After all, this was Sen Takatsuki's fan meet-and-greet. Running into Takatsuki here was perfectly normal.
What Byakuya hadn't expected was for Eto to approach him first.
Byakuya gave her a slight nod in acknowledgment.
Kaneki had never seen Takatsuki before, so he had no idea the cute young woman standing before Byakuya was actually Takatsuki-sensei.
Of course, she only looked like a cute young girl—she was actually twenty-four.
Eto didn't say much more to Byakuya. After a simple greeting, she headed inside to meet her fans.
"Was that girl just now a friend of yours? Or a classmate?"
Rize asked.
"Neither friend nor classmate. She's actually Takatsuki-sensei. I happened to run into her once before."
Byakuya explained.
"Really? That's Sen Takatsuki?"
Rize was genuinely surprised.
The reality was too different from what she'd imagined.
She'd assumed that someone who could write such works would be a worldly, experienced man or woman. She hadn't expected someone so petite and young-looking.
"Huh?! Amaha-san, you're saying that was Takatsuki-sensei just now?"
Kaneki was even more shocked.
"Yeah. You'll see her again inside in a moment."
Byakuya nodded.
Soon enough, Kaneki spotted Takatsuki sitting inside meeting fans—the same girl who'd greeted Amaha-san.
The line was quite long. They'd have to queue up to meet Takatsuki—standard procedure for fan events.
While waiting, visitors could browse the books displayed around the venue—all Takatsuki's works.
When Kaneki's turn came, he discussed his impressions of her works with Eto. Beyond that, he was too shy to chat much with a girl he'd just met.
After Kaneki, it was Byakuya and Rize's turn.
They sat down together before Eto.
"We meet again, young man."
Eto smiled at Byakuya.
Today she wore her hair long and loose. The slightly disheveled style seemed natural—probably because she'd been running late and had rushed over without properly styling it.
"Yeah, we meet again."
Byakuya replied casually.
"And you brought such a beautiful girl with you today."
Eto's tone was teasing.
Honestly, she'd been somewhat surprised when she'd spotted Byakuya earlier—surprised to see him and Rize together here.
She still remembered that day when this human boy had confessed to Rize. She'd assumed he was as good as dead.
The subsequent developments had exceeded all her expectations.
"You flatter me. Takatsuki-sensei is beautiful too."
Rize smiled pleasantly.
Both Rize and Eto wore pleasant smiles, the atmosphere seemingly warm and friendly.
Rize didn't know Eto's true identity. Eto, however, knew exactly who Rize was.
"By the way, what are your names?"
Eto asked Byakuya and Rize.
"Amaha Byakuya."
"Kamishiro Rize."
They answered.
Not that Eto didn't already know their names.
"Alright, I'll remember that."
Eto said. "So, would you like an autograph? Or is there something else you'd like?"
"Just sign my book, please."
Byakuya produced a book he'd brought along.
Eto signed her pen name on the cover—Sen Takatsuki.
Afterward, Byakuya and Rize chatted with Eto about her works before standing to leave.
As they departed, Eto rested her chin on her hand, watching the pair with an intrigued gaze.
She'd noticed that Byakuya and Rize seemed to have a good relationship.
By all rights, Rize should have devoured this human boy long ago. Yet not only hadn't she—they actually seemed close now.
What exactly had happened between them? She couldn't help but be curious.
Then it was time to meet the next fan.
...
After leaving the venue, Kaneki headed straight home.
So he parted ways with Byakuya and Rize along the way.
Kaneki was in excellent spirits today. He'd gotten Takatsuki-sensei's autograph and discussed his thoughts on her works with her.
"Sen Takatsuki is really different from what I imagined."
On the way back, Rize brought up Takatsuki.
"That's normal. By the way, did you notice anything unusual about her?"
Byakuya asked.
"No, why do you say that? Unless she's..."
Rize caught on quickly.
For Byakuya to phrase it that way, something was probably off about Takatsuki.
"She's actually a ghoul."
Byakuya said directly.
"A ghoul... I see. I completely missed it."
Rize was somewhat surprised.
This was because Eto was a natural-born half-ghoul—her scent was far harder to detect than a normal ghoul's.
Plus, Rize hadn't gotten very close to Eto just now. Even with her keen sense of smell, she couldn't pick up anything unusual.
"It's probably because she's lived among humans for so long that her scent has mixed with theirs."
Byakuya wasn't ready to tell Rize about Eto's true identity yet.
After all, he had no legitimate way of knowing Eto was a "natural-born half-ghoul."
"Who would have thought—such a famous author is actually a ghoul."
Rize mused.
But now she could better understand how Takatsuki could write such works—it probably had everything to do with her past experiences.
Most ghouls didn't have happy childhoods. It was as if being born a ghoul in this world was itself a mistake.
In truth, Eto's tragic past was worse than most ghouls could imagine...