Author's notes:

It's kinda awkward writing fanfiction with original characters. I'm not really comfortable with inserting original characters in fan work but I guess it's inevitable. But the original characters I've put are really, really minors, so I don't really mind it.

No romance yet, I guess, but I really need to develop their character first (lol). Please enjoy and leave a review! :)

Oh, and most of the italicized words are thoughts. :)

Touka realized that it was Yoriko that made her catch attention.

"Ah, I opened the door too loudly in excitement…" Yoriko whispers, though it was loud enough for Touka to hear. Yoriko…

Hide notices Touka's nervousness. He places his hand on her shoulder, and he felt Touka jump a little.

"Don't get nervous," he suggests her, his voice soft. As much as possible, he tries to get her to calm down. He presses his hand lightly against her shoulder, making sure she does not feel forced to not get nervous.

"Everyone is looking at me," she whispers. Hide can sense her shaking slightly.

"Touka-chan, that is normal when someone catches attention."

Yoriko apologizes as they continue whispering to each other.

"I stand out. They're looking at me," there's an edge to her voice.

"They're not just looking at you. They're looking at us," he assures her. "Besides, they're looking because Kosaka-san made a loud sound, not because you're standing out. And you're not standing out."

"Well!" Yoriko turns to them. "I'm sorry about that. Let's go."

The others certainly turned their gazes away, but some remained looking at them. Somehow, Touka's nervousness diminished. She looks around, and she notices that the gymnasium is packed, though there is enough space for people to move around. She can recognize some familiar faces. Most of the people were talking to each other; introducing their partners to friends. There are also children wandering around, but most of them are being carried or are holding on to their parents.

It was then Touka realized that she is indeed an adult now. She's gets a nostalgic feeling, and even wonders if there are others like her as well, in the gymnasium.

Yoriko disappears for a moment, saying she'll be back after a minute.

"Touka-chan, I told you it's going to be fine," Hide says cheerfully. "You don't need to worry about anything. We just, erm, kind of made a ruckus a while ago."

"Seems like it," she replies, sighing heavily as she feels calmer. She looks at Hide. "I can still feel eyes staring at me, though."

"They're going to be off of you later," he says. "Why don't you go greet your classmates? I'm just going to get something to eat or drink. See ya!"

He left without even waiting for her response.

Idiot… why'd he leave me? She thinks. Even though she said that, she actually has to thank him, since he's half the reason she's at ease currently. She feels thankful he tagged along.

Why don't you go greet your classmates? Hide's statement rings at the back of her head. She never really had any close friends in her class. Yoriko was her only friend. She definitely remembers most of them, but she didn't know how to approach them now.

Suddenly, she felt a force against her legs. She looks down and sees a toddler that has crashed unto her leg. The child looks up at her and giggles.

"Oh…" was all she could manage.

"Sho-chan!" a woman's voice emerges from the crowd. "Don't let go of me!"

The woman bends down and carries her kid, and when she straightens up, her eyes met Touka's.

She realizes it was a former classmate.

"Kirishima-san?" she says, smiling slightly, unsure if she is correct.

She looks at her intently, trying to remember her name. "Are you… Uhm… Yumikawa…?"

The woman claps her hands. "Ah, you remember me! You definitely are Kirishima-san. You've changed so much!"

Touka wasn't expecting someone to talk to her, much yet remember her. She always kept silent in class, though some of her teachers get her attention (in a bad way) sometimes in the middle of lectures.

She doesn't know what to say.

"You look so different now. Your hair have gotten longer," her classmate beams, approaching her. "It definitely suits you much better than your tomboyish look back then."

"Thank you…" Touka's voice is soft, but she was a little glad that someone started talking to her.

"Oh, I hope that didn't sound wrong!" she laughs. "So how are you? It's been so long. To be honest, I was a little confused when you didn't finish here…"

Oh yeah, Touka thinks. I didn't even finish high school here… We had to go into hiding after… after Anteiku disappeared…

She felt her stomach being tied into knots. It was a bad memory… And she kind of felt upset remembering it.

