"Takatsuki Sen, I finally get to meet you!"
"Could you sign two books for me?"
When it was her turn, Yoriko blurted out excitedly.
"Of course," Takatsuki Sen replied with a smile as she picked up two copies from the side.
"What names would you like me to sign?"
"One should be signed Kosaka Yoriko," Yoriko said quickly.
"And the other one… just sign Fushimi Kyo."
"Kosaka Yoriko?"
"That's a very lovely name."
Takatsuki Sen praised her casually, then asked as she wrote,
"Fushimi Kyo… is that the boy who ran out just now?"
"Yes!" Yoriko nodded vigorously.
"Takatsuki Sen, he's always really liked you, especially The Black Goat's Egg. He practically carries it everywhere."
There was a fair amount of exaggeration in her words, but in order to gain favor with her idol, Yoriko had no choice but to speak against her conscience.
Behind them, Touka curled her lips slightly.
"As if. That guy isn't that into her."
"You know him pretty well," Takatsuki Sen said casually as she wrote Kyo's name, lifting her head with a curious, gossiping look.
"Are you two a couple? He looked kind of shy."
"Eh?! N-no, no, no !"
Yoriko's face instantly turned bright red as she waved her hands frantically.
"We're just classmates!"
"High school classmates?" Takatsuki Sen smiled.
"From nearby Seimi High, perhaps? With studies being so demanding, it's really an honor that you'd still come to my signing event."
"Yes! We're third-year students at Seimi High…"
In just a few short exchanges, Takatsuki Sen had already coaxed a surprising amount of information out of Yoriko.
Touka, however, wasn't a brainless fangirl like Yoriko.
Hearing Takatsuki Sen repeatedly probing about Kyo, her confusion deepened.
Do they know each other?
Otherwise, Kyo wouldn't have reacted so strangely… and there's no reason Takatsuki Sen would pay this much attention to a random student.
When it was Touka's turn, Takatsuki Sen looked up in surprise.
"Wow what a beautiful girl!"
"You came together with them too? What's your name?"
As a half-ghoul, Takatsuki Sen's true identity couldn't even be detected by the CCG's RC scanners.
In the original timeline, she'd once walked straight into CCG headquarters to interview Shinohara Yukinori, subtly exposing Anteiku in the process.
At this moment, Touka being a ghoul herself naturally failed to see through Takatsuki Sen's identity.
But Takatsuki Sen was different.
At a single glance, she saw through Touka completely.
Not only did she recognize her as a ghoul
she also realized she was the girl working at Anteiku.
"Kirishima Touka," Touka replied casually to the praise, without the slightest hint of flattery or excitement.
Takatsuki Sen lowered her head and wrote the name neatly on the book, her handwriting delicate and refined.
The instant she looked down, a chill flashed through her eyes.
Anteiku…
More than once, she had lingered outside that café
watching the man inside, who had abandoned his wife and child, now living peacefully and comfortably.
Several times, she had nearly lost control.
When she had been at her loneliest, most painful point, that man had been leisurely running a café there.
When she became the leader of Aogiri Tree, leading her kind in an attempt to change their fate
he still hid away in that corner, running that damned coffee shop.
One day…
she would take revenge.
She would destroy everything he cherished.
"Thank you for your support, Touka-chan!"
Takatsuki Sen lifted her head again, her face instantly returning to that pure, adorable smile, as she handed the signed book back.
That seamless shift in expression was truly astonishing.
...
"Hey, Kyo," Touka asked on the way back to school.
"Have you met Takatsuki Sen before?"
Yoriko snapped her head around as well.
"Kyo-kun, do you really know Takatsuki Sen?!"
"No," Kyo denied flatly.
"We've never met."
They had met
but only in anime.
In this world, today had been their first real encounter.
"If you've never met her, then why was she so focused on you?" Touka pressed.
"She even kept fishing information about you from Yoriko."
Touka stared at him intensely.
The more she interacted with this man, the more she felt as though he were wrapped in layers of fog mysterious and unreadable.
"She was fishing for info?" Yoriko blinked in confusion.
"When did that happen?"
Kyo's heart stirred.
So she really is sharp…
Just one glance in the crowd and she locked onto me?
"Well…"
Kyo rubbed his chin and pondered seriously for a moment.
"Maybe it's because I'm too handsome?"
"Love at first sight?"
"Tch."
Touka rolled her eyes hard at him.
Not a single honest word comes out of this guy's mouth.
"Kyo-kun, I'm realizing for the first time that your skin is really thick," Yoriko said, covering her face in embarrassment.
...
Night fell.
As usual, Kyo wandered casually through various districts.
Seeing if he could find some unlucky ghoul to deal with
and maybe grab a late-night snack while he was at it.
When he reached a particularly secluded little park, an incredibly rich scent drifted toward him from the distance.
His soul trembled.
That bone-deep hunger surged up once more.
"Well now…"
"Did something delicious come looking for me?"
"This scent… it's special."
"And strangely familiar."
"Heh then it must be her."
Second by second, the fragrance grew stronger.
Kyo knew the owner of that scent was rapidly approaching.
Finally
A figure leapt down lightly from above, landing not far in front of him.
Emerald-green eyes regarded him with curiosity.
"Walking alone in a park this late at night?"
"You've got quite the nerve."
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If you're interested, you can read advanced chapters:
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