Kiyoko Itori

"I'm heading out." Wearing a wig and clothes borrowed from Touka, along with sunglasses, Hinami waved to everyone and left with Yomo.

Going out with Renji Yomo gave her a strong sense of security.

The last incident had finally been put to rest. After giving Mr. Asaki a proper burial, the Fueguchi mother and daughter gradually recovered emotionally.

After that battle, Ward 20 finally enjoyed a period of peace. The Ghoul Investigators suspended their searches there, allowing Hinami and her mother to keep living in Ward 20.

The manager and Yomo had also heard about what happened and began handling matters Louis knew nothing about. These experienced people were remarkably thorough, always planning ahead.

Louis remembered that, during the future operation against Anteiku, the manager had known about the CCG's movements in advance. If he had wanted to escape, he should have had no trouble at all.

But... why didn't he run...?

That was something Louis had never quite understood.

While Louis was pondering this, a sharp crash rang out. Touka, who was on duty, had accidentally dropped and shattered a cup.

"What are you doing, you stupid woman?!" Nishiki Nishio, who was also on duty, immediately complained, as foul-mouthed as ever.

Touka had been about to clean up the broken cup, but she withdrew her hand when she heard that and glared at Nishiki Nishio. "Is that any way to talk to your senior, Shitty Nishiki?!"

"Huh? Just thinking about a shitty part-time high schooler like you being my senior-" Nishiki Nishio was just as annoyed and immediately fired back.

"I'm the one who has to deal with an insufferable, shitty college student like you being my junior! It feels like eating shit. I don't even want to work! Can't you just hurry up and quit already?"

"Stupid Touka!"

"Shitty Nishiki!"

Enji Koma, who was making coffee nearby, didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the scene. "We are in food service, after all... Anyway, could you two stop using that dirty word?"

"Shitty Nishiki!"

"Can you only copy what I say, Stupid Touka?!"

"Keep this up, and I'm going to get angry..." Enji Koma sighed, his expression darkening in an unmistakable threat. "I'm sure you've heard the stories about the Devil Ape, haven't you?"

Touka and Nishiki Nishio glanced at his kindly face, which looked almost completely harmless. After a brief pause, they immediately went back to trading insults.

"Shitty Nishiki!"

"Stupid Touka!"

Koma scratched his head awkwardly. Perhaps too much time had passed. These young people seemed never to have heard the Devil Ape's name at all.

No, it really had been a long time since he'd used that name.

"In a way, I guess I'm getting old..."

Unlike Koma, Kaneki didn't try to break up the argument. Instead, he bent down and quietly cleaned up the broken cup. He didn't dislike the current atmosphere.

Louis, who wasn't on duty, sat in a corner of the café, sipping his coffee and silently watching the scene.

It gave him the illusion that everything had returned to normal...

[Louis, overall combat power: S]

His strength, speed, and physical fitness had all improved significantly, reaching unprecedented heights.

His strength had finally, truly reached S-rank. He didn't know whether he could beat Touka, but against Ghoul Investigators, he could defeat an ordinary Associate Special-Class like Yu Fura even without resorting to dirty tricks.

But... in the world as a whole, that strength was only average. There was a limit to how much he could influence events.

As for how to grow stronger from here, Louis honestly had no idea. He could only improve his physical fitness and the strength of his crystals bit by bit.

"Lou, are you free this afternoon? I'd like to take you somewhere." Kaneki suddenly walked up to Louis.

"Where?" Louis blinked. This was the first time Kaneki had invited him out.

"A... bar."

A bar?

Not only Louis, but even Nishiki Nishio and Touka, who were still arguing, couldn't help looking over.

"Don't get the wrong idea... A friend wants to meet you. Mr. Yomo agreed to it too." Kaneki hurriedly scratched his head.

"Oh... sure."

If Yomo agreed to it, it should be fine...

Louis followed Kaneki, taking a ride to a small bar called Helter Skelter in Ward 14.

"Lou, the owner here is a friend of Mr. Yomo's. She's a ghoul too, but she seems like a good person," Kaneki explained before they entered the bar.

"Mm." Louis vaguely remembered her. Yomo's friend, a bar owner-who could it be but Kiyoko?

Still, Louis knew very little about Kiyoko. She seemed to be a member of the Clowns, though her allegiance didn't appear particularly firm. She was friends with Renji Yomo and Uta.

Just then, the bar's front door opened, and a woman with orange-red hair suddenly poked her head out. "Well, well, I don't get many customers during the day. Are you two here for a visit?"

"Ah... Miss Kiyoko, this is the friend I told you about..." With her face right up close to his, Kaneki immediately grew shy.

[Identity confirmed: Kiyoko Itori, kagune type: Rinkaku, ghoul rank: SS, overall combat power: SS]

An SS-Rank Ghoul...

Louis marveled inwardly. This ghoul, who had barely fought at all in the story, was actually an SS-Rank Ghoul too.

"Mm-hmm, everyone in Ward 20 is talking about you two right now. You're pretty famous!" Kiyoko Itori leaned close to Louis's face and sniffed, then paused.

"Mmm... you smell exceptionally good..."

"Miss Kiyoko!" Kaneki immediately called her out for her rude behavior.

"All right, all right. Come in. I'm the only one here right now." Kiyoko knew when to stop. She immediately backed off and moved aside, gesturing for them to enter.

The bar wasn't very big, and since it was daytime, there were no customers.

"So, what would you like to drink?" Kiyoko stood behind the counter, serving as the bartender.

"Just ice water." Clearly, this wasn't Kaneki's first visit. He easily found a seat and sat down.

"I'll have some alcohol," Louis said at once. He rarely came to a bar. How could he pass up a drink?

"Lou, are you old enough?" Kaneki paused, glancing at Louis before he couldn't help asking.

Underage drinking was prohibited, and the rules here were pretty strict.

"Of course. Mentally, I'm twenty-five, and physically, I'm already nineteen. I'm definitely old enough to drink," Louis said confidently.

But as soon as he finished speaking, two glasses of ice water were set down before them...

"Got it, two ice waters!" Leaning over the bar with her chin propped in her hand, Kiyoko smiled at Louis. "The legal drinking age here is twenty."

"..." Louis stared at the ice water in front of him, speechless.

That backfired...