Yumikawa senses her uneasiness and immediately changes the topic. "Oh, right! By the way, where do you live now? What's your job?"

Touka collects herself. "Well, I work as a teacher at a good school. I didn't really expect that I can be a teacher actually…"

"Don't say that, Kirishima-san. We all get the chance to be something we want. And by the way, I'm not 'Yumisawa' anymore," she chuckles, carrying her child. "As you can see, I'm married to someone. "

She looks at the child being carried by her classmate. She's definitely cute… she thinks.

"You know… she's a half."

Touka's eyes widen in surprise. "A… half?" She knew exactly what she meant, but she had to ask. She just had to.

"My husband is a ghoul," she says. "He's not here right now. I wanted him to come along to this homecoming, but he's really busy with work. I just want to let you know that I… I have nothing against ghouls. So please, don't worry."

She gives her a kind smile.

She knows what I am, Touka thinks. "But then… how did you…?"

"Oh, I know what you mean," she says. "I received help in conceiving at a ghoul protection center. To be honest, it was really dreading—those nine months when I was pregnant with her. Of course, I'm no ghoul, so it was a lot of trouble eating. But when I gave birth to Sho-chan,"—she pinches her daughter's nose—"those dreading of nine months are nothing to me anymore. We were so happy."

Touka was flabbergasted. She haven't though that ghouls and humans could be together. Even with their rights established, it didn't come to her mind that some humans will... fall for ghouls. Though she knows that she once knew of a person who had a child with a ghoul.

And she currently knows another person whose child is part-ghoul. The thought of it pierces her heart.

"It's pretty obvious that you were really nervous coming here, but I hope I helped you relax," Yumikawa says, smiling at her. "My husband's name is Akimoto Jun. Do you know him?"

"Oh, I don't know him, sorry," she says. "And thank you, Yumikawa-san."

Her classmate flashes a peace sign with her fingers. "It's 'Akimoto-san' now, Kirishima-san! Oh, and by the way…" she smiles mischievously at her. "Is it still 'Kirishima-san? I saw you enter with someone."

Touka blushes furiously. "W-What? He's just a f-friend, you know!" Not this again.

"Is he your boyfriend? You two look good together!" she says, scanning the crowd for Hide.

"Are you even listening to me…" Touka tries hard not to pinch her nose; all those misunderstandings are making her head ache. "He's just a friend."

"Is he a ghoul?" she asks her. "Though he looks human to me. If he is, then that's so sweet!"

"He's not my b-boyfriend!" Touka snaps at her, though not angrily. Her red cheeks are evident.

"Alright, if that's what you say," Yumikawa-then pats her shoulders. "I was hoping he is, though."

"He's not, so please stop misunderstanding."

"Anyway, Kirishima-san, I'm going to be looking for our other classmates. Would you like to come along?"

"Ah, I'm alright. I'm waiting for Yoriko to come back. She told me to wait for her."

"Alright, see you later then," she says, and leaves.

Touka lets out a sigh of relief. She was glad that everything's turned better now.

The thought of humans and ghouls having family still lingers in her mind. She wraps her fingers together and bites her lips. Having a family, huh…

Someone taps her shoulder, and upon turning around, it was Hide. He is carrying a glass of punch in his other hand.

"Did I take long?" he asks her. "I was kinda embarrassed to be here before, but it seems okay to be here."

"It didn't take long," Touka replies. "I met a classmate."

"Hmm? Really? How did it go?"

"It went really fine! I mean, I didn't expect it," she beams. "But I'm glad it did. She helped me relax. Is it really obvious that I was nervous?"

"Yeah, you were pretty obvious, Touka-chan. But I told you it's going to be fine, right? And it did."

"They kept misunderstanding, you know…" her voice falters.

"What?" Hide didn't hear her, though he swears he saw her blush. He was about to ask her about it when Yoriko appeared.

