What happened after having heard of Akira's disappearance felt all like a blur to Haise— surreal, and subsequently the rest of the night thus played out more like a fever dream. With Mutsuki having to break out of her timid nature to be his rock throughout the entire rest of the night, when it came time for Haise to sit and dwell on the entire ordeal from the safer and comfort of his private work area, within the Main Office itself, the one-eyed ghoul had to rely on his apprentice's point of view, when it came time for him to ask for clarification of what happened after she had first broken the unfortunate news.
Standing beside the large office chair where Haise was leaning forward in seat— with his head lowered, and his eyes blankly fixated to the gray carpet underneath where his leather shoes were— Mutsuki had one hand nervously resting on his opposite shoulder of where she was, while looking down at him as she used her free hand to awkwardly rub his bicep closest to her, up-and-down. "You… You got up off of the floor, and… And started to ask around when they last saw Mado. You, uh… Were pretty manic about it, and uh… We eventually had to leave, after you started to harass Hayashimura— you told him it was his fault for not protecting Mado, and how he was a "failure of a man"," Mutsuki explained with an uneasy look on her face— fearing that for whatever reason that Haise would react negatively to what she was saying, even though she knew better than to think that he actually would do such a thing to her.
Pinching the bridge of his nose while letting out a heavy sigh, Haise closed his eyelids shut as he lamented over what the dark-green haired investigator had told him. "Did I really say that to him…? Wow, that's… T-That's just embarrassing; shameful, is what that is," Haise mumbled to himself, before furrowing his brows as he opened his eyelids to stare up into Mutsuki's emerald-green gaze. "Even so… I've seen other investigators who were emotionally distressed just get escorted away from whoever it is that they're yelling out— hardly ever have I ever seen someone get ordered to vacate the scene of the crime entirely… Was I really that inconsolable?"
Shaking her head while giving Haise's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, Mutsuki's frown lightened slightly as she gently smiled down at his perplexed expression. "N… No, not necessarily… As a matter of fact Sensei, even in your emotional state, I still remember hearing you apologize outloud to Hayashimura, and as well as to Marude," Mutsuki said in a comforting voice, while still looking as though she had more to say about the incident.
"Oh… Yeah, that sounds like something that I would have done," Haise muttered under his breath, before relaxing his shoulders slightly as he asked, "So why was I ordered to leave then?"
"B-Because Sensei, Hayashimura was lying unconscious on top of a stretcher when you screamed at him…" Mutsuki said with a forced smile spreading across her lips, as she watched Haise go wide-eyed from the revelation. "B-But r-really, it was more so the medics who were treating him than anyone else who had a problem with your outburst, Sensei! I-I don't think you'll be getting reprehended beyond getting told to leave, i-if that's what you're concerned about! A-At least in regards to that incident…!"
'… I can't believe I called a man who was on the cusp of death a "failure of a man". I hope to God that no one tells him about that… Oh, and that he gets better; of course,' Haise added onto his thoughts— just in case by chance that there was some sort of omnipotent and benevolent entity eavesdropping on his inner monologue. Letting out a heavy and embarrassed sigh, Haise leaned back into his chair with his chain raised— staring methodically up at the ceiling light above his oak desk, while bringing himself to ask Mutuski his next question. "Alright… And what about Akira? D-Did anyone… Did anyone, uh… F-Find anything about her whereabouts, or…? Or have we been sitting here since then, with… With nothing to show for it?"
Pursing her frowning lips together nervously, Mutsuki hesitated to respond to her sensei's somewhat cynical question. "I… I-I wouldn't… I w-wouldn't necessarily say that; you had me drive you around in a company vehicle for about four hours… U-Up until we got pulled over, and uh… Y-You know…?" Mutsuki said reluctantly, before gesturing over for Haise to look down at the box beside the foot of his desk— one that was filled with his personal possessions, while his company-issued laptop was placed in a seperate box beside it.
