"He… he can't eat anything…"
The voice of Hideyoshi Nagachika trembled with helpless worry.
"The nurse brought him food."
"He tried to eat… but after one bite he threw everything up."
Hide looked down at his friend lying on the hospital bed.
"The doctor says it's shock and post-traumatic stress…"
"But if he keeps vomiting like this…"
"How is he supposed to recover?"
Ren glanced at the untouched hospital meal.
Rice.
Fish.
Miso soup.
All of it perfectly normal for a human patient.
Then his gaze shifted back to Ken Kaneki.
Kaneki's face was even paler than before.
Only he understood the real reason.
This wasn't psychological shock.
Kaneki's body was rejecting human food.
His digestive system and taste receptors had been fundamentally altered during the transplant surgery.
He had become something new.
A half-ghoul.
More precisely—
A one-eyed ghoul created through artificial organ transplantation.
Unlike Eto Yoshimura, who was born naturally as a half-ghoul, artificially created hybrids could not eat human food.
Like ordinary ghouls—
Human food would taste disgusting.
Even swallowing it could make them violently ill.
At that moment—
Kaneki's body suddenly convulsed.
Another wave of nausea struck him.
He curled forward on the bed.
His hand clutched his mouth.
His shoulders trembled violently.
Cold sweat immediately formed on his forehead.
Dry retching sounds echoed through the room.
Even though nothing came out—
The sound alone was painful to hear.
Ren watched silently.
His hand unconsciously tightened around the oil-paper package in his coat pocket.
Human flesh.
The only food Kaneki could now consume.
But he did not take it out.
Not yet.
Kaneki wasn't ready.
Forcing the truth on him now would only deepen the wound.
Inside his mind—
Carnage whispered impatiently.
[Give it to him…]
[He needs it…]
"He isn't ready."
Ren replied internally.
[He will face it eventually.]
"But not today."
Carnage scoffed.
[Humans always do this.]
[Pointless hesitation.]
[Boring.]
…
Kaneki's painful retching had barely subsided—
When the door to the hospital room suddenly opened.
A man in a white lab coat entered.
His expression calm.
Professional.
It was Akihiro Kanou.
Former CCG medical examiner.
The surgeon responsible for Kaneki's organ transplant.
And the man who had transformed him into a one-eyed ghoul.
Kanou believed the world itself was trapped inside a distorted "birdcage."
Only the creation of artificial one-eyed ghouls could break it.
Only they could become—
"a ray of sunlight piercing through the darkness."
…
Despite the countless unethical experiments he had conducted—
Without Kanou's surgery—
Kaneki would have died that night.
From that perspective—
The doctor had saved his life.
Becoming a half-ghoul was cruel.
But death would have been worse.
Even so—
Saving a life did not make Kanou a good man.
…
Hide rushed forward immediately.
"Doctor!"
"Please help him!"
"My friend can't eat anything!"
"If this continues—"
Kanou gently raised his hand.
"Shh."
"The patient needs quiet."
His calm voice carried authority.
Kanou approached the bed and examined Kaneki carefully.
His gaze briefly passed over Ren.
Then returned to Hide.
"Your friend was attacked by a ghoul."
"The psychological shock is severe."
"Loss of appetite and vomiting are common post-traumatic reactions."
"There's no need to panic."
His reassuring smile looked perfectly sincere.
He checked Kaneki's pupils.
Then glanced at the heart monitor.
"We will monitor his electrolyte levels and nutritional condition."
"If necessary, intravenous nutritional therapy will be administered."
"Rest assured."
"Our medical team will take good care of him."
The explanation was flawless.
Hide's expression relaxed slightly.
Yet—
Kanou's eyes briefly lingered on the bandaged area around Kaneki's abdomen.
The place where Rize's organs now existed.
For just a moment—
His gaze looked almost admiring.
As though he were observing his greatest experiment.
At that exact moment—
Kaneki suddenly convulsed again.
This time the reaction was even worse.
His back arched sharply.
A hoarse wheezing sound escaped his throat.
The veins on his forehead bulged.
Sweat soaked through the hospital gown.
Ren stood motionless.
Watching silently.
Kaneki suffering on the bed.
Hide panicking beside him.
And Kanou calmly reassuring everyone—
While observing the results of his own creation.
Inside his mind—
Carnage muttered with disgust.
[Hypocrite.]
Ren agreed quietly.
"…Yes."
…
"You see?"
Kanou turned toward Hide again.
"The patient's stress response is quite severe."
"He needs quiet."
"And professional psychological support."
His tone remained gentle.
"Family members often worry too much."
"But excessive anxiety can affect recovery."
He gestured politely toward the door.
"Visiting time should not be too long."
"Please allow the patient to rest."
Hide hesitated.
His eyes filled with worry.
But the doctor's authority left little room for argument.
He looked helplessly toward Ren.
Their eyes met.
Kanou's gentle gaze.
Ren's calm but guarded one.
For a moment—
An invisible tension filled the room.
Finally—
Ren spoke.
"The doctor is right."
"Hide."
"Let's give Kaneki some rest."
He placed a hand on Hide's shoulder.
Hide hesitated.
Then reluctantly nodded.
As they walked out—
He kept glancing back toward the hospital bed.
Just as Ren reached the door—
Kanou's voice called out.
"Excuse me."
His tone sounded curious.
"You seem very concerned about the patient."
"Are you his older brother?"
Ren did not stop walking.
He did not turn around.
His voice answered calmly.
"…Just a friend."
The door closed behind him.
Outside in the hallway—
Hide leaned against the wall.
His hands covered his face.
His shoulders trembled.
Ren stood silently beside him.
His gaze fixed on the closed hospital room door.
Inside his mind—
Carnage suddenly spoke.
[You're worried.]
He did not reply.
Only gave a faint nod.
Carnage chuckled softly.
[…How strange.]
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