A few days had passed since the celebration and his promotion. Although Ryusei didn't feel any different than he had since the awakening of his Amazon part, it was nice to know that his efforts were being recognized.
He was currently strolling the streets of the 20th arrondissement. He often went for walks in different neighborhoods and streets to get some fresh air. And since he was allowed to leave the base without needing someone to look after him, it meant he was free again. He sighed happily as he walked through the crowded streets. The sun was beginning to set, which meant the ghouls would most likely start killing.
But he wasn't afraid. He had his Amazon driver at his waist, hidden under his closed trench coat, and was ready to fight if necessary.
However, the more he thought about Ayato, the more his mind thought about the general situation of the ghouls. The GCC was hunting them down indiscriminately, to the point where children were joining dangerous criminal groups.
He knew this had to change, but how? No matter how spectacularly he climbed the ranks, he'd never be able to persuade the higher-ups to change their ways. Not to mention the many sadistic investigators with a visceral hatred of ghouls. He despised these investigators, but he couldn't get rid of them because, since it was ghouls they were killing or torturing, the system protected them.
And as for the ghouls, the influence of the criminal groups was so intense that they could never be forced to restrict their activities. Especially as this would force him to go through... the One-Eyed Owl.
The very thought of her made him tremble. The only reason his fight hadn't given him PTSD was that his inner Amazon had awakened and tried to unleash itself on her in the middle of the fight. And he was in no hurry to cross her path again...
He scratched his hair and sighed, no matter which side of the problem he attacked, it would be almost impossible to solve alone...
Suddenly, he came upon a peculiar building. It was a café called Anteiku. He'd already heard about this place from critics. Apparently, it had a reputation for making the best coffee. So he decided to see if the reputation was exaggerated.
He entered and saw that there weren't many people around. But he took no notice. A woman with blue hair and blue eyes approached him. She had a fringe of hair covering her right eye and most of the right side of her face. But what was strange about her was that she seemed to be about the same age as, perhaps a little younger. But he brushed that feeling aside with the thought that this was a part-time job for her.
"Good afternoon, sir. How can I help you?" she asked.
"Good morning, I'd like a simple coffee, please."
She lowered her head.
"Of course, let me seat you." She replied.
He followed her to a table by the window. He sat down and made himself comfortable.
"Is there a particular way you like your coffee?" She asked.
"Hmm... I'm not sure. Surprise me." Ryusei replied after a little hesitation, not often drinking coffee.
She nodded and walked away. Something about her seemed familiar, but he didn't know what.
As he waited, he felt his phone vibrate. He picked it up and saw that it was Sen calling him. He picked it up.
"Hi Sen. What's up?"
"Oh, nothing much. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I heard something about a warehouse full of ghouls a while back, so I thought you might have been sent there." Sen replied from the phone.
"Yeah, I was there. But there's nothing to worry about. I'm fine." Ryusei replied with a smile.
"I'm relieved. In fact, I was hoping we'd get to see each other again sometime."
"Of course we will. Just say when and where."
"Well... It may be a little early, but how about Friday after this one?" Sen offered.
"Yeah, that should be fine. What time and where?"
"I heard there was a new restaurant in the 24th arrondissement, but it only opens in the evening. To be honest, I'm a little afraid to check it out. This arrondissement is considered one of the most dangerous due to ghoul activity at night."
"Hey, it's okay. I don't mind bringing my gear just in case. You don't mind, do you?"
"No, but are you sure? I mean, I can cancel, it's no problem."
"Well, how long have you been waiting to get out there?"
"I won't lie, long." Sen replied, while Ryusei could practically tell from the intonation of her voice that she was scratching her cheek. "But I was skeptical about it."
"Don't worry. I'll meet you at your place and we can go together. Is that okay with you?"
"That's fine with me! So I'll... see you then?" She asked shyly.
"Yeah. But don't forget, you can call me anytime to talk, I don't mind."
"Okay. Sure. Bye."
"Take care."
She hung up and Ryusei put the phone in his pocket. Just in time, his coffee arrived. It was brought to him by the same girl.
"Here's your coffee, sir. Is there anything else you might like?"
"No, thank you, sir. But I appreciate the offer." Ryusei smiled.
"Of course. If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to let me know."
He nodded and she left as he finally noticed something strange, all this coffee was giving off a strange smell. Something familiar...
He dismissed the thought, picked up the cup and took a sip. It was hot, but sweet. He'd never realized that coffee could taste sweet, but it was delicious! He understood why Anteiku was getting all the positive reviews. He took another sip, savoring the taste this time. Maybe he should have told Sen about this place, these guys make incredible coffee. While he drank, he looked at articles on his phone.
When he scrolled through the news, he found the article Sen had mentioned with the warehouse. He skimmed it and it was simply about how ghouls could hide anywhere now and that people should be careful wherever they went. It's good advice, but people should already know to always be careful.