Staring down at the two cardboard boxes with the gears within his head spinning, it didn't take long before Haise picked up on what Mutsuki was too afraid to admit to him. "… W… We're getting fired?!" Haise asked with a look of surprise on his face— unsure whether or not he should be concerned, or excited to finally be released from the hold CCG had on him. 'Am I even allowed to BE fired?! I was always told that my conscription was involuntary, and that I had to put in at least twenty years of service before even being CONSIDERED pardoned for all the laws that I broke as Kaneki… This whole time, was my key to freedom truly THAT easy for me to achieve?!'
Not immediately answering Haise's hopeful question, just like she wasn't able to do for the previous ones, Mutsuki's fake smile disappeared as a look of anxiousness and uncertainty took its place in her tanned face. "Um… N-No, not really, uh… It's… It's undecided whether or not you and I are going to receive a court martial yet, Sensei; Mado's disappearance and Orochi being at large is taking precedence over our… Misconduct," Mutsuki informed reluctantly, before bracing herself as Haise's eyes went wide once again.
"M-Misconduct?! For WHAT?!?" Haise asked loudly with a shocked expression on his face, as he stared bewilderingly at his poor apprentice.
"F… For stealing a company vehicle, after your request to be lent one was denied, Sensei…" Mutsuki said in a quiet voice, as she involuntarily let go of Haise while taking one step away from him— the sound of his shouting voice visibly frightening her, to the point that the one-eyed ghoul had to take a moment to recompose himself, before carrying on with the awful conversation.
"I… I see… Mutsuki, I… I-I'm sorry for getting loud; I'm not angry or upset at you, it's just… It's just a little upsetting to be told all of these things— even though they're important for me to know, so… T-Thank you; thank you for being the bearer of bad news— it isn't easy being someone in your position, and for that amongst other reasons, you have my utmost respect," Haise said with a exhausted smile on his face, as he looked up at his slightly blushing apprentice. "I'm… I'm going to make some phone calls before the morning office staff arrives in a couple hours— see if I can't clear anything up, or at least direct the blame entirely on myself. It wouldn't be fair to have you go down for this," Haise said in a solemn voice, as he swiveled in his office chair, before scooting himself closer toward its edge.
Feeling Mutsuki's soft-and-timid hand resting back on his shoulder— as she made her way back to his side after feeling reassured by his touching words— Haise reached his hand over toward his landline office phone, so as to pick up the receiver and dial the number to Marude's work phone. That's when the one-eyed ghoul noticed the red-light blinking on the edge of the phone's keypad— indicating to him that he had a voicemail. 'Hmmm… Maybe it has something to do with Akira… Or about how I apparently cohorted my subordinate to drive me around in a stolen company car,' Haise thought to himself— hoping for the former of the two possibilities— as he picked up the phone, before putting the speaker to his ear.
Hitting one of the three buttons above the phone's keypad to check on his voicemail inbox, Haise tucked the phone in between his shoulder and the side of his face, as he reached into his pocket to pull out his personal cell phone while the automated voice began to speak. "You have four unread voicemails… Voicemail number one: "… Good [INSERT TIME OF DAY HERE, [BIG SHOT]!!! [Number 1 Rated Salesman 1997] Here At [Nation's Leading Car Manufacturer] Have Noticed [ME, SENPAI] That Your [CUNGADERO] Warranty [BUY BUY BUY] Is Coming Up [I WANT TO WORLD TO KNOW] On Its [GAME-OVER] Date!!! Please [DADDY, Pick Up [The] [RING-RING-BANANA PHONE] And [CALL NOW, So [Wii-U] Can Have It [DEAL, OR NO DEAL] [Organized, Filed, And Sorted] [OUT NOW, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST]!!! We Here At [Nation's Leading Car Manufacturer] [Numerical Value%] Your [TICK-TOCK, HEAVY LIKE A BRINKS TRUCK, Your [KROMER, And [HeartShapedObject]; Thank [YOU, And [#@!%] [YOU]!!!"… End of message," The automated voice said calmly, after Haise had just listened to the bizarre and eccentric voice shouting at him about his non-existent car's expired warranty.
Completely dumbfounded by the recorded cacophony that his ear had just been a victim to, Haise sat frozen in his chair before finally breaking the silence by muttering under his breath, "W… What the actual FUCK was that…?!" Unsure whether or not the strange spam-like recording was actually in his voicemail inbox, or if his unhinged mind had somehow imagined it, Haise decided right then and there that he wasn't ready to open that "can-of-worms", and promptly did what he figured was the smart option to make.
