"You asked to see me, Mr. Nagachika?" Yoshimura asked, standing in the doorway, giving him a kind smile.
Hide looked up from where he'd been sitting on the couch. "Ah, yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It feels awkward to ask, but could I have another one of those packages?"
The old man was silent, but it was the reaction Hide had expected.
One package was supposed to last three weeks to a month. He'd already gone through two, and it had only been a month.
It was the reaction he'd been avoiding, because he couldn't stop wondering what was going through the old man's head.
What the old man would think when Nishiki made him ask for that third one, on top of the one he needed for himself, because he only had two squares of meat left.
"Are you available tonight for an after-hours shift?" Yoshimura finally asked, still smiling at him.
Hide stopped rubbing his neck, mock clueless. "After-hours?"
"Do you remember when I told you that if you required more outside of your monthly limit, you'd need to pick up extra work with Yomo? This is what I mean by an after-hours shift. It's a codename, of sorts, for a food run. You'll meet him tonight, if you agree, and assist him."
Hide paused, as if thinking it over. "Will I... have to hurt anyone?"
"No."
"Then I'll do it," Hide said, lowering his gaze. "I really need it, so..."
"I'll let Yomo know you'll be joining him tonight then."
.
.
.
Hide got out of the car as Yomo did, tugging his hood up to hide his hair.
He'd bought a plain black jacket just for this.
He gave the other parked car only the briefest look as he joined Yomo at the railing. "Down there, huh?" he asked, leaning over to look without touching the rail.
He wasn't even a little surprised when his question was met with silence.
Hide scratched his cheek. "There wouldn't happen to be a staircase conveniently nearby, would there—?"
He was interrupted when a hand snagged the back of his jacket and yanked him backwards over the rail.
Hide choked the rest as Yomo slid down the wall, not even getting time to register he was falling before Yomo landed on the bottom, holding him up by the neck of his jacket like he was a disobedient kitten. And then Yomo dropped him.
Hide landed on his knees, coughing into the grass as he remembered how to breathe. It took him a second to catch the scent of decay, to realize how close to a body he was.
He lifted his head and dull, wide eyes stared back at him. Hide jerked back, nearly falling over as he pushed himself away from her, only to feel someone else's stare on him.
He looked up at Yomo and realized that the other ghoul had dropped him there on purpose to see his reaction. To test his control.
Hide cleared his throat. "Warn a guy next time, would ya?"
Yomo only eyed him a little more and then gazed at the body, tossing a duffle bag at him. "Hold that open while I put her in it," he instructed.
Hide looked at the body again. "R-Right."
There was still color in her skin, even though the blood in her ears looked dry and flaky. She'd been dead for less than a day, it looked like. Hide grabbed the duffle and shuffled closer, watching Yomo pray silently over her.
He'd seen two bodies the night he'd met Touka, but this was the first time he was seeing one through the lens of a human. She didn't smell appetizing, but like rot, like how dead humans were supposed to smell.
He'd almost forgotten it. It was the same smell as when he found his grandfather in his armchair—
"Are you going to open the bag?" Yomo asked, gathering the body up in his arms.
Hide tore his eyes away, unzipped it, and stretched it open as much as he could, watching Yomo kneel and expertly tuck the body in the empty space, bending her legs and folding her arms against her chest.
It was almost unbelievable how much her scent would change if he was a little hungry or hurt.
"What are you waiting for?" Yomo asked.
Hide blinked at him, then shifted his gaze down. He let go of the bag and, without thinking, closed her eyes. Then he zipped it up and waited for Yomo to take it, but the other ghoul only kept watching him.
Hide hesitated, then loosely took the straps of the duffle bag, unsure if he should pick it up or not. "Are there... more?"
"You should be careful," Yomo said, surprising him. "The path you're choosing is a lonely one. Strength can't overcome everything. I would know."
