Settling into Anteiku: Touka's Pride Crumbles Before the Divine Throne

The morning fog had yet to lift. All of Tokyo lay shrouded in haze. The streets of Ward 20 were unusually quiet. Streetlamps cast faint halos of light, while scattered leaves rustled as they tumbled in the cold wind. At that moment,

the doors of Anteiku remained shut. A faint woody scent lingered in a corner of the café. Wearing a clean apron, Touka Kirishima carefully wiped down a dark-brown wooden table with a white cloth.

Her movements were brisk, but worry lingered between her brows. Late the previous night, a terrifying surge of energy had swept through Ward 20. Its power exceeded anything she could comprehend.

Even the manager, Kuzen Yoshimura, had looked deeply grave. "What on earth happened?" Touka murmured, unconsciously tightening her grip on the cloth.

Ken Kaneki had not come home all night, and Rize Kamishiro had vanished without a trace. Unease welled up inside her. Jingle. The wind chime suddenly rang out, its clear sound piercing the quiet morning.

Touka stiffened slightly and turned toward the entrance. The door slowly opened, letting a shaft of golden morning light spill into the café. But within that light,

an indescribably noble presence surged in like a tide. The first thing she saw was a fair, elegant hand.

That hand held another just as flawless. Tobirama Uchiha stepped into the café.

His white dragon robe gave off a faint glow in the dim light. Its embroidered nine-clawed golden dragon looked almost alive, and the hem fluttered in the breeze.

Rize Kamishiro followed meekly at his side. She wore a pure white dress, her long hair falling softly over her shoulders.

Her violet eyes shone with shy happiness. The savage, nauseating stench of blood that had once clung to her

was now completely gone. In its place was an