"Message deleted… Next voicemail message: "…", end of message. Would you like to save this message, or delete it?" The automated voice asked, after playing a few seconds of dead air that came to a sudden halt. Confused— but for an entirely different reason than before— Haise leaned over the keypad to where the electronic display on the phone was. '… I don't recognize that phone number, and it's not coming up as any of my contacts… Maybe they were just calling the wrong number?' Haise theorized, after having read the displayed phone number silently to himself, before saving the message while typing into his phone the aforementioned number of the unknown caller.
"Message saved… Next voicemail message: "Sasaki, this is Arima… I was informed about that stunt you and Tooru pulled. It's unfortunate that you resorted to such drastic measures, and utterly pointless as well. I'm disappointed, but if you were to give me your side of the story, I might be able to intervene, or at least speak on you and Tooru's behalf during the trial… If it comes to that, that is; hopefully, it doesn't. Call me"… End of message. Would you like to save this message, or delete it?" The automated voice asked, while Haise let out a humorless chuckle, as he buried his face into the palm of his hand.
'Of course… Of course Arima caught wind of that. Why wouldn't he?! Damn it…! Damn it…! D-Damn it all! I was hoping to prevent that…!' Haise thought nervously to himself, while unsure exactly as to why hearing Arima's gentle and monotone voice was triggering a fight-or-flight response in his brain— the hairs raised on the back of his neck, as his skin became covered in goosebumps. Letting out a shaky sigh— as if though he had just finished taking a hard shot of tequila— Haise swallowed the lump in his throat, and did his best to calm himself down while feeling Mutsuki's concerned gaze peering down on him, as he reluctantly deleted Arima's voice mail.
"Message deleted. Next voicemail: "Kaneki, it's me… I'm certain that part of you remembers the sound of my voice, while the "new you" at least will recognize it from our last encounter"," the familiar voice said in a direct statement— causing Haise to jolt in his seat, and immediately look down at the display screen, in order to write down the phone number that Orochi was using to call him from. It was then that Haise felt a cold chill run down his back— the office around him beginning to feel as though it was spinning around him, after he saw that the number belonged to Akira's work cellphone.
'He has her, he has her, he has her, he has her,' Haise's rampant mind repeated again-and-again, as whatever color he had left in his face immediately drained as his entire body tensed up with the phone still pressed up against his face. With his overactive imagination firing off on all cylinders, years of having read the most beautifully-deprived literature that his favorite author had available on the market made Haise immediately begin thinking of case-after-case of what Orochi could possibly be doing to the very woman who he saw as a mother-figure.
"Getting your contact information was an endeavor in itself; your blond dove-friend wasn't keen on coming forth willingly with any information, whatsoever. I thought about extracting it from her through more drastic means, but considering that I'm seeking to "rekindle" the partnership you and I had at one point in time, I decided against torturing her," Orochi said in a matter-of-fact voice; seeming almost proud of the fact that he was able to reach Haise, all without ever laying a hand on his prisoner. "I wish there was an easier way for this to go down, Kaneki, but… It is what it is… I'm getting much satisfaction from having to dangle a carrot over your head, just to ensure your cooperation, but… I can't be sure how much of you is still "you", so of course precautions are to be taken…"
"… So here's the deal, Kaneki: There's an auction being conducted by a subsidiary group that's been annexed by the Aogiri Tree. "The Clowns", is what they're called; they've agreed to work with me, in ensuring that I'll be able to get a chance at capturing an executive member of the Aogiri Tree. There's going to be an entire small army of them monitoring the auction, and the Clowns made sure to give me the heads up that when shit hits the fan, that they're going to reveal in the ensuing chaos that they're expecting as an unorthodox form of "payment"…"
"… Fucking lunatics— couldn't just accept a monetary bribe… Anyway, this is an opportunity that I can't afford to miss out on— especially considering that you're responsible for the death of the ghoul who was supposed to be my involuntary informant… But I digress… Meet me tomorrow night at the fairgrounds— 20th Ward. Come alone, or else you'll never see the blond girl ever again… Oh, and don't bother calling this number back; as soon as I'm finished recording this message, I'm destroying this phone… I suggest you do the same with yours, or at least leave it behind— for your sake, don't save this message either," Orochi informed, before promptly hanging up.
