"Wait!" Amon suddenly grabbed Mado Kureo.
"Mado-senpai, he doesn't seem to be a Ghoul."
"Huh? What are you talking about, Amon!" Mado Kureo stared at Akuto, suspicion written all over his face.
"His eyes… they're not kakugan, and he has no Kagune. Also, it didn't feel like he was trying to kill us."
Mado Kureo wasn't stupid. He'd simply been overcome by the sight of a Ghoul.
Now that he'd calmed down he could tell something was off; the man in front of him was absurdly strong, yet he'd clearly held back.
"A misunderstanding, huh…" Mado Kureo looked up just in time to see Akuto leap skyward, where a huge bird caught him and vanished into the night.
"That was…"
Before Mado could think further, the world spun and he collapsed unconscious.
"Mado-senpai!" Amon called for backup at once.
Less than fifteen minutes later Mado Kureo was in the hospital undergoing a battery of tests.
"Just a mild concussion and a hairline nasal fracture—nothing serious."
Amon exhaled in relief at the doctor's words. He stepped into the ward as Mado Kureo came to.
"Have you ID'd the dead Ghoul…?"
Mado's voice was weak, but the first thing out of his mouth was still about Ghouls.
"Confirmed—Nishio Nishiki, second-year pharmacy major at Kamii University."
"His Kagune is Rinkaku, a versatile type the lab is very interested in."
"But senpai, you need to worry about yourself too…"
Slam!
The door burst open and Mado Akira rushed in.
"How's my father?"
Seeing Mado Kureo awake with only a few bandages, her expression cooled.
"You ran into trouble?"
"How did you get this injured?"
Mado's face stiffened; he waved a hand. "Just a scratch."
"We ran into a nasty customer during the raid. Caught me off guard."
Amon Koutarou felt awkward—off guard? It had been a one-sided beat-down.
"Actually… it was a misunderstanding."
"We met a civilian vigilante. He killed an A-rated Ghoul bare-handed, no quinque."
"So, we mistook him for a Ghoul. But he didn't finish us off, and this is the result."
The more Akira heard, the stranger it sounded. The description felt familiar.
Someone who could kill an A-rated Ghoul without a quinque?
Was there a second person like that in the world?
"Describe him to me."
Seeing Akira's grave face, Amon didn't dare delay. "Over six-foot-one, well-built. Slightly red pupils and odd tattoos."
"At the end, he rode some weird giant bird and flew off."
Case closed.
Akira's face darkened like a thundercloud.
"Bastard!" She pulled out her phone and dialled; the call was answered quickly.
"Talk."
Akira took a steadying breath and spoke stiffly. "You're the one who hurt my father?"
"They misunderstood you—couldn't you have explained?"
Halfway through she cooled off, realising the call had been impulsive. Knowing her father, she guessed he'd attacked without cause.
The anger in her tone ebbed, replaced by irritated conflict. "I know you're not a Ghoul, but couldn't you have said one word instead of hurting him? He's a CCG Investigator, it's his job."
She even wondered: if her father hadn't struck first, would Akuto have harmed him at all?
Or had he already shown mercy—because with the strength to one-shot the Scorpion Leader, he could easily have killed.
Seconds ticked by.
Akira began to regret dialling.
Then Akuto's low, icy voice came.
"On what grounds are you questioning me?"
Mado Kureo and Amon Koutarou exchanged stunned glances.
"They… know each other?"
Amon read the same question in Mado's eyes and shrugged—no idea.
"Don't imagine CCG's ridiculous laws apply to me."
"Next time you call, know your place and your strength, or I won't mind killing you."
Click…
The line went dead.
The temperature in the room seemed to plummet.
Drip…
Both men watched a single tear fall.
When Akira turned back the tear was gone, only her reddened eyes betrayed her as she spoke coldly.
"No contact if you see him again."
"He's extremely dangerous and his allegiance is unknown."
With that, she strode out on her heels.
Meanwhile, at Anteiku Coffee Shop.
"Manager! Is he really human? How is that possible?" Touka's worldview was crumbling.
She'd barely finished recounting the day's events; Kaneki sat nearby in a daze.
What baffled her most was how a human could be that powerful.
The manager looked unsurprised, more resigned than anything. "Enough, Touka."
"The world is vast; there are always people and methods we don't understand. Everyone has secrets—don't pry."
"Today he helped Kaneki and you, which means he bears us no ill will."
"That's all that matters."
Touka opened her mouth, then closed it again.
She shot Kaneki Ken with a look of contempt. "Hey, if you're hungry then eat properly."
"A starving Ghoul is dangerous; if you cause trouble I'll kill you myself!"
"Touka!" The manager rebuked her, but she didn't back down.
"He lost control today because he was starving! If it happens again in the café the White Dove will track us here!"
She yanked open the fridge, slapped a paper parcel on the table, and glared at Kaneki. "Eat this!"
"Ugh!!"
Kaneki seemed to know what was inside; he scrambled backwards off the chair.
"No… that's human!"
"Eat it or get out!"
Touka pinned Kaneki under her foot, opened the parcel, and held a piece of meat in front of him.
Kaneki's throat bobbed; he jerked his head away and roared.
"There's no way I can eat that!"
"I'm human—I'm not like you monsters!"
Smack!
Without hesitation, Touka kicked him across the room.
"Monster?"
"You call us monsters—what does that make you?"
"Go outside and see if your precious humans will help you."
"The ones you call monsters are the ones keeping you alive, you worthless brat!"
The word monster stabbed Touka like a knife; she straddled Kaneki and punched him again and again, venting everything.
"I'm a monster? Then what are you!"
"Look at yourself, trash! If I hadn't dragged you back, the White Dove would've killed you already!"