"What on earth is this…"
Seeing this scene, Kaneki, who was sitting in a corner, froze completely. A trace of confusion flickered in his eyes.
Because of his introverted nature, he had never had many friends since childhood. Thankfully, with Hide's companionship, he wasn't completely alone.
But that still didn't change his shy personality. His greatest hobby was reading. Whenever he had free time, he would visit a café called Anteiku to drink coffee.
The atmosphere there was quiet and peaceful, no one would disturb him, and the coffee wasn't expensive. Kaneki had always liked this place.
Until one day, the arrival of Rize changed everything.
She was an elegant, noble, intellectual beauty, wearing glasses, with a beautiful head of long purple hair.
When Kaneki first saw her, he was stunned. He realized instantly — it was love at first sight. From that day on, he secretly harbored feelings for Rize in his heart.
So he began observing her from afar. When he discovered that she came to Anteiku almost every day, he increased the frequency of his own visits too.
Then one day, when he saw this beautiful woman holding a book written by Sen Takatsuki — Black Goat's Egg — he couldn't hold back anymore.
Kaneki loved reading, but since he had no friends, he had no one to share or discuss books with. He always buried all his thoughts deep inside.
So when he realized that this stunning woman also enjoyed Takatsuki's novels, his heart raced with excitement.
Gathering his courage, he decided that today he would finally try to talk to Rize.
Even if they couldn't become lovers, at least having a fellow book friend would be good enough.
But today, when he arrived, he noticed something unusual about her.
Though still gentle and intellectual as always, she kept glancing at the entrance, her beautiful eyes flashing with a hint of impatience, as if waiting for someone.
Just as Kaneki was thinking this, the door swung open.
A handsome young man with white hair and red eyes walked in.
In an instant, Kaneki's attention was drawn to him. His appearance was far too rare, too unusual —almost like cosplay.
And most importantly — he was incredibly handsome. His entire presence exuded a unique aura that made it impossible not to notice him.
Kaneki found himself stealing a few more glances.
After greeting the blue-haired girl at the counter, the white-haired boy naturally sat down across from Rize.
Kaneki instantly held his breath.
Rize didn't show the slightest objection. Instead, she smiled warmly and gracefully — like a caring older sister next door.
Kaneki had never once seen her smile like that before.
What shocked him more was that the impatience in her demeanor vanished the moment this boy arrived.
When Kaneki saw the two of them chatting and laughing, about to lean in for a kiss, his heart exploded. He froze where he sat, completely dumbfounded.
And it was then that Hayashi noticed him sitting in the corner.
After staring at him for a moment, Hayashi quickly recognized who he was.
'Kaneki is here too?'
He was a little surprised, but not shocked. After all, Kaneki was secretly in love with Rize during this period — whenever he had free time, he would come to Anteiku just to peek at her.
He must have missed yesterday because something came up.
"What's wrong?"
Noticing his expression shift, Rize's eyes flashed with curiosity.
"Nothing, I just got distracted."
Hayashi shook his head, regaining his calm.
Kaneki must have been crushed, seeing the woman he adored openly flirting with someone else.
Hayashi felt a little guilty, but he also thought this was for the best. At least Kaneki wouldn't have to worry about being eaten alive by Rize. In a way, he had just saved Kaneki's life.
They say saving one life is better than building a seven-tiered pagoda. That made him quite the good guy, right?
As he watched the two of them smiling sweetly together, Kaneki's expression cracked wide open.
He looked devastated, as if his world had collapsed.
After all, he had been secretly admiring Rize for so long, never once imagining she had a boyfriend. And now, out of nowhere, this white-haired stranger appeared and stole her away.
Still, even with his heart in ruins, Kaneki tried to comfort himself.
"Maybe I'm misunderstanding. Perhaps they're just close friends… not necessarily what I think."
That thought gave him a small sliver of comfort.
But the next second, the two delivered a critical blow.
"By the way, Hayashi, do you have plans this afternoon?" Rize asked casually after sipping her coffee. "If not, why don't we go out for dinner tonight? I've heard that going on a date is the best way for two people to truly get to know each other. Maybe afterward, we'll understand each other even better."
As she spoke, she licked her plump red lips, her beautiful eyes flashing with hunger.
"Sure, sounds good." Hayashi nodded without hesitation. He didn't have anything else to do that afternoon, and he did want to get to know Rize better.
Date? Getting to know each other?
The moment Kaneki heard those words, his barely recovered state of mind collapsed again.
He couldn't believe it. That gentle, beautiful woman — already had a boyfriend?
With a sigh, Kaneki gave up the idea of approaching her.
"Then I'll see you tonight. I need to take care of a few things first" Hayashi said, taking a sip of coffee.
"Then tonight it is. I should head home too, otherwise I'll be starving later" Rize replied with a faint blush, gently touching her lips before standing up gracefully.
After paying her bill at the counter, she left.
Once she was gone, Hayashi walked over to Kaneki's corner.
"What are you going to do?" Kaneki asked nervously, shrinking back.
"Relax, I mean no harm" Hayashi said with a helpless smile.
Was he really that scary? Did he look like some villain?
"I just wanted to talk about the book in your hands."
He pointed at the copy of Black Goat's Egg.
"My book?" Kaneki blinked.
"Yes, if I'm not mistaken, that's by Sen Takatsuki, isn't it?"
Hayashi nodded, a glimmer of interest in his eyes.
"You like Takatsuki's works too?"
At the mention of his favorite author, Kaneki instantly perked up.
"Yes, I've always admired Sen Takatsuki's writing."
Hayashi nodded, though in his mind flashed the image of a certain green-haired girl. Truthfully, what he liked wasn't her books — but the person herself.
"Her prose is so detailed, especially when she describes tragedies—it cuts deep into the heart. And then there's…"
Once Kaneki started talking about novels and Takatsuki, he couldn't stop.
"Unfortunately, I missed her last fan signing. I had class that day. By the time I arrived, the bookstore was already closed…" he said with a sigh, looking utterly dejected.
"I happen to have a signed copy of her book. Take it—it's yours" Hayashi said, pulling out the copy he had gotten before and handing it over.
"A signed copy?!"
Kaneki's eyes lit up as if he had found a treasure.
"But… if you give it to me, what about you?"
Kaneki hesitated, looking torn.
"I've already read it many times. Besides, you're clearly a bigger fan than me. It belongs with you."
Hayashi shook his head with a sincere look.
Of course, that was a lie — he hadn't even read a single page. The book had just been collecting dust in a corner since he got it.
"But this is…" Kaneki still wavered.
"No buts. I'm giving it to you—take it."
Without letting him refuse, Hayashi shoved the book into his hands.
"…Thank you. You're really a good person" Kaneki said, dazed, before gratitude welled in his eyes.
"Yeah, keep it safe. Think of it as a small compensation from me."
Looking at Kaneki's pure, innocent eyes, Hayashi suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
He had stolen his goddess — yet Kaneki was thanking him. Honestly, that felt pretty damn awkward.