The 20th Ward. Anteiku Café was still standing on the same familiar street.
Back then, the flames of war had never reached this place. Originally, the CCG had planned to investigate and demolish it along the way.
However, Uesugi Ryu had privately stepped in and preserved the place.
As the greatest hero of the Anteiku Suppression Operation, he had that qualification.
There was no special plan or idea behind it. Uesugi Ryu simply felt this was a familiar place.
And it was also the starting point of the entire story. Keeping it as a memorial was nice too.
.........
The warm afternoon sunlight filtered through the windows into the café. Wisps of steam rose from the hot water and blended into the golden light.
Two familiar figures sat before the counter, quietly watching the white-haired young man busying himself behind it.
Clink. The saucer collided with the table and produced a crisp sound.
Inside the exquisite porcelain cups, steaming coffee continued to rise.
The dark brown coffee and delicate white latte art mixed together. As always, it was cappuccino and latte.
After finishing his work, Kaneki Ken let out a long breath and pointed a finger toward the table.
"Here, please!"
Looking at the delicate latte art inside the cup, Nagachika Hideyoshi raised an eyebrow and teased him.
"Wow, Kaneki, your skills are getting better and better."
"Did Yomo-san give you some guidance?"
Resting both hands on the counter, Kaneki Ken formed a slight smile on his face.
"Hide, nothing escapes your deductions. Yomo-san really did teach me."
"Besides studying with Arima-san, I've been pretty free otherwise."
Lightly pounding the counter with one hand, Nagachika Hideyoshi slumped over the table with a dejected expression.
"Ah, I'm so jealous. You bastard, Kaneki, living such a wonderful family life while I'm still a miserable corporate slave!!!"
Uesugi Ryu took a sip of his latte and said expressionlessly,
"If you don't want to work, I'll talk to Shinohara-san tomorrow and have your position removed."
Ever since the Washuu Clan was exterminated and Yoshimura Eto was publicly executed, Japan had basically returned to peace.
Aside from the 24th Ward still containing large numbers of ghouls, they were basically nowhere to be seen in the other wards.
Older investigators like Shinohara Yukinori were no longer young either, and had mostly retired to second-line duties.
Or they had simply gone home to peacefully enjoy their old age.
The CCG headquarters had been moved to the 24th Ward.
The elite investigators from headquarters, Rank 1 and above, had all been stationed there as guards.
Even though it was now peacetime, there were always some restless idiots who liked going down there to kill ghouls for fun.
A certain white-haired tattooed idiot was the perfect example. So the place had simply been cordoned off and turned into a playground.
The CCG branches in the remaining wards were now basically equivalent to public security bureaus. They were very idle.
Nagachika Hideyoshi was currently a teacher at the Investigator, or rather Public Security Officer Academy, responsible for teaching investigation and deduction classes.
Hearing Uesugi Ryu say that, Nagachika Hideyoshi immediately pressed his palms together and laughed awkwardly as he tried to save himself from his earlier words.
"Just kidding, just kidding. If I had absolutely nothing to do all the time, I'd go crazy from boredom too."
Uesugi Ryu took another sip of coffee and revealed a faint smile without commenting further.
Kaneki Ken rested both arms on the counter and smiled while looking at the two of them.
"With Hide's personality, you're probably really popular with the students, right?"
Dropping a sugar cube into his cup, Nagachika Hideyoshi gently stirred the cappuccino with a spoon.
"Of course. Ah... though after getting familiar with me, a few of those brats started acting way too casual!"
There was a trace of helplessness in his tone.
"Well, the age difference isn't that big. I'm only two or three years older than them."
After all the conflict had ended, it had actually been less than a year since Uesugi Ryu arrived in this world.
Afterward came a peaceful and ordinary daily life. Even so, the three of them were currently only twenty-one years old.
Suddenly remembering something, Nagachika Hideyoshi revealed a teasing smile.
"Oh right, right, Kaneki, you've been pretty diligent lately, huh~"
Hearing Hide say that, Kaneki Ken froze slightly and let out a confused sound.
"Huh?"
Nagachika Hideyoshi leaned forward and raised one hand beside his mouth as he "whispered."