Spiraling into a cathartic silence, Haise was left clinging onto the hope that the ghoul who had left him such a grim choice to make was being truthful about how Akira was— from the sound of it— safe. But even so, the fact that he knew for certain that the higher ups of the main office wouldn't approve of him going undercover without an investigator keeping an eye on him made Haise realize that the top brass at CCG would rather leave Akira to her fate, than to risk having him defect from them. 'I can't believe that this is all really happening so soon, and so suddenly… Maybe… Maybe once I come back with Akira, maybe then they'll let me off easy when I get back… Maybe,' Haise thought with a lingering speck of hope mixed in with denial in his mind.
More concerned than she had been all night— which certainly spoke volumes— Mutsuki furrowed a single brow, as watched Haise slowly pressing his finger down on one of the three buttons that were above the keypad— promptly deleting the last voicemail message from his inbox, before proceeding to power off his cellphone with his thumb. "Sensei, is… Is everything okay with you…? You know… With all things c-considered…?" Mutsuki asked with an anxious tone in her stuttering voice, as she leaned slightly over the edge of Haise's desk; so as to get a better look at the dread and reluctance that was written all over his face.
Letting out a muffled whimper as he slowly rubbed his palm down against his face, Haise held his hand over his mouth while silently looking back up into the single-visible eye of his concerned apprentice— premeditated guilt coming over him, as he reluctantly lowered his hand to speak solemnly to his loyal subordinate. "… Mutsuki, I… I've asked so much of you tonight, and because of me, you're possibly facing consequences that I alone should bear," Haise said with an apologetic voice— smiling sadly at the worried look on Mutsuki's face, as the way he was speaking to her instantly set off the sirens in her head. "You're a brave person, and a wonderful friend to have… Which is why it kills me to have to ask you for another favor so soon."
Upon hearing that Haise considered her as a friend instead of just a subordinate or a member of his squad, Mutsuki's resolve hardened as she gave him as much of a determined look as her timid nature would allow her to have on her dark-skinned face. "Y-You don't have to worry about anything like that, Sensei… Just tell me what you need from me, and I'll my best for you," Mutsuki said in a low, and almost trance-like voice; her single-visible eye staring deeply into Haise's heterochromic eyes, as she obediently awaited to hear what the most important person in her life had to say to her.
Taken aback at how dedicated Mutsuki was to him, Haise winced slightly with his eyes widened at her before his facial expressions softened once more. "… I'm going to be leaving the main office, and will be going off the grid for… Probably about a week at most. They're certainly going to be looking for me— CCG is, that is… Umm… Orochi, he… He's using Akira to cohort me into helping him capture a high-ranking member of the Aogiri Tree, and… And it's going to be something that I'm going to need to do alone; his terms, not mine," Haise clarified with an apologetic smile flashing over his grinning lips, as he saw Mutsuki's determination melt away the moment he let slip that he was going to leave her.
"S… S-Sensei… I don't… I-I don't think the CCG is… Is going to allow you to… T-To return to your life here with me, if… I-If you…" Mutsuki trailed off in an almost incoherent voice— mostly muttering under her breath, more so than trying to communicate to the man who she was terrified of losing. "… You're doing this to save Mado, yes? Does she… Does she truly mean that much to you, S-Sensei…? Do you… Do you… H-Have feelings for her…?" Mutsuki whispered in a shaky voice, and with baited breath, as she anxiously awaited to hear her perplexed superior's response.
"Feeling for her…? Um… N-No; it's not like that at all… She's like a mother to me, Mutsuki; I would do this for you, Saiko, Urie, or Shirazu, if any of you were in her position," Haise clarified with an uneasy look on his face— watching as Mutsuki let out what looked to be a sigh of relief, as a faint resemblance of what looked like to be a reluctant smile formed on her dark lips. "But anyways… Yeah, you're probably right: I think the only thing that would be waiting for me is either my cell in Cochlea, or… Or a spot on the ol' choppin' block."
