Well, this had come off as a surprise. Kaneki had come to realize he might not know so much about his cousin as he thought he did.
That, and he knew that Kumagawa was into older women. But there needs to be a limit, right?
Not that he'd voice that out loud with Najimi here. Past experiences did give him quite a knack for survival, despise his almost nonexistent self preservation.
Rize herself was surprised Kumagawa asked for a second date. No one ever did that.
Well, that was mainly because they were chopped to bits and eaten on her first date. But still.
Touka:What is even real anymore...
Najimi:Ah, the old question. Quite the inquiry, isn't it? I myself have asked myself that for a loooong time.
Touka:...And?
Najimi:Well, after years of planning of a project, a training arc, a student council presidency battle and mich less screws driven into me I realized I don't really care.
No one knew how to answer to that. Than again, things stopped making sense for a while now.
Najimi:Well, shall we continue?
Koutaro:Do we actually have a choice?
Najimi:Haha, no!
Ghouls diets are not an uncommon thing. An human corpse could feed any normal ghoul for an entire month and Anteiku provisioned meat to the ghouls who needed it from humans which commited suicide.
Rize was not an normal ghoul. She prefered to hunt living humans and her binge eating was no secret for any ghoul that meet her. She wasn't called the Binge Eater by the CCG for nothing.
Koutaro:Wait, you're the Bimge Eater? But that case ended up unsolved!
Rize:Ah, it doesn't surprise me. You'd have no way of reaching me.
An old man scartched his chin in curiosity. He had gray hair, which was considerably long for a man, and black eyes. His name was Mado Kureo.
Kureo:The fact that I died on that case does make me curious. Where could such a place be?
Koutaro:Yes, where were you hiding?
Rize still remembered very well. All those machines connected to her body for her kagune samples to make artificial ghouls.
And she understands that sge can't eat her normal amount. But God damn it, couldn't Kanou at least give her enough to not starve to madness.
Rize:...I don't wanna talk about it.
So when the staff of Anteiku saw the woman happily chatting with Kumagawa before she sat at a table to have a cofee while the boy went away to help Kaneki and Hide with something, they were more than surprised. Even more so that unlike other times he preyed on a human male before, she looked like she actually enjoying the time she spend with him.
Touka seemed to be especially suspicious of this. She could tell by the glare she was sending her from the moment she stepped in, which was more intense than usual.
Rize:Touka-san, is everything alright? You're frowning a lot more today. Don't tell me your brother is coming to visit? My, with the combined grumpiness of you two I'm not sure if the cafe will remain in one peace.
Touka:Cut the crap, Kamishiro.
Rize:What might you be referring to?
Touka:That. Everyone knows how you operate. You seduce some guy, make him walk you home and when you're in a secluded place you stab your kagune into them, pull out their organs and eat them whole. No one ever got past the first date. So how and why is that guy still well and kicking?
Rize:Am I not allowed to pursue a romantic partner? I was quiet charmed by him, I'll have you know. We have a lot of things in common. In fact, we're already planning our second date.
That and the fact that he was immortal supplied her with an endless supply of delicious food. But they don't need to know that. She doesn't need any ghoul aiming for her man.
Touka:Why doesn't that surprise me?
She looked over at Rize. However, the older woman looked very intently at the screen.
Wait...Was she salivating right now?
Touka:...Yeah, that's why.
Although, in retrospective she probably should be more worried about the ghouls than about Kumagawa. Then again, she wasn't ever much of an emphatic person.
On that note, maybe she should pay Tsukiyama a visit? That pompous pig could become a real headache.
Touka:Suuuure...
Rize:You'll understand when you get a boyfriend. Ah! I guess that's impossible for you...
Touka:Grrr!
Kumagawa, Hide and Kaneki were walking through the campus of the university the two normals were attending. Hide was carrying a newly bought hard drive in his hands.
Hideo:Thanks for the help, Kumagawa! But man, that concert was awesome!
Kaneki:Yeah, they're really talented!
Hideo:Not to mention those were backstage tickets! By the way, how did you manage to get them.
Kumagawa:[Before Hakoniwa I transfered through a lot of scholls, you see. I meet Saki-chan in one of them and we became fast friends.]
Hideo:That so? Cool! But thanks a lot, man. I had no idea what to pick. You're really good at this, huh?
Kaneki:It's not really a surprise. He literally knows how to build a rocket.
Hideo:Really!?
Kumagawa:[Yeah.]
They finally arrived at the door they needed to be. Hearing low groans they looked through the keyhole and saw a man with his face on a girl's shoulder.
Kaneki:Is he...Hurting that girl?
Kumagawa:[Ah, he's actually...]
Kumagawa didn't have time to finish before Hideo opened tge door. Seeing them enter the girl became flustered, as Hideo and Kaneki were. She snatched her purse and left in a hurry.
Kumagawa:[Pffft, virgins.]
Hideo:Oi!
Touka:Did that actully happen?
Kaneki:Well...
Kaneki scratched his cheek, trying to find an apropiate excuse. Finally, he relented.
Kaneki:It's Hide.
Rize:Pffft!
The man on the chair let out a sigh. He had had brown hair and eyes of the same color behind a pair of black rimmed glasses. His name was Nishio Nishiki.
Nishiki:No, he's right. Didn't you learn to knock, Nagachika? I hate nothing more than people disrespecting my territory.
Hideo:Sorry about that. So, I brought the hard drive. The project.
Nishiki:Let me see where...Oh, it's probably at home!