Yomo didn't wait for a response. He took the bag from him and stood. "I'll come back for you," he said, then turned and scaled the wall. Yomo was stuck only using one hand, but it didn't slow him down.
Hide stayed kneeling, watching him until he leapt over the rail and disappeared. "Maybe not everything," he muttered to himself, then stopped, tugging his hood more over his head, because he didn't know Yomo's range.
Maybe not everything, but the only reason you could last as long as you did against Arima was, would be, because of your strength.
.
.
.
̶"̶H̶e̶y̶,̶"̶ Nagachika called to him later, as Hide pulled off his jacket.
Hide paused, the sleeves stuck around his arms, and looked at where Nagachika was pointing, at his bedroom window.
It was closed, and Hide didn't see anything wrong with it.
Nagachika sighed dramatically. ̶"̶D̶u̶d̶e̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶o̶c̶k̶,̶"̶ he stressed.
It was unlocked.
̶"̶I̶ ̶n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶w̶i̶n̶d̶o̶w̶ ̶u̶n̶l̶o̶c̶k̶e̶d̶.̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶a̶s̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶c̶a̶u̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶g̶h̶o̶u̶l̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶w̶e̶a̶r̶,̶"̶ Nagachika said.
Someone had been in his apartment. It would've alarmed him more... if Nagachika wasn't acting so casual about it.
If he wasn't worried it was probably fine.
Hide tossed the jacket on the bed. "How would I know? I haven't checked it."
̶"̶I̶f̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶h̶u̶m̶a̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶'̶d̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶r̶i̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶s̶e̶c̶u̶r̶i̶t̶y̶,̶"̶ Nagachika said, holding his chin as he tilted his head. "What do you think? Yomo, Irimi, or Touka?"
Hide went over and turned the lock, then tested the window to make sure it wouldn't open. He leaned his forehead against the glass, looking out at the dark street below. It was kind of the expected result after he'd messed up so badly with Touka.
He didn't think they'd raid his apartment, but it fit into them 'looking into him'.
"Lesson learned. Don't be honest with Touka," he thought aloud. "I don't know why her asking me to be honest got to me. She's not Ken."
Nagachika snapped his fingers. ̶"̶T̶h̶a̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶e̶a̶s̶y̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶n̶s̶w̶e̶r̶.̶ ̶S̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶s̶e̶c̶o̶n̶d̶ ̶f̶a̶v̶o̶r̶i̶t̶e̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶r̶a̶c̶t̶e̶r̶.̶"̶
Hide closed his eyes. "It was probably Yomo. I expected the silence, but what he said..."
̶"̶M̶y̶ ̶m̶o̶n̶e̶y̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶I̶r̶i̶m̶i̶,̶"̶ Nagachika said. ̶"̶S̶h̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶s̶n̶e̶a̶k̶y̶ ̶e̶n̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶k̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶i̶c̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶s̶t̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶Y̶o̶m̶o̶.̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶'̶v̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶i̶c̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶h̶a̶p̶p̶e̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶e̶a̶r̶l̶i̶e̶r̶.̶"̶
She would've seen that he really was almost out of meat.
Maybe it'd make it easier for him to ask for more if they didn't think he was storing them for some reason. If they thought he was binging.
Hide flopped down on the bed. "I need to know more about your family," he said. "I don't know enough to say anything believable if anyone asks."
̶"̶H̶m̶m̶,̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶m̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶e̶l̶l̶,̶"̶ Nagachika said, taking his spot in front of the window. ̶"̶I̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶r̶e̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶f̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶f̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶f̶o̶l̶k̶s̶ ̶d̶i̶e̶d̶.̶ ̶M̶y̶ ̶m̶o̶m̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶d̶a̶d̶,̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶i̶n̶ ̶d̶a̶y̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶e̶a̶c̶h̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶.̶ ̶O̶r̶.̶.̶.̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶C̶C̶G̶ ̶t̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶m̶e̶.̶ ̶P̶r̶o̶b̶a̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶'̶v̶e̶ ̶e̶n̶d̶e̶d̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶a̶c̶a̶d̶e̶m̶y̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶g̶r̶a̶n̶d̶m̶a̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶m̶e̶.̶ ̶S̶h̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶a̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶e̶i̶t̶h̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶g̶o̶o̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶e̶.̶ ̶S̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶l̶r̶e̶a̶d̶y̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶g̶e̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶b̶e̶s̶t̶.̶"̶
Hide half-listened to Nagachika describe what she was like, and half tried to keep his eyes open.
