Well, it was official now. The CCG was oficially fucked.
It was hard to say if it was a good or bad things for ghouls. It could really go two ways.
One, Kumagawa makes the investigators give up from how dangerous and exhausting the workplace is with him around. Or two, Kumagawa end up driving the investigators even crazier, thus making them more dangerous then before.
Emphasis on even crazier. There might be some resonable human beings amongst them, but there's no way someone remains sane in this line.
Najimi:Ahaha! I can see you guys still got quite the shock!
Najimi directly spoke to the CCG members in a sudden good mood. For someone that claims to be impartial she sure had an inclination towards sadism.
Najimi:Those are quite the faces you're making! What would you call this? Karma? Jinx? What do you think, Amon-kun?
Koutaro:...
Najimi:Ah, I think I rambled enough now. I can see you're all excited for what's to come...Well, not really. Then again, you don't really have a choice to begin with.
Touka:God, is she gonna torture us next...
Najimi:Why do you alwais have to be such a debby downer, Touka-chan? I choose to have mercy on you all this time. We're gonna have a family episode. That's right, we'll witness the heartfelt bonds of family and it's different dynamics. Isn't that great? Big sis Anshin'in-san is such a nice gal, isn't she?
Touka wasn't very happy with Kumagawa's choice, but she figured her complains fell on deaf ears. That guy would just continue to do as he pleases, like always.
A job which he was doing right now. Him, Koutaro and Akira were dispached to Cochlea to talk with an informant.
What made it special was that this informant was a ghoul. Uncommon, but not completly illogical.
This ghoul held the alias of Priest and was very much willing to help them with the case because the members of Aogiri Tree were not his comarades. An mentality Kumagawa can agree with.
Koutaro:Oh no...
He should have suspected this when she said such nice things. There was nothing heartfelt about that man.
Is there any end to it? Why does she like to psychologically torment them so much?
Touka:His messed up way of thinking aside, are there really ghouls like that? Acting as informants for CCG?
Rize:Being contained in such a place doesn't leave you much choice. As you know, starvation is the worst torture there is for a ghoul.
Touka:Huh...
Touka stared at Rize with judgemental eyes. Feeling her gaze Rize tirned her head to match her eyes.
Rize:Is there something on my face?
Touka:You...You sound way too familiar with this.
Rize:Perhaps you should pay more attention to your troubles than others. That is what brought you misery, isn't it?
Kaneki flinched at her words. Those words felt extremly targeted in his point of view.
Kumagawa:[Now this is something new.]
Akira:The fact that an ghoul is willing to be an informant fir the CCG? Yes, I do find it a bit strange as well...
Kumagawa:[Not only that.]
Akira:What do you mean.
Kumagawa:[I had looked over past cases of ghouls and all of them were Japanese. It makes sense, you'd rather try to hunt in your country tha go over somewhere else with rules unkown to you as a ghoul. But by his name alone it's clear that this one is foreign. Russian, most likely. I wonder why he'd go through all the trouble even though that would make his identity harder to maintain...]
Koutaro:Most likely for his own twisted desires...
Kumagawa:[Oya? That's an interesting way to put it. Csn I take it that you and this Priest had known each other for a while now?]
Koutaro:...You could say that.
Koutaro was the first one to enter the room, followed by both Akira and Kumagawa. The rook was rather simple, with two pliable chairs on their side, the sides they were on and the side of the ghoul divided by reinforced glass.
On the other side stood an eldery man with white hair, as well as a gothee, and blue eyes. His name was Donato Porpora.
Donato:Oh my...Oh my...Who might it be? It's been a while, hasn't it? Koutaro, my beloved son.
Donato stepped out of the dark bare feeted with a smile on his face, gaining an glare from Koutaro. Kumagawa found this situation to be very interesting.
Donato:Long time no see, Koutaro. You won't even come to see your poor father's face anymore.
Koutaro:Be quite. I don't think of you as a father.
Donato:Fu...How ungrateful...Congrats. You've been promoted, haven't you? What happened to him? That man alike a Death God? Your previous partner?
Koutaro:...It's unecesarry to answer.
Donato looked Koutaro straight in the eyes before humming. This boy still can't hide his emotions very well, something that, unkown to him, Kumagawa thought as well.
Koutaro:He's just as always.
Kureo:Amon-kun.
Koutaro was knocked out of his yrance by that voice. He immediatly straightened up to listen to Kureo.
Kureo:If I learned something from seeing how things differentiate from our own version, is that you shouldn't be too caught up in the past. Irritation and spite of such level just gives him power over you.
Kureo should know better than anyone. Those things got him killed at the end of the day.
Koutaro:I understand, Mado-san!
Kureo:Also, while the Priest might be an utter scum, he does have a point. You need to work at managimg your emotions.
Koutaro certainly has the attitude and combat abilities needed of an investigator. However, he severly lacks shrewdness.
Donato:So he's still alive an active at that age? Impressive, he really is rather skilled. So you've just been broken up by the higher ups? Well, those sort of things tend to happen. At least now you're guiding your kouhais.
Kumagawa:[Ah, that reminds me of my high school days. Those kouhais of mine were so cute. Even when they tazed, poured acide, shot me and tortured me.]
