The brilliant sunlight gradually turned into a dusk tinged with traces of twilight.
Groups of female students walked through the streets together.
Their laughter and playful chatter slipped through the half-open windows into the café.
Sitting by the window and looking at this familiar street, Uesugi Ryu was somewhat lost in thought.
The overall atmosphere of the Akame ga Kill! world was still oppressive and dark. Staying there for too long always left him feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
Or perhaps it was the unique loneliness of someone in a high position. Although he got along fairly well with the Jaegers,
truly equal friendship was probably impossible to obtain.
Environment affected a person's mentality. Even Uesugi Ryu himself did not know whether he had changed or not.
But instinctively, he still often returned here... what exactly was this supposed to be..
Retracting his gaze from outside the window, a thought subconsciously flashed through Uesugi Ryu's mind.
"Finding back my humanity?"
Just after thinking of that, a self-mocking smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
His strength had not even reached the level of a god yet, and he was already indulging in random thoughts here. How boring.
Nagachika Hideyoshi rested his chin on both hands while looking at Uesugi Ryu and said somewhat emotionally,
"Speaking of which, Ryu, it feels like you've changed quite a bit recently! How should I put it......."
His words paused slightly. If he had to find a word to describe it,
Nagachika Hideyoshi could not think of how to say it for a moment. Abnormalities perceived through intuition were really hard to describe.
Uesugi Ryu had deliberately adjusted his own condition.
Aside from the person closest to him, Akira, no one had been able to notice it yet.
He glanced sideways at Nagachika Hideyoshi and chuckled lightly.
"Hide, you're really sharp after all!"
From the perspective of Nagachika Hideyoshi and Kaneki Ken, it had been less than two weeks since they last met Uesugi Ryu.
But for Uesugi Ryu himself, he had already spent several months in the world of Akame ga Kill!.
During that time, he had done many things. Both his mentality and the aura unconsciously emitted from him had changed.
Rubbing his chin twice with his index finger, Kaneki Ken looked at the two in confusion.
"Um, um, what exactly are you talking about?"
Nagachika Hideyoshi leaned back and placed both hands behind his head.
He glanced at Kaneki before teasing him.
"An old man who's about to become a father wouldn't understand. No need to explain it to you~"
Kaneki Ken's curiosity had nowhere to go. He sighed and stopped asking further.
Looking at the clock hanging on the wall, it was already getting late.
Uesugi Ryu also lost the mood to continue staying there and turned to Kaneki.
"Kaneki, when you get back, tell Arima that Kanou has a way to solve his body's problems."
Upon hearing that, delight instantly appeared on Kaneki Ken's face.
He and Arima unexpectedly got along very well. The two often read books and chatted together.
Aside from spending time with Touka, Kaneki Ken spent most of his time together with Arima Kishou.
Naturally, he knew about the issue with Arima's lifespan.
Now that there was hope, he was naturally overjoyed.
"I understand, Ryu! This is really... great!"
Uesugi Ryu stood up and took the coat hanging on the rack.
"If he refuses......."
His words paused slightly before he finally spat out two words.
"Forget it."
Originally, he had intended to say that if Arima disagreed, then let him come find him.
But saying that would probably sound somewhat threatening from Arima Kishou's perspective.
After thinking about it, Uesugi Ryu still swallowed those words back down.
He had no profit motive whatsoever. He simply did not want to watch Arima die from old age.
Back then, Arima Kishou choosing to side with him had saved him a lot of trouble.
Even if they could not be called friends, he was still a major contributor. Uesugi Ryu did not want him to just die like that.
And it was not through the method of turning from a half-human into a complete ghoul to extend Arima Kishou's lifespan either.
Combining the technology of the ghoul side with the methods from the Akame ga Kill! world, it was completely possible to let Arima continue living as a human for several more decades.
Kanou Akihiro truly was a genius. The progress in combining the biotechnology of the two worlds was extremely promising.
Kaneki Ken froze slightly. There was no reason for Arima-san to refuse such a good thing.
But since Uesugi Ryu specifically brought it up, perhaps there was some hidden complication?
Thinking of that, the joy on his face faded, and traces of contemplation flashed through his eyes.
Putting on his coat, Uesugi Ryu bid farewell to the two.
"I haven't seen Juuzou in a long time. I already arranged to meet him tonight, so I'm leaving first."
Nagachika Hideyoshi nodded and waved at Uesugi Ryu.
"Bye bye!"
"Ryu, bye bye. I'll do my best to persuade Arima-san."
Jingle~
The wooden door was pulled open, then gently closed again.
............
Original Author's Note:
Next comes the main story.
It's been so long that everyone has probably almost forgotten, so let me briefly summarize it here.
The story is already nearing its end. The rebel army attacked the Imperial Capital, but after being slaughtered by Uesugi Ryu once, they completely settled down.
Now both the rebel army and the Imperial Guard have chosen to submit.
Next, Uesugi Ryu will integrate the various forces, reshape the Imperial system, and then wait for Esdeath to return before completely defeating her.
......
One more thing. The earlier plot where Chouri's daughter Spear was killed actually had some minor issues. At the time, I hadn't fully thought through the cause and effect.
Mainly because I'm pretty rebellious. Since everyone else chose to either add Spear to the harem or treat her kindly, I specifically wanted to be the unusual one instead.