He fell asleep.
Hide knocked on the door and only had to wait a few seconds before Nishiki called for him to "come in".
"Oh, it's you," Nishiki said, turning in his chair.
Hide raised a hand in a wave. "Yo, Nishiki—!"
"Cut the crap. Hurry up and close the door, will you? You're letting the cold air out."
Hide used his back to shut the door. Nishiki immediately stretched out his bad leg and sighed in relief.
"I'm surprised you wanted to meet here," Hide said, turning his backpack to get at the zipper.
"Just because you're on summer break doesn't mean all of us are. The Star Festival is coming up. You know that means work for the festival committee, right?"
Hide blinked at Nishiki. Star Festival?
̶"̶I̶'̶l̶l̶ ̶t̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶l̶a̶t̶e̶r̶,̶"̶ Nagachika whispered behind his hand next to him, as if Nishiki could hear him.
"You haven't been keeping up with the group chat, have you?" Nishiki asked.
Hide, in fact, hadn't interacted with the group chat since he used them to get Nishiki's address.
The answer must've shown on his face, because Nishiki shook his head and said, "Well, whatever. All you need to know is that some members had the idea to make our own Star Festival, turn it into a school thing to bring some fun now that testing is over or something like that. It leaked and spread that it was happening before I could shut it down, and now I gotta do my job and find a faculty member to sponsor the whole thing or it won't happen, and then the committee will be blamed for getting everyone's hopes up."
Hide opened his backpack as he listened.
"It's a pain in the ass, but not half as annoying as you ignoring my texts," Nishiki said, passive aggressively pushing up his glasses.
Hide pulled out the package. "Yeah, my bad. It was just more of a hassle to get it than I thought it would be," he lied. It was because of all the time he spent avoiding old man Yoshimura, plain and simple.
"Just hand it over."
He did, watching Nishiki open a steel drawer and drop it in. "Your backpack stinks," he said.
Hide sniffed his backpack. "It's not that strong, is it? It just smells to me like I packed my own lunch."
"You're thinking like a human," Nishiki said bluntly. "Humans might think you're carrying a meat bun or a burger, but I could tell what it was as soon as you opened your backpack. How are you such an idiot?"
Hide sagged dramatically, but it was good to know for next time. "Well, how else was I supposed to carry it?"
"Look, I might be your superior, but I'm not about to be your ghoul coach. Seriously, how did you live this long?" Nishiki asked, turning back to his desk. "Next time, wrap it in plastic over the packaging, or put it in a sealed container. You'll make it less of a pain in the ass for me." He locked the drawer with a key as he spoke, then tucked it in his pocket.
"Uh, hey, Nishiki—"
"You're still here?"
Hide scratched his cheek. "About my position in the committee..."
Nishiki stopped writing. He lifted his head. "Good idea, Nagachika."
"Huh?"
He pointed his pencil at a stack of papers at the end of his desk. "Those recruitment flyers need putting up, but I haven't been able to do it with my leg the way it is. Thanks for volunteering to do it for me."
"Actually, I was thinking about quitting," Hide said, scratching his cheek more.
"I'll sign off on that only after you've run out of flyers," Nishiki said, focusing back on whatever he was writing.
Hide felt more like his hostage than his underclassman. He drooped more.
.
.
.
Hide finished pinning a flyer to a notice board and rubbed the sweat off his face with his arm.
