It was finally the day when Ryusei would have his Dear Kafka signed by Sen Takatsuki! He almost felt like a child getting ready to go to an amusement park.
He dressed in his usual outfit, which consisted of a black t-shirt, black pants and black shoes. He wasn't sure how to dress for this kind of social event, so he thought he should go casual. He left his room and saw Akira and Kotaro.
"Ready to go Ryusei?" Akira asked.
Ryusei nodded.
"Do you have the book with you? I don't want to go and get your book signed if you don't have it." Said Kotaro.
"I've got it here." Ryusei replied, pointing to the book.
"Then let's go. We've got about an hour's drive." Said Akira.
The trio drove to the parking lot, and got into Kotaro's car. Ryusei sat in the back while Akira sat in the front passenger seat and Kotaro took the driver's seat. The car left the base and headed for the mall, or at least close to it.
"So how are you feeling Ryusei?" Akira asked.
"I'm pretty excited. But also a bit nervous too if I'm honest." Said Ryusei.
"Try not to think about it too much. It's not like you're asking her out on a date." Joked Akira.
Ryusei felt his face warm with embarrassment.
"Are you really going to tease him with this stuff?" Kotaro asked, amused.
"Well, it's true, isn't it?" Akira asked.
"Still, a comment like that can damage a man's self-esteem. You give the impression that he has no charm." Kotaro explained.
"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant... Anyway, it doesn't matter. Ryusei, you know I didn't mean anything negative, right?" Said Akira.
"Y-Yeah." Ryusei nodded. "Besides, I... I'm not even sure I've got a chance with anyone."
"Hey, don't say that. I'm sure you'll find someone." Kotaro said.
Ryusei nodded slowly, feeling a little comfort in his words. He looked out of the car window as they drove along. The roads were full of people, and a thought occurred to Ryusei. How many of these people are ghouls? Ghouls can pull out their kagunes at any time, and when they don't pull out their kagunes, they look like ordinary people.
They live a normal life, except when they have to kill to feed themselves. And even then, some of them are content to pick up people who have died in accidents or suicides.
What if the key to making ghouls and humans live together was to find an alternative to their diet?
Was it the same for the Amazons?
"Are you all right, Ryusei? Kotaro asked, seeing Ryusei's pensive expression in his rearview mirror.
"Y-Yeah... It's just that..." Ryusei replied.
"I know what you're thinking. Anyone on the street right now could be a ghoul. Or could be the One-Eyed Owl. But I'm sure no one in town is a ghoul." Akira said.
Ryusei knew she was lying. There was no way she could know that the Owl was one of the people on the road. She was just saying that to reassure him, not knowing that her encounter with the One-eyed Owl wasn't the most disturbing thing that night.
Eventually, they reached a side road and Kotaro parked in an open space. They all left the car and walked to the mall where Sen Takatsuki was signing books. It seemed that many other people were here for the same reason as Ryusei, judging by the number of people holding books he could see as he entered the mall.
At this point, they were greeted by a lively atmosphere that somehow overtook the activity on the road. The three of them walked into the mall.
"When you learned that this novelist was signing books, did you learn where she was supposed to be in the mall?" Kotaro asked.
"No, but I'm sure we can find her." Akira replied.
They ended up wandering around the mall together, trying to find out where she was signing books. We spent a good 10 to 15 minutes searching before finally discovering that she was at the other end of the mall.
"We're late!" Said Kotaro, looking at the clock.
"What?!" Ryusei exclaimed.
"Wait a second. Why isn't anyone moving?" Akira asked.
They then looked at the giant line in front of them. Akira was right. Nobody was moving. But why?
The answer came almost immediately after asking this question, as Ryusei caught a vague glimpse of a figure with long green hair arriving at a table at the head of the line. He couldn't see what was going on in front, but people started moving soon afterwards. He assumed she was a little late too.
The line passed painfully slowly, but then again, given the size of the line of people, that wasn't surprising. Ryusei had often wondered what life must be like for a novelist like her. He was obviously sure she wasn't writing books every second of every day, so how did she usually relax? If it were him, he'd probably spend his spare time playing video games. But he'd probably be distracted and not bothered at all with the day's work.
"Hey, you two hungry? I can go buy a quick snack in the meantime." Said Akira.
"No, I'm fine. I'm not hungry thanks." Answered Ryusei.
"I ate before I left. If you're hungry, you can go and buy something to eat." Kotaro replied in turn.
"Okay, I'll be back soon." Said Akira before leaving to get a quick snack.
"Hey, Kotaro?"
"Yes?"
"What happened to Kishou Arima? I haven't seen him for two weeks." Ryusei asked.
Kotaro sighed at the young man's question.
"He may not show it much, but he's a gentle soul. He cares for you as if you were his own son. I suppose when he heard what happened to you, he devoted a lot of his time to figuring out how to eliminate the One-Eyed Owl for attacking you." Kotaro explained.
"Or to see when I decide to use the Amazon Driver." Ryusei thought, mentioning for the first time the name of the belt that had been entrusted to him along with the bracelet that now kept the Amazon under control.
"Hey, don't worry about it." Kotaro said when he saw Ryusei's look, thinking he was worried about Kishou. "He's a tough one to kill. I'm sure this ghoul will fall like the others."
Ryusei nodded slowly, not believing his words. Akira returned shortly after with a cupcake.
"Did I miss something?" She asked.
"Not really. The line's still moving pretty slowly." Kotaro replied.
"Hmm." She said before taking a bite of the cupcake in her hand.
Ryusei took out the book and looked at it. He was still nervous about the whole thing, but he had to face it head-on. He took a deep breath and turned to the front, waiting for the people in front to get their books signed and leave.
They waited and waited until it was finally my turn. The mall was almost empty now, except for a few other people hoping to finish their shopping and Ryusei.
The woman in front of him had long green hair and green eyes. She was holding her pen in her left hand.
She looked a little tired, which made him feel bad for her. She rubbed her eyes and looked at me. Her eyes seemed to widen in surprise, which made him feel a little confused. He took out his book and handed it to her. He was nervous and didn't know what to say. His shocked expression turned into a gentle smile and she opened it to the first blank page. It was Sen Takatsuki.
"Is there anything in particular you'd like me to write?" She asked.
"U-umm. N-No. Not really." Ryusei asked, stammering a little as she faced her favorite author.
"Okay, thanks for your patience too. Can I ask what your name is?" Sen asked.
"M-My name? It's Ryusei Fujita." He replied.
"Ryusei... That's a nice name." Complimented the author.
He scratched the back of his head nervously as his face turned slightly red. She smiled in response and wrote something in the book. Once she'd finished, she closed it and handed it back to him.
"See you soon." she said.
Ryusei nodded and left with Akira and Kotaro. Both were exhausted.
"Well, how does it feel to have her writing in your book?" Akira asked.
"Ugh! I looked like an idiot!" Ryusei complained, leaning his forehead against the book.
"Hey, that's normal. Believe it or not, I was in the same state once. There was a girl I liked in high school and I couldn't say a word to her properly. I was a total wreck." Said Kotaro, chuckling as he recalled this.
"I may not have had such an experience, but I can say it's normal for people your age." Said Akira.
"Do you think Arima had an experience like that once?" Ryusei asked.
"It would be fun to imagine. Someone serious and stern reduced to a nervous teenager. But we can only imagine." Said Kotaro.
"You realize that if Arima were here to hear this, he wouldn't hesitate to bury you six feet under." Says Akira.
"But that's why it'll be our little secret." Ryusei joked.
Kotaro and Akira smiled.
"All right, then. Let's go home." She said.
We left the mall and returned to the car. Kotaro drove while Akira sat in the front and I in the back. I opened my book to see what she was writing. What I saw made my eyes widen in shock and surprise. There were a few numbers followed by a message.
Sen Takatsuki to Ryusei Fujita. I hope to see you again.
By the end of the day, Sen Takatsuki had left the mall. She sighed with relief and returned home. As she walked, she could feel people staring at her. She let out an annoyed grunt and headed down an alley. She crossed her arms and waited.
A man in a white coat jumped into the alley and faced the novelist. He fixed his glasses and glared at the green-haired girl. It was none other than Kishou Arima.
"We need to talk." he said.
The next day and Ryusei had spent about 10 minutes looking at what Sen Takatsuki had written in her book. He could hardly believe she was actually writing in her book. But he was still confused by the sequence of numbers she wrote. It looked like a phone number, but she didn't write her number in her book, did she?
He was tempted to try it, but he was even more nervous about it than having met her yesterday somehow. He was about to pick up his phone and dial the number, but the door to his room opened, causing him to close the book. He looked at the door and noticed Kishou Arima.
"Hello, Ryusei. How are you?" He asked.
"I'm doing fine. I don't think I'll be using the Driver yet, if you've come to find out." Ryusei said.
