Poor Ken Kaneki

Looking at the three options before him, Amahane Byakuya was left speechless by the third.

The system knew perfectly well that Ken Kaneki had a crush on Rize Kamishiro, yet it still wanted him to twist the knife. That was a little too cruel.

Although the third option offered the most fusion points, Amahane Byakuya did not simply pick whichever option gave the biggest reward. He would naturally decide based on the circumstances.

Back when he watched Tokyo Ghoul, he had always felt that Ken Kaneki had had a pretty miserable life since childhood. He felt a little bad about the system asking him to twist the knife like this.

I'll settle for the second option, then.

The second option was not difficult either. All he had to do was strike up a conversation with Ken Kaneki.

But now was not the time to chat with Ken Kaneki. Rize Kamishiro was about to drag him off on a date.

Before leaving, Amahane Byakuya deliberately glanced at Ken Kaneki, just in case the system decided he had ignored him.

Naturally, Ken Kaneki, who had been sneaking looks their way, noticed his glance. He immediately looked away in a guilty panic, afraid that her boyfriend would notice and come looking for trouble.

Rize Kamishiro also noticed that Amahane Byakuya was looking elsewhere and promptly asked, "Is something wrong?"

Only after they stepped outside the café did Amahane Byakuya answer, "Nothing. I just felt like that guy kept sneaking looks at you."

"Really? ...You're not feeling a little jealous, are you, Byakuya? But you have absolutely nothing to worry about. You're the only one I'm interested in."

Rize Kamishiro spoke with an innocent expression.

She clearly wanted him completely wrapped around her finger.

"Of course. I'd never doubt your feelings, Rize."

Amahane Byakuya nodded.

If he could have managed to blush on cue, he would definitely have given Rize Kamishiro a shy, innocent look.

As they walked down the street together, Amahane Byakuya did not take the initiative to hold Rize Kamishiro's hand.

Normally, this was when the guy should have been a little more proactive.

But his relationship with Rize Kamishiro was fake, after all.

Despite Rize Kamishiro's habit of seducing men before devouring them, she had never casually let any of them touch her. She would brutally torture them to death and devour them halfway through the seduction.

Judging by Rize Kamishiro's behavior in the original story, accepting Amahane Byakuya's confession was arguably the furthest she had ever gone.

Of course, that also meant that if Amahane Byakuya really had been an ordinary person, he would undoubtedly have suffered the most horrific death of all her victims.

In short, given Rize Kamishiro's personality, if he tried to touch her hand, she would most likely refuse-gently, of course.

But then Amahane Byakuya suddenly thought he might as well see exactly how Rize Kamishiro would react. Besides, it would make him more convincing as an innocent young man.

With that thought, he boldly reached for Rize Kamishiro's hand.

Of course, he deliberately showed the timid hesitation typical of a young man in this situation. He made a few tentative movements, as though he wanted to touch her but lacked the courage, before finally taking her hand as if throwing caution to the wind.

[Ding! The host has completed "holding hands" with Rize Kamishiro. Reward received: 5 fusion points!]

Amahane Byakuya was already accustomed to earning fusion points this way.

At that moment, a trace of disgust flashed deep in Rize Kamishiro's eyes. After all, she regarded Amahane Byakuya as nothing more than food, and she was decidedly unhappy about him touching her.

Still, she did not immediately show any resistance. Instead, she slipped her hand free as though it were an incidental movement, then raised that same hand to point in a particular direction. "Byakuya, I'd like to try the desserts at that shop."

Amahane Byakuya chuckled inwardly. Just as I thought.

Once inside the dessert shop, they each ordered a dessert.

Halfway through eating, Rize Kamishiro stood up and said, "Excuse me. I'm going to the restroom."

"Okay."

Amahane Byakuya nodded.

He knew full well that Rize Kamishiro was probably going to make herself throw up in the restroom. Ghouls could not eat human food. To them, ordinary human food not only smelled utterly foul and was difficult to swallow, but would also harm their bodies if left inside.

To blend into human society, many ghouls had learned to "pretend to eat." They would act as though they were eating in front of humans, forcing food down without chewing to make it slightly less nauseating, then induce vomiting to expel it before it could be digested.

Throughout their date that day, Rize Kamishiro still showed no hurry to eat Amahane Byakuya. She was clearly trying to use all sorts of flirtatious words and tricks to make him fall completely under her spell.

When the date ended, Amahane Byakuya said goodbye to Rize Kamishiro.

"I really enjoyed our date today. I wonder how you felt about it, Byakuya."

Rize Kamishiro spoke in a caring tone.

"I enjoyed it too. I got to go on a date with such a beautiful girl."

Amahane Byakuya lightly scratched his cheek.

At his words, Rize Kamishiro's expression turned bashful, delight spreading across her face.

The mood was lovely.

Unfortunately, neither of them was being genuine.

"Um... let's meet at that café again tomorrow. There's a movie I'd like to see. Would you come with me, Byakuya?"

Rize Kamishiro intended to keep playing with this human a little longer.

"Sure."

Amahane Byakuya agreed without the slightest hesitation.

After parting ways with Rize Kamishiro, Amahane Byakuya returned to the Antique Café.

Sure enough, Ken Kaneki was still sitting there reading.

When Amahane Byakuya entered, Ken Kaneki briefly met his eyes. Recognizing him, he immediately looked away and pretended not to have seen him.

Amahane Byakuya walked straight toward Ken Kaneki. Cold sweat promptly broke out on Ken Kaneki's face; he probably thought the other boy had come to cause trouble.

"Isn't the book you're reading one of Takatsuki's works?"

Amahane Byakuya took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Ken Kaneki.

"I'm so sorry!"

Ken Kaneki instinctively blurted out an apology. Only a moment later did he register what the other boy had said. "Huh? ...Oh! Yes, this is Sen Takatsuki's The Black Goat's Egg..."

Ken Kaneki's jumpy, flustered reaction made Amahane Byakuya smile a little awkwardly.

"What a coincidence. I'm a fan of Takatsuki too."

Amahane Byakuya spoke in a very friendly tone.

[Ding! The host has completed option two. Reward received: 10 fusion points!]

Sensing that the other boy seemed quite friendly, Ken Kaneki gradually felt reassured and relaxed.

"Really?"

Ken Kaneki's face lit up with delight.

Although the other boy was that cute girl's boyfriend, meeting a fellow reader who also liked Sen Takatsuki's works was still something to be happy about.

After all, reading was his only hobby.