The morning light gently streamed through the window, and the alarm clock by the bed rang precisely on time.
He Xi Qian Yu reluctantly got out of bed after turning off the alarm.
It was eight o'clock; time to go to work.
After washing up, he pushed open his door and was surprised to see Kaneki Ken standing quietly at the entrance.
"Kaneki?" He Xi Qian Yu asked, a bit puzzled, "Is something wrong?"
"Qianyu Ge…" Kaneki Ken looked up, his tone serious, "Thank you for yesterday."
He Xi Qian Yu patted his shoulder, "It was nothing."
His tone shifted, with a hint of teasing, "If you really want to thank me, recommend a few books you've read sometime."
"The books I read…" A sudden spark lit up in Kaneki Ken's eyes, "Are they Teacher Takatsuki's books?"
"Yes…" He Xi Qian Yu's face showed a hint of mischief, "I also want to see what kind of books can make Kamishiro Rize and Yue Shan Xi get so close to you so quickly."
Kaneki Ken scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.
…
Several days passed, and there was still no news about the Ghoul Restaurant. As He Xi Qian Yu expected, even though Slaughter had wreaked havoc in the Ghoul Restaurant, the immense power of the Yue Shan family was enough to seal off the information tightly, preventing the CCG from detecting anything.
He Xi Qian Yu was not worried about retaliation—among the Ghouls present at the time, only Yue Shan Xi knew his true identity. Moreover, even if his identity were exposed, no Ghoul would be foolish enough to provoke a Ghoul—the latter was itself proof of Ghouls preying on their own kind.
That evening, just as He Xi Qian Yu hung up the "Closed" sign, Kaneki Ken pushed the door open and entered.
"You're back?" He Xi Qian Yu casually asked from behind the counter, his movements of wiping cups uninterrupted.
Kaneki Ken nodded, appearing somewhat hesitant.
"Qianyu Ge…" He walked to the counter, hesitating before speaking, "What kind of person do you think Nishio Senior is?"
"Him…" He Xi Qian Yu's hand paused slightly as he wiped the cup, "Arrogant, conceited…"
He unceremoniously listed a string of Nishio Nishiki's flaws, which made Kaneki Ken's mouth twitch slightly.
"Perhaps it's related to his experiences; Nishiki is very hard to trust others. Besides Kimi and me, he has almost no friends," He Xi Qian Yu sighed softly, "Although I could talk about his flaws until tomorrow morning, for me, that guy… is a pretty good friend."
He looked up at Kaneki Ken: "Why are you suddenly asking about him?"
Kaneki Ken nodded: "I just ran into Nishio Senior… He was cornered by three Ghouls in an alley…"
After listening to Kaneki Ken's account, He Xi Qian Yu understood the reason.
Nishio Nishiki's arrogant nature had offended many Ghouls in the Twenty Ward. In the past, relying on his not-weak strength, those guys didn't dare to act, but ever since he was severely injured by Kaneki Ken, his strength had greatly diminished, and retaliation naturally came knocking.
"That shouldn't be." He Xi Qian Yu frowned.
He clearly remembered giving Nishio Nishiki "food" last time, and that guy even swallowed it in front of him.
"...Not enough…" Slaughter's voice echoed in his mind, answering his confusion, "...Repairing that kind of injury… requires a lot of energy…"
That explained it.
"It's getting late, Kaneki," he looked at Kaneki Ken, "Go back and rest early."
"It's so late, Qianyu Ge, aren't you resting?"
A dangerous glint flashed in He Xi Qian Yu's eyes.
"I still have something to do; I'm going out for a bit."
Kaneki Ken immediately understood and didn't ask any more questions.
…
The night was deep, and He Xi Qian Yu's figure moved swiftly through the streets and alleys of the Twenty Ward.
"...Go straight…"
"...Turn right…"
Finally, he stopped at an old, dark alleyway.
"...Here…"
He Xi Qian Yu surveyed the moldy alley and nodded.