Some time had passed and Ryusei realized that the sun had set and it was getting dark. He got up, paid for his coffee and left the store. As usual, the streets were crowded with people. He put his hands in my pockets and wandered the streets on his way home. That was, until he thought he heard something in the distance on a side road. He looked towards where he'd heard it and decided to take a look. Maybe he could catch the Binge Eater. A ghoul who ate a lot more people than ghouls needed.
Just the kind of ghoul he was targeting.
He went down the side road and I heard another noise. It sounded like a scream and a thud. He took his hands out of his pockets and ran towards the source of the sound. He followed the source of the sound into an alley and found two people. Two women. One was a girl with long purple hair and four giant tentacles protruding from her back. The other was hidden by the purple-haired ghoul.
"Hey!" Ryusei shouted.
The purple-haired ghoul turned around and Ryusei could see his face. As usual, whenever a ghoul pulled out her kagune, her eyes were red and black. She was also wearing glasses. She smiled as she laid eyes on me.
"Ahh. A new meal.~ And quite beautiful too.~" She said seductively.
"Leave this person alone." Ryusei ordered.
"Or what? Are you going to arrest me?" taunted the ghoul.
Ryusei opened his trench coat, revealing the Amazon Driver.
"You have no fucking idea how right you are." He smiled, which made the ghoul laugh.
"So, an Investigator wants to play hero? I'd love to crush your hopes."
She rushed towards him and threw her kagune. But unfortunately for her, he had time to turn the left handle of his driver.
Omega!
"Amazon!"
Evolu-E-Evolution!
The explosion of energy from the transformation propelled the ghoul backwards and turned Ryusei into Amazon Omega.
He rushed at her, making her lift one of his tentacles to try and knock her down. But he dodged it, rolling towards her and out of the way. When he got back on my feet, he stuck his hands into the ghoul's belly, which made her laugh.
"Is that all?"
She grabbed his arm and threw him against the wall, making him grunt in pain as he fell. He shook his head and watched her push her tentacles towards him.
He rolled onto his side, sending them through the wall instead. He then lunged at her and sliced with the aileronts on his forearms, managing to cut her cheeks, but it wasn't enough to do any damage. She continued to use her kagune to grab all my limbs and hold him upside down.
Amazon Omega grunted as she tried to escape.
"You're quite remarkable~ I've never seen an investigator with this kind of thing. And I've seen even fewer intervene to save another ghoul."
Amazon Omega looked at the person she'd originally targeted. It was the same girl from the Anteiku! Except that a clearly visible red wing was revealed. Curiously, there was no second wing. Was it some kind of special kagune?
"But never mind. Now you can die together!~"
She opened her mouth and tried to bite, but Amazon Omega spat into her mouth, making her groan in disgust and loosen his grip on her limbs. He took the opportunity to force his left hand to sever the tentacles holding her legs.
Due to his lack of concentration, his kagune was extremely soft, making it easy to cut. His tentacles moved away as he cut them and fell to the ground. He stood up quickly and pulled her right arm towards him. He then headbutted her and stabbed her in the stomach with his left hand several times. She kept moaning in pain, but he didn't stop there.
He turned the left handle of the Amazon Driver again.
Violent Punish!
The razor-sharp fins on his forearms grew sharper as he prepared to decapitate the ghoul. As Rinkaku kagunes have a rapid regenerative capacity, he had to kill it quickly.
But before he could deliver the fatal blow, her kagune landed on the ground and she leapt to the roof of the building. She pointed at him.
"This isn't over! I'll kill you!"
Then she fled. Amazon Omega sighed, loosened his belt slightly, becoming human again, and closed his coat. He then turned to the blue-haired girl as she glared at him.
"Calm yourself. If I'd wanted to kill you, I'd have let her do what she wanted, or I'd have stayed in my fighting form."
"So what? Are you going to arrest me? Take me to one of your damned facilities and rot?!" She asked as he walked over to her and helped her to her feet.
"That depends. What do you want?" He asked her.
"Just to live a peaceful life. But that's a lot to ask since I'm a Ghoul." The girl replied bitterly.
"Then I'll let you go. Can you walk?" Ryusei asked.
She limped and almost fell. She grunted in pain and annoyance.
"N-No."
He lifted her by one of his arms so she could lean on him as they walked.
"Got somewhere to go?" he asked.
"Urgh... Take me back to the Anteiku. There's a back door." She replied, frustrated at having to take an investigator there and risking the GCC knowing about the café's ghoul activity.
They left the alley and walked down the less-frequented streets so that no one would question the blood on her.
"What's your name?" Ryusei asked.
"What do you care?"
"I'm just trying to be friendly. That's all." Ryusei replied with a shrug.
"...Touka... Touka Kirishima."
His reply intrigued Ryusei.
"Kirishima? Are you related to the ghoul called Ayato Kirishima?"