̶"̶N̶e̶x̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶,̶"̶ Nagachika told him, but Hide didn't look where he pointed.
Instead, he leaned his forehead on the board. "I don't want to quit anymore if it gets me out of doing this," he said.
̶"̶I̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶N̶i̶s̶h̶i̶o̶,̶ ̶d̶u̶d̶e̶.̶ ̶H̶e̶'̶d̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶e̶i̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶,̶"̶ Nagachika said, patting his shoulder. " ̶L̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶s̶i̶d̶e̶,̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶'̶r̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶n̶ ̶h̶a̶l̶f̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶e̶.̶"̶
That made him feel worse.
He pulled out his phone and typed into the notes app, you had to do this?
Nagachika leaned around him to read it and then leaned back, making a vague sound. ̶"̶I̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶u̶s̶u̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶a̶f̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶k̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶e̶s̶t̶i̶v̶a̶l̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶h̶a̶p̶p̶e̶n̶.̶ ̶I̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶k̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶t̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶ ̶d̶e̶t̶a̶i̶l̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶u̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶m̶i̶t̶t̶e̶e̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶b̶u̶s̶y̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶d̶u̶c̶t̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶p̶o̶n̶s̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶e̶s̶t̶i̶v̶a̶l̶.̶"̶
Hide started to type something else when Nagachika spoke again, tilting his head, ̶"̶I̶f̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶n̶g̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶e̶'̶d̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶b̶a̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶s̶t̶e̶p̶p̶e̶d̶ ̶d̶o̶w̶n̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶n̶o̶w̶,̶ ̶'̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶'̶d̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶A̶n̶t̶e̶i̶k̶u̶.̶"̶
He typed, what's the fine for littering? maybe I can take it.
Nagachika laughed hard at that, wrapping his arms around his stomach as he doubled over. ̶"̶T̶e̶n̶ ̶m̶i̶l̶l̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶y̶e̶n̶.̶ ̶S̶o̶,̶ ̶y̶e̶a̶h̶ ̶r̶i̶g̶h̶t̶.̶"̶
Hide went limp against the board.
"Hey, you there! Are you Hide? Of the festival committee?"
Hide shifted off the board, looking to his right. Two people were walking quickly towards him.
"Sure. You need something?" Hide asked.
They stopped in front of him and exchanged a quick, nervous glance.
"We don't really know how to approach something like this—" the shorter woman with long black hair said, looking at her feet.
"I'm Kiyama, president of the Paranormal Research Club, and this is Sankou—"
"We think you might be in danger," she hurriedly said over him, stepping closer to Hide.
Hide's eyes widened, because he suddenly knew where this was going—
"We think the people you've been around..." she trailed off and tried again, lowering her voice, "We think your friends might be ghouls."
"My friends...?" Hide asked.
"It might sound strange, but the main goal of our club is to sniff out potential ghouls to keep our campus safe. We have this list of students and—" Kiyama began.
"Ken Kaneki is on it," she finished for him.
Hide barely heard her, thinking about what Nishiki said about his backpack.
Because he knew that she was a ghoul.
He felt an elbow on his shoulder. ̶"̶Y̶o̶u̶ ̶r̶e̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶I̶ ̶s̶a̶i̶d̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶n̶o̶v̶e̶l̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶c̶c̶u̶r̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶a̶p̶p̶e̶n̶e̶d̶?̶ ̶I̶ ̶s̶a̶i̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶C̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶g̶u̶y̶ ̶i̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶g̶h̶o̶u̶l̶.̶ ̶W̶e̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶O̶c̶c̶u̶l̶t̶ ̶C̶l̶u̶b̶ ̶t̶o̶g̶e̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶h̶i̶g̶h̶ ̶s̶c̶h̶o̶o̶l̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶o̶p̶p̶e̶d̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶g̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶l̶u̶b̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶g̶o̶n̶e̶.̶ ̶J̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶I̶'̶d̶ ̶w̶a̶r̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶t̶o̶r̶y̶ ̶b̶e̶f̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶m̶e̶t̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶.̶"̶
So, maybe that meant... she wasn't one?
