After returning to the 20th Ward, Touka Kirishima, though eager to get to her destination, first secretly escorted Yoriko Kosaka home. Thanks to the arrival of a certain "Binge Eater," the 20th Ward had not been peaceful lately. It wasn't just the Binge Eater's reckless feeding; many other Ghouls were taking advantage of the chaos to hunt more openly. The nights had become quite dangerous for ordinary humans.

Touka looked up at the inky black sky, then, clutching her school bag and the takeout bag, she walked with light steps to the front of a coffee shop named 'Anteiku'. She pushed open the glass door, and the bell attached to it chimed brightly.

"Touka-chan?"

Inside the shop, a mature woman with a marunage hairstyle, wearing a suit vest, was drawn by the sound. "What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" It was Irimi Kaya. She wasn't supposed to be working tonight, but Touka had asked to switch shifts with her earlier.

"No thanks. I brought back something good. Are the Manager and Yomo-san here?" Touka asked, lifting the bag in her hand like an excited child eager to share a discovery. She scanned the shop; at this hour, there were only four or five customers, a mix of humans and Ghouls.

"The Manager and Yomo aren't here. What did you bring back? Why did you call for them?" a slightly chubby man with light-colored hair, a broad nose, and a slicked-back hairstyle asked from behind the counter. He had just served a customer a coffee and sandwich. Koma Enji looked curiously at the bag in Touka's hand.

Because the food had gone cold, the light had faded. All he could see were a few ordinary-looking sandwich wrappers. Koma's expression immediately turned strange. Bits of people? he thought. What's so great about that? Is it especially fresh? But he didn't think Touka would bring something like that out in the open here. He couldn't figure it out.

Irimi was just as confused, a puzzled look on her face. The other customers in the coffee shop overheard the conversation and glanced over, but lost interest when they saw the plain takeout bag.

"I've brought back a delicacy that will subvert your imagination and understanding," Touka declared, her eyes shining with an unusual brightness, her voice high with excitement. "It might even change our future!" She wasn't normally like this, but she was just too excited tonight. Ever since she had tasted Ryohei's cooking, she had been in a state of euphoric agitation.

"Anyway, let's wait until the Manager and Yomo get here." Touka turned the 'Open' sign on the glass door to 'Closed' and then headed upstairs to the break room.

Irimi and Koma exchanged a look, their faces a mixture of bewilderment, confusion, and a flicker of curiosity.

"What's with her tonight? What kind of 'delicacy' did she bring back that could 'change our future'?"

"I have no idea."

"..."

Even with their wildest imaginations, they could never have guessed that Touka had brought back human food that Ghouls could eat. Because "Ghouls cannot eat human food" was one of the great ironclad rules of their existence.

Ota Ward.

Ryohei's business was still booming. There were even more customers tonight than the past few days; his reputation was clearly spreading. Just like how Touka and her friend had come all the way from the 20th Ward to find him.

Speaking of which, Ryohei wondered, where are we in the Ghoul storyline? He had thought about it before but lacked enough information to make a guess. Now, seeing Touka in her school uniform, casually hanging out with her human friend, he figured it had to be early in the series. The main plot might not have even started yet.

"What's wrong?" On the way back to the apartment, Yurine looked over at Ryohei. "You seem a little distracted tonight. Is it because of that Ghoul?"

"Yeah," Ryohei nodded. He looked at the petite goth-loli. "What's your take on Ghouls, Yurine?" He had been surprised that she hadn't attacked Touka tonight.

"I watch them while standing up."

Ryohei: "..."

"Just kidding." A small smile graced Yurine's lips. She looked out at the bustling nightscape, seeming to gather her thoughts. "A while ago," she began, "I saw a Ghoul mother fighting to the death to protect her child from CCG Investigators. It was a brutal scene."

"..." Ryohei was stunned, immediately thinking of Hinami's mother from the original story.

"That moment… it made me waver," Yurine continued. "I used to think that Ghouls were the natural enemies of humans, that they should all be exterminated. But like you said, we can't choose how we're born. As Ghouls, they can't choose other food. They can't just starve to death. And I've heard that there are some Ghouls who only survive by scavenging human corpses… from suicide hotspots or accident sites."

She paused, then turned to look directly at Ryohei. "So, as long as they don't show any malice toward humans in front of me—or if they only show malice towards people who don't seem like good people themselves—I'll turn a blind eye."

"Hmm… I think our values are pretty well-aligned," Ryohei said, holding up a fist. While his own views were shaped by the god-like perspective of having watched Tokyo Ghoul, the end result was the same.

"..." Yurine paused for a moment, then made her own small fist and gently bumped it against his.

At the front of the cart, Jashin-chan glanced back, saw the gesture, and then turned her eyes back to the road.

20th Ward, Anteiku Coffee Shop.

"Why are you closing up early today?" The manager, Yoshimura, asked as he entered the shop, noting the 'Closed' sign on the door. Anteiku usually stayed open until nine, but it wasn't even 8:30 yet.

"Touka-chan said she brought something good back. Maybe she didn't want any interruptions," Irimi replied from behind the counter where she was cleaning.

Yoshimura nodded. Closing a little early wasn't a big deal.

"She also called for Yomo. He should be here soon," Koma added, pausing his sweeping. As if on cue, the sound of a car pulling up could be heard outside. The Ghouls in the shop all looked over to see a handsome, silver-haired man get out of a car. Talk about timing.

Jingle—!

Yomo Renji walked into the coffee shop and gave a slight nod to the others. They all greeted him, and then Yoshimura made a decision. "Let's leave the cleaning for later. Let's go see what Touka has for us."

"Okay." Koma and Irimi had no objections. They were also extremely curious about what Touka had brought back that would make her make such a bold claim.

After locking the front door, the group headed upstairs to the break room.

"..."

"You're so slow! I almost couldn't stop myself from eating it all alone!" Touka exclaimed as she heard them coming up the stairs. "With this delicious smell right next to me, I can't even concentrate on my homework!" Her textbook on the table was in danger of being soaked by her drool.

Seeing her in such an impatient state, Yoshimura, Koma, Yomo, and Irimi were all taken aback. Then, in unison, their keen Ghoul senses picked up the aroma. When food went cold, its scent would fade, but it was still there. As Touka opened the bag and took out the wrapped sandwiches, a faint but incredibly enticing aroma began to fill the room. Even cold, the scent of the rich, sweet tonkatsu sauce, the savory pork, and the faint yeastiness of the soft milk bread was present.

Yoshimura, Koma, Yomo, and Irimi were all bewildered. They had never smelled anything like it before.

"So strange… so complex… so tempting… what an incredible smell!" Irimi's voice was shaky. A dark red and black flooded her eyes, and the "Black Dog" stared intently at the wrapped sandwiches on the table. "Touka-chan… what exactly did you bring back?"

Touka carefully opened one of the wrappers, her expression serious and solemn, yet unable to hide her excitement.

"!"

Yoshimura, Koma, Yomo, and Irimi all froze, staring in stunned silence.

"Human food," Touka declared, "that we Ghouls can eat! I've already tested it myself!"