Her eyes widened and she glared at me.
"How do you know my brother? Is he in one of your establishments?! What have you done to him?!" she exclaimed.
"Calm down, Touka. He's not in GCC custody, so you don't have to worry. I've been sent on a mission to storm a warehouse in the 22nd district. A hideout of the Aogiri tree. I met him there." Ryusei explained.
"He's... He's not dead, is he?" She asked, fearing the answer.
"No, he isn't. Although he has quite a temper. I wasn't about to fight or kill a 12-year-old, even if he was a ghoul." Replied the investigator, surprising her.
"But... You're an Investigator. How can you just decide who you're going to kill or spare?"
"I don't know. I do my own thing, whether the GCC approves or not. The real scourge concerning ghouls is those like the one that attacked you who eat more than they should."
"Is he all right? Did he mention me?" Touka asked, to which Ryusei shook his head. "I see... What's your name?"
"Ryusei Fujita."
"Can't say I've ever heard of you."
"Well, I'm not surprised. But I am curious. Your kagune. It's different from your brother's. Why?" the young man asked.
She looked down and sighed.
"Me and my brother... We got into trouble when we were kids. We got into trouble with the wrong people. It was just the two of us against them. I had no choice but to drop my kagune. You may not know it, but ghouls who release their kagune at a young age often get injured in the process. As a result, I only have one wing for my kagune." Touka explained.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Tch. I'm surprised an investigator like you could even be sorry for a ghoul." Touka said dryly.
"I like to be open-minded. Besides, I'm closer to ghouls than you might think. And you're not the first ghoul I've spoken to in a civilized manner."
"And what happened to the others you spoke to?"
"There's one who still remains in GCC custody and your brother who's free." Replied the young investigator.
"..."
"I know you don't trust me, and you have every right not to, but I don't interfere with peaceful ghouls. If you only kill when you need to, everything's fine as far as I'm concerned."
"I suppose... It helps a little. But I still don't like you."
"I'm aware of that." Ryusei laughed.
They arrived at Anteiku's back door.
"Before you go in, promise me you won't mention Anteiku at the GCC. It's the only place where ghouls like me can be at peace, away from the bulimic eaters." Touka asked him.
"You have my word." Ryusei promised, making a cross over her heart.
She took out a key and unlocked the door. She opened it and he helped her in.
As soon as we entered, he met a bunch of different people. He assumed they were all café employees. One of the people rushed up to them.
"Touka! What happened to you?!" a man asked.
"I was attacked by the Binge Eater. That bitch almost got me." Touka growled.
The man was about to say something but his nose scrunched up slightly. He looked at Ryusei and his eyes widened.
"Y-You're... ! "
One of the others stood up and glared at me.
"An Investigator?! Here?! What were you thinking Touka?!" She asked.
"Shut up. Without him, I'd be dead." Touka retorted.
"Is there somewhere she can lie down?" Ryusei asked.
"Y-Yeah. Just lay her on the sofa." Asked the man.
He walked over to the couch and helped Touka lay down gently.
"Thank you." she said.
"I told you to be careful Touka."
Ryusei turned to see an old man.
"Sorry sir." Touka apologized.
The old man then looked at Ryusei.
"And you. I thank you for bringing her here, but don't get me wrong..." The old man began, before opening his eyes to reveal Ghoul's red and black eyes. "You're the only Investigator who knows the truth about this place. If I find out you've revealed this place, I'll hunt you down and kill you. Is that clear, Investigator?"
"Yes, sir." Ryusei nodded calmly, resisting the urge to turn into an Amazon Omega in the hope of making the old man understand that they weren't all that different.
"Good. Now, Touka, you simply need to rest. I'll do what I can for you now, but you should relax." Said the old man.
"Yes sir." Touka replied.
He turned back to the investigator.
"What's your name?"
"It's Ryusei Fujita, sir." He introduced himself.
"Once again, thank you for bringing Mrs. Kirishima back safely, but I ask you to leave now. If you can't guess it, your presence here is disturbing many of the ghouls here."
Ryusei bowed his head in respect.
"Of course, sir. I won't disturb you any longer."
"Thank you."
He left as he had entered and sighed. Of all the things that could have happened, he hadn't expected this. But at least they let him live, so he couldn't really complain. However, this "Binge Eater" seemed to be a real problem. Maybe he should try to fix it, but first, he had some things to plan.
But not tonight. It was far too late and he was exhausted. He returned to base, hoping to get some sleep before the sun came up.
A woman wearing bandages watched Ryusei exit the Anteiku through the back door. She let out a silent sigh as she thought about what she had witnessed. He truly wanted peace between ghouls and humans. His actions spoke for him. He spared the Kirishima siblings and kept Akuma alive when he voluntarily surrendered. And he did the same with the ghouls who surrendered during the warehouse assault.
"Ryusei... I hope you're ready for the truth." She said.