Kumagawa closed his eyes, letting out a melancholic sigh with a content smile on his face. The reactions he got were concerned looks from Koutaro and Akira, and an amused grin from Donato.
Akira:What...What kind of high school have you gone to?
Kumagawa:[Oh, don't be so worried. They were blank rounds. Although it sucked she shot me in the head with that snipper riffle.]
Akira:That's still very dangerous! And the shooting was still among the lesser acts of shat you just mentioned!
Kumagawa:[That is just the Hakoniwa style! Oh, how many students ended up in hospital with broken bones, stab wounds or after being blown up by the Disciplinary Comitee...Fourtunately, we had a real big budget.]
Akira:...What the hell?
Koutaro:I agree. Our Academy does have some rough patches in our training, but nothing of this level. What could they prepare them for...
Najimi:Hm? Nothing in particular. Hakoniwa has an curciculum as any other school. Of course, if you're interesed in such things you can join a club like Kendo, Judo or Boxing.
Touka:Then how the hell did someone like that happen!?
Najimi:Well, students have something in common there. Whenever normal, special or abnormal, they're tough and have quite the attitude. If you can't handle some rough housing, then you're at the wrong place. Hakoniwa is a place that looks down on the unmotivated.
Najimi wasn't feeling any guilt for that accident because she had no real hand on it. Her not-equals acted on their oen and paid for it.
Donato:Fuhahaha! You've got quite an interesting child to supervise, Koutaro! So...What have you come here for?
Koutaro:I have some questions I want answers to...From you.
Donato:Answering them is no problem, but...A conversation should be held between two people only.
Akira:Of course, I think that is a well known thing...But when investigating a ghoul there should be two or three invstigators present...
Kumagawa:[Should we leave you to have your private reunion?]
Koutaro:...Sorry.
Akira:Understood.
Both Kumagawa and Akira left to wait outside the room, Kumagawa closing the door after they left the room. Donato watched them leave before adressing Koutaro.
Donato:Smart woman. And quite the clever young man. Did you want advice about how to teach your subordinates for the first time? Did you taste them yet?
Koutaro:...Stop messing around.
Outside the room Akira was in deep thoughts about the situation at hand. Kumagawa was the more social of the two, even though he care little for people in general, so he decided to start a conversation.
Kumagawa:[It's quite the tall building. Falling from this level could even kill a ghoul. Although that'd depend in how strong and well feed they are.]
Akira looked over the railing. It was true, at the level they were cureectly in you couldn't even see the bottom.
Akira:Hm, I think this is a precaution. They're likely containing the more dangerous ghouls at the higher levels abd when weakened by RC cells gas they could potentially throw them over the railing. Quite an thorough system.
Kumagawa:[But we were witnesses to something interesting, weren't we?]
Akira:The relationship between Special Class Amon and the Priest...
Kumagawa:[He used to hide behind the disguise of an head of an orphanage where he'd devour the kids, right? Koutaro-chan must have been a kid there and he ended up discovering his secrets.]
Akira:That is a good theory, but...How is he still alive then? Wouldn't the Priest just kill him as well.
Kumagawa:[We have to remember that while ghouls are different from humans, they aren't cold unfeeling machines. They are as likely to act on impulses and feelings as we are. Sparing Koutaro-chan must have been his own twisted form of affections.]
Akira:Do you really think so?
Kumagawa:[Some people are like that. I guess it wouldn't be something like that for you, you and Mado-chan seem to have a good relationship. My parents weren't twisted in that form, but they were neglecting. Even if your parents have twisted affections or outright hate you, at least they still care about you. Man, I wish I had parents like that.]
Touka:Is he...Is he for real?
Eto:Kirishima-san, right? Don't think too hard about it. From what I undrstood, you had griwn having a loving father, correct? Then you have no real way of emphatizing with such a situation.
While talking Eto continued writting in her notebook. This boy had such wasted potential as a main character that'd work perfectly in one of her books.
She was right, Touka didn't understand at all. However, seeing a human acknowgleding ghouls as people, even if it comes from a crazy bastard like him, felt a bit nice.
Akira:...As I get to know you more, I'm becoming more concerned.
Their discussion was cut short by the sound of a door slamming. They looked back to see Koutaro who just left the room.
Akira:You finished?
Koutaro:Yeah.
Akira:Did you find anything?
Koutaro:He didn't have much to say.
Akira:Oh?
Koutaro:White Rabbit and Alice.
Akira:Are you talking about that fairytale that ghouls spread around?
Koutaro:No.
Kumagawa:[I think we should investigate such clues.]
Koutaro:Why?
Kumagawa:[He's a sketchy guy. He's probably giving us a puzzle to solve.]
Akira:Are you sure?
Kumagawa:[Of course. Because I'm a sketchy guy as well.]
Ayato:I guess it'd take one to know one...
Yamori:No kidding, those two creep even me out.
However, Kaneki was still concentrated on the part of Kumagawa's view on family. He always suspected he didn't habe a happy home life either, but still...
Kaneki:Kumagawa-kun...
Najimi:Well, you could say that ended up in the way he developed.
Kaneki:Eh?
Najimi:Although Kumagawa-kun would deny it, he's a total attention hog. However, he cares little for what kind of attention taht is.