At the Anteiku café, Touka pushed open the door and walked in.
"Touka, you're back!"
Koma , his hair slicked back neatly as always, greeted her with a warm smile.
"Where's Irimi-san?" Touka asked.
"She's out on 'duty' today. You know how it is, things haven't been very peaceful in the 20th Ward lately, and there are some unfamiliar faces showing up."
"The manager told all of us to stay alert and strengthen patrols around the area," Koma explained.
"Oh." Touka replied softly, her mood clearly subdued, and turned to head upstairs.
"Touka!"
Koma suddenly called out to her.
"Hm? Koma-san, what is it?" she asked, turning back in confusion.
"Jason is dead. And his kakuhou was taken," Koma said, staring straight into her eyes.
Touka's mind shook violently at those words.
"So… he really succeeded after all?"
Her fists clenched tightly, her knuckles cracking audibly.
"After Jason fought your classmate, he ran into two CCG investigators. That guy was vicious he actually killed a Senior Investigator and severely injured another."
"In the end, your classmate appeared, unexpectedly saved a First-Class Investigator, killed Jason, and took his kakuhou."
"These are all things Yomo managed to find out," Koma added calmly.
"I see… thank you for telling me, Koma-san," Touka said in a low voice.
"So the manager's stance is unchanged, don't provoke him anymore. He's an extremely dangerous individual."
"And judging by his actions, he only kills ghouls who recklessly hunt humans. Those kinds of ghouls were never on our side to begin with."
"Thank you for the reminder. The manager already told me this last night."
"I won't be reckless anymore," Touka said, taking a deep breath.
She could clearly feel the concern behind both the manager's and Koma's repeated warnings.
"That's good," Koma Enji nodded.
Just then, he turned toward the entrance.
"Welcome!"
Touka looked back and saw two boys walking in side by side one blond, one with black hair.
"Two coffees," the blond boy said as he walked up to the counter.
"Coming right up," Koma replied.
The two boys then took a seat by the window.
"Touka, put your things away and come help downstairs," Koma called out.
"Okay," Touka replied, heading upstairs with quick steps.
"Hey, Kaneki, did you see that?"
"That girl's pretty cute, right?"
"She's a waitress here too," the blond boy said, glancing at Touka's retreating figure and nudging Kaneki.
"She really is cute," Kaneki replied honestly.
"How about I help you ask for her contact info later?"
"We're college students already, dating is totally normal," the blond boy teased.
"W–Wait, Hide, don't decide things on your own!"
"She is cute, but… there's already a girl I've been paying attention to," Kaneki said.
As he spoke, a gentle, happy smile spread across his face.
"Whoa whoa, Kaneki are you in love?"
Hide suddenly leaned in close, his face full of gossip-fueled excitement.
"N–No! I've just been watching her from afar!" Kaneki waved his hands frantically.
"We often run into each other at a bookstore, and I found out by chance that she's also a huge fan of Takatsuki Sen."
"Then when are you going to introduce her to me?"
"And seriously, Kaneki, you're always so passive. If you like her, go after her instead of just fantasizing!"
Just then, Touka walked over carrying two cups of coffee.
"Here you go your coffee."
"I'm Nagachika Hideyoshi. What's your name?"
"My friend here really wants to know," Hide said with a bright grin, pointing at Kaneki.
"Huh?" Touka froze, completely caught off guard.
This was the first time a boy had ever directly asked her name.
"H–Hey, Hide, don't say it like that!"
"My friend, he " Kaneki jumped up in a panic, looking at Touka apologetically.
"My name is Kirishima Touka," she said calmly, glancing at Kaneki once before turning and walking away.
"Kirishima Touka… that's a really nice name," Hide said happily, stroking his chin.
"Hide, don't do things like that anymore. You'll scare girls," Kaneki complained.
"Eh, it's fine. We got her name, didn't we?"
"Kaneki, are you sure you don't want to get to know her better?" Hide said with a mischievous grin.
"Nope!"
Kaneki answered decisively.
...
On a bustling street, Fushimi Kyo walked along with a tub of ice cream in hand, eating as he went.
"I've wandered around for ages and didn't run into a single ghoul."
"Has the 20th Ward really become this peaceful?" he muttered, feeling a bit speechless.
All afternoon, he'd deliberately gone to secluded areas, yet not a single "hunting" incident appeared.
Of course, that wasn't unusual.
The 20th Ward had always been known for its excellent public safety, with CCG investigators patrolling regularly.
On top of that, Anteiku's influence kept things stable; open hunting was extremely rare here.
If you could just casually bump into ghoul attacks, the 20th Ward wouldn't deserve to be called the Safe Zone.
Suddenly, his gaze stopped on a café sign ahead.
"Huh?"
"Anteiku Café?"
"…Is that the place?"
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