"Did someone tell you?" Faced with Ken Kaneki's piercing gaze, the Manager held his hands behind his back, his tone shifting several times.
"No. It's my own guess."
"I see... Then let me tell you a story."
The story's main character was named Kuzen. Like most ghouls, he ate humans to survive and devoured his own kind for his own sake. He would do anything to stay alive, spending every day killing.
Everything he did was to ensure his survival. Gradually... he grew stronger and stronger, yet fate seemed to curse him, too. Loneliness never left his side... until one day, Kuzen's name reached certain ghoul organizations. Soon, a mysterious and powerful organization set its sights on him-the V Organization.
The V Organization invited Kuzen to join them as a Cleaner... Kuzen agreed, because joining V would give him a better life, one where he no longer had to worry about survival.
After becoming a Cleaner for the V Organization, Kuzen killed humans on its orders. Sometimes, even ghoul organizations weren't spared. Any hostile force had to die. He was exactly what his title suggested: a Cleaner.
Although his basic needs were now provided for, Kuzen remained lonely. The organization had never become a place where he belonged.
Then one day, while drinking coffee and reading a book, Kuzen happened to meet a beautiful human woman. Her name was Yuna, and she was curious and sensitive.
Day after day, whenever Kuzen visited that coffee shop, he would notice Yuna. They spent more and more time together, and soon... they became a couple, talking about all sorts of things. For some reason, the ever-vigilant Kuzen gradually lowered his guard around her.
Eventually, Kuzen's identity was exposed while he was carrying out a mission for the organization. As usual, he was about