The next morning, Gawain sat up from the tatami mat.
This time, she had neither the help of Snake Princess and Gion, nor the service of her maids.
Oh.
Some things we take for granted when we have them, and may even seem cumbersome.
But without it, I really feel a bit lost~.
Taking a breath, Gawain put on his clothes and pushed open the sliding door. Touka was nervously sweeping the floor in the corridor.
Upon seeing Gawain, Touka was visibly taken aback.
"You got up so early???"
As she spoke, Touka flipped her wrist to look at her watch. It was indeed 5:52, but at this hour, even a woman like Irimi, who claimed to want to become Yamato Nadeshiko, was still sound asleep!
Not to mention those stinky men from the Koma and the Yomo.
Those middle- Koma sleeps at the shop, he's still late every day.
So, why does this handsome man, who looks only in his early twenties, still wake up as early as I do, despite possessing such immense power?
As she spoke, Touka put the vacuum cleaner aside and then lowered her head in concern.
"Was the vacuum cleaner too loud and woke you up?"
It's clearly a very quiet vacuum cleaner; the noise level is less than 20 decibels.
But it's all my fault, private horse..."
"Cough cough."
Gawain coughed twice, interrupting the little girl's apology, then leaned over and ruffled Touka's hair.
With a shy shudder from Touka, Gawain smiled and said to Touka.
"I'm just used to waking up early, it has nothing to do with you."
"But do you get up this early every day? Are you an adult? Kuzen won't keep using child labor and bullying you, will he?"
"No, no, no, of course not. I'm about to graduate from middle school, and my grades are excellent. The shopkeeper is very kind to me; he's not that kind of person!"
As for why I need to get up early, it's because my coursework has been very heavy lately. My teacher thinks I have the potential to get into the University of Tokyo, so he's been very strict with me.
Since I already need to get up early for my studies, I'll take this opportunity to tidy up the shop a bit after I get up.
Nobody really bullied me, everyone was very kind to me...
"It's so noisy!!!"
Before Touka could finish speaking, a frustrated voice came from the door next to her.
A moment later, accompanied by the sound of footsteps on the tatami mats, Rize Kamishiro angrily opened the door and yelled at the outside.
"Is it this noisy every morning in Anteiku? If you don't get a good night's sleep, you'll get wrinkles!"
And aren't we supposed to be nocturnal? Why are we doing this during the day...?
Grown ups?
Wow, the adult actually got up as early as everyone else! That's quite a coincidence!
Halfway through her sentence, Kamishiro's tone became strange. As she finished speaking, she casually pulled down another corner of her already revealing nightgown, exposing even more of her thin shoulders and half of her breasts to the sunlight.
After tidying her sideburns, Rize gave Touka Gawain.
"The vacuum cleaner is right here, let's help them clean up."
As for you, little brat, you don't look like you're fully developed yet. You should take advantage of the time to sleep more, eat more milk and papaya, and practice yoga more often!
Otherwise, you might end up as a flat-chested, shapeless tablet, little Touka ~."
As she spoke, Rize awkwardly turned on the vacuum cleaner. As she pushed it along, her loose nightgown revealed even more of her body, and her arms, slightly clenched in front of her chest, made her breasts appear even more abundant.
Sigh~ Sigh~.
After taking two steps, Rize naturally shook her chest at Touka.
"Well, if you don't go catch up on your sleep soon, you don't want your future child to be born hungry, do you, Touka?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Rize gave Touka a wicked look, a look that made Touka blush furiously.
"You... you're truly shameless, Binge Eater!!!"
After hurling a harsh curse, Touka fled as if she were being chased by a wild boar.
Watching Touka's retreating figure, Gawain smiled at Rize, then casually patted Rize's back.
Smack
As the sound of waves crashing against each other trembled, Rize continued to retort to Gawain.
Good morning, sir. Didn't you sleep well last night?
"You slept pretty well, but there was a bit too much of a powder smell. You don't actually need to wear so much makeup."
Gawain gave a brief evaluation, then naturally took two steps forward.
