After the joke, Nishio Nishiki tore open the oil paper package and began to eat silently.
He Xi Qian Yu glanced at Kaneki Ken, who was still unconscious on the sofa.
He wasn't beaten into a vegetative state, was he?
"Didn't I remind you to go easy?" He Xi Qian Yu questioned Slaughter in his mind.
"...I already... restrained myself a lot..." Slaughter retorted in his mind, "...It's not... my problem..."
Upon hearing this, He Xi Qian Yu's gaze fell on Dong Xiang, who was leaning against the wall in the shadows.
"He's overly hungry," her cool voice rang out. "Just feed him something." With that, she said no more, turned, and walked up the stairs, her figure disappearing around the corner.
He Xi Qian Yu nodded.
In an instant, only he and Nishio Nishiki were left on the first floor, staring at each other, the atmosphere slightly awkward.
He turned and walked towards the refrigerator in the corner, pulled open the cold door, took out an equally chilling oil paper package, and casually tossed it to Nishio Nishiki.
"Huh?" Nishio Nishiki fumbled to catch it, his face full of confusion.
He Xi Qian Yu raised his chin towards Kaneki Ken, a mischievous smile on his face: "Here, this glorious task is yours."
"Me?!" Nishio Nishiki looked at the cold package in his hand, then at the unconscious Kaneki Ken, incredulous, "Feed him something?"
"Just consider it repayment for me picking you up from the alley~" He Xi Qian Yu looked at him, smiling, "After all, without me, a certain powerful senior might still be decorating the wall right now."
Nishio Nishiki was speechless, knowing he was in the wrong. Despite his unwillingness, he could only hold his nose and comply.
He clumsily pried open Jin Mu's mouth and painstakingly pushed the food in bit by bit. After feeding him, he seemed to have completed a difficult task and immediately found an excuse to slip away in a hurry.
On the vast first floor of the Antique Coffee Shop, only He Xi Qian Yu remained, bored, watching over Jin Mu.
Just then, the figure of the manager, Fangcun Gongshan, silently appeared at the stairwell.
He Xi Qian Yu did not decline and got up to walk towards the stairs. The wooden steps under his feet made clear tapping sounds, echoing in the empty shop.
Fangcun Gongshan's gaze followed his disappearing back up the stairs, then slowly fell upon Jin Mu on the sofa, his deep eyes filled with swirling thoughts, difficult to fathom.
...
Closing the door, he shut out the sounds from outside. He Xi Qian Yu opened the shopping bag he brought back, which was filled with various chocolates.
He extended his right hand, and a dark red, viscous substance rapidly surged and condensed, finally forming a grotesque symbiotic head.
He casually picked up a piece of chocolate, tore open the wrapper, and accurately tossed it into Slaughter's open mouth.
"...The taste...is acceptable..." Slaughter swallowed it whole, without even chewing, "...But...the quantity...is too little...and...it's far from...fresh human brains..."
"Of course I know it's not as good," He Xi Qian Yu pressed his temples helplessly, "But you just ate a few days ago..."
"...That kind of deliciousness..." Slaughter's tone was full of ecstasy, "...You can never...have too much..."
"What about this one?" He Xi Qian Yu didn't want to continue the topic and tore open the packaging of another brand.
"...Trash..." Undisguised disgust appeared on Slaughter's face, as if he had tasted something unbearable.
"...Can you really taste it like that?" He Xi Qian Yu looked at him gulping it down and couldn't help but wonder.
"...I'm not tasting...the flavor..." Slaughter corrected, his voice tinged with disdain, "...It's phenylethylamine...I need...that..."
"Fine, then you eat it all." He Xi Qian Yu shrugged, pushing the entire shopping bag towards Slaughter, "I'll buy more for you after you finish."
The next second, he saw the symbiotic head plunge into the pile of chocolates, devouring all the chocolates in the bag, along with the colorful wrappers, in a few gluttonous gulps.
He Xi Qian Yu rubbed his throbbing forehead, already starting to worry about his wallet.
...
When He Xi Qian Yu opened his door to go downstairs, he happened to meet Fangcun Gongshan leading Jin Mu up from downstairs. On Jin Mu's jacket, a large patch of dark bloodstains remained.
"You're awake?" He Xi Qian Yu looked at Jin Mu.
"Yes, thanks to Brother Qianyu." Jin Mu's voice was filled with gratitude and deep guilt, his body trembling slightly, "If Brother Qianyu hadn't stopped it in time... I might already be..." He choked, unable to speak the rest of the words.
He Xi Qian Yu didn't speak, only reached out and gave a firm, brief press on his shoulder.
Fangcun Gongshan opened the door, and the three of them looked into the room together. Yongjin Hideyoshi lay on the clean white sheets, his wounds properly bandaged, his eyes closed, and his breathing even, seemingly asleep... or was he?
"...He's awake..." Slaughter's voice rang in He Xi Qian Yu's mind, with absolute certainty, "...That old man...knows...it's intentional..."
He Xi Qian Yu nodded almost imperceptibly.
Although he knew the manager's intentions perfectly well, watching Fangcun Gongshan and Jin Mu stand at the doorway, discussing Jin Mu's "new identity" and future arrangements in front of the "sleeping" Yongjin Hideyoshi, He Xi Qian Yu's mouth still twitched involuntarily.
In fact, Yongjin Hideyoshi already knew about Jin Mu's Ghoul identity; only Jin Mu himself was still in the dark.
After Fangcun Gongshan earnestly advised Jin Mu, he led him to the new room prepared next door.
At this moment, the golden light of dusk gently filled the entire room, casting a warm glow over everything.
Before leaving, He Xi Qian Yu carefully drew the heavy curtains, blocking out the setting sun, then gently closed the door.
"Get some good rest, Hide," he whispered.
After the soft click of the door closing, Yongjin Hideyoshi on the bed slowly opened his eyes, amber eyes filled with extremely complex emotions.
...
The next day, Jin Mu became a new employee at Anteiku Coffee Shop.
He Xi Qian Yu looked at Jin Mu, who was wearing an apron and seemed a bit awkward, and sighed with relief, thinking that his workload could finally be lightened.
Until—
"He's your responsibility now." Dong Xiang concisely led Jin Mu to him, her purple eyes glancing at He Xi Qian Yu.
"Huh?! Why me?" He Xi Qian Yu's tone was tinged with disbelief, "Shouldn't newcomers always be handled by you, the senior? Just like how you trained newcomers before..."
"I still have to go to school," Dong Xiang interrupted him, her gaze sweeping over him with undisguised disdain, "Unlike some people... who got into such a good university, but skip classes every day..." As she spoke, a hint of longing for Kamii University unconsciously showed in her eyes.
He Xi Qian Yu opened his mouth, finding himself utterly unable to refute.
"...Alright." He sighed resignedly, his tone full of helplessness, "If it has to be me, then it's me."