"And we also suspect that person you and Ken Kaneki were talking to," she was saying. "The white-haired person with the red thread all over."
It felt like cold water was being dumped over his head. They thought Juuzou was a ghoul?
"We don't have much information on them except how suspicious they look, but—"
"We've been following Ken Kaneki for a while, in secret. We've never seen him eat, and even when you and him walk together, we've only seen him drink," Kiyama emphasized.
They'd been watching Kaneki, watching him, and Hide had been oblivious.
He shoved the sudden paranoia down and made himself look confused. He crossed his arms. "So, wait, if you guys think everyone around me is a ghoul, why am I the only one who's not?"
"Well, we did have you on the list at first but one of our first-years—well second-year now, Cain, made us reconsider. He showed us an archived picture from your high school's website and it was taken while all of you were having snacks—ah, uh, sorry about what happened to the club, that photo made it look like it was a lot of fun."
̶"̶T̶h̶a̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶h̶o̶u̶l̶ ̶a̶t̶t̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶h̶a̶p̶p̶e̶n̶e̶d̶,̶"̶ Nagachika explained, still leaning on his shoulder. ̶"̶I̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶e̶a̶c̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶ ̶s̶p̶o̶n̶s̶o̶r̶e̶d̶ ̶u̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶n̶.̶ ̶N̶i̶s̶h̶i̶o̶'̶s̶ ̶a̶t̶t̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶r̶s̶t̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶t̶e̶n̶d̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶p̶a̶s̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶.̶ ̶O̶r̶,̶ ̶w̶e̶l̶l̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶r̶i̶g̶i̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶v̶e̶r̶s̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶N̶i̶s̶h̶i̶o̶'̶s̶ ̶a̶t̶t̶a̶c̶k̶.̶"̶
"It was a long time ago," Hide said, keeping his arms crossed. "If I've seen Kaneki eat, shouldn't that absolve him?"
"Do you have any proof?" Sankou asked.
Hide had already known they wouldn't believe him. They were stubborn and hadn't believed Nagachika either, or that version of him in another universe where it happened the way Hide remembered.
"No, but I've known Kaneki since we were kids. I think I would've noticed if he wanted to eat me. Are you sure you guys aren't mistaken?" Hide asked.
"You're not taking us seriously," Sankou said, eyes narrowing. "We don't make accusations like this lightly."
"Join our club," Kiyama proposed. "Once you see our methods and how serious we are about our research, it might change your mind. If we didn't think you were in serious danger we wouldn't have approached you. You might even be convinced to help us permanently after a few stakeouts."
Hide pretended to think about it, even though there was only one answer. If he was certain the CCG would react rationally to a tip that Kaneki was a ghoul, he might've left it alone. It'd be good, even, for Kaneki to be taken in and cleared that way and to have that on record, but he couldn't be sure of that.
"Okay, fine, I'll go to a few meetings just to check it out, but you shouldn't expect much," Hide told them.
"Great! Take my number, and I'll send you this week's meeting schedule," Kiyama said, taking out his phone.
̶"̶I̶f̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶k̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶i̶n̶v̶i̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶ ̶g̶h̶o̶u̶l̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶j̶o̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶c̶l̶u̶b̶,̶"̶ Nagachika said with a sigh, shaking his head.
If Hide could've, he would've elbowed him.
It was another slow afternoon.
Hide swept a few leaves in the doorway outside into a dustpan, then emptied the dustpan into a garbage bag. Enji told him it was usually like this outside of times of high stress.
They were still plenty busy in the mornings when their regulars stopped by, until around noon, but the non-regulars, the human students, or human office workers working during crunch periods, had stopped coming.
Anteiku didn't really have much draw with humans other than the great coffee.