At the same time, the door to the room on Gawain's left was suddenly pushed open, and a figure, so shrouded in a coat that he was barely visible, darted out.
Clatter
Eto draped the coat over Gawain's shoulders.
Wearing only a hoodie and shorts, striking a pose that made her lower body appear to disappear, and exuding a lazy vibe, Eto casually hugged Gawain.
Then, without any hesitation, she climbed onto Gawain's back.
Skillfully gripping Gawain's waist, and then intertwining her legs around Gawain's lower abdomen, Eto pressed her cheek against Gawain 'Gawain face and whispered in his ear.
"Up so early, are you also writing books, sir?"
You didn't sleep all night like me, did you?
Artists rarely sleep well; their minds, filled with thoughts, struggle to escape a blissful emptiness.
So, want to go out sketching together? I know a really beautiful mountain spring~."
At this point, Eto put Gawain's earlobe in his mouth and gently chewed it.
Meanwhile, in a blind spot where Gawain couldn't see her, she looked malevolently at Rize Kamishiro body was already stiff.
Facing the gaze of the One-Eyed Owl, Kamishiro swallowed hard, then calmly pulled up his pajamas.
Meanwhile, Eto happily wiggled her toes and hummed to Gawain.
"Dad probably didn't sleep all night either. Those ordinary old men just can't relax like we girls."
They probably spent the whole night worrying that the CCG might suddenly call; they're adorably stupid.
Instead of worrying, you should learn from outstanding men like yourself.
A lack of composure without the backing of real strength might be called magnanimity.
But the composure that comes from having real strength is what makes us girls look up to you with admiration and longing.
Gawain, why don't you look into my eyes?
Do you see my pupils yearning for you?
"Ha ha."
Gawain was amused by Eto. This most famous writer in the world of Tokyo Ghoul did indeed possess a romance and poetic sensibility unlike most women.
Thinking about it this way, sigh, what terrible things has this world done?
Gawain raised his hand and grabbed Eto's foot, which was in front of his lower abdomen.
Gawain teased as he gently rubbed Eto's toes as he walked downstairs.
Why should I look into your pupils? Is it because I'm reflected in them?
Compared to how you see me, aren't there many more sights to see in you?
Hehe~.
Amidst Eto's laughter, Gawain carried Eto down the stairs and into the coffee shop.
The coffee shop wasn't open yet. After all, in a fast-paced place like Tokyo, people who need to get up as early as 5 a. m. generally don't have the opportunity to come to a coffee shop.
Those who are entitled to spend their time in a coffee shop enjoying afternoon tea, even if they get up at six o'clock, will do morning exercise.
Afternoon tea.
Why would they drink tea before the world has been warmed and slightly intoxicated by the sun?
Although the door wasn't open, Yoshimura Kuzen was still standing in the coffee shop. Looking across the bar at Gawain carrying his daughter down, Uncle Kuzen pursed his lips and then gave a faint smile.
I am an incompetent husband; I have never been able to provide my loved one with a good living environment.
His beloved followed him, enduring a lifetime of fear and anxiety, and died prematurely at the hands of their child.
But having already suffered a lifetime of pain, how could she possibly want her daughter to suffer as much as her beloved?
If she could truly marry someone like Gawain, wouldn't that be the happiest thing for her daughter?
Even someone as powerful as Gawain, if he doesn't take relationships seriously, can at least provide his daughter with a comfortable life.
As for whether his daughter is good enough for Gawain.
Theoretically speaking, they shouldn't be a good match, because Kuzen always felt that Gawain should be a top Europe nobleman, the very elite kind.
On the other hand, Gawain has something to do now, and he and his daughter are indeed the most qualified ghouls in Tokyo to work for Gawain!
Even if the Washuu Clan monopolized top power in Tokyo, their strength, along with that of their daughter, was not something they could easily manipulate.
Moreover, he had now become Gawain's butler.
So as long as you do your job as a housekeeper well, after a long period of interaction, your daughter will naturally become more and more qualified.
With that in mind, the butler politely brewed a cup of coffee.
As he carried the coffee toward Gawain handed it to him, Kuzen smiled.
