Anteiku Café.
At a time of utter stillness, darkness shrouded the interior of the café. Yoshimura Kuzen stood alone on the balcony, as if waiting for something.
A shadow flashed past, Kamishiro Matasaka, dressed in a martial arts training gi, silently appeared on the balcony.
"It's been a long time, Kuzen."
Logically speaking, Kamishiro Matasaka should've visited his old friend Yoshimura Kuzen long ago after escaping from Cochlea. But with Yoshimura Eto heavily injured and Tatara also in bad shape, the only real fighting power left in Aogiri Tree was Matasaka and Noro.
He had been quietly taking care of Yoshimura Eto according to a promise made with Kuzen. Only now did he finally find time to come.
Seeing his longtime friend again, a trace of nostalgia flashed in Yoshimura Kuzen's eyes.
Kamishiro Matasaka didn't waste time with pleasantries. He cut straight to the point.
"Kuzen, I want to ask you to help me rescue Rize."
Yoshimura Kuzen nodded lightly, asking no further questions. It was an agreement made long ago between the two of them.
"I understand."
"But," he continued, "there is an investigator I hope you'll be cautious of. He's very strong, if you encounter him, avoid him."
As he spoke, Yoshimura Kuzen took out a photo from his pocket.
The photo showed a hamburger shop in the background, with three people in the frame. Uesugi Ryu was seated by the window, it was an old photo he had taken with Kaneki Ken and Nagachika Hideyoshi.
Kamishiro Matasaka took the photo. The familiar figure caused a flicker of realization to cross his eyes.
"That kid, I saw him in Cochlea last time. Physically, he's ridiculously strong. He must be one of Washuu's hounds!"
With his monstrous physicality, Matasaka was certain Uesugi Ryu was a half-human without a doubt.
He sneered dismissively.
"He's just a brat with strength but no control."
Yoshimura Kuzen saw this and understood what he was thinking. He shook his head.
"He's not a half-human. He's a pure human. That much, I'm sure of."
Kamishiro Matasaka frowned.
How could a pure human possess that kind of terrifying physique?
He pondered silently: Was it that strange armor that gave him his power...?
Yoshimura Kuzen continued, "His name is Uesugi Ryu. He knows my true identity. He's not affiliated with the Washuu family, just a ghoul investigator doing his job."
Kamishiro Matasaka raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.
"That so? Well, it was him who seriously injured your daughter Eto at Cochlea last time. She looked badly hurt."
Yoshimura Kuzen fell silent upon hearing this. He had already heard from Yotsume that Uesugi Ryu was strong, but he hadn't expected him to be capable of injuring Eto.
As for Uesugi Ryu's neutral stance toward Antique, Kuzen understood, it had much to do with Kaneki Ken.
Kamishiro Matasaka's expression became serious.
"I understand. I'll be cautious. I'm leaving Rize in your hands."
"I'll send you the detailed information tomorrow."
With that, he turned and leapt into the night.
"Eto..."
A shadow passed over Yoshimura Kuzen's face as he let out a long sigh.
His time was running short.
He only hoped Kaneki Ken could become the bridge between humans and ghouls, and put an end to the endless cycle of slaughter and revenge.
Elsewhere..
Uesugi Ryu sat on the sofa, a rather special-looking suitcase placed in front of him.
It was no ordinary case: black as a base, adorned with intricate golden patterns.
Inside was the SSS-class quinque made from Yoshimura Eto's kakuhou, Elegy, a thin, sharp broadsword.
He reached out and gently stroked the cool surface of the case, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes.
Uesugi Ryu didn't care for flashy, convoluted weapon features. No need for ranged defense, or other gimmicks.
A weapon only needed to be sharp. That was all he ever needed.
His combat style had always been about raw force, strength that made bricks fly.
Besides, those so-called extra functions often became pointless when facing true powerhouses.
He already had enough skills. Adding more functions to his weapon would only become a burden.
Nearly three weeks had passed, and the effects of the Wine-Sack Rice-Bag had fully manifested.
After all, he'd been eating it four times a day.
+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, just one rare C-rank item had given Uesugi Ryu four attribute points.
The only downside was that the Wine-Sack Rice-Bag had no effect beyond 15 points of physical strength, so his speed had shown no progress.
---
[Character Status Screen]
Name: Uesugi Ryu
Race: Human (Pending)
Power Rank: SS (Base stats only; weapons and skills excluded)
Strength: 15 (SS)
Speed: 17 (SS+)
Constitution: 14 (A+) (+1 from equipment)
Intelligence: 13 (S+) (Each point equals 10 Mana)
Mana Pool: 700 (Regenerates 21/hour)
Health: 240
Innate Skill: Soul Devour (Awakening: 47/100)
Skills:
C-rank: Blood Frenzy
D-rank: Phantom Clone, Instant Step
E-rank: Hand-to-Hand Combat Mastery, Hand of God
Energy: 11/100
Remaining Draw Chances: 0
Inventory:
C-rank rare item: Wine-Sack Rice-Bag
D-rank item: Pharmacist's "Treasure"
SSS-rank quinque: Elegy
S+ quinque: Jason (x2)
A-rank quinque: Destroyer
A-rank quinque: Sakikage
B-rank quinque: Viper
Tranquilizer
3D Maneuver Gear
---
"Kamishiro Matasaka... Eto...those two will likely be there."
"As for the rest, I'll have Mephisto scout the area first."
Uesugi Ryu shut his eyes, carefully planning the next day's operation.
Among the Clowns, the ones worth paying attention to were "The Priest" and Hoito Roma.
Currently, he had no problem facing one SSS-class Ghoul, but if two attacked at once, things could get tricky.
Hoito Roma's strength was hard to gauge. In the manga, she was taken down solo by Urie Kuki, which made her somewhat ambiguous.
But knowing her chaotic personality, Uesugi Ryu was confident she wouldn't fight head-on. She'd probably just sit back and enjoy the show.
His new armor wasn't finished yet.
Kouitsu Chigyou wasn't a miracle worker. Forging this SSS-class quinque had already taken him a tremendous amount of time.
Mainly because Uesugi Ryu insisted on nothing but sharpness, no bells and whistles.
Kouitsu Chigyou had to focus solely on maximizing cutting power, wracking his brain to figure out how to push sharpness to the extreme.
"Kanou Akihiro..."
As for how to deal with Kanou, Uesugi Ryu felt conflicted.
Kanou Akihiro was undoubtedly a first-class monster, but his scientific expertise was undeniable.
Most of the advanced ghoul technologies had stemmed from his work.
While his experiments were cruel, the results had undeniably benefited many humans.
"If I killed him," Uesugi Ryu mused with a faint smile, "Eto and Furuta would probably go insane."
Strangely enough, for a story filled with battle, the one who decided the fate of the world was a frail scientist with no combat ability.
Half-ghouls, Dragonification, the Dragon's Rejected Children, the Quinx surgeries, Kanou was involved in them all.
He laid the most solid foundation for the entire ghoul technology tree.
You could even call him the founding father of ghoul science, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration.