked. Kaneki nodded, closing the door behind him.
"Sorry it's so small, I just got here. You can sit on the bed if you like." Akeno did so, clasping her hands between her thighs and waiting for whatever Kaneki had to say. "Listen… I know I promised, ubt…" Kankei didn't speak for a long time, instead he chewed on his lip, his nails, his fingers- and Akeno understood.
"You can't talk about it." She smiled. "I understand, Kaneki." He let out a gasp and pulled his fingers away from his mouth. "I know there are things you can't talk about. I'm not a part of your life, I have no real reason to ask you anything that isn't out of plain curiosity. Don't worry about it."
"B-But I wanna explain! I said I would-"
"But you can't. I understand Kaneki, really. I'm an outsider and I don't expect you to put yourself at risk for me." Her smile was gentle and kind- it was apparent she was used to being told no and she was oddly okay with that.
"I just don't want Touka to find out." He said softly. "She's… hard on humans who know." Then he realized what had slipped out. His eyes went wide with panic and he stood from the chair he was sitting in. "I-I mean…! That's not what I meant! I-I don't know why-"
"I'm not going to tell." Akeno said calmly. "I have nothing against ghouls; I don't want you guys to get hurt or be hunted or anything like that. Your secret's safe with me and so is Miss. Touka's." Kaneki's jaw dropped. She was okay with this? Settled in the way the world worked?
"You sound like you're… okay with ghouls." Akeno chuckled, wrapping her arms around herself.
"Why wouldn't I be? You saved my life."
"I saved you from another ghoul trying to eat you!" He whispered and Akeno shrugged.
"A few shouldn't spoil the whole bunch." Kaneki stared at her in disbelief. A human girl, sitting alone in a room with a ghoul, telling him that not all ghouls were bad. It wasn't until Kaneki had become a ghoul himself that he realized not all ghouls were terrible beings. But here Akeno was in all her glory, despite her experience, telling Kaneki that the things that hunted humans weren't entirely bad. "I think I should be getting home." Kaneki opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the words. He was stuck in a conundrum. "Stay safe Kaneki." She stood to leave the room, but was stopped by Kaneki's uneven voice.
"Y-Yeah, you too. Um… will you be working at all this week?" Akeno smiled softly and nodded.
"Sure will. I work the night shift this week so come see me if you get the chance." Kaneki nodded.
"Definitely."