"Touka-chan, thanks for waiting," she beams, holding out folder. "Can you please sign this? It's the attendance sheet. Just for a while."

She accepts the folder and pen, and proceeds to look for her name. When she finally found hers, she sighs it.

"Yoriko," she says, giving the folder back. "I met Yumikawa-san a while ago."

"Oh? You've met one of our classmates?" she asks. "Have you seen her daughter? She's cute, right?

"Yeah, I was surprised," Touka comments. "I didn't expect that someone would have a daughter like that."

"Eh? That was pretty rude of you, Touka-chan," Hide says, joining in their conversation. "Everyone's children can be cute, you know."

"What? No, I didn't mean that," she tells him. "I mean, her daughter's a half-ghoul."

Hide almost spit out his drink. "W-What?"

"She married a ghoul," Yoriko explains. "It's incredible, right? She's, so far, the only student in our class to marry someone like that."

Hide could only manage a gape. For some reason, he set his gaze to Touka.

Suddenly, a sound of clearing throat echoed throughout the gymnasium. "Good afternoon to all of you," a woman stands on the stage, clearly the emcee. "First, I want to thank everyone who came to this homecoming celebration. This wouldn't be a success if all of you hadn't come. We would also like to thank the people who came with our amazing alumni."

Everyone clapped, and the emcee continued talking.

"In the past years, we've all been students of this high school, and surely made memories. During that time the rights haven't been established yet, but that didn't diminish our desire to finish in this school successfully. Most of us lived with fear of the ghouls, but now, we are finally able to live with them peacefully."

Touka's eyes fixate on the emcee.

"It was six years ago when the rights have been established, and it was all thanks to the CCG and a couple of ghouls. Of course, there are ghouls on the peaceful side. And there are certain ghouls who were courageous enough to help with establishing their rights."

For some reason, Touka felt nervous. Again. Where are they going with this—

"And one of those certain ghouls are here today."

…What the—?

"Everyone, please let us welcome, Kirishima Touka-san."

The people in the gymnasium claps, and their eyes immediately stare at Touka.

"If you will, please, Kirishima-san, say something before the start of the celebration?"

Touka shivers in fear. W-What the hell… How did they know I took part in—

"Yoriko, what the hell is this?" she whispers, grasping Yoriko's shoulder. She's becoming blunt, but it doesn't matter to her right now.

Yoriko shakes her head. "I don't know as well, Touka-chan," she honestly replies. "I d-don't know what t-they're planning…"

Touka's eyes widen in shock. She looks around, and it was evident that everyone in the gymnasium is looking at her. She notices that some of them are frowning, which probably isn't a good sign. Some people are whispering to each other.

"Touka-chan—" Hide tries to get ahold of her, but he shuts his mouth as he sees her approaching the stage.

Tch… I don't have any choice, do I? Touka thinks, feeling her feet drag her to the stage.

She's an adult now. She has to be mature, and just going along is the best choice she has to do.

Or so she thinks.

The emcee hands Touka the microphone. Everyone watches her as she unwillingly accepts it.

Her shaking fingers wrap around the microphone. Her eyes are looking down on it, refusing to look up in fear. What the hell should I say?

"Well…" Touka started to say, bringing the microphone to her mouth. "I didn't know that the identities of the people who helped in the establishment of the ghouls' rights were publicized, so I didn't expect that all of you knows me."

The agitation in her voice is apparent. Of course, she would totally be upset since what she thought is a supposedly classified information, has been made public. What upsets her even more is why the hell she hadn't known about it for so long.

Hide gulps as he watches her start her talking. He honestly doesn't know what's going to say. He hopes it goes well, like what he has been telling her the whole time.

"Years ago, I started studying in this school. Most of us ghouls don't go to school, and it was very different for me. Someone I knew asked me to start studying at school, and to be honest… I wasn't expecting it to be so interesting. But I loved to study in school!"

Her voice is now starting to sound confident and less edgy. Some people are still frowning, but most of them are listening to her.