"I didn't come for that. Kotaro told me you went to have Cher Kafka autographed by Sen Takatsuki. How was it?" Says Kishou.
"It was pretty exciting, but I was really nervous. I feel like an idiot." Replied the young man.
"I wouldn't dwell on it if I were you. Did she write anything special in your book?" Kishou asked.
"Uh..." Ryusei said, not sure if he should tell her, but, well, he's her mentor. He taught him how to fight ghouls and survive. He'd feel bad if he didn't tell her. "W-Well... There's a number in the book. I just sort of... assumed it was his phone number from the way the numbers are placed.
"Really? Let me see and I can confirm it." Says Kishou.
"How?" Ryusei asked.
"Trust me." Kishou replied vaguely.
Ryusei sighed and handed him the book. He opened it and read what Sen had written in it.
"Hm. Judging by her message and the way she wrote the numbers, I'd guess the same thing. So, what do you want to do? Should I leave the room so you can phone her?" Kishou asked after confirming the young man's suspicion.
"W-What?!" He asked.
"Don't worry. I'm sure everything will be fine. Go ahead and call her." Kishou advised.
He handed her the book again and left the room. But Ryusei could tell he was standing outside the room, waiting to hear more. He took a deep breath and dialed the number in the book into my phone. Once he'd dialed the number, he placed the phone to his ear.
He took another deep breath and I heard something on the other end of the line.
"Hello?"
He recognized Sen Takatsuki's voice. She really had put her phone number in the book.
"U-Umm. Hello, Ms. Sakatsuki. I don't know if you recognize my voice, but it's me, Ryusei Fujita." Ryusei said.
"Oh, of course I remember. It's nice to hear you again." Says Sen.
"Y-Yeah, but do you mind if I ask you something?" Ryusei asked.
"You can call me by my first name, you know. But go ahead. What's up?" Sen replied.
"Oh, all right. And why did you write your phone number in my book? Don't complain! I'm just curious." He said.
He heard a chuckle on the other end of the line.
"I guess that's a good question. To me, you sound interesting and I wanted a chance to get to know you better." Answered Sen.
Ryusei's face warmed. Was she really serious?
"R-Really?" Ryusei asked, rather taken aback by the author's response.
"Mh-hm! And while we're on the phone, how about arranging a date? Just you and me?" She proposed.
"Y-Yeah! Sure! I mean, only if you're not busy. I don't want to get in the way of your work or anything." Ryusei agreed.
He heard another laugh.
"That's okay Ryusei. And I appreciate your concern for me and my work. I know a great dessert place that just opened. When are you available?" Sen asked.
"O-Oh, J-I'm available anytime, really. I'm just taking a break from work." Said Ryusei, before mentally cursing himself. "Why did I say that?!" He thought.
"Oh? You're working? What's your job?" Sen asked.
"I-uhhhh... I work as..." Ryusei began awkwardly.
He saw the door to his room open slightly and Kishou lightly enter. He held up a card that read "I'm an intern at a big company". He nodded his thanks.
"I'm an intern at a big company." Ryusei finally replied.
"Sounds interesting. Anyway, I'm available tomorrow. How's 2pm?" Sen asked.
"Y-Yeah! Sure!" Ryusei stammered.
"Great! See you at the mall." Said Sen.
"Y-Yeah, sounds good to me." Said Ryusei.
"That's good to hear, I should be going now. I've got to get back to work." Said Sen quickly.
"O-Oh yeah! O-of course! Sorry if I interrupted." Ryusei apologized.
"That's okay. I've enjoyed this conversation. See you tomorrow." Said Sen.
"Yeah! See you later!" Ryusei said before Sen hung up.
He put down his phone and sighed with relief. Kishou merely smiled.
"Looks like that went well." He said.
"Y-Yeah. But I can't believe what I've just done or what we've just arranged." Ryusei said nervously.
"Nervous?" Kishou asked.
"I think terrified is more appropriate." confessed the young man.
"I'd try not to worry too much if I were you. If you like, I can try to give you some advice." Kishou offered.
Kishou offered, "No, thanks. Frankly, I think I'll just do what I always do and go with the talent." Said Ryusei. " After all, she's just a normal human... a normal human who's also a very famous author... oh fuck..."
Kishou could only smile as Ryusei's attempt at reassurance didn't work at all, before finally leaving the young man's room.
Ryusei was really nervous about meeting Sen Takatsuki.