Please stake your lives

"Irimi?" Louis and Hinami poked their heads out of the stairwell. A fierce fight had broken out here moments ago, before the sounds of battle gradually moved farther away.

Ayato Kirishima and Banjō seemed to have escaped in the confusion as well. Only Touka remained, lying on the floor of the wrecked café.

"Did they take the fight somewhere else?"

That was just as well. Anteiku wouldn't be exposed ahead of time.

Louis checked Touka's injuries. Her brother hadn't been too ruthless. Though she was still unconscious, her injuries weren't serious, and none of her vital areas had been hit.

Louis went out onto the balcony, examined the traces left by the fight, and formed the Ice Mask again. "Hinami, look after Touka. I'll go find Irimi."

"Oh... okay!"

In an alley not far from Anteiku, Black Dog had cornered Nico. Her slender fingers and leather boots were covered in bright red blood, but it clearly wasn't her own.

"I couldn't move freely back in the café. This place is much better." Dressed entirely in black, Irimi Kyouko stood at the alley's exit like the Grim Reaper. Her anger hadn't subsided, and she clearly had no intention of letting Nico leave.

"Monster..." Nico clutched his left shoulder as he huddled in the corner. His pupils trembled, his eyes filled with terror as he stared at Black Dog.

His initial nonchalance and recklessness had long since vanished. His entire left arm had been severed, and countless wounds of varying depths covered his body, refusing to heal.

He was no match for Black Dog.

"Aren't you afraid the others might be badly hurt or killed? Aren't you afraid there might be more of us here?" Realizing he couldn't win, Nico resorted to bluster.

Nico had thought that would have some effect, but Irimi Kyouko merely smiled. "Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."

"Have we been out of the game too long? Black Dog has always had sharp ears..." Irimi Kyouko stared coldly at Nico, knowing he was already on his last legs.

When she entered Anteiku, she had heard two familiar voices upstairs. Touka's breathing had been faint but steady, so her injuries couldn't have been too serious.

She hadn't found Kaneki, but as long as she pried the answers out of the man before her, that wouldn't be difficult.

"Listen... sounds like someone's coming..." Irimi Kyouko touched her ear, her gaze turning fierce again.

"Time to finish you off!"

"..." Black Dog's figure rapidly grew larger in Nico's pupils, and despair flooded his heart.

Thud-

The heavy blow landed, knocking Nico unconscious instantly.

"Irimi really didn't hold back..." Louis picked up a severed arm from the ground, impressed by her strength.

Nico had left countless pieces of himself along the way, which gradually put Louis at ease.

After winding through several alleys, Louis finally found Irimi Kyouko, who had already subdued Nico.

Unlike her usual clothes, she seemed to be wearing the Black Doberman group's black uniform today: a specially made long black coat and black leather boots.

"I really didn't want you to see me like this..." Irimi Kyouko removed her mask with a bloodstained hand and gave a helpless smile.

"Irimi..." Louis dissolved his Ice Mask too, let out a long breath, and smiled helplessly. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you right now."

"You're still beautiful, even like this."

Irimi Kyouko brought Nico back to Anteiku and tied him up, then contacted the manager, Devil Ape, and the others by phone.

By around seven that evening, everyone from Anteiku except the manager and Yomo had gathered in the living room where they usually held meetings.

Louis sat to Nishiki Nishio's left and glanced around at the silent group. They all knew what had happened and who they were up against this time.

He had expected the masochist to resist both threats and persuasion during the interrogation, costing them some effort. Instead, Nico had spilled everything before Louis even got started.

It made sense. He was one of the Clowns, after all. He had no reason to keep Aogiri Tree's secrets.

But learning the strength of Aogiri Tree, the organization that had taken Kaneki, was precisely what made the atmosphere so heavy. Anteiku's overall fighting strength fell far short of theirs.

"He's not as weak as he looks." Nishiki Nishio leaned back on the sofa, fiddling with his phone. His face betrayed nothing, but his fingers kept typing.

Kaneki had once punched a hole through his abdomen and nearly killed him. But after spending so much time together, he too had come to accept Kaneki as a companion. He just had a foul mouth and refused to show it.

Just then, the door opened, and Yoshimura walked in wearing a dark red hat.

"A few more people will be joining us later, but let's begin." The manager hung his hat on the nearby coat rack, then sat down on the sofa.

"We need to discuss what stance Anteiku should take toward the events in Ward 11, and what action we should take."

"But before that, there's something I want to tell you about Kaneki's abduction."

Yoshimura paused, then his expression grew solemn. "Please prepare yourselves for the possibility that you may never see Kaneki again."

"Hey! What the hell are you saying, old man?!"

To Louis's surprise, Nishiki Nishio was the first to stand up in protest, and he didn't mince his words.

An A-Rank mouthing off to an SSS-Rank. You've got guts...

Compared with everyone else, Louis was actually the least worried. This was a crucial part of Kaneki's transformation, a plot event the system had specifically stated couldn't be changed. In other words, nothing unexpected would happen here.

"Shut up..." Touka looked grim. Once again, she felt the pain of not being strong enough, but this time she didn't recklessly rush off as she had before.

She had come to understand something: if she failed, she wouldn't be the only one to lose her life. More of her companions would die too.

Stay detached... abandon this half-ghoul who used to be human. That would be the best option. But...

Touka gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with frustration. A flicker of hope remained in her heart, hope that the manager would say they were going to rescue Kaneki.

Yoshimura sighed. "Aogiri Tree's ghouls are all skilled fighters. Infiltrating their base and rescuing Kaneki won't be easy."

"And we can't ignore the CCG's movements. They'll soon send troops into Ward 11 to wipe out Aogiri Tree."

"If we go to save him, there's a greater chance that we'll all be wiped out instead..."

Before the manager could finish, Touka stood up resolutely. "I'm going to save him..."

Touka's face was grim, but one last trace of resolve remained in her eyes. "What's this café's policy...? To shelter weak ghouls and our companions. If you won't go, manager..."

"Then I'll go alone..."

"I'll go too!"

"Count me in."

One declaration drew two answers...

Louis raised his hand. He had been waiting a long time for those words, but Nishiki Nishio beside him had been even more impatient.

"I still owe him, after all..." Nishiki Nishio wore a rare look of helplessness.

Charging in recklessly would undoubtedly mean death, and Nishiki and Touka had clearly prepared themselves to die.

Louis looked at Nishiki Nishio's face and knew he was serious. The message he had been typing on the sofa was a scheduled text to his girlfriend, Kimi Nishino. In a way, it was his last letter.

"I want to help too..." Hinami timidly raised her hand as well. "He's always looked after me too, so..."

Hinami took Touka's hand. "If there's anything I can do, tell me. I'll make sure I do it!"

"I don't know how much help I can be, but I'll do my best." Ryouko Fueguchi gently patted Hinami's head and smiled softly, making her intentions clear.

Enji Koma and Irimi Kyouko hadn't spoken, but after seeing everyone's reactions, their tense expressions finally relaxed. They quietly waited for the manager's orders.

Having followed him for so long, they knew the manager's character very well.

An almost imperceptible smile of relief appeared on the manager's face. "To avoid any misunderstanding, I should clarify something. I intended to rescue Kaneki from the beginning."

"Huh?" Touka, Nishiki, and the others who hadn't known froze.

"I only wanted you to understand the danger of this operation. Even I can't guarantee that all of you will survive."

"But I've heard how you all feel, so..." The manager's tone grew solemn.

"If you want to rescue Kaneki, please stake your lives."