"Sir, you're up very early. Do you have any plans for the upcoming activities?"
"Um."
After listening to Kuzen's words, Gawain pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"I'll wake up all the ghouls in Anteiku and inside Aogiri Tree later. I'll make time to meet with them."
Starting today, all ghouls in Aogiri Tree and Anteiku will remove their masks.
At the same time, ghouls need to strengthen their training and undergo standardized military training. If there are no suitable instructors, then they should kidnap some excellent officers from the army.
Furthermore, the ghouls sent out to investigate all the ghouls in the 20th Ward and 23rd Ward and record all the information.
I don't care what kind of lives those ghouls led in the past. In the future, let their lives all return to being just like those of ordinary humans!
I don't think every ghoul lives a worse life than a human.
I'm afraid most ghouls are those who possess considerable wealth and power.
For example, that Gourmet who's considered quite famous!
"The Gourmet, are you referring to Tsukiyama Shuu Shu? He hasn't been in the 20th Ward for very long, but his reputation is indeed very high."
After all, there are very few ghouls like him who have the ability to gather a large group of Tokyo dignitaries and tycoons and throw a lavish feast without any regard for the consequences..."
Upon hearing the person Gawain mentioned, Yoshimura Kuzen sighed softly. He knew that someone like Tsukiyama Shuu, who didn't know how to restrain himself, would inevitably get into big trouble sooner or later!
The people of Anteiku have always been law-abiding citizens. Although the people of Aogiri Tree are ruthless, even someone Oomori Yakumo, who seems like a piece of trash deserving to die a hundred times, has an incredibly tragic past and reasons for committing evil.
Only Tsukiyama Shuu could host a ghoul feast of that scale, because the Tsukiyama family is one of the most famous families in Japan, and they have considerable influence even within the Japan Police Tsukiyama family.
While their influence was far less than that of the Washuu Clan, it was in no way inferior to that of major clans in Japan, such as the Minamoto clan, Uesugi clan, Mori clan, and Ashikaga clan families!
With such power, Yue Shan's dissolute and extravagant behavior becomes understandable.
Unfortunately, well, the first bird to stick its head out is bound to be the first one the master targets!
Thinking of this, Kuzen revealed an amusing smile, and then he nodded.
"Master, although Tsukiyama Shuu is weak in strength, he has quite a few subordinates."
To avoid making a big fuss and attracting the attention of the CCG too early...
How about this? After breakfast, let me personally go and see Tsukiyama Shuu and bring him back for you, sir."
After speaking, Kuzen turned his head to the side, ready to listen to Gawain's instructions.
Gawain pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"I trust you to do it, so I can explain a little more."
You should know that Tsukiyama Shuu also has a so-called arena under his command, and he also possesses evidence that many political figures in Tokyo are secretly colluding with ghouls.
"While bringing him back, we should also improve the protection of that data; that data is more important than him."
"I see!"
This time, Kuzen nodded seriously and then handed the coffee to Gawain.
Afterward, he returned to the bar as usual and personally prepared breakfast for Gawain.
At the same time, Eto jumped off Gawain, then smirked and gave a cold laugh.
"Leave the task of relaying the message to those people at Aogiri Tree to me. I really want to experience what it's like to not wear a mask or hide my identity."
My lord, may I appear in the sunlight in my One-Eyed Owl form?
I promise I won't kill anyone indiscriminately, or rather, even if someone hits me, I won't lay a hand on anyone who isn't capable of truly harming me.
Please treat me like a child who just wants to show off my newly bought toy.
Can I reveal my identity?
After speaking, Eto looked at Gawain nervously, because this was a further test of Gawain that she had discussed with Kuzen for a long time last night.
Whether or not he is truly willing to stand up against the CCG ultimately depends on the extent to which Gawain tolerates the CCG's intolerable flaws.
If Gawain uses One-Eyed Owl as a tool in secret, then while Eto and his daughter will still trust Gawain, that trust will not be pure.
Because the Washuu Clan... has always used Kuzen as a tool, and Tokyo... should at least not be controlled by a second, clandestine Washuu Clan!