The two just looked at the horizon with no one interrupting the silence.
And I got used to this silence.
And I began liking the serenity that she provided.
Touka turned to look at the lady who was taller than her. She grabbed on her sleeve and lo...
"That ends the meeting", Yoshitoki stood and left the room along with his guards. "That was tiring", Haise stretched and hit someone's face. "Ahk! My apologies, Imai-san", the white-haired lad apologized. "Don't mind, Sasaki-san. By the way, I will be visiting home this week. Are you going to tag along?", Rikina asked. "Haise is needed for a mission. His team is pursuing a ghoul we named Torso", Akira informed as she was fixing her files.
Haise gives a wave to Rikina before she leaves the room. "Her eyes are really captivating", the man commented. "Do you feel hots for her?", Akira asked straightforwardly. "How can I even dare try?", the man never won a hand-to-hand combat with the special class investigator. The man felt admiration for the lady but it wasn't romantic in nature. He enjoyed her company but it wasn't so possessive that he wanted her for his own.
Re: Cafe The whitehead entered and removed her investigator's coat. She hung it in the chair next to her. Looking around, she felt serenity and the comfort of being alone. There is peace in silence if you know how to befriend it.
A man with the same shade of hair stood in front of her table and served tea and cake. She didn't mention her order but the amount of time she spent in the cafe made the staff aware of her preference. "Thank you, Yomo-san. You look good in your uniform", Rikina gave a thumbs up. The man just nodded and went back to the counter.
Rikina sipped into her tea and had a smile on her face. The cake was also made specially for her taste buds. There's no other person who would get her as a dear friend of hers. Her gazes roamed around looking for any sign of a figure she's been wanting to see after a long month of being in the 24th ward. Aside from keeping ghouls from eating the rest of the humans in the ward, they are also responsible of cleansing for the nearby wards to be livable by humans.
Finally, a dark blue-haired woman went out of the kitchen. Unlike before, she grew her hair for just an inch. She grew taller and appeared more mature. The once fiery woman is now elegantly walking towards her.
"Yo!", Rikina waved at her. "You don't grow fed up with eating the same thing over and over again?", Touka asked. "A good book can be read multiple times and the same is true with food", the lady smiled and leaned on the couch. There are few customers this time of day and Rikina seemed to choose visiting to match Touka's most available time.
"I've been in touch with Yoriko. She's getting chummy with one of my underclassmen", Rikina informed. "He's a ghoul investigator. Is he strong?", Touka asked and prepared her coffee. "He's persