As for Ryuji and Touka Kirishima, during this period of time together, they hadn't become close. This didn't mean that Ryuji suddenly ignored Touka after his passion cooled down; he simply wasn't deliberately trying to get closer to her.
Although they hadn't grown any closer, their conversations gradually increased, and their relationship naturally improved compared to before. In private, Ryuji also took the opportunity to secretly hold Touka's hand, or engage in wall-sitting (walling her in) or kissing her. However, all these actions were actively avoided by Touka, and Ryuji had no intention of forcing her. So, their relationship neither gained mutual acknowledgment nor made any real progress or breakthroughs.
Meanwhile, after about a month, Ryuji received his first meager salary from working at the antique coffee shop. The salary wasn't enough to buy a phone, so he only bought a cheap electronic watch to tell the time.
As for the remaining money, it could only be kept aside for emergencies.
Another half month or so passed, and Kaneki Ken, who had organ transplants from Rei Shindai, had been discharged from the hospital. Under the influence of Rei Shindai's organs, Kaneki Ken's body had already become like that of a {Ghoul}. During this period after being discharged, Kaneki Ken's taste buds had become unable to accept any human food.
At first, after hearing the doctor's analysis, Kanekia Ken thought it was just post-surgical complications that would pass soon, but gradually, he realized it was not just a complication. He had actually turned into a {Ghoul}.
Because of extreme hunger, his {Ghoul} Kagune (predatory eye) manifested, but only one of his eyes revealed the {Ghoul} eye; the other remained normal. It's unclear whether only one eye experienced a mutation or if both eyes would change.
Kaneki Ken also looked in the mirror and saw the difference in that one eye. At that moment, he realized he had transformed into a {Ghoul}—it wasn't just a post-surgical complication that prevented him from eating normally.
Knowing he had become a {Ghoul}, Kaneki Ken couldn't accept it. For someone who was human in his previous life, turning into a {Ghoul} was something he had never imagined. He had thought about being eaten by a {Ghoul}, but he had never thought that a human could turn into a {Ghoul}. It felt like a cruel joke from the heavens. Kaneki Ken felt that even if he told others the truth, no one would believe it.
So, he didn't dare tell his close friend, Eiri Nagachika. Kaneki Ken didn't want his friend to think that the person he had been playing with for over ten years was actually a {Ghoul}. As a result, Kaneki Ken's silence had already accumulated a pile of calls and messages from Eiri Nagachika, all expressing concern.
For a period of time, Kaneki Ken, starving, instinctively sneaked out at night and wandered the streets. Whenever he saw a living person passing by him, he had the urge to kill them.
Because it wasn't his strong human nature restraining him—his last stubbornness as a human—Kaneki Ken was probably already on the verge of attacking humans.
It was during this aimless wandering that Kaneki Ken suddenly caught a whiff of food in an alley. The smell immediately invigorated him, making him feel energized. Because of that aroma, Kaneki Ken thought it was very similar to the delicious dishes his mother used to cook.
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