"Of course. I haven't read everything she's written yet, but after finishing Dear Kafka, I was hooked."
Byakuya sat down across from Kaneki. "Mind if I join you?"
This wasn't about the System—the Divine Selection quest was already complete. He could have just walked away.
He simply wanted to chat with Kaneki. That was all.
"Of course! Please, sit."
Kaneki's tone remained a bit stiff. His naturally introverted personality, combined with the fact that Byakuya was Rize's boyfriend, made him nervous.
"You look like a student. Don't tell me you're at Kamii University too?"
Byakuya asked, feigning ignorance.
He couldn't exactly reveal he already knew everything about Kaneki. And Kamii was the nearest university—a reasonable guess.
"Yeah, actually. Are you a student there too?"
Kaneki's curiosity was piqued.
"That's right. Literature department. I'm Amaha Byakuya."
"I-I'm in the same department..."
Kaneki looked stunned. This coincidental?
Same department, same taste in authors.
"I'm Ken Kaneki. Nice to... nice to meet you."
Talking to someone who shared both his major and his literary interests felt genuinely nice.
He'd only ever had one friend. Making another wouldn't be bad at all.
Even if that friend happened to be her boyfriend...
[Ding! Host has become friends with Ken Kaneki. Reward: 2 Fusion Points!]
Their conversation about Takatsuki's work flowed naturally, and before long, they'd become friends.
Kaneki seemed to have forgotten—or perhaps accepted—that Byakuya was Rize's boyfriend. Given his personality, he'd never do anything as bold as "stealing" someone else's girlfriend.
And now that they were friends, having any feelings toward a friend's girlfriend felt even more inappropriate.
Byakuya borrowed more books from the café's shelf.
...
[Ding! Host has read The Black Goat's Egg. Reward: 1 Fusion Point!]
[Ding! Host has finished The Black Goat's Egg. Reward: 1 Fusion Point!]
By the time the café was nearly closing, Byakuya and Kaneki finally headed home.
They'd spent the evening reading Takatsuki's works together, occasionally sharing thoughts. Nothing more.
On his way home, Kaneki felt genuinely happy.
Hide was his best friend—his only friend until now—but Hide didn't share his passion for books. Byakuya filled that gap perfectly.
...
Meanwhile, Byakuya walked the same route home as the night before, passing through several alleyways.
The narrow passages were deserted. It was late, and in a world where ghouls existed, people avoided isolated areas after dark.
Byakuya knew he should be careful. Running into an S-rated ghoul or above would be trouble—his current strength might not be enough.
Ghouls looked human, but their physical capabilities were on an entirely different level.
His Fusion Progress was only Lv1. He probably didn't have even one percent of Madara's true power. Forget "Six Paths Madara"—a one-tomoe Sharingan was hardly comparable to the Rinnegan.
Still, encountering an S-rated or higher ghoul in Ward 20 was unlikely. Aside from a few rule-breakers like Rize, most ghouls here didn't dare defy Yoshimura.
And Rize wouldn't attack him now. That wouldn't be entertaining enough for her.
Byakuya decided to take the longer route around the main streets instead of cutting through the alley.
But before he could exit, footsteps echoed behind him.
He turned. A man with a hostile expression was approaching.
The man's eyes hadn't turned into kakugan yet, but Byakuya's instincts screamed ghoul.
"Seriously, those Anteiku bastards won't let us hunt humans. I'm sick of eating nothing but rotting corpses."
The man muttered complaints that would sound bizarre to any ordinary person.
But Byakuya understood perfectly. This confirmed his suspicion.
His brow furrowed. So this guy plans to make me his meal...
"If you want to eat me, then come."
Byakuya's voice was flat.
The man's unfamiliar face told him everything. This wasn't a powerful ghoul.
Anyone noteworthy in Ward 20—at least S-rated—Byakuya would recognize.
Perfect. Time for some practice. He hadn't even used Madara's abilities yet.
"Oh? You know I'm a ghoul and you're not running?"
The man seemed surprised. Most humans would be screaming and fleeing by now.
Yet this kid remained calm. If not for the absence of a quinque, the man might have suspected he was a CCG investigator.
"Bluffing!"
The man snorted and lunged.
His eyes turned crimson—the kakugan—with the sclera shifting to black. His expression twisted into something feral.
A dark green ukaku kagune erupted from his tailbone, thick and tail-like: a ghoul's primary weapon for hunting.
Byakuya's gaze hardened. His black pupils shifted to crimson—one-tomoe Sharingan activated.
Just as the man was about to reach him, he noticed Byakuya's eyes had also turned red.
?!
His expression changed dramatically. His mind went blank.