Hide leaned on the handle of his broom and shut his eyes. Enji had kicked him out. The only customer that came in, in at least an hour, a ghoul who liked the quiet, had flatly refused Hide's service.
He forgot to spike the guy's coffee with a blood sugar cube one time which... was a massive deal, yeah, but he'd been sleep deprived then, and deserved a second chance.
But no, his temporary manager had decided to pretend to be responsible and had taken aside to make it look like he was scolding him. Enji had straight-up told him that he was using him as a scapegoat to get on the guy's good side, and then handed him a broom.
"Lazy Ape," he muttered under his breath.
Hide had moved onto the sidewalk and was dumping more leaves into the bag when the guy finally left.
"Enjoy the rest of your day, sir," Hide said in his best impression of Touka's Customer Service voice.
The ghoul glanced back at him, a book tucked under his arm, and wrinkled his nose. He kept walking.
Hide waited until he turned the corner and then sighed, scratching the back of his head. He tied closed his bag, flipped the sign on the door to closed—
—and felt something small collide with him. Shaking fingers dug into the front of his uniform. Hide looked down at Hinami and froze.
"Hide, you—" she looked so terrified, so scared that it made his eyes widen. "You have to save my mama! Please!"
Hide had the sudden feeling of nausea in his gut and crawling up his throat, even though he hadn't eaten anything since the day before, meat or human food.
Hide looked behind her and realized she'd run all the way here.
Of course she did. Where else would she go?
"Hide, please! There's no time. She's this way!" she shouted, choking on the words, struggling to get them out as she cried. She spun around, still holding onto his shirt, trying to tug him there.
Except he knew that Ryoko was already dead.
Hide dropped the bag and the broom.
He grabbed Hinami from behind, covered her mouth as she started to yell at him, and only let go long enough to yank the door open. The shock of it kept her quiet for a few seconds, until he managed to carry her inside, and then she fought him until he let go.
"Why did you do that?" she screamed. "My mama—we have to go save her!"
Enji poked his head out from the back, where he'd probably been washing and drying the cups.
"Mrs. Fueguchi and Hinami—they were attacked by the CC—the doves," Hide said immediately.
Hinami fell to her knees in front of him, still trying to speak as she grabbed her chest and sobbed.
Enji's easy smile disappeared. He vanished into the back.
And Hide couldn't stop the thought that it was lucky that this happened around closing, when the afternoon was bleeding into evening, when the sidewalk outside was empty.
Enji came back, wiping his hands clean. He put the rag down, came around to them, and simply picked Hinami up, his eyes unreadable as she scratched and kicked him.
"Come on," Enji said over his shoulder, and carried her back around the counter and up the stairs.
Hide followed, still nauseous, letting Enji lead them into the meeting room. He sat on the couch as Enji put Hinami down across from him. She pulled her legs up to her chest, sniffling silently, staring at nothing, and looked exhausted even with wide, horrified eyes.
She was a smart kid. She knew what it meant that they weren't trying to rescue Ryoko.
"Stay with her," the Devil Ape instructed, and then strode from the room.
Hide watched him, and then laid back on the couch, staring at the ceiling and listening to her sniff.
What could he say to comfort her?
Hey, sorry about your mom. All of this sucks.
She quieted down, and he turned his head as she got off the other couch and came over to him.
"Hide—" her voice broke, and she rubbed her arms across her eyes, crying again. "Can I lay down with—with you?"
Hide scooted over as much as he could and patted the empty space in answer.
Hinami cried harder. She threw herself over him, completely on top of him, and buried her face in his chest as she started sobbing again.
Hide silently wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes.
.
.
.
Hide stared at the café window without seeing anything.
It was morning, but all the blinds were still down. But they didn't reach all the way to the floor, so there was a gap about the size of a chair leg where light came through.
Old man Yoshimura, Yomo, and Enji were all in the meeting room, all waiting for Irimi to finish helping Hinami bathe and change so they could burn her clothes. And they were waiting for Touka to show too.
