Uesugi Ryu did not reply to Kaneki Ken's message, cell phones were things that couldn't withstand scrutiny. Once checked, they would give him away.
Ever since Kaneki Ken had become a ghoul, Uesugi Ryu had always disguised himself during their interactions. Even when he went to Anteiku, he had made sure to avoid surveillance.
Officially, his last contact with Kaneki Ken was at Kanou General Hospital. After all, if Kaneki's identity as a ghoul were exposed, it would bring trouble to Uesugi Ryu.
He wasn't some ordinary student like Nagachika Hideyoshi, he was an active Investigator.
Having a ghoul by his side without noticing would be, at the very least, questionable. It might not amount to dereliction of duty, but it would certainly prompt an investigation.
After feeding the contents of the pot to Mephisto, Uesugi Ryu turned on the television and sat on the sofa, a pensive look on his face.
From here on, things would no longer proceed according to the original plot. He needed to think carefully about what role he would play in the events to come..
Repelling the One-Eyed Owl and defending Cochlea, along with providing critical intelligence, these merits would be enough to promote him to Associate Special Class Investigator.
In theory, a promotion was a good thing.
But what gave him pause was that Investigators at or above the Associate Special Class level couldn't be freely reassigned.
His freedom would become somewhat restricted.
As he pondered these things, three or four cups of wine quietly slid down his throat.
The wine brewed by Wine-Sack Rice-Bag had a flavor somewhat similar to low-alcohol cocktails upon the first sip.
But upon closer tasting, one could discern its unique and peculiar aftertaste.
Before drinking even about 250g of it, Uesugi Ryu was already feeling waves of intoxication washing over him, his head growing a bit foggy.
He lazily yawned and cast a drowsy gaze toward Mephisto, who was happily devouring his meal. Looking at Mephisto, a faint smile crept onto Uesugi Ryu's lips.
Mephisto, deeply engrossed in his gourmet feast, didn't notice Uesugi Ryu's gaze. Overwhelmed by drowsiness, Uesugi Ryu eventually stumbled back to his room and fell into a deep sleep.
Since arriving in this unfamiliar world, Uesugi Ryu had never touched a single drop of alcohol.
Perhaps it was because of long-suppressed emotions finally finding release, or perhaps it was the unique appeal of the wine that rendered him momentarily unable to restrain himself, he got just a bit too indulgent.
If it had been the past, with his typically cautious personality, he never would've let himself go like this.
In this ghoul-infested world filled with danger, a persistent sense of unease always lingered in his bones.
He had grown into the habit of sleeping lightly and even setting up simple warning mechanisms around the house.
But things were different now.
With Mephisto by his side, his nerves had relaxed slightly. This pet, absolutely loyal to him, was something no artificial alarm system could compare to.
Buzz-
His phone vibrated faintly and a message flashed on the lock screen.
...
Anteiku.
The old-fashioned wooden door had a sign hanging on it that read "closed" in English, clearly indicating that the café was not open for any business.
Uesugi Ryu walked up to the door and paused for a moment, his gaze resting on the sign with a faint trace of sentiment in his eyes.
Then, he gently pushed the door open. Accompanied by the soft creak of the door's hinges, the familiar jingling of a bell suddenly rang out.
Behind the counter, Kaneki Ken, who was focused on brewing coffee, and Nagachika Hideyoshi, seated at the bar, both looked up simultaneously and turned their heads toward the door.
"Ryu-!" x2
Uesugi Ryu walked in slowly. The shop contained only the three of them. Kaneki Ken, busy preparing coffee, looked every bit the part of a shop owner.
He looked at Kaneki and found that the black hair was gone, replaced by that iconic white.
No wonder people say pain is the worst hairdresser ever, it only knows how to dye everything white, no matter the client.
Today, Kaneki wasn't wearing his eyepatch. His Kakugan, black sclera with a crimson iris, was fully exposed to Uesugi Ryu.
Nagachika Hideyoshi wore a rather complex expression. He lowered his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the steaming cup of coffee in front of him.
The cappuccino gave off an alluring aroma, identical to how it had smelled in his memories.
At that moment, Uesugi Ryu walked over to an empty chair and sat down quietly. His voice broke the short silence.
"Long time no see, Kaneki."
Kaneki Ken nodded in response, then smiled and asked, "Ah, Ryu, do you still want a latte?"
As he spoke, he began to skillfully prepare a latte.
However, Uesugi Ryu waved his hand and replied, "Forget it. Just give me a cappuccino today."
"What happened? Your hair?" Uesugi Ryu asked.
Kaneki showed a hint of surprise before grabbing another container to steam the milk foam needed for a cappuccino.
"I spent a few days in the 24th Ward. Nothing major." His tone was calm, as if he had just been on vacation.
"By the way, the gift you gave me last time saved my life multiple times, I still haven't had the chance to thank you properly…"
Upon hearing this, Uesugi Ryu gave a knowing nod, then directly asked, "What do you plan to do next?"
At this point, Kaneki Ken's strength had definitely surpassed that of his original timeline.
Two vials of RC cell concentrate, plus a period of cannibalism in the 24th Ward, Kaneki was now at least close to a Half-Kakuja. He had at least SS-class power, if not more.
"I want to seek the truth. Also... I want to understand what kind of person Rize-san really was."
Kaneki Ken looked contemplative. He had been pondering this question for quite some time.
"Is that so? Kanou Akihiro was once a coroner for the CCG." Uesugi Ryu said calmly. "Everything was his doing. If you find him, that will be enough."
Uesugi Ryu didn't feel like tiptoeing around the matter, he plainly laid out the intel on Kanou Akihiro.
Kaneki's hand paused for a second. He had suspected Kanou too, but he hadn't expected Uesugi Ryu to reveal such critical information so directly.
With a sigh, Kaneki said, "So Ryu and Hide had noticed all along, huh?"
Uesugi Ryu and Nagachika Hideyoshi exchanged a glance and chuckled in unison.
Nagachika Hideyoshi, a bit casual in demeanor, said, "Idiot Kaneki. If you can't even fool me, how do you expect to fool someone like Ryu, who's an Investigator?"
He raised his cup and took a light sip of the steaming cappuccino.
"But I'm really happy you were honest with me. As your closest friend, that means a lot."
Looking at the two of them, Kaneki also broke into a broad smile. The anxiety and restlessness he had been feeling completely disappeared.
Uesugi Ryu accepted the cappuccino Kaneki handed him and continued, "Kanou Akihiro has been continuously creating half-ghouls. He definitely isn't in the hospital anymore."
"To carry out those kinds of experiments, he'd need a huge amount of raw material. The only places that could supply that would be the ghoul auction or ghoul restaurants."
As he spoke, he pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket. On it was a string of unfamiliar numbers.