Max wandered through the streets of Tokyo with his hands in his pockets, completely relaxed despite being in one of the most dangerous cities for humans and Ghouls alike.
Rain still drizzled lightly from the sky, neon reflections stretching across puddles beneath his feet.
Honestly?
He had no real plan.
No mission.
No looming war.
Just a temporary stop in another universe.
"…Kinda nice," he admitted quietly.
Then—
A scream echoed through the alleyways nearby.
Max's ears twitched immediately.
The sound came from a more isolated section of the district.
Without hesitation, he followed it.
A few moments later, he arrived at a narrow alley—
And instantly recognized the scene.
A terrified young Ghoul girl backed into a wall.
And standing before her—
A crazed Ghoul Investigator.
Max narrowed his eyes immediately.
"…Oh no."
He stepped forward casually.
"You absolutely do not get to do that to a little girl."
The Investigator reacted instantly.
Without even turning around fully, he swung his Quinque directly at Max.
Max didn't move.
A Kagune burst from his back and blocked the attack effortlessly.
The Investigator froze.
Max's eyes narrowed slightly as recognition clicked.
"…Right."
He knew these two.
Especially the girl.
Hinami Fueguchi.
Which also meant—
Those Quinques…
Were made from her parents.
Max's expression darkened.
"Yeah…"
"No."
Before the Investigator could react again—
Max's Kagune reshaped instantly into a spiraling drill.
Then shot forward.
The Investigator's head vanished instantly.
The body collapsed a second later.
Silence returned to the alley.
Max sighed.
"…Always hated that freak."
He carefully picked up the Quinques instead of destroying them.
Then slowly approached Hinami.
She was crying quietly, shaking badly.
Max crouched slightly to seem less intimidating.
"Hey."
"It's alright now."
"He can't hurt you anymore."
Hinami looked at him nervously.
Then at the suitcases containing her parents' remains.
"…What are you going to do with my parents?"
Max looked down at the Quinques silently for a moment.
Then spoke internally.
"Raphael."
"What are my chances of reviving them?"
There was a brief pause.
Raphael:
"Estimated success rate: 62%."
Max frowned slightly.
"Only?"
Raphael:
"Target bodies are completely destroyed. Additionally, this universe possesses minimal magical infrastructure. Probability remains unstable."
Max sighed.
"…Good enough."
He stood back up.
"Well…"
He looked at Hinami gently.
"Guess I should do one good deed before I leave."
A little while later—
They arrived at Anteiku.
The atmosphere inside the café was warm and calm compared to the outside world.
Yoshimura immediately noticed Hinami's condition and ushered her inside.
Touka quickly moved to comfort the crying girl.
Meanwhile, Yoshimura looked toward Max curiously.
"Will you be staying as well?"
He smiled softly.
"We are rather welcoming to strays here."
Max chuckled quietly.
"No, I'm just passing through."
He glanced toward the back rooms.
"But… may I borrow a private space for a moment?"
Yoshimura studied him carefully.
Then nodded.
"Of course."
In a quiet room behind the café—
Max carefully placed the Quinques down.
He exhaled slowly.
"Please work…"
First—
He used healing and restoration magic to reconstruct their physical bodies.
Flesh.
Bones.
Organs.
Everything.
Slowly reforming from almost nothing.
Then came the difficult part.
Revival.
Max layered spell after spell carefully.
Necromancy.
Holy restoration.
Soul retrieval.
Life reconstruction.
The room trembled softly under the pressure of incompatible systems being forced together.
Minutes passed.
Then finally—
Breathing.
Weak.
But present.
Max nearly collapsed in relief.
"…Thank god."
The two unconscious Ghouls lay peacefully before him, alive once more.
Just exhausted.
Max carefully used his Kagune to carry them into a nearby room so they could recover safely.
Then he returned downstairs.
Hinami sat beside Touka now, calmer but still visibly shaken.
Max crouched beside her.
"Hey."
Hinami looked up.
"I left you a gift in the room down the hall."
He smiled softly.
"I think you'll really like it."
Hinami blinked in confusion.
Then Max stood back up.
Yoshimura handed him a cup of coffee quietly.
"For helping her."
Max accepted it gratefully.
"…Thanks."
He took a sip.
Honestly?
Really good coffee.
Then—
Upstairs—
A scream echoed.
Followed immediately by crying.
Happy crying.
Hinami froze.
Touka looked confused.
Max simply smiled quietly into his coffee.
"Take care of them," he said softly.
Then he set down a very large tip beside the register.
"And stay safe."
Yoshimura turned around quickly.
"Wait—what do you mean by—"
But Max was already gone.
Vanished completely.
Leaving behind only the untouched warmth of the coffee cup and the sound of a family reuniting upstairs.