Hide hadn't been able to take the quiet after a while and had come down to make himself a cup of coffee instead. It wasn't like Anteiku was going to open anytime soon.
He hadn't touched it.
"Mind if I sit?" a silky voice asked him.
Hide's eyes snapped to her. He watched Rize tuck a purple lock of hair behind her ear as she neatly sat without waiting for an answer. She folded her arms on the table and smiled at him.
"You've made a real mess of things, haven't you?"
Hide leaned back in his chair. His eyes flicked towards the stairs, where Nagachika sat in the middle, a pensive look on his face. It was the same look he'd had on campus too.
"What do you want?"
She smiled more. She pulled his plate towards her with a finger. "I came to see the aftermath, of course."
Hide clicked his tongue. "Then go upstairs and see it."
"So unfriendly," she said, still smiling. "But I didn't want to see her aftermath, silly. I wanted to see yours. I wanted to see the look on your face as you thought about the choice that you made."
"I didn't—"
"But you did," she interrupted him, running a finger along the rim of the cup. "Why else would you feel bad about it? You chose not to warn her. You chose to keep this story on the rails."
Hide touched the plate, just to make sure, and it was where he left it, right in front of him. It was like it reappeared between blinks, and the entire time Rize moved her finger around the rim of the other cup.
Hide dug his fingers in his hair and sunk down. He was losing it. "I couldn't—what was I supposed to do?"
The end of the Fueguchi's had started before he even became a ghoul.
"A lot of things," she answered, a hint of teasing. "You could've tried to get to know Ryoko better, to gain her trust so that when you said something, maybe she'd listen. If you just told her that the CCG was closing in on her, that you heard it from a family friend you were still close to—"
"You saw what happened when I talked about Uta and Yomo, right?" he asked quietly.
"You only got caught there because that was a sloppy lie. Even if the CCG does some of their office work at home, why would they ever be allowed to take home the files of dangerous ghouls?" she asked, covering her mouth with her other hand as she silently laughed at him. "You have a bad habit of not trying, you know? But I guess this is easier. For you."
"Is your only reason for being here to torment me?" he asked, just as quietly.
"Not this time, but last time? That was a little fun," she said, more teasing. "I know you. More than Nagachika, certainly, and I'd even say more than you know yourself. Call it a consequence of us being smashed together like this. I know that you've convinced yourself that the story is an ocean and you're just being swept along in it, but you're not. You were too afraid of what might happen if you were alone, so you let Anteiku take you in. The almighty story didn't decide that. You did. Just like you were afraid of not knowing what would happen next, so you let poor Ryoko die. Even if it was meant to turn out this way, isn't it better to say you tried over pretending you have to be a spectator?"
Hide covered his eyes with his hand, keeping his voice low as he asked, "What do you want from me? To feel guilty? What good is that now?"
"No," Rize said, her teasing tone gone. She sounded closer.
He moved his hand and she was leaning over him, one hand on the back of his chair, strands of her hair tickling his cheek. "I want you to be better," she told him. "You don't want to be the villain at the end of this story? You don't want to kill thousands in a sea of blood? Then tear the bricks from the foundation and use them on anyone who tries to stop you from doing what you want. You don't want to become the White Reaper's favorite toy? Become faster than he can catch you. You saw how strong Ken Kaneki became, and unlike you, he never once ate human flesh. Don't let the world change you. Change the world. For both our sakes."
Hide stared up at her, speechless. "Are you... the real Rize?"
Rize stepped back and sat on the table, looking at the sunlight brightening the blinds. "It's funny, you know? I asked you something similar last time, too. Does it matter?"
Hide sat up and scrubbed his hands down his face. "Guess not."
"Do you trust the real Hide?" she asked suddenly.
"I—why?"
"Because what's best for you might not be best for Ken Kaneki the human," she said, then paused thoughtfully. "At least to him. You don't realize how crafty he is. You know he's been manipulating you from the start, but I don't think you really understand. Even when he reminded you of his feelings for Ken Kaneki, now that was a masterclass."