Hideo:For real!?
Nishiki:Yeah, I need to go pick it up.
Kumagawa:[How about we accompany you?]
Hideo:Huh?
Nishiki:It's fine. It's not like I'm gonna let them inside or anything.
The four began walking through the city, even buying some pastries that they eat. Kumagawa had to admit that hus act wasn't half bad.
Hideo:Are we close?
Nishiki:Yeah, right...There!
Nishiki's eyes turned the same as Rize's and any other ghouls as he kicked both Hideo and Kaneki into an alley. Kumagawa spared their uncounscious bodies a glance before focusing on Nishiki.
Nishiki:They don't need to be here for this part.
Kumagawa:[You should be careful when doing that. Especially to Ken-chan, he breaks easy.]
Kaneki:He really had to point that out, didn't he?
Touka:Kaneki...I mean nothing by it, but the first time we meet I thought you were a total wimp.
Kaneki:Touka-chan!?
Rize:I do agree.
Given, neither of the cousins looked very manly. But while Kaneki looked wimpy in the beggining, Kumagawa was just androgynous.
Yamori:Well, at least I fixed that for you.
Kaneki:...I'm glad you died.
Nishiki frowned. He noticed that despise what he said and the situation he's in, Kumagawa doesn't really seem concerned.
Nishiki:Knew I smelled something familiar with you. You got to the second date, huh? What, is she keeping you as a pet?
Kumagawa:[Is that really so strange. After all, we aren't the only human-ghoul couple around, are we?]
Nishiki:Tch!
Kumagawa:[Hehe!]
Nishiki:Well, it doesn't matter. lf I eat you, I just need to be sure Rize doesn't find out.
Nishiki's hand made contact with his neck, slamming the minus against the wall. Kumagawa looked at him as he was held up, smile unchanged.
Nishiki:I just love the face they make when they give up hope!
Unlike his expectations, Kumagawa didn't despair. In fact, his knee hit Nishiki's chest, knocking the wind out of tge ghouls and throwing him into a wall.
Two blue tail-like appendages came out of Nishiki's back. Ukaku, he noted. Did that mean kagunes come out after the effect of hormones when ghouls think about something that excites them.
Wait...Did that mean Rize found him excitable?
His self-esteem just went up! On that note, it seems like he has self-esteem!
Touka:Is he really concerned about that right now?
Rize:I suppose he's nor wrong. Besides, he's fighting Nishiki. I wouldn't think much about him if I fought that half-assed ghoul either.
Sounds of protest were heard from the back. However, Rize choose to ignore it as she usually does.
Nishiki:You're dead!
Nishiki jumped towards Kumagawa, peforming a backflip as kis kagune aimed for him. However, he was shocked when the human side stepped him agrabved his kagune.
He smashed the ghoul into the ground and before he could get up he pressed his foot on Nishiki's back, keeping him on the ground. He tugged on the kagune with curiosity.
Kumagawa:[It's still considered an organ, right? I wonder...How bad does it hurt if I take it out?]
Kumagawa mercilessly ripped tge tail-like apendages out of Nishiki's body. The ghoul let out a blood curling scream.
Kumagawa:[Pretty bad, huh?]
Kumagawa dropped the riped organ on the ground, already losing interes. He walkked towards the uncounscious bodies of hus cousing and his cousin's friend.
Nishiki:You...Bastard!
Nishiki lunged toawrds Kumagawa, blood still spilling from his back. However, Kumagawa didn't even turn his head as several oversized screws were launched towards the ghoul. They pierced his body and screwed him on a wall.
Kumagawa:[Normals really are fragile.]
He picked the two uncounscious boys over his shoulder like two potato sacks. He looked towards his crucified oppponent who's head faced the ground.
Kumagawa:[You look uncoufortable. Let me help you with that.]
The screws dissapeared into thin air and Nishiki's hole filled vody smashed into the ground. Kumagawa walked towards him, a sinister aura forming around him.
Kumagawa:[Well, it'd take you a while to regenerate. Even so...I'm not sorry, because this isn't my fault!]
Finally reaching his destination, Kumagawa stepped on his head. A mocking grin spread throughout his face.
Kumagawa:[So? How does it feel being humilated by...Oh, you're uncounscious.]
A while later he meet up with Rize. The listened to what happened to him today.
Rize:I see. That guy's still so full of himself. Anyway, may I...
Kumagawa:[Go ahead!]
Without further instructions Rize bit off a chuck of his neck and savired it in pleasure. Unfortunately, they meet two ghoul invastigators on the way.
Investigator 1:Young man, what happened to you!?
Kumagawa:[It was horrible...It was a ghoul attack!]
Investigator 2:Ghoul!?
Kumagawa:[Yes! Right on that alley! Me and my girlfriend barely escaped alive!]
Investigator 1:I see...We'll take care of this!
Investigator 2:You kids go home!
Kumagawa watched the two running towards the alley with a satisfied look. Rize let out a grin.
Rize:Why do I feel like this is gonna be a gag with you?
Rize:I do share the feeling. And I do enjoy it very much.
Kaneki looked over at Rize after hearing her words. He wouldn't lie if he saud he was concerned.
Noticing his gaze, Rize turned to him. Of course, only to give him one of her bland smiles.
Rize:I am sorry, Kaneki-san. It was just how it is. Even if the two of us actully got on the second date, it would've never worked. Me an your cousin, however, have much more chemestry.
Kaneki:Rize-san...You're a horrible person.
Rize:Yes, I am aware.