Perhaps at the beggining they were forced to be here. But now both humans and ghouls became curious about how the presence of Kumagawa Misogi changed things.
In the back a man had a sour look on his face. He had bow hair and eyes of the same color. His name was Nishio Nishiki.
And he thought the beating he got from Kaneki was bad. This one was on another level.
Humilation aside, this wasn't the worst part of it. No, it was that he was uncertain if this guy would help him like Kaneki did.
Even if he did, he seems to be the type that would continue harassing him. Nishiki really pitied his alternate self.
Najimi:My, that can be considered egoistic, don't you think so?
Nishiki's eyes shot wide open. What, she can read minds now? On second thought, that wouldn't be the craziest thing had done yet.
Kaneki:What are you talking about, Anshin'in-san?
Najimi:Nothing important.
Nishiki gritted his teeth. No wounder she get along so well with Rize.
Najimi:Okay, let's go on!
Touka had seen crazy things through her life, the 20th Ward hosted some unique individuals. Yet, she doesn't think she heard something so ridiculous before.
She was gawking at Kumagawa sitting at a table. They were told about how not only did he know that Rize, and everyone there for that matter, was a ghoul but also continued their relationship on that.
Touka:Are you for real...
Not only that, the guy was drinking his cofee like everything was completly fine. Why is no one saying something about that!?
Touka:How can we trust him? I don't think we should even trust Rize to begin with!
She got no approval from the manager behind the counter. He was an eldery man with gray hair who keeps his eyes closed. His name was Yoshimura.
Yoshimura:Touka-chan, Rize is a resident of the 20th Ward just like the rest of us and this was her decision. If Kumagawa-kun wanted to say anything about us, he would've done it by now.
Rize:You're so reackless sometines. I admit that I thought like you not long ago, but now I see it's possible for ghouls to form bounds with humans.
Touka:Like hell! It's because of his smell!
Rize:That is one of the reasons, yes.
Touka:...Fine, do what you want.
She stormed off in the kitchen, not wanting to argue anymore. Yoshimura sighed and turned to Kumagawa.
Rize:Ah, that temper once again. You can't continue being an angsty teen forever, you know? No wounder you don't have any friends.
Touka:Why you...I have lots of friends!
Kaneki:Eh? But wasn't Yoriko-san your only friend.
Touka looked at him with a blank face. By the amusement in Rize's eyes, that must've been tge wrong thing to say.
Touka:Wow. Thanks a lot, Kaneki.
Yoshimura:Please forgive her. She'll need time to accomodate.
Kumagawa:[Don't worry. I'm used to being treated that way.]
Rize:Awww!
As it turns out Touka had to study for the exams and was busy with that. As an consequence, Yoshimura asked Kumagawa if he could go look for food with another employee. Seeing no reason to disagree Kumagawa went along with it.
Right now he was on the seat beside a man with shoulder lenght white hair and black eyes who was riding the car they were currently situated in. His name was Yomu Renji.
Renji:We're here.
Kumagawa opened the door and stepped outside. His eyes narrowed in recognition.
Kumagawa:[Ah, this is a really popular suicide location! I see, that really is convenient.]
Renji:Yeah, we don't need to take someone's life that way.
Koutaro:Suicide locations?
Koutaro didn't have much of an positive experience with ghouls. Given his adophive father was one and he wasn't a good man by any means.
However, he was confused ever since meeting the Eyepatch ghoul. He genuinly looked like he didn't want to kill anyone, even warning him to leave while he still had control.
He never thought about something like this. That there were ghouls who truly wanted to coexist with humans.
Koutaro:...Am I truly doing the right thing?
Kumagawa looked over the cliff to see what looked like down there. Renji's eyes widened in worry.
Renji:Sto...
However, he was too late. A part of the fence broke and Kumagawa's body fell into the cliff.
Renji cursed inside his head. Still, there are chances he was still alive. Maybe if they hurry to a hospital...
However, he was in shock when he saw Kumagawa jumping all the way back up unharmed. He was also carrying a corpse with him.
Kumagawa:[Are we done?]
Renji:Y...Yeah. You're really tough, huh?
The next day Kumagawa and Rize were once again at Anteiku side by side, one reading Shounen Jump and one an older book of Takatsuki Sen, while the human was munching on some sandwiches. The only other one in the main hall was Touka who decided to drop the subject and just do her work.
However, the bell if the entrance ringed making the three turn their heads in that direction. Through the door a pair of similar looking female ghouls entered.
The first one was a woman with brown hair and brown eyes. Her name was Fueguchi Ryouko.
The second one shared tge same characteristics, but she was much younger. Kumagawa thought she must be some sort of relative, maybe even her daughter. Her name was Fueguchi Hinami.
Additionaly, both Rize and Touka seemed to be familiar with them by the looks they had. Touka wasted no time to welcome them in go talk with the manager.
Rize:It seems there are some problems.
Hinami was given a room to stay in while Ryouko talked with Yoshimura. Kumagawa offered to give the girl a cofee to calm down.
