Kaneki Ken looked at the busy figure in front of him and decided not to decline further. Slowly, he opened the gift box.
As the wrapping was peeled away, the first things to meet his eyes were two transparent glass vials filled with an unknown liquid, emitting a strangely alluring aura.
Beside the vials lay a piece of a black beak, stained with specks of fresh blood.
Suddenly, clack!
The lid of the gift box fell to the cold floor with a crisp sound.
Kaneki's expression instantly turned grave, a mix of confusion and alarm spreading across his face. He stared wide-eyed at the bizarre contents before him.
Especially that bloodied fragment of what appeared to be part of a mask, it didn't resemble any normal gift in the slightest.
An inexplicable tension crept up in Kaneki's chest. Instinctively, he looked toward Yoshimura Kuzen, who stood behind the bar. His voice trembled slightly:
"M-Manager…"
Hearing Kaneki call out, Yoshimura put down what he was doing and strode over.
When his gaze fell on the beak inside the box, his pupils contracted sharply. He, too, was clearly shocked.
At the same time, Nishio Nishiki, who had been wiping down tables nearby also noticed that something was off. He paused his cleaning, walked over, and asked quietly:
"What's that?"
For a moment, the air inside Anteiku became heavy and suffocating, the atmosphere was like a vacuum, silent and oppressive.
After a long pause, Yoshimura Kuzen spoke with a somber tone:
"That's Yomo's mask. As for the other bottle... it should be an RC cell concentrate."
Though his words were brief, the information they carried hit Kaneki and Nishiki like a thunderclap.
Anteiku fell into deathly stillness, even the sound of breathing seemed to fade away.
Yoshimura let out a slight sigh and reached into the box to retrieve the broken beak fragment.
Pressed between the lining of the box and the edge was a small note. Kaneki unfolded it.
"Return to the owner…"
He softly read out the simple four characters on the note.
Yoshimura glanced toward the window. The twilight light spilled in from the balcony, casting warm shadows on his face. He placed a hand gently on Kaneki's shoulder and suddenly smiled.
"It seems like Ryu-kun means no harm, Kaneki-kun."
Nishio Nishiki adjusted his glasses. The sharp golden sunlight reflected off his lenses.
"Tch. Was our disguise really that sloppy?"
Yoshimura clasped one hand behind his back. His calm expression showed that he wasn't particularly surprised that Uesugi Ryu had figured them out.
The existence of Anteiku itself couldn't withstand deep scrutiny.
The simultaneous disappearance of both the Devil Monkey and the Black Dog, the unnatural calm of the 20th Ward, anyone sharp enough could deduce that a ghoul organization was operating here.
As long as the Washuu clan chose not to press the matter, the opinions of lower-ranking investigators were irrelevant.
The lax management of the 20th Ward was partly due to this as well.
Kaneki gazed at the wooden floor in silence. Then, slowly, a small smile of relief tugged at his lips.
...
"First-Class Uesugi, when exactly do you plan to take me on a field investigation?"
Mado Akira lifted her chin slightly, her hands elegantly folded before her, posture impeccable.
The front of her uniform was crisp and taut, emphasizing her straight-backed stance. Her beautiful eyes locked onto Uesugi Ryu, her tone calm, but a trace of urgency and expectation hid beneath the surface.
Uesugi Ryu, who had been immersed in the world of video games, snapped back to reality at her voice. In a flash, he toggled his computer screen back to the work interface and put on an expression of innocent confusion.
"Hm? What's the matter, Akira-san? Do you mean you think the tasks we're doing now aren't important?"
Seeing his shameless feigned ignorance, Mado Akira felt a wave of helpless frustration.
She had been handling the bulk of the paperwork on her own for quite some time now. Aside from the last battle where he showcased his monstrous strength, Uesugi Ryu was a hands-off, lazy superior.
That said, after fighting alongside him against the Crow, and witnessing recent events, she understood that he was a pure combat specialist, completely unsuited to administrative tasks.
It was part of the reason she was willing to shoulder most of the responsibility.
But even so, wasn't this man being a little too much? She didn't come here to be his secretary!
"These are important, yes. But they're preparation for exterminating ghouls. I think I've matured enough in that area already."
Mado Akira bit her lower lip slightly, her voice firm.
"Mature... definitely mature."
Uesugi Ryu muttered with a teasing tone, stretching his arms in an exaggerated yawn.
In truth, even if Akira hadn't asked, he had already been planning to bring her along to handle ghoul subjugation work. He just didn't expect her to be more impatient than he was.
The 20th Ward was almost entirely cleared of ghouls. If he wanted to collect Energy Points to gain another lottery pull, he'd need to take on missions in other wards.
But things had been busy lately, and he intended to wrap up his current tasks before venturing out. No rush.
"There are no ghouls left to fish in the 20th. As long as you can come up with a justifiable reason to investigate another ward, we can leave immediately."
He crossed his arms and fixed his gaze on her, anticipation glinting in his eyes.
Mado Akira's heart stirred. She responded decisively.
"The Gourmet is elusive. He frequently travels to other wards to hunt and though he's been inactive recently, we could use that as a pretext to head to the 7th Ward, where his activities are historically concentrated."
"Excellent. I'll leave coordination to you. We move this afternoon."
Uesugi Ryu nodded in satisfaction.
Though she was a bit of a rebellious subordinate, he had to admit Mado Akira had a natural secretary's talent. She handled bureaucratic chores with ease.
With someone like her, he didn't need to trouble himself with the small stuff. He was practically living the dream: "If something happens, the secretary handles it. If nothing happens..."
Mado Akira turned to leave and begin liaising with the 7th Ward's personnel.
But just as she took a few steps, a sudden realization hit her like a brick.
Wait... isn't this the supervisor's job?! How did it turn into mine again?!
She froze, a trace of irritation surfacing on her face.
Still, it was too late to back out. She had already agreed, so she could only steel herself and finish what she started.
Uesugi Ryu noticed her hesitating and glanced at her back with a bemused look. One eyebrow arched, and a mischievous grin tugged at his lips.