Louis changed into clean clothes and sat in the bedroom at Anteiku, running a hand over the little bed. It was his first time sleeping in such a warm, comfortable room in months.
He had just spent two hours talking with the manager, demonstrating his abilities and explaining his views on ghouls and where he had come from.
And the attack by Rize Kamishiro that night...
What surprised Louis most was that Anteiku had noticed him shortly after he entered Ward 20 and had been watching him secretly ever since.
Their vigilance was frightening...
Louis felt somewhat relieved that he hadn't done anything out of line.
Yet the manager had accepted his story and let him stay.
"I can't believe it. I was almost out of things to make up, and the manager actually agreed to let me stay."
Louis lay down and looked at the ceiling.
Perhaps because he had exhausted himself, drowsiness came quickly, and his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
"If I can, I should ask the manager if I can work here..."
He fell asleep quickly, completely unaware that Touka was still arguing with the manager outside.
"Manager, if you knew he wasn't telling the truth, why did you let him stay? He's human!"
Touka stared at the manager in disbelief, unable to understand his decision.
The manager didn't answer her question directly and continued cleaning the cups.
"Touka, what would you do if you met a human who could easily identify ghouls?"
"Kill him!"
Touka answered the manager firmly.
"But you didn't do that in the alley..."
"I was just..."
Touka tried to explain, but the manager interrupted her.
"We've been watching him since he encountered his first ghoul in Ward 20. I'm sure you know how he's survived these past few months."
Touka clenched her fists, unsure what to say.
"He ate moldy bread from trash cans, stole snacks from street stalls, and slept beside dumpsters and under bridges. Hungry ghouls woke him in the middle of the night. Even so, he never gave up hope of living."
"And even when facing ghouls who wanted to take his life, he chose not to kill them after defeating them."
The manager's brow shifted slightly, and he turned away.
"Do you remember that little girl?"
"Yes..."
Touka knew what he was about to say.
"That's right. Without her parents to protect her, she was starving, and other ghouls even caught her, intending to eat her... Louis saw her. Instead of ignoring it as he had before, he drove off the adult ghouls, and..."
Touka seemed to know about this too. She murmured,
"And let the little girl drink his own blood..."
Of course she knew. She had been the one to take the little girl away afterward.
The manager sighed.
"If everything before that was a desperate struggle to survive, then saving a ghoul girl showed that he loved and respected life."
"How could we kill someone who fights so desperately to live and treasures life so deeply?"
Touka still couldn't quite accept it. "But what if... he brings the White Doves here..."
"He can indeed distinguish ghouls in a crowd. If he were with the CCG, it would mean disaster for ghouls. They would have no reason to hand such an important weapon over to us."
"But he said the White Doves were hunting him. If they saw his face..."
"If they had seen his face, the CCG should have taken action by now, considering how openly he's been moving around Ward 20 these past few months."
The manager slowly turned back and continued speaking to Touka.
"First Kaneki, a human who became a ghoul, and now Louis, a human with the same fighting strength as a ghoul... Don't you understand yet, Touka? This might be an opportunity for humans and ghouls to coexist peacefully."
Could an age when humans and ghouls lived together in peace really exist...?
Touka remained silent, her head lowered in thought.
"Touka, I know you want to protect everyone. But... if there's a chance for humans and ghouls to live together peacefully... even the faintest hope, we shouldn't give up on it."
"Mm..."
Touka gave a quiet murmur of agreement, then hugged her knees on the chair and muttered softly, "Does he really count as human? His scent says he is, but..."
Louis's abilities were simply too much for Touka to accept.
"Touka, have you heard of the Sunlit Garden and half-humans?"
Touka looked puzzled.
"What are those?"
The manager gazed out the window, his eyes growing increasingly solemn.
"I once belonged to-V..."
Unaware of Touka's conversation with the manager, Louis returned to his old world in his dreams. There were no monsters, no superpowers. Everything was so wonderful. His father, his mother, the whole family together and happy...
"Knock, knock, knock..."
A steady knocking woke Louis.
"Time for breakfast."
"Coming, coming!"
He jumped straight out of bed and hurriedly opened the door, revealing the manager's kindly face and some extremely delicious-looking sandwiches.
"It's been a long time since you had a good night's sleep, hasn't it...?"
As the manager spoke, he held out the plate in his hand.
"I hope you like these."
"Thank you!"
After several months, Louis had gotten quite good at speaking Japanese. He took the plate, grabbed a sandwich, and stuffed it into his mouth, throwing in a little flattery for good measure.
"Delicious! Delicious! I never knew you were so good at making sandwiches, Manager."
He was probably the only person in the entire café who lived on human food.
"I'm glad you like them. There's more in the kitchen if that isn't enough. You said you had a big appetite, so I made extra."
The manager patted Louis's head. Louis was currently a year younger than Kaneki, which made him even more of a child in the manager's eyes.
"Okay. Thank you, Manager."
Holding the plate, Louis watched the manager walk away while continually stuffing food into his mouth, completely failing to notice someone beside him.
"What do sandwiches taste like...?"
Touka approached from the side with a disdainful expression.
"Ahem..."
Louis choked and glanced at Touka's face. Though she was still utterly cold, her initial hostility was gone.
"Rich and delicious, with a silky texture..."
He didn't even know what he was saying, but he figured praise was all that mattered.
This time, however, his flattery fell flat, and Touka rapped him on the head instead.
"I don't even know what sweetness tastes like..."
After hitting him, Touka headed straight for the exit.
"Oww... Weren't you the one who asked...? Where are you going?"
Louis rubbed his head and called after Touka as she left.
"School..."
Touka raised the bag in her hand and answered without looking back.
Before you continue