Today Touka was absent from both work and school. Of course, tge reason was that she was sick. There's no way an earnest girl like her would miss it for any other reason.
Having nothing to do for the moment Kumagawa was going to visit her. As he reached the door, it was already opened and meet Ryouko face to face.
Ryouko:Uh...
Kumagawa:[Hello!]
Touka:What are you doing here?
Ryouko had to leave and ledft Hinami with Touka. With a tired sigh the girl let Kumagawa in.
Touka:So?
Kumagawa:[Don't be so cold. I think we got pretty close from the moment we meet. I just wanted to pay you a visit when I heard you were sick.]
Touka:What? With an empty hand?
Kumagawa:[Don't worry.]
Kumagawa reached in his jacket and took out a packet. The paper of the packet was marrow in color, but it got soaked in in blood.
Kumagawa:[I brought you some Taro-chan!]
Touka:...Wait, both me and Kamishiro were with you back then. When did you pack that?
Kumagawa:[I have sneaky hands.]
As the two bickered, the ring of her door was rang. Touka decided to put this on hold fir now and open the door.
Outside her apartment a girl with brown hair and eyes of the same color waited with a pot in hands. Her name was Kosaka Yoriko.
Touka:Yoriko?
Yoriko:Touka-chan! I was worried, you didn't come to school today.
Touka:I just feel under the weather.
Yoriko:I ma...
Yoriko stopped speaking and let out a gasp with wide eyes. She seemed to stare at something behind her. Touka turned and saw Kumagawa waving at her.
Yoriko:So you had a boy over...
Touka:It's not like...
Touka was stopped from speaking as Yoriko extended the pot towards her. An serious expression adormed her face.
Yoriko:Eat it with him!
Touka:Wai...
But she was already gone. Touka gritted her teeth, she was sure he did that intentionaly!
When she opened the pot she was witness to a lot of boiled meat, carrots and peppers. Kumagawa tilted his head in curiosity.
Kumagawa:[You're gonna eat it?]
Touka:Of course, Yoriko made it for me.
Kumagawa:[I see. No wonder you got sick.]
Touka picked a pepper and put in in her mouth. With great dtruggle she managed to swallow it without throwing up. This must be nothing short of torturous to a ghoul.
Touka:Thank you for the meal...
As she moved her hand again Kumagawa suddenly snatched tge pot away. Touka gawked at him as he swallowed all of the food in one gulp.
Kumagawa:[Your friend's cooking isn't half bad.]
Touka:Why did you do that?
Kumagawa:[She did say to eat it with me, no? You already took a pepper and so, you fullfiled your promise.]
Touka:But that's...
Kumagawa:[I don't want you to be sick again. Doing it here is fun, but I lije messing with you when you work much better.]
Touka:I knew it!
Kumagawa:[Well, I should go!]
Kumagawa left her room with a wave of his hand and a large grin like he accomplished some sort of daily quest, making Touka growl. She whispered in a barely audible whisper.
Touka:Thank you...
Kumagawa left the complex and was heading to his house. However,he heard some grunts in an backalley and decided to investigate. There he saw Nishiki getting beat up by three ghouls.
Kumagawa:[Ah, are you having an outside game? Mind if I join?]
Ghoul 1:We were just gonna canibalise him. Huh, your smell...A human? How unlucky for you!
The ghoul raised his fist and was gonna punch Kumagawa, but he got puched by his supposed victim before he could even fully raise it. The ghoul was thrown back into a wall, his face a bloddy mess.
Kumagawa:[Huh...]
After taking care of the other two Kumagawa carried the beat up Nishiki back to his apartament who the victim had given the adress to. To be in such a state against those three...Seems he really did a number on him.
When he knocked on the door a girl opened the door. She had red hair and brown eyes. Her name was Kimi.
Kimi:Nishiki-kun!
Worried, she grabbed her boyfriend in a hurry. She was giving Kumagawa, understably, a hostile glare.
Nishiki:Leave it, Kimi.
Kimi:But, Nishiki-kun! He's...
Nishiki:Yeah, he's the bastard who riddled ne with holes. Sorry, but can you go buy me some cofee?
After his request the two went to buy him a cofee, Kumagawa knowing a good brand. They ended up sitting in a bench in an awkard silence.
Kumagawa:[Ah, this really is a coincidence. Who'd guess there'd be two ghoul-human couples in this Ward?]
Kimi:Yeah...
Kumagawa:[I see you're still wary of me.]
Kimi:On a logical level, I understand. Nishiki-kun tried to eat your relative an a friend. But, I'm still his girlfriend.
Kumagawa:[True. Love was never something that followed logic. Although it's grest to propely make aquintmance.]
Kimi:Eh? Have we meet before?
Kumagawa:[Yeah, you're the one that tried to have sex with Nishiki-chan on the chair before Hide-chan barged in.]
Kimi:...I feel like I'm gonna be stuck with that description in your mind.
Kumagawa:[Hm...]
Kimi:It's true that it's an unique case when your partner needs to kill humans to survivem. But...So much time Nishiki-kun doesn't hurt my friends or family, I can turn a blind eye.
Kumagawa hummed in agreement. He knew even if she snacked on him, Rize didn't stop from her mass eating.
It was understable, her metabolism was already formed long before they meet. It's just hiw things are, ghouls eat humans as humans do with anything.
He wasn't gonna suddenly impose on her to change her ways. He himself didn't want to be changed by his relationship, so why would he try to do the opposite?
So much she didn't try to eat his friends, not that she'd have much succes considering the majority of them are abnormals, he didn't have a problem. Although, maybe beside Kaneki, he wouldn't really care if she ate his family.
Kimi:Kumagawa-kun, you know pretty much about ghouls, right?
Kumagawa:[Well, I did inform myself.]
Kimi:What cn I do to help Nishiki-kun?
Kumagawa:[It's not like he's sick or anything. He didn't do anything to be that way, unlike a certain tsundere I know. All he needs is to eat.]
Kimi:But I...
Kumagawa:[Ah, you're not alright with commiting murder, huh? An interesting moral compass. Fortunately for you, there's a certain group of ghouls that help the ones who can't hunt themselves.]
Kimi:Would they help Nishiki-kun?
Kumagawa:[Well, Touka-chan hates his guts. But knowing the old man, he wouldn't hesitate to extend Nishiki-chan a hand.]
Kimi:Than...
Kumagawa:[Yeah, I'll tell him. Recently I found out Nishiki-chan can also be funny to mess with, wouldn't want to miss the chance.]
Kimi:Thank you!
Kimi gave a bow to show her gratitude and hurried back to Nishiki. However, Kumagawa had one more thing to say.
Kumagawa:[Ah, by the way.]
Kimi:Huh?
Kumagawa:[If you see a purple haired guy who tried to pass for a french around, run. Preferably after you kick his balls.]