"..."
Byakuya felt mildly exasperated.
He wiped his earlobe with a napkin, cleaning off the residual saliva.
"For the next two weeks, you behave. If I catch you breaking our agreement, the deal's off."
Ghouls could go a month on just one or two feedings. Even if Rize stopped hunting entirely, she wouldn't starve in Ward 20.
Anteiku's ghouls—led by Yoshimura—fed exclusively on the already dead: suicide victims, mostly. Given Japan's notoriously high suicide rate and the cultural tendency to "not trouble others" even in death, many chose isolated locations where they'd never be found.
Anteiku collected these bodies discreetly, stockpiling them as a long-term food source. Police and families never located the remains, so there were no consequences.
Yoshimura's rules had made Ward 20 remarkably peaceful compared to the rest of Tokyo. The CCG relaxed their oversight here, making it a haven for ghouls who didn't want to harm humans.
Until Rize arrived.
Since settling in Ward 20, she'd been nothing but trouble. She occasionally helped Anteiku collect bodies, but her frequent hunting attracted CCG attention, gradually shattering the district's tranquility.
[Ding! Host has completed Option 3. Reward: 50 Fusion Points!]
The promise was made; the points were his.
Meanwhile, Kaneki had recovered and found an empty seat, trying to act normal.
"Kaneki, what happened back there? And why's your face all red?"
Hide sat across from him, noticing the flush.
The yellow-haired boy with orange headphones around his neck was Ken Kaneki's best friend: Hideyoshi Nagachika.
"N-nothing..."
Only then did Kaneki realize he was blushing. He definitely couldn't explain what he'd just witnessed.
"Right..."
Hide seemed to let it go. "Anyway, Kaneki—that cute girl at the coffee shop you mentioned? Which one is she?"
He scanned the room, searching for anyone matching Kaneki's description.
"Huh?! Wait, keep your voice down!..."
Kaneki frantically shushed him. "And stop looking around!"
"Oh, is it her? Or her?"
Hide pointed first at Touka, then at Rize.
Those two were the only ones matching "cute girl in a coffee shop."
"..."
Kaneki's cheeks reddened further. He stared at the table, refusing to answer.
"I see..."
Hide clearly understood. Kaneki's reaction confirmed it was one of them.
An idea struck. He raised his hand. "Excuse me! Could the waitress come here please?"
Touka turned and approached. "Coming—how can I help?"
"One cappuccino for me, and another for this guy."
Hide ordered, then asked smoothly: "And... what's your name?"
Though sudden, Touka answered: "I'm Kiri—"
Before she could finish, Kaneki cut in frantically: "Hide, you idiot! The girl I mentioned isn't her! Don't do weird things to people!"
Knowing Hide, he'd start doing something embarrassing—possibly harassing the poor girl.
Hide had gotten the answer he needed. Time to back off.
"Never mind, never mind. Sorry to bother you."
"...Okay."
Touka returned to work without concern.
Once she left, Hide grinned at Kaneki. "So if it's not her, it must be that one, right?"
"That one" obviously meant Rize.
"Y-yes..."
Completely outmaneuvered, Kaneki could only admit it awkwardly.
"..."
Hide fell silent.
After a moment, he placed both hands on Kaneki's shoulders, speaking with grave sincerity: "Kaneki!... I'm telling you to give up!"
"A beauty like that is obviously out of reach. Plus, that type gets even more gorgeous without glasses."
"And most importantly—she already has a boyfriend, right? That position they were in earlier was pretty intense."
Hide was genuinely trying to help.
Now he understood why Kaneki had frozen at the entrance.
"I know all that... I've pretty much let it go already. Her boyfriend is actually that book friend I told you about."
Kaneki's voice was low.
"Oh? Him? Well, if you can still be friends with him, you must have really moved on."
Hide sounded surprised.
"Maybe. Anyway, it's over."
Kaneki closed the topic.
"Fair enough. I need to get to my part-time job. Catch you later."
Hide left.
Kaneki stayed to read. He'd been coming here to enjoy coffee and books long before he ever noticed Rize.
Nearby, Rize had naturally observed Kaneki and Hide's little exchange.
She found it amusing. "If you hadn't stopped me, that boy over there would've been my next target. His flesh probably tastes decent—though nowhere near as delicious as yours."