"P-Precisely, Sensei…! Which is why if… If you're serious about going through all of this for Mado, we need to do this right," Mutsuki said with her resolve hardening once again, while also trying her best to move on from having just questioned Haise on his motives for wanting to rescue Akira, with the stakes being as high as they were. "They can track your phone, even when it's off… Which is why you're going to have to leave it here… After you knock me out, and leave me in your office," Mutsuki said with a sight but of hesitation in her voice, as she bent down to pick up the cardboard box containing Haise's personal possessions— turning around, as to present her backside to the flabbergasted one-eyed ghoul.
"K-Knock you out…?! M-Mutsuki, there's no need for that! All I was going to do was just ask you to stay in the restroom for about ten minutes— I'll be gone by then, and the blame will be entirely on me," Haise reasoned optimistically, while Mutsuki looked over her shoulder to smile reassuringly at her superior.
"Mhmm… You and I both know that it won't go down that way— especially when they start piecing together how suspicious that looks," Mutsuki reasoned, before turning head forward— so as to show Haise the back of her head once more. "A penny in for a pound; there's no "partially" going renegade, Sensei— not in the eyes of the CCG. Either you do it the right way, or you don't do it at all… Plus, if you attack me, it'll make me look less suspicious; especially if they piece together that I had my back turned to you when it happened," Mutsuki stated, to which Haise opened his mouth to rebuttal, but found himself unable to argue with his underling's logic.
Absolutely filled with reluctance to go through with what he knew to be the best decision for both him and Mutsuki, Haise let out an elongated breath through his nostrils, as he rose up from his chair to position himself behind the green-haired qunix. "… Thank you for all you've done for me, Mutsuki. If there's… If there's anything that I can do for you-"
"-Live… Live through what you need to get through to save Mado, Sensei, and then come back to me… All I want from you is to be with you; no matter what it takes for me to see that happen," Mutsuki said with a peaceful tone in her voice, as she calmly awaited to be struck down by the man who she idolized.
Grimacing at what needed to be done, Haise felt his heart aching as he aligned his aim for the back of Mutsuki's head— fully intending on making her unconscious in the least painful way possible. "… You have my word. I'll… I'll return to the Chateau; wait for me at midnight, whenever you can… I'll be outside your bedroom window," Haise said in a low voice, before closing his eyelids shut as he braced himself to deliver a roundhouse kick to the back of Mutsuki's head— unable to notice the sudden wave of visible regret that was washing over the tensed up quinx's body.
"… Wait, wait, WAIT!!! I CHANGE MY MIND, I CHANGE MY-" Mutsuki tried frantically to protest— spinning around with the box still held firmly against her abdomen, before flying backwards and through Haise's office door, after the side of her forehead had been caved slightly in by the powerful one-eyed ghoul's misaligned kick.
Having heard Mutsuki far too late, Haise's eyelids shot wide open as he stood there frozen in terror— the sight of seeing Mutsuki's body lying limp within a pile of crumbled drywall and torn pieces of what used to be a door. "M… Mutsuki…?!" Haise whispered in a hoarse voice, before finally forcing his trembling legs to move forward to where his underling was laying flat on her side— one arm resting behind her, while the other one was laid out over her shoulder and along the floor of the hallway, outside of what was going to be his soon-to-be vacant office. Fearing the worst, Haise checked her vitals and was immediately relieved to feel not only a sound heart rate, but that she was breathing just fine.
Inspecting the open wound along her head to ensure that it was healing properly, Haise took a moment to hold her unconscious body in his arms to gaze down at her once again, peaceful-looking face. "… Thank you, Mutsuki… I'll come back for you as soon as I can; I promise," Haise whispered quietly in a loving voice, before gently kissing the dark-skinned girl on her bang-covered forehead. Putting her back down on the ground gently, Haise made sure that his powered-off phone was residing on the top of the oak desk that was soon to not be his, before quickly marching down the corridor— so as to avoid being there when Mutsuki's unconscious body would inevitably be discovered by the plentra of bureaucratic investigators, who were all scheduled to come in within that hour.