"Then... Touka-san."
At Touka's request, Byakuya immediately changed how he addressed her.
"And... how exactly do you see me?"
Touka pressed Byakuya for an answer.
Having nearly lost her comrades this time had changed her somewhat.
She had become bolder and more direct. Now she could face her own feelings honestly.
Like was like. Dislike was dislike.
She didn't want to wait until the day she truly lost someone before suddenly regretting it.
Though at this moment, Touka still couldn't be completely bold and direct—the blush on her face had deepened even more.
"Well, naturally, as a very important comrade."
Byakuya responded in a joking tone.
"..."
Hearing this, displeasure immediately showed on Touka's face. Clearly, this wasn't the answer she wanted.
"I was just kidding."
Only then did Byakuya smile and speak seriously. "I like you, Touka-san. That's why I went to such lengths to protect everyone."
"That's more like it..."
Touka muttered softly.
Her face flushed as she lowered her head, momentarily too embarrassed to meet Byakuya's gaze.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally beforehand, she still hadn't expected to feel this flustered when actually facing this moment.
Just then, Irimi keenly noticed the word "everyone."
She tentatively asked Byakuya, "I'm also a bit curious about how Amaha-san sees me?"
"I like you too."
Byakuya answered candidly and concisely.
"..."
Irimi fell silent for a moment.
Just as she had suspected.
"?"
A question mark seemed to appear above Touka's head.
"And what about Koma-san and Manager Yoshimura?"
Irimi continued asking.
"I like them all."
Byakuya continued to answer.
"Come on, Amaha-san. Even the 'Devil Ape' can get embarrassed, you know."
Koma laughed and scratched his head.
"..."
Yoshimura just smiled without saying anything.
"Honestly..."
Irimi sighed.
That's not the kind of answer Touka was hoping for...
"..."
Sure enough, Touka's expression had become somewhat strange.
But what Byakuya said was the truth. If he didn't like Anteiku, he wouldn't have gone to such trouble to help them.
It was just that... the meaning of "like" might not be the "like" that Touka wanted.
"...Forget it."
Touka sighed softly. No matter how much of a temper she had, she wouldn't get angry at Byakuya—after all, he had just saved everyone at Anteiku.
"Anyway, I've made myself clear. From now on, call me 'Touka.' And... I like you! That's all. Goodbye."
With that, Touka fled as if escaping.
She was too embarrassed to stay any longer—Irimi-san, Koma-san, and the Manager were all watching!
"My, my~"
Koma sighed with feeling. "It's good to be young."
"Did you hear that, Amaha-san? Your answer should have been like Touka's."
Irimi teased Byakuya.
"Haha..."
Byakuya gave an awkward laugh.
He thought to himself that he had now thoroughly become a "scumbag." But fortunately, this was the alternate world of Tokyo Ghoul. Surely it didn't matter... right?
But regardless, he would definitely take responsibility.
...
Once Manager Yoshimura and the others had mostly recovered from their injuries, they began preparing to rebuild the coffee shop, renaming it ":re."
The chosen location was still in Ward 20, but definitely not in the same spot where the original Anteiku had been.
The old Anteiku had been sealed off by the CCG and would be under investigation for some time.
However, all the documents from Anteiku's interior had already been organized and disposed of by Irimi, so now it was simply an empty shop with no investigative value.
There was also one difference from the original story. In canon, Ken Kaneki had been an Anteiku employee. Shinohara and Suzuya had visited Anteiku while investigating Kaneki's connection to the "Gourmet," which meant they had seen the Manager, Touka, and the others' true faces.
But in Byakuya's world, Kaneki had no connection to the Gourmet, so Shinohara and Suzuya never investigated Anteiku. As a result, to this day, the CCG still didn't know what the Non-Killing Owl actually looked like.
The only concern might be how the Washuu would view the rebuilt ":re"—whether they would try to hunt down Yoshimura or something else. Byakuya would decide on countermeasures based on the specific situation when the time came.
For now, it was time to bring back Roma Hoito, Hinami Fueguchi, and the others who had been in hiding.
He just didn't know if Roma had already run off. In the original story, she had disappeared without a trace after Anteiku was raided by the CCG and never showed up at the rebuilt ":re."
Byakuya followed Yomo to the "evacuation point."
Yomo had taken everyone to Ward 4 to hide, since this was indeed the safest and most reliable place for him.
"Yomo-san! Byakuya-niichan!"
Finally seeing Byakuya and Yomo, the long-anxious Hinami immediately called out.
Mayu, Ryouko Fueguchi, Washuu Chika, and Roma Hoito were all here as well. Since they hadn't gone outside, they still didn't know what had happened to Anteiku.
"Amaha-kun, how is Anteiku? Is the Manager okay...?"
Ryouko asked worriedly.
She had already mentally prepared herself for the worst...
"They're all fine. Though they suffered varying degrees of injury, they've mostly recovered by now."
Byakuya responded.
"That's wonderful!"
Ryouko immediately relaxed.
Hinami was even more delighted. "Did you save them, Oniichan?"
She had learned from Yomo that the CCG was deploying almost all their forces against Anteiku. She had worried that the Manager and the others might be in grave danger and guessed that her brother had helped everyone again.
"Yes. According to the Manager and the others, Amaha-san's appearance completely turned the tide of the entire battlefield."
Yomo spoke gravely. "Without Amaha-san, Irimi-san, Koma-san, and the Manager might all have..."
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"