"I heard Touka-chan is already pregnant. How long were you planning to hide it from us?"
Kaneki Ken's face immediately reddened and he took a shocked step backward.
"Hide, h-how do you know that!"
Seeing Kaneki's reaction, Nagachika Hideyoshi burst into laughter while slapping the table.
"Idiot, Nishio-senpai told me."
"Kimi-san accompanied Touka-chan during the checkup, so of course he knew!"
Kaneki Ken's shoulders relaxed slightly as he sighed softly.
"Nishio-senpai, huh... seriously!"
Hearing the news, the corners of Uesugi Ryu's lips lifted slightly, and traces of teasing flashed through his molten gold eyes.
"Really? Kaneki, pretty impressive~"
This progress was several years faster than in the original story, but thinking about it, it made sense.
After all, Kaneki Ken and Touka had nothing to do all day, so naturally the only thing left to do was.......
Kaneki Ken raised both hands and revealed a bitter smile.
"Spare me... Hide, Ryu."
After teasing Kaneki a few more times, Uesugi Ryu and Nagachika Hideyoshi stopped.
If they kept going, little brother Kaneki was going to overheat from embarrassment.
A thoughtful look flashed through Uesugi Ryu's eyes as he asked,
"How many months?"
He wondered whether, under his interference, this child would still be Kaneki Ichika from the original story.
Kaneki Ken replied,
"One and a half months."
A complicated expression flashed across his face as he softly said,
"It's not that I wanted to hide it from everyone.... I just don't know how to accept this reality myself."
He was still basically a half-grown kid himself. Kaneki Ken had no confidence in properly filling the role of a father, and felt inexplicably uneasy.
Kaneki Ken's emotions shifted slightly, but neither of the two people present had any experience being fathers themselves, so they could not offer him any advice.
During the lost periods of Kaneki Ken's life, three people had given him important guidance.
The two friends before him, and...... the manager.
Kaneki Ken turned slightly sideways, glancing toward the side with the corner of his eye.
An exquisitely patterned antique cup had been carefully placed inside the display cabinet.
The person was gone. A trace of hidden sadness flashed through Kaneki Ken's eyes.
The atmosphere became quiet for a moment.
Nagachika Hideyoshi skillfully moved past the topic and looked toward Uesugi Ryu beside him.
"Speaking of which, Ryu and Akira have been together longer than Kaneki and Touka-chan, right? Still no news?"
Resting his chin on his right hand, Uesugi Ryu gently stirred the coffee in his cup with a spoon.
He glanced at Nagachika Hideyoshi and said somewhat indifferently,
"What are you talking about... I don't really have that intention."
Nagachika Hideyoshi looked somewhat surprised.
"Huh? Ryu, you don't plan on having a child?"
Lifting the spoon, Uesugi Ryu lightly tapped it with his finger, causing the remaining coffee droplets to instantly fall.
Pointing the spoon at Nagachika Hideyoshi, a teasing curve formed on his face.
"Stop trying to shift the topic onto me."
"If we're really talking about it, then the only single person here, Mr. Nagachika Hideyoshi..."
"Don't you have any plans to find a girlfriend?"
The smile on Nagachika Hideyoshi's face instantly stiffened.
He subtly glanced at Kaneki Ken before him, then lowered his head to look at the coffee in his cup.
"Hahahaha, well... let's talk about that later. I need to meet the right person first..."
Looking at Hide lowering his head, Kaneki Ken thoughtfully said,
"With how amazing Hide is, you've never lacked admirers, right?"
Leaning forward, Kaneki Ken rested himself on the counter and moved closer to Nagachika Hideyoshi, asking with sparkling eyes,
"Come to think of it, I've never known what type of girls Hide likes."
What goes around comes around. Now it was Nagachika Hideyoshi's turn to suffer.
He lay on the table with his hands clasped together and raised up, looking shy and embarrassed, unwilling to answer.
Witnessing Nagachika Hideyoshi's awkward and embarrassed appearance,
Uesugi Ryu and Kaneki Ken exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha."
The café instantly filled with cheerful energy.