20th Ward, in a quiet, secluded park.
After getting the autographed book, the three of them wandered here at a leisurely pace.
Attending the signing event had visibly lifted Kaneki Ken's mood, but he knew full well that Uesugi Ryu hadn't come just for something so trivial.
A trace of worry flashed across his face as he turned toward Uesugi Ryu.
"Ryu, Taguchi-san has gone missing recently."
Fueguchi Hinami noticed the sudden heaviness in the atmosphere. She looked ahead at the two walking side by side, her expression somewhat confused.
"I see. Most likely taken by Aogiri Tree. If I had to guess, she's already dead," Uesugi Ryu replied flatly.
Kaneki Ken fell silent. He knew that was inevitable. Once someone fell into the hands of ghouls, there was no chance they'd still be alive. After extracting all the information, she'd have become food.
Miss Taguchi was the nurse who'd cared for him in the hospital. They were on friendly terms. Seeing someone he knew personally suffer such a fate, Kaneki couldn't help but feel heavy-hearted.
"'Madam A' has provided some intel. She and Kanou Akihiro have been meeting occasionally at a villa. I'm planning to take a team there tomorrow."
After hearing this, Uesugi Ryu nodded lightly and added, "Once this is all confirmed, we should deal with Madam A as well. She knows far too much."
Kaneki didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked at Fueguchi Hinami, who appeared a bit lost. He smiled gently and reached out to pat her on the head.
"Hinami-chan, could you head back first? Onii-san has some important things to take care of."
Kaneki spoke softly, his tone full of care.
Fueguchi Hinami looked up at him, eyes slightly hesitant. She opened her mouth, as if to say something.
"Onii-chan..."
Kaneki quickly reassured her, "It's alright, Hinami-chan. Ryouko-san and the others are waiting for you. Hurry on back, okay?"
"Besides, your big brother is really strong now. No matter what kind of enemy I face, I'll handle it just fine!"
As he spoke, Kaneki crossed his arms confidently over his chest, wearing a bright smile.
Fueguchi Hinami looked at him with lingering worry but eventually nodded obediently.
"Okay, Onii-chan. I'll go back first… but please be careful."
She turned and walked away on her own, taking small steps toward Anteiku.
After she left, Uesugi Ryu suddenly said, "So what's your plan? There've been two Owls sighted. If my guess is right, their surname is Yoshimura."
"The manager?" Kaneki was stunned. The gentle and kind store manager didn't seem like someone who could possibly be the terrifying One-Eyed Owl.
Uesugi Ryu turned slightly, his eyes calm and direct as he stared at Kaneki.
"The CCG has already caught on. In one month at the earliest, three months at most, Anteiku will likely cease to exist."
Kaneki's heart dropped at these words, but he quickly composed himself. He took a deep breath and nodded with a solemn expression.
"Understood. I'll make sure to tell the manager everything."
"Ryu... thank you. Truly."
After he finished, Kaneki bowed deeply to Uesugi Ryu without hesitation. He knew how important this intel was, it concerned the life and death of every single person at Anteiku.
"The outcome won't change," Uesugi Ryu said. "Everyone else can run, but the manager can't. I think he's known this for a while now."
Kaneki's expression darkened. There was too much information to process, and he was having trouble keeping up.
The two of them sat down on a nearby bench.
Whether Kaneki was ready or not, Uesugi Ryu continued.
"You remember those two ghouls we met last time, right? They were my classmates back at the Academy."
"I expect we'll run into them again. I need you to do something for me."
He handed Kaneki a package.
Inside was the rice produced by Wine-Sack Rice-Bag, a rare and nourishing supplement for ghouls. At the very least, it could replenish energy and help heal wounds.
Uesugi Ryu had tested it on a willing subject.
Kaneki took the package reflexively. An incredibly tempting aroma wafted out from it.
His throat moved involuntarily as he swallowed, then asked, puzzled, "Classmates? What do you want me to do?"
"It's simple. When the time comes, give this to them. Also, have them stay with you for now."
Uesugi Ryu had no plans to bring the CCG squad with him this time.
Aogiri Tree would be going all-in. Yoshimura Eto was probably involved too. If a real fight broke out, the CCG team would just get in the way.
The Anjuku sisters had been wounded by Suzuya Juuzou in the original timeline. But Juuzou wasn't even in the 20th Ward now.
If someone had to play the villain and teach those two kids a lesson, then Uesugi Ryu would take the role himself.
Not that he actually wanted to get involved.
But having just acquired the skill Hand-to-Hand Combat Mastery, he really wanted to test it out on Kamishiro Matasaka, and kill him in the process.
He was, after all, a man who always followed through on his words.
Since he was already planning to go, he might as well settle the matter with the Anjuku sisters along the way.
The mood remained heavy. Kaneki's gaze flickered, thoughts racing as he tried to process everything.
"No need to look so grim," Uesugi Ryu suddenly said. "Have a drink with me."
With a casual flick of his hand, he pulled out two bottles of liquor from his coat as if performing a magic trick.
He wore a faint, relaxed smile on his face.
Kaneki stared in disbelief.
His mind only had one thought:
"What kind of coat is that?! How are the pockets that big?!"
Ghouls could drink alcohol. Otherwise, what was Itori running a bar for?
Right now, Kaneki was too overwhelmed to worry about legal drinking age limits.
Without hesitation, he snatched a bottle from Uesugi Ryu and chugged a huge mouthful.
But this was his first time drinking. Even though it was just a light cocktail, it still hit him hard.
"Cough! Cough, cough...!"
He choked and coughed violently, face turning bright red, eyes watering.
A few drops of the drink slipped from the corner of his mouth and soaked into his clothes.
Uesugi Ryu looked at his sorry state and couldn't hold it back any longer. He burst out laughing.
Hearing his laughter, Kaneki couldn't help but chuckle too. He shook his head and took another small sip.
He thought to himself, "Hmm... Actually, it tastes kinda nice."
Just then, a sharp ringtone suddenly cut through the moment.
Uesugi Ryu stopped laughing and smoothly pulled out his phone.
On the other end came Mado Akira's slightly urgent voice.
"Cochlea has been breached by ghouls. Ryu, where are you right now?"
Uesugi Ryu's expression didn't change. He looked around calmly before replying.
"20th Ward. A park near Tero Elementary."
"Got it. We're on our way now."
Mado Akira hung up right after speaking.
Uesugi Ryu slowly lowered the phone, turned to Kaneki, and raised his bottle to clink it lightly against Kaneki's.
"Let's leave it at that. Take this home and drink it slowly. Don't end up passed out on the street."
He tilted his head back and finished his drink in one go.
"Alright. Time to work. See you later."
With that, he stood up and headed toward the roadside.
Kaneki nodded and also turned back toward Anteiku, bottle in hand.
"So weird... Is it just because I had some alcohol?"
"Why does my body feel... so warm?"
He muttered to himself while continuing down the path.
A soft breeze swept through the park, but it did little to cool him down.