Hide's call

As everyone discussed the operation, the living room door opened, and the Gourmet, Tsukiyama, walked in with elegant strides.

"Tsukiyama?" Touka and Nishiki Nishio immediately grew wary. "How are you still alive?"

"I took your advice and discovered that I taste quite delicious myself." As the Gourmet spoke, he sniffed his own arm in apparent bliss.

"Mr. Tsukiyama will also be participating in this rescue operation," the manager suddenly said, clearing up everyone's confusion.

"Yes. After all, Kaneki is one of my few friends." Tsukiyama's gaze turned vicious. "Hand Kaneki over to someone else? What a joke..."

But when his gaze landed on Louis, a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes again.

"..." Louis turned away. He still had no idea what it meant for someone's affection level to reach fanaticism.

As they spoke, the door behind them opened again, and Yomo and Uta came in one after the other.

As a leading figure in ghoul fashion, Uta greeted everyone as soon as he entered. "Kaneki is an important customer of mine, too."

"Everyone's here." Renji Yomo walked over to the manager and looked around at those present.

"Yes." Yoshimura surveyed the group. "Then let's begin..."

And so, a brief meeting began.

Much like Anteiku, the CCG was holding a meeting to plan its operation against Ward 11.

The commander this time was one of the CCG's highly respected Special-Class Ghoul Investigators-Kiyoko Marude.

Seated below him were Ghoul Investigators of various ranks transferred from different wards, including two seasoned Special-Class Ghoul Investigators-Iwao Kuroiwa and Yukinori Shinohara.

Kureo Mado and Kōtarō Amon, who had previously worked in Ward 20, had also been transferred here.

"After seizing the branch office, the ghouls in Ward 11 quickly withdrew to the shopping mall and nearby residential area they occupied nearly two months ago. That appears to be their temporary base."

"The organization there calls itself Aogiri Tree. We already know of more than two hundred ghouls among them. We've never encountered a ghoul attack on this scale before."

"And more ghouls continue to gather in Ward 11. There's no telling how large this battle will become." Marude's tone suddenly grew grave.

"This is a war between humans and ghouls, so entrust your lives to me!"

"And for the record, that's an order! You have no right to refuse!"

Marude stood, his speech building toward its climax. "I hereby announce the formation of the Ward 11 special task-"

Just as Marude's impassioned speech was about to reach its peak, an ill-timed arrival suddenly pushed the doors open with a loud bang, startling everyone.

With his grand finale interrupted, Marude looked as though he had swallowed shit as he stared at Juuzou Suzuya, who had just barged in.

"Aha~ This place is so big that I got lost... I'm not late, am I?" Juuzou Suzuya walked in smiling, his arms still held out from pushing the doors open. He wore red slippers, and his tone was lazy and casual.

"I'm Rank 3 Ghoul Investigator Juuzou Suzuya, assigned to Special-Class Shinohara. Nice to meet you all. Mm-hmm-hmm..."

Yukinori Shinohara covered his face in embarrassment, too ashamed to claim the boy as his subordinate.

Several years earlier, during an operation against a ghoul codenamed Big Madam, the CCG had discovered Juuzou Suzuya locked away. His body had undergone all kinds of inhumane modifications, and his mental state also seemed abnormal. He lacked common sense and knew little about the world.

After discussing the matter, they had decided to send him to the Ghoul Investigator Training Academy.

On the recommendation of CCG Director Yoshitoki Washuu, Juuzou Suzuya had become a Rank 3 Ghoul Investigator and the partner of Special-Class Ghoul Investigator Yukinori Shinohara. He would also be taking part in the operation against Ward 11.

However, Rank 3 Ghoul Investigators were not yet permitted to carry Quinques. His only weapons were small throwing knives made from scraps of quinque steel.

The meeting concluded successfully.

"Have you been eating properly? You're so scrawny, and you still decided to become a Ghoul Investigator..." Afterward, Marude, still nursing a grudge, sought out Juuzou Suzuya. When Suzuya said nothing, he glanced down at the boy's crotch.

"You're so pale and delicate. Are you sure you've got anything down there?"

"Crap..." Yukinori Shinohara hurried to his feet, hooked an arm around Marude's neck, and dragged him away. "We hardly ever get to see each other. Why don't we catch up?"

"Huh?" Marude froze. They had worked together just last week. But he soon realized Shinohara was trying to get him away from Suzuya.

"I was just making conversation... Is even that off-limits...?"

People personally recommended by the director really are never normal...

Juuzou Suzuya tilted his head as he watched Kiyoko Marude leave. Whatever he was thinking, he eventually broke into an innocent smile.

"Shinohara, there's a good chance that Jason, the S-rated ghoul who used to terrorize Ward 13, is also at Aogiri Tree's base..." Marude suddenly said after being dragged aside.

"Hmm?" Shinohara paused. Yamori had been a headache for the CCG for a long time. Apart from his formidable strength, his movements were unpredictable, and years of searching had yielded nothing. "Is the information reliable?"

"Yes. Someone called in a tip..."

Although the CCG knew that Aogiri Tree had large numbers, the strength of its leadership remained a matter of speculation.

"Amon, this is one of the pieces in my collection... [Hidden]." Kureo Mado held out a case to Kōtarō Amon.

"..." Amon hesitated. After his Quinque had been damaged, he had to wait for the higher-ups to issue him a replacement, but most standard-issue Quinques weren't particularly powerful.

"This Quinque is too cumbersome for me. I'm not very good with it, but it has tremendous power and potential. It should suit you perfectly." Kureo Mado smiled.

"There's something I have to do during this operation, so I may not be able to look out for you. Be careful."

"..." Amon frowned. He had never heard Mado say anything like that before. In other words, this operation was far from ordinary.

"Understood..." Amon nodded and solemnly accepted the case from Mado.

More than a partner, Mado was like a teacher to him.

Every Ghoul Investigator participating in the Ward 11 operation was preparing for the coming battle.

With their brief meeting over, Louis and the others prepared to head to Ward 11. Notably, Nico had offered to help in exchange for his freedom.

The manager agreed, but only on the condition that he stay with Yomo.

The rescue operation was divided into three teams. The first was a powerful group consisting of Uta, Yomo, Tsukiyama, and Nico. They would head deep into the shopping mall that served as Aogiri Tree's base to locate Kaneki.

The second team consisted of Louis, Touka, and Nishiki Nishio. They would search the perimeter while avoiding combat as much as possible.

The third was a support team led by the manager. Using Kaya Irimi's extraordinary hearing, they would stand ready to assist the two infiltration teams at any moment. Its other members were Enji Koma, Ryouko Fueguchi, and Hinami Fueguchi.

These were all the people Anteiku could spare. Although almost every one of them was stronger than Aogiri Tree's average member, the risk was still considerable.

"Ring, ring, ring..."

Just then, Louis's phone rang.

"Hide?" Louis paused when he saw the name on the screen.

Shortly after getting a phone, he had exchanged contact information with Hideyoshi Nagachika, but this was the first time Hide had actually called him.

"Hello..." Louis answered and held the phone to his ear, wondering what Hide wanted at a time like this.

"Could you tell me... where Kaneki is...?"