"How?"
She turned to look back at him and smiled, teasing again. "So, you're still doing that, huh? I guess some things really do persist through reincarnations."
Hide leaned his head back over the chair and didn't bother trying to figure out what that meant. She was giving him a headache.
He heard the door jingle and sat up as Touka came in.
She paused when she saw him. "Why are you sitting there by yourself?"
"Can't a guy enjoy a cup of coffee?" he asked, standing.
"In your uniform?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hide had forgotten he'd fallen asleep in it. He moved around the table, leaving Rize and his coffee behind. "Yeah, well, there's a reason for that. You should come with me, Touka. Everyone's waiting."
Her eyes widened and she went very still. "What happened?"
Hide automatically walked around Nagachika as he climbed the stairs, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's better if the manager explains it all."
She hurried after him.
.
.
.
"Hinami isn't going to the 24th ward. Over my dead body!" Touka shouted, slamming a fist against the wall, her eyes burning into old man Yoshimura. "I'll kill every last investigator that saw her face before I let her go to that shithole!"
Yomo, sitting on the couch, lifted his gaze from the table to meet her eyes. "That mindset was, and still is, a common one among the ghouls of the 4th ward, and you've seen what it cost them. You can't spill more blood to stop bloodshed. You should understand what the end of that path looks like."
"And what happens if the doves find her, huh? Are we supposed to sit back and watch them rip her apart with our thumbs up our asses to keep the peace?" she asked, turning on him. "If that's what you call peace, then I don't want it!"
"Whether you agree or not, Touka, the best choice for the safety of everyone is to let it go. Vengeance won't bring you or her the peace of mind you think it will. All it does is consume you and everything you worked hard for," old man Yoshimura interjected, standing next to Yomo's couch. "Of course we would intervene if Hinami found herself in danger, but we shouldn't invite violence. No one was there when Ryoko was killed and the past cannot be changed. All we can do is keep living."
Touka ducked her head and slammed her fist against the wall again. "That's not fair."
"When has life ever been fair for us?" Irimi asked, tired-sounding, sitting next to Hide.
"But it's different this time. Ryoko never did anything wrong. She tried so hard to blend into human society. Her only crime was being born a ghoul," she said, her voice shaking. "Why is that always the greatest crime we can commit? This isn't living. This is surviving."
"Touka—"
"No. I—I can't let it go. Not this time."
"You're acting like a child," old man Yoshimura said, his voice cracking like a whip.
Touka's lip trembled. She turned and stormed out of the room without another word.
No one spoke.
Enji crossed his arms. "Still such a hothead, eh?"
He was trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't work.
Hide stood. Everyone looked at him.
"I'm going to try and talk to her. I'll get filled in later," he told them, folding his hands behind his head as he walked to the door.
"I didn't know you two made up," Irimi mentioned.
"We didn't," he said, shooting her a lazy grin.
He followed the sound of Touka thumping down the stairs and saw that Nagachika had moved to a table as he went down. "Touka," he called out.
She stopped with one hand on the door. "If you came to stop me, I'll kill you."
"I did, but look, okay? How many heads will it take until you feel like she's safe? If they've already spread around what she looks like, are you going to take on the whole branch office?"
Touka's fist clenched at her side. "You don't get it," she hissed through her teeth. She spun, strode over to him, and he saw tear marks down her cheeks. She ducked her head. "How could you get it, half-ass? You've been a ghoul for, what, a month? Two months? And you think, you, of all people, can give me advice on this? This is your first ghoul death. This has been my entire life. I don't care anymore. I'm sick of it."
"I just meant—"
She shoved him. One second he was standing in front of her, and the next he was half-laying on an overturned table, his back aching, the chair behind him on its side.
He rolled off it, wincing, and saw that Touka was gone.
"That's what I get for listening to someone who isn't real," he muttered, getting to his feet.