2 years later.
"Eto…"
"What is it, Ken"
"Nothing… It's just that sometimes I wonder where I would be if you weren't here."
There was a brief moment of silence between the two, before Eto sighed and took the younger boy by the shoulders.
"Listen, Ken. Remember when I told you that I'd grown up without a father?"
The boy nodded.
"If.." she tried to continue, but found it difficult to figure out what to say or, more specifically, how to say it. "If I ever do disappear or you ever do end up alone, there's somewhere where I want you to promise to go."
The boy avoided her gaze, hesitantly saying, "That won't be necessary... will it?"
"It's always best to cover all possibilities," she said, deftly avoiding the question. "If you are ever in need of help, I want you to head to a café in the twentieth ward. It's called Anteiku."
Kaneki was silent for a moment, trying to find a suitable response. Finally, he settled for, "Why that café? Why not anywhere else?"
"The person who own that café… is my biological father."
For a moment, Kaneki thought he say something flicker across the face of his friend. An emotion he had never seen there before. It was almost as though she was… sad.
No, he thought, I definitely saw sadness on her face, if only for just a moment.
He grabbed her hands of his shoulders and held them in his, hesitating for a moment, trying to find his words.
"Fine," he responded, "I promise… but only if you promise me one thing, too."
"What is it?"
"Don't be sad," he said, squeezing her hands. "It's just not in your character."