When he entered he saw Hinami woth her eyes changed. Blood leaked from her mouth with pieces of human flesh on a plate in front of her.
Kumagawa:[Oh, did I bother you while you were eating?]
Hinami:N...No. It's alright.
Kumagawa:[I've brought you a cofee. I guess it wouldn't usually be given to a child, but than again the metabolism is largely different.]
Hinami:Onii-san...Which are you?
Kumagawa:[Oh?]
Hinami:You don't smell like one of us at all. If you were, I'd have known. Even from a distancance.
Kumagawa:[Yeah, I'm a human. Biologically, at least.]
Hinami:And you stay here with everyone?
Kumagawa:[It's really so uncommon?]
Hinami:Yes. I've never heard of something like that.
Kumagawa:[Heh, guess I'm pretty abnormal!]
Hinami continued to drink her cofee is silence. Kumagawa noticed a book on the sofa and picked it up.
Kumagawa:[Short stories? Even if you don't go to school, you're still learning to read. How earnest.]
Hinami:Do you like to read, Onii-san?
Kumagawa:[Yeah, although my preferate is Shounen Jump.]
Hinami:I see...
Kumagawa:[But I hate main characters.]
Hinami:Eh? Isn't that contradictory?
Kumagawa:[It's fine to have contradictory hobbies. Like stalking a guy you're so agressive with from behind a door.]
Touka:Drop dead!
Kumagawa:[Hahaha!]
Touka:Tch!
Rize:And this is the great Kirishima Touka. What an sneaky and agile girl, indeed.
Touka:You're having fun out of this, aren't you?
Rize:Generally, yes
Najimi:Although Kumagawa-kun seems to genuinly likes you?
Touka looked comfused at her statement. Wasn't he just harassing her?
Najimi:Although he may seem cheerful, Kumagawa-kun is a pretty apatethic person overall. Even if he knows he's being stalked, he wouldn't pay it any mind because he thinks it's not worth the effort. For him to actively engage in banter with you does show that he has an genuine affection towards you, Touka-chan.
To this, Touka had no way of responding. So she just choose to stay silent.
Yoshimura called Touka and Kumagawa back to talk with them and Rize. He looked really serious.
Yoshimura:Doves are in the 20th Ward.
Kumagawa:[Pigeons!]
Kumagawa smashed his fist on the table as he shout, making the others stare awkardly at him. Not even his own girlfriend wasn't sure how to react.
Yoshimura:No, I was refering to ghoul invastigators.
Touka:Tch!
Kumagawa:[Ah...]
Rize:So I must go to Uta for a mask.
Yoshimura:Indeed.
The couple was walking through a bad looking neighborhood to get Rize a mask. Touka had come with them, much to her displeasure.
Touka:So...What was that thing with pigeons back there?
Kumagawa:[I'm not sure. For some reason, I have an irrational hatred for them. It's like I ended up in an annoying situation because of one in another reality.]
Touka:Okay...
Koutaro:Is that true?
Kaneki:Uh, well. Misogi can just bw like...That.
Truth to be told, he wasn't ever under the impression of Kumagawa being an man of honor. He was a liar though and through.
It didn't bother him at all, his cousin was pretty blanant about his lies. Even when it's not just to poke fun, Kumagawa usually told kind lies.
Najimi choose to stay silent. It did actually happen, but she supposed there was no need for her to answer. She'd rather they be focused in this reality.
Touka is thankful they arrived at the studio before this got even more weird. She opened the door and they began to look for the owner.
Touka:Uta-san!
Kumagawa pucked up a mantle to reaveal a guy with black hair in a ponytail and his ghoul eyes, or kakugan, activated. His name was Uta.
Uta:Baw!
Kumagawa:[Hello.]
Rize:What are you doing, Uta?
Uta:I tried scaring you guys.
Uta got closer to Kumagawa and began sniffing him. If the minus had any sort of disconfort with tge sutuation, he didn't show it.
Uta:So the rumours are true...Want a snack?
Uta offered a human eyeball to Kumagawa. Behind them Touka sighed. He's human, of course he won't...
However, she was proven wrong when Kumagawa gulped diwn the eyeball without hesitation. Her mouth hanged agap.
Touka:Wha...Why did you accept it!?
Kumagawa:[Well, it tasted awful. A cultural barrier, I suppose. But I didn't want to be rude.]
Uta:...I like him. You got yourself quiet a catch, Rize.
Rize:Thank you!
Touka:...For real?
Rize:Oh, come on now. Thoughtfulness is an admirable quality, no?
Touka:Not when it leads to cannibalism! There's a reason ghouls aren't found of kakuja!
Rize:If only you knew...
Rize did get a lot of informations about the ghouls she should avoid when she escaped the Garden. She had no doubt Touka would be shocked at the number of kakujas present in the room.
On the other hand, the humans were quite disturbed. The CCG members may have seen ghouls feeding numerous times, but seeing an human being doing it was...Something else.
Hell, even a lot of ghouls were shocked. However, there was a certain non-human as nonchlant as ever.
Najimi:Yes, people shouldn't let something like cultural barriers to stop them from comunicating.