"Oh. Hi, I'm Kaneki." he replied.

"Well, nice to meet you, Kaneki." Tsukiyama replied. Tsukiyama stopped and sniffed the air. "You smell...intriguing. Not like any other Ghoul I've ever met."

"Uh, thanks?" Kaneki replied. This Tsukiyama guy is kinda weird, he thought.

He didn't have much time to consider what Tsukiyama had said, as suddenly a voice came from up on the stage. Kaneki recognized it as Mado's. "Now that we're all here, let's get started," He nodded to the other man on the stage. "This is my assistant, Mr. Kotaro Amon."

Kotaro nodded to Mado. "Thank you, sir."

"Yes. Now, as I was saying, you've all been brought here for a very special purpose-"

"A mass extermination?" a voice piped up. Kaneki looked to figure out who had spoken, and saw that one of the other captive Ghouls, a girl who couldn't have been older than nineteen, had risen from her seat.

"Sit down." Amon said, his voice harsh and commanding.

But the girl didn't listen. "Just admit it! You're going to kill every single one of us!You Doves are sadistic bastards!"

"Sit. DOWN!" Amon roared.

"No! I'm not dying, not today!"

Kaneki watched in terror as the girl activated her kakugan and kagune, and charged the stage where Amon and Mado stood. Time seemed to slow down as one of the guards who had been standing by the door aimed his rifle and fired, his bullet landing in the back of the girl's head.

She fell in a heap just a few feet in front of the Investigators, her kagune already beginning to disappate. Amazingly, there was little blood. Neither Amon nor Mado seemed fazed.

Mado gestured to the same guard who had fired the gun, and he came forward.

"Excellent work. Take her down to the lab, tell them I want a new quinque." Mado said.

The guard beamed. "Thank you, sir!" Kaneki recognized the voice-it was the same guard who had only a few minutes earlier been teasing him. Now he was a cold blooded killer. No, Kaneki thought. Surely he had done this before. There was no distress in his eyes whatsoever.

Once the guard had hauled the body away, Mado began his talk once again. "Apologies for the interruption. You've all been brought here for a special purpose."

Mado gestured to a man sitting by a computer next to the stage, and a sketch of a Ghoul wearing a simple black mask was projected onto the wall behind the stage. "This is the Phantom." Amon explained. "An SSS rate Ghoul who's killed four CCG Investigators and critically wounded another. Your job is to kill this Ghoul, no matter the cost."

"You will be paired together, and supervised by either Amon or I. As per what was discussed, we both reserve the right to terminate any of you at any time."

"I suppose it was convienent then that that girl died! I was worried the groups would be uneven!" Mado laughed. "Amon, I'll take these two," he continued, gesturing to the other two Ghouls. "You can handle a one-eyed and the Gourmet, I hope?"

"Of course, sir." Amon replied.

"Good. Dismissed!" Mado called out. He instructed the other two Ghouls to follow him, and away they went.

"Hey, Tsukiyama. Why did Amon call you 'The Gourmet'?" Kaneki asked.

Tsukiyama held back a snort. "Because I am a gourmet!"

"How can you be a gourmet when Ghouls only eat one food?"

"Human meat is amazingly versatile! There are many different parts, different flavors to experience.You have much to learn about the culinary arts, Kaneki."

"Both of you!" Amon called out. "I'm sure you're having a fascinating conversation, but we have work to do. Come on."