"I started late, and that's why I did badly on lessons. But the experience of being able to study in school is so different for us. It wasn't a part of our daily lives. We also lived in fear. In fear that we might get found out. As a ghoul, it was really hard living as a student. Who knows when you might get caught? What if they get weirded out on you? That's what I always thought when I was in this school. It was really, really hard. But what I experienced is new to me. To us ghouls. That's why… that's why when we were given the chance to have rights, I participated in fighting for it. Because I want ghouls like me to experience something different in their lives, just like I did. But… without the fear I had when I experienced it."

Some people nodded, agreeing with what Touka said. Her speech stirs the audience.

One person's hand shot up in the air. Touka was surprised.

"I want to ask something. During your stay here at Kiyomi, didn't it cross your mind to target students?"

What the hell?

"W-What? No, why would I think about doing that?" Touka answers, raising her voice a little high.

"Well, simply because you're a ghoul. And obviously, the only ghoul who has studied in our batch. Not unless someone in here is a ghoul like you."

Their conversation stirs the audience, and murmuring arises from them.

"Well, it certainly looks like you're the only ghoul in here."

"If I planned on eating the students, then I should have done it a long time ago!" this time, her voice is truly angry. She wanted to scream. "I just wanted to study. Besides, if I had targeted someone, that would have caused a stirring among the students, and it would have made everyone suspicious of everyone!"

"Ghouls like you only know how to wreak havoc, am I right?"

The people became noisier—the others are trying to stop the man while the remaining tried to side with him. Some can heard telling their bad experiences with ghouls—ranging from having their relatives got eaten to their parents getting attacked by ghouls.

"Oi."

The loud voice echoes throughout the gymnasium. Touka almost dropped the microphone from knowing who it was.

Hide smiles brightly as he approaches the man. He taps his back like he's known him for a long time. He pays no mind as the man gives him weird looks.

"Come on, man, don't ruin the celebration," he says playfully. "Why exactly are you doing this?"

"I don't trust ghouls," the man replies, grumbling.

"Oh? Then maybe I should vouch for Touka-chan?"

Vouch for me? What?

"What are you talking about?"the man asks.

"Well," Hide says, crossing his arms. "You see, I've been friends with Touka-chan for a long time. And look at me! I'm still alive, aren't I?"

The man was about to retort, but Hide continued speaking.

"In fact, you're all still alive. And believe me, Touka-chan is very passionate about living a normal life. She also saved my life from a long time ago. And guess what? From a ghoul. So why would you even suspect her of eating you?"

Hide's words are seemingly upset, but it doesn't match his sunny facial expression. "She's a very nice woman. She's even so nervous to attend here because she feels different, and yet she still did. I talked with her many times and she really cares about other people."

People are staring at him now—even Yoriko is surprised with his actions. Hide looks around.

"Oh, Kosaka-san! Why don't you tell them about Touka? She is your closest friend, right? Tell them how nice Touka-chan is!"

Yoriko gapes at him for a while, and realizing the situation, she stammers but collects herself soon after.

"T-That's right!" Yoriko says enthusiastically. "I even let her eat the food I cook, and I know that it doesn't taste good for her, but she still compliments my cooking, and that was really nice of her!"

Yoriko continues to talk about Touka, and everyone listens to her intently.

Touka couldn't believe what she is seeing—and hearing. The people in the crowd seems to get convinced with what Yoriko is saying—and what Hide said.

"Not all ghouls are dangerous," even Yumikawa-now-Akimoto joined in. "My husband is a ghoul, but he never thought of eating me. He's a very kind person—and I know most of the ghouls now are nice. They may even be more "human" than us."

After minutes of compliments and nice words, the commotion ends. Touka gives her last words on the stage, and to her relief, it ended well. Before going down the stage, she sees Hide smile at her.

And deep inside her, Touka felt something strange and… familiar. And it seems like an uplifting feeling.

And that made her cheeks burn, and she knew it wasn't because of embarrassment.