Three Ghouls disappearing here would definitely not attract the attention of the CCG.
As he delved deeper into the alley, conversations faintly drifted to him.
"Tsk, what a pity, that guy actually got away."
"It's all thanks to that kid who suddenly showed up!"
"That guy is severely injured and can't even find food; there will be plenty of opportunities later."
He Xi Qian Yu listened quietly.
"Who's there?!" One of the Ghouls suddenly turned around, his crimson Ghoul eyes flaring in the darkness, looking warily in He Xi Qian Yu's direction.
"Three of you…" He Xi Qian Yu calmly stepped out of the shadows, a cold arc forming on the corner of his mouth, "Good evening…"
…
The battle ended without suspense.
The moment Slaughter's form appeared, the three Ghouls were already scared out of their wits. They didn't even have time to release their Kagune before they were impaled by Slaughter's tentacles.
He Xi Qian Yu slightly raised his arm, and three dark red symbiotic tissue masses split off, precisely covering the fallen remains.
"I feel like you've gotten much stronger." After the split symbiotic tissue returned to his body, He Xi Qian Yu spoke. He could clearly feel that his perspective had elevated significantly during the recent possession.
"...Of course…" Slaughter's voice carried pleasure, "...The feast a few days ago… was quite fruitful…"
"...I have a premonition…"
"Hmm?"
"...Devour a few more… Ukaku…" Slaughter's voice conveyed uncontrollable excitement, "...Then I can fly…"
"Where am I supposed to find that for you?" He Xi Qian Yu rolled his eyes at the remark.
"...Your colleague… isn't she one?…"
Dark red viscous matter surged on his shoulder, slowly condensing into Slaughter's ferocious head.
Two pairs of eyes silently met in the darkness.
"...If you don't agree… then forget it…"
Slaughter smacked its fanged mouth, a hint of regret in its tone, and slowly retracted back into He Xi Qian Yu's body.
…
When He Xi Qian Yu returned to the Anteiku Coffee Shop, he found the lights on the first floor were still on.
"Kaneki is still awake?" He Xi Qian Yu was a bit surprised, "That's not like him."
Kaneki Ken usually had a very regular schedule; by his usual habits, he should have been asleep by now.
He pushed open the shop door.
He saw Kirishima Touka standing quietly, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, looking as if she had been waiting for a while.
"Still not sleeping?" He Xi Qian Yu raised an eyebrow, "Is my dear Miss Kirishima going to skip class tomorrow?"
Dong Xiang gave him an annoyed glare, then raised her hand and slapped a meticulously designed letter onto the counter in front of him.
"Look at this."
He Xi Qian Yu picked up the letter.
"To Kaneki," he read aloud, "Tonight at twenty-four o'clock, I cordially invite you to share a wonderful dinner with me. The lady with whom you conversed in the park will also be present. Let us share a beautiful time belonging only to the three of us…"
He understood. The "lady" Yue Shan Xi referred to was Nishino Kimi, and according to the plot, Nishio Nishiki would also definitely go.
There was no signature at the end of the letter, only an elegant pattern.
"It's Yue Shan Xi." Dong Xiang said coldly from the side.
He Xi Qian Yu nodded.
What surprised him was that after he had turned the Ghoul Restaurant upside down last time, Yue Shan Xi still dared to target Kaneki Ken.
Was Kaneki Ken that attractive to him?
…
"So, what are you doing here?" He Xi Qian Yu looked at Dong Xiang.
"Waiting for you." Dong Xiang replied concisely.
He Xi Qian Yu silently ignored the easily misleading phrasing.
"You can just admit that you can't beat Yue Shan Xi and need help," he spread his hands, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, "There's nothing to be ashamed of."
Dong Xiang's face suddenly turned cold.
"What's wrong?" He Xi Qian Yu looked at Dong Xiang's suddenly chilling expression, "Did I say something wro—…"
What answered him was Dong Xiang's fist.