It Starts With a Question

Passing Leaves

Time passes like leaves falling throughout the seasons, you blink for a second and before you know it, it's over. Touka agreed with that, she had been studying and studying and before she realized it, classes had passed and she was enjoying the start of her vacation. She knew that things would become very busy when she enters her senior year. But the girl had the feeling that today would have been more nerve-wraking than preparing for her final exams and university.

The ukaku ghoul gulped as she stared wide-eyed in front of her. She had never felt so nervous in her life. Why did she agree to this again? She closed her eyes and took a nervous breath, which she didn't let go until she felt a pair of hands on her shoulder. She looked up at the man who gave her a worried glance. "Are you sure?" He asked.

Touka nodded, determination in her eyes. "Let's get this over with."

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A few days earlier...

"You want me to help you with what?" Kaneki asked surprised.

He was sitting on her couch, reading a book, while the female ghoul sat next to him. Eyes filled with nervousness and panic. "Well, Yoriko has invited me to go swimming with her." Touka mumbled. "But, but... I've never done anything like that before... Swimming I mean... I know it's much to ask... But I want you to teach me how to swim!"

The half-ghoul stared at the girl for a while, surprised at her odd unsuspecting request. Before he noticed it, he let out a chuckle.

"D-Don't you dare to laugh!" The 17 year-old hollered. Maybe she should have looked online for advice after all.

"No, don't get me wrong. I was just surprised." The white-haired man admitted.

Touka felt her body crumble from embarrassment. "I just want to enjoy the time I have with Yoriko..." She admitted, I don't go out a lot as you've already figured out and I just want to... Well, enjoy some days like regular high school students would..."

Kaneki's eyes soften as he gazed into Touka's eyes. "Alright." He declared.

Touka looked surprised and gave the man a confused glance. "Huh?"

"I'll do it. I'll teach you how to swim. But you need a swimsuit and focus on your studies first. So, how about we'll meet the day after you finish your last classes of the year at the swimming pool near the mall."

Still surprised at Kaneki's answer, the girl nodded absent-mindedly.

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So after that day Touka had focused almost all her attention on school, she was dragged by Yoriko to go swimming suit hunting as her friend named it a few days ago. It was the most awkward thing she had done in her entire life. That and that Yoriko kept choosing revealing bikinis, because if she ever would go swimming with (the gloomy idiot) Kaneki, she'd had to leave a good impression. To which the girl protested very hard, since in her opinion, the purpose of a swimming suit was to swim in it, not attract attention, that was something that she definitely didn't need.

Kaneki took Touka by the hand and led her inside the building. He was wearing a wig to not draw any attention to himself, but the girl wondered if it was such a good idea since they were going to swim and there would be a change that it would be washed away by the water.

"You can change in here, I'll be in the other one." The half-ghoul pointed out.

The blue-haired teen looked suspiciously at the changing rooms, before nodding at him and closing the door of the small space.