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In the CCG Ward 20 branch office, Kael held his coffee cup, stirring the brew leisurely as if the chaotic world outside didn't exist.
The disappearance of Touka Kirishima and Ken Kaneki had turned the ward into a hornet's nest. The local CCG branch, usually the "retirement home" of the organization, was suddenly facing a surge of Ghoul activity and pressure from headquarters. Reinforcements were being fast-tracked. Today was the arrival of the newcomers.
But first, the routine briefing. Mado Kureo, a First Class Investigator, was in peak morbid form, pacing the meeting room with his hunchbacked gait. Beside him stood Koutarou Amon, looking increasingly like a disciplined soldier. Their combined presence had already put Ward 20's "passive" Ghouls on high alert.
The agenda: the Binge Eater and the Gourmet. Both S-Rank targets had ghosted the ward recently. With no fresh leads, Mado Kureo proposed a scorched-earth cleanup of all known Ghoul tracks. The Gourmet investigation was officially dumped on Kael's desk.
"Kael, a word," Mado Kureo beckoned. Outside of combat, the man was a surprisingly decent senior, provided you could ignore the fact that he was a high-functioning psychiatric patient whose sanity had died along with his wife.
Kael followed him and came face-to-face with a young woman. Long blonde hair tied up, sharp professional attire, and a pair of black stockings that showcased a lethal elegance.
"Your new partner. I believe you're already acquainted," Mado Kureo noted, leaving the two alone.
"Long time no see, Akira," Kael said, leaning against the doorframe. "You and Senior Mado are family, I take it?"
"Yes," Mado Akira replied, her tone as cold as an ice-bath.
To Akira, Kael was more than an old classmate; he was the thorn in her side. He had occupied the top spot in their class while seemingly doing nothing but flirting with the Yasuhisa twins, a fact that still made her teeth grit.
"Weren't you heading for District 1? Why Ward 20?" Kael asked.
District 1 was the CCG's front line, the meat-grinder where top graduates went to fast-track their promotions. Kael's choice to stay in the quiet Ward 20 was a statistical anomaly.
"Headquarters decision," she snapped.
"Fine. You're my subordinate now, I'll look after you."
"Colleague," she corrected instantly. She was a head shorter than him, but her ambition towered. She had been working "whack-a-mole" ops with Kishou Arima in District 1 and had a body count in the double digits. She was certain she'd hit Rank 1 before Kael even finished his first cup of coffee.
"What are you snickering at?" Kael asked.
Akira's smile vanished. "I wasn't laughing."
The rest of the day was a masterclass in slacking. Kael spent his "patrol" introducing Akira to the coffee machine and then promptly falling asleep at his desk.
"Is this your process?" Akira hissed, slamming a stack of files on his desk. "With this attitude, Ghouls will never be eliminated."
"You're just a Second Class, Akira. Why worry like the Director? Find the Gourmet first," Kael muttered into his pillow. He had spent the night "calibrating" the Yasuhisa twins in the lab and his energy reserves were redlining.
Akira's eyelids twitched. She resolved to find the Gourmet herself just to spite him.
At Anteiku, the 'Closed' sign was up. The air was heavy. The shop's philosophy was simple: help those who can't hunt, but if you attack an Investigator, you're on your own. However, Touka was family. Principles were currently on hold.
"Any intel?" The Manager (Yoshimura) asked.
"Just this," Irimi Kaya replied, handing over a file on Kael. Their network had finally penetrated the CCG's local database.
"I will visit this young man personally," Yoshimura decided. "Irimi, tell everyone to stay quiet. Something big is coming. Don't draw any more CCG heat."
After clocking out—which Kael insisted was a worker's fundamental right—he "dragged" a reluctant Akira to hotpot. Despite her murderous glares, she seemed to relax under Kael's casual charisma. After sending her home, Kael turned toward the Kanou General Hospital ruins.
Halfway there, he spotted a kind-looking old man in a trench coat feeding pigeons.
"How long have you been waiting, Yoshimura?" Kael asked, stepping into the light.
The Manager didn't look up. "Not long. My patience has grown with my age."
"You're here for Kaneki and Touka."
Yoshimura nodded, following Kael into a deserted construction site. "How are they?"
"Sound hardware, no bugs. Just a bit hungry," Kael replied, stopping a few paces away.
"Let them go," Yoshimura requested, his presence beginning to expand. He sensed Kael wasn't a standard Investigator. The connection to the Washuu Clan or the 'V' organization was a possibility he was currently calculating.
"No. They attacked me. I'm just using them for research. I've been generous, don't you think, Owl?"
The moment the name was spoken, the Manager erupted. A massive Ukaku blade bloomed from his shoulder, slashing toward Kael's neck.
CLACK.
Yoshimura's eyes widened. Kael had caught the blade in his palm. The steel-cutting Kagune left nothing but a faint white scratch on Kael's skin. Kael applied pressure, and the crystalline structure shattered.
"Amateur move, old man. You're too old for surprise attacks," Kael muttered.
He seized Yoshimura's arm and snapped it with a clinical CRACK. Before the Owl could manifest his full Kakuja form, Kael's knee drove into his chest with the force of a wrecking ball. Internal organs collapsed. Blood and lung tissue sprayed from the Manager's mouth.
Kael didn't give him a second to breathe. He grabbed the SSS-Rank Ghoul by the face and slammed him into the concrete.
BOOM.
The sound echoed like thunder. Kael stood over the unconscious legend, a faint look of joy on his face. Picking up an SSS-Rank like this was like finding a rare drop while walking to the store.
The "Calculating Survivor" had just secured the ultimate research subject.
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