The quiet inside Anteiku was shattered the moment Renji Yomo walked through the door.
"Touka, what happened just now?" he asked sharply, scanning the café.
Touka stood behind the counter, arms crossed. "Aogiri Tree sent a few of their people here. Ayato was with them."
Yomo's expression darkened at the mention of his nephew's name.
"But Kanzaki handled it," she added. "They've all been driven off."
Yoshimura Kuzen stepped forward, voice calm but firm. "Ryoma-kun, thank you. You protected Anteiku when we needed it most."
Ryoma stood quietly, arms at his side, giving a small nod. "It's nothing."
Touka glanced between the store manager and Ryoma, surprised the manager had spoken so openly. "Manager, he's…"
She trailed off, unsure how to explain Ryoma's identity as a CCG investigator without casting suspicion. But then again, this wasn't just any Dove. Ryoma had saved her life. Saved Hinami and Ryoko. He was… different.
Yoshimura offered a knowing smile, already reading her hesitation.
It was clear. Touka trusted him now.
And so did Yoshimura.
The manager had known long before today that Ryoma wasn't blind to the truth of Anteiku. Yet, he had never acted like the others from CCG. He hadn't tried to expose them. He stood between them and the blades of their enemies.
Touka, remembering the earlier confrontation, thought back to what Ayato and Nico had said. Rize had been outed as a dangerous ghoul. Ryoma had heard it all. And yet, he hadn't blinked. He just sat there, unmoved. Calm.
What's going on between those two?
The thought unsettled her, but she stayed quiet.
Yoshimura spoke again. "Ryoma-kun, Anteiku is full of ghouls. Does that not make you uncomfortable?"
Ryoma shook his head with a faint smile. "Not at all. If people can coexist, then that's what matters."
"Then you're always welcome here. Come have a coffee anytime."
Renji Yomo gave a slight nod of agreement.
"I believe it now," Touka said, smiling lightly. "You really are nothing like the other Doves. Come by whenever you like."
Ryoma's answer came simply. "Of course."
—
11th Ward, Aogiri Base
The bin brothers moved quickly through the abandoned building, supporting a bloodied Kirishima Ayato between them. Nico was nowhere to be seen.
Inside the base, the atmosphere was grim. Ghouls in matching crimson cloaks sat silently, resting or sharpening their blades. Skull-like masks covered their faces.
Against the far wall stood three figures. Tatara, the towering presence of command, sat calmly in a chair. Beside him loomed the silent and hulking Noro. At the base of the wall sat a small figure wrapped in bloodstained white bandages: Eto.
Tatara's gaze locked on Ayato as the younger ghoul limped in.
"You didn't bring the target back," he said without raising his voice.
Ayato's breathing was ragged. His wounds were closing, but slowly.
"I found her," he said through clenched teeth. "But I was stopped. It was the Dove who killed Yamori. I couldn't beat him."
Tatara narrowed his eyes. "The one who took out Yamori…"
A pause.
"I see. Then there's no helping it."
He didn't scold Ayato. He didn't need to. This was simply confirmation of something he and Eto had suspected for some time.
They knew about the boy.
They'd looked into him after Yamori's death and after Rize's name kept resurfacing. His strength. His ties. His unusual neutrality. Eto had thought him interesting from the start.
"Change of plans," Tatara said, rising from the chair. "Capturing Rize can wait. We move forward as planned. The others are waiting."
He turned to Noro.
"Hold the front. The CCG's about to mobilize on this ward."
Noro nodded silently.
Tatara, Eto, and a squad of elite ghouls would leave soon for their next mission.
Their target: Cochlea. The ghoul prison in the 23rd Ward.
The operation was set. While the CCG focused all their power here in the 11th Ward, Aogiri would strike at the heart of their stronghold.
This was the real plan: a feint, a distraction.
The remaining team—Ayato, the bin brothers, Noro would hold the line.
Tatara left without further words. Eto followed, barefoot and silent, eyes gleaming behind the bandages.
Ayato sat quietly, surrounded by whispers of failure.
He wasn't punished, but the sting was there.
Worse than defeat, he couldn't understand.
His sister—Touka was the kind to believe in peace. That much he knew.
But why would she trust a Dove?
And that Dove… why hadn't he tried to destroy Anteiku?
Why had he protected Rize?
None of it made sense.
Ayato clenched his fists.
He had never met a Dove like that.
And that scared him.
***
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