An interrupted date

Ayanokoji walked over to Ken Kaneki and Hiyori's table, pulled out a chair, sat down, and slowly began to speak.

"That little farce just now was basically Horikita forcing Sudo and a few other struggling students to attend a study session.

"It was originally just supposed to be us, but somehow Kikyo Kushida found out about it and insisted on joining."

"With Horikita's personality, she wouldn't have invited her herself, would she?" Ken Kaneki raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Of course not. Horikita turned her down several times, and some of what she said was pretty harsh. But Kushida was like gum stuck to your shoe. No matter how much we tried to get rid of her, she wouldn't leave.

"In the end, Horikita really couldn't find a legitimate reason to make her leave. With Sudo and the others egging her on from the sidelines, she had no choice but to give in."

Ayanokoji put on a stern face and clenched his fists, mimicking how Horikita had looked at the time.

"Hahaha, Kiyotaka, you're hilarious."

"Yeah, you never used to be like this."

Seeing Ayanokoji fooling around, Ken Kaneki and Hiyori couldn't help bursting into laughter.

"Uh, I thought it would paint a clearer picture." Ayanokoji rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed, then continued.

"You saw how it ended. Between Horikita's terrible communication skills and Sudo's hair-trigger temper, it was obvious from the start that the study session would end on bad terms."

Ken Kaneki nodded in understanding, now clear on how the whole thing had unfolded.

Kikyo Kushida's little scheme amounted to nothing more than maintaining her angelic image in class while making things difficult for Horikita along the way.

"Now that the show's over, there isn't much point in staying in the Library."

Ken Kaneki closed his laptop, turned to Shiina Hiyori beside him, then looked at Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.

"What do you two say? Hungry? Let's get something to eat."

"Sure, sounds good." Hiyori nodded obligingly and put the mystery novel on the table into her bag. Ayanokoji had no objections either.

The three left the Library together and made their way leisurely to the school cafeteria.

Since it wasn't mealtime yet, there weren't many people in the cafeteria. After looking around, they found a food counter they liked and ordered their meals, then carried their trays to a table by the window and quietly enjoyed their food.

Halfway through the meal, Ken Kaneki casually asked, "Speaking of which, Kiyotaka, have you seen Koenji lately?"

Ayanokoji swallowed his food and shook his head.

"No. He's been coming and going without a trace lately. He seems pretty busy and barely even comes back to the dorm. I think he might be plotting something again, or maybe he's just off enjoying himself somewhere."

"True. With his personality, he's not the type to sit still. He's probably off messing around somewhere."

Ken Kaneki smiled and didn't give it much more thought. After all, Koenji's abilities spoke for themselves. He didn't need anyone worrying needlessly about him.

After the meal, Ayanokoji still had things to take care of. He said a brief goodbye to the two of them and left on his own.

It was worth mentioning that the Campus Life Second-Hand Trading Platform and the Micro Bank, which the three of them had founded together, had recently become fully established.

The team they had hired was running smoothly, and all their operations were proceeding in an orderly fashion. By now, there was no longer any need for Ken Kaneki and the other two to oversee things personally. They only needed to check the transaction data in the backend regularly.

Having eaten too much at lunch, and with the weather so pleasant that day, Ken Kaneki and Hiyori wanted to rest for a while.

They sat on a bench, leaning against each other with their heads together, resting their eyes.

"Hiyori, let's go on a date this afternoon." Without opening his eyes, Ken Kaneki settled their plans for the afternoon.

"Okay, whatever you say." Hiyori nodded obligingly, offering no refusal.

Just then, Hiyori's device suddenly vibrated. She picked it up and looked at it, and the serene smile on her face instantly fell. Then she looked at Ken Kaneki apologetically.

"What's wrong?" Noticing the change in her mood, Ken Kaneki asked softly.

Hiyori gave Ken Kaneki an embarrassed look and bit her lower lip.

"It's a message in the class group chat. Ryuen told everyone to return to the classroom immediately for a meeting. It sounds like he has something urgent to announce..."

She had promised to spend the afternoon with Ken Kaneki, only for this sudden development to throw their plans into disarray.

Ken Kaneki knew that, as a member of Class C, Hiyori couldn't do much about Ryuen Kakeru's compulsory summons. He smiled and nodded to show he understood.

He had previously considered getting Hiyori transferred to Class D, but after thinking about certain things that would happen later, he had abandoned the idea. For now, it was best not to change classes.

Although he understood Hiyori's situation, Ken Kaneki's eyes shifted, and he deliberately sighed, letting his shoulders droop slightly. Putting on the pitiful air of someone terribly wronged and abandoned by his lover, he said forlornly,

"Ah, I was looking forward to spending a sweet afternoon with my adorable girlfriend, only to be so heartlessly abandoned. This fragile heart of mine has shattered into tiny little pieces..."

Hiyori saw through his act at once, but instead of exposing him, she obligingly played along.

She stood up, walked over to Ken Kaneki with a concerned expression, opened her arms, and hugged him tightly.

A faint vanilla fragrance instantly wafted around Ken Kaneki's nose, leaving him reluctant to pull away.

As though soothing a child, Hiyori gently patted his back, just like a mother.

"There, there. Ken's such a good boy. Don't be sad. This was my fault. Once the class meeting's over, I'll make it up to you, okay?"

Hiyori's voice was sugary sweet, with a touch of indulgence.

Feeling the softness in his arms, Ken Kaneki could no longer suppress the smile tugging at his lips.

He slipped his arms around Hiyori's slender waist and buried his face in her neck, breathing in her fragrance before finally releasing her with feigned reluctance.

"Since you put it that way, I'll be generous and forgive you this once."

They both knew they couldn't linger here. After all, Ryuen Kakeru had always acted swiftly and decisively, and arriving late might invite unnecessary trouble.

In the end, Hiyori still had to return to her classroom. Before leaving, she rose slightly onto her tiptoes and planted a farewell kiss on Ken Kaneki's cheek, her purple eyes filled with reluctance.

"I'll head off now, then. See you later. Bye-bye."

Watching Hiyori's retreating figure disappear around the corner of the corridor, Ken Kaneki stood where he was and tilted his head up slightly.

Everything in the world happened so suddenly, always full of variables, never unfolding entirely as you expected.

Even a date you had eagerly anticipated could be interrupted by an unexpected notification.

Ken Kaneki reflected on this to himself for a moment, pondered a little philosophy, then turned and left as well.

For some reason, he now felt an inexplicable urge to go somewhere high and feel the breeze.

In the end, he chose the rooftop. It was the closest place to the sky, where he could reach the blue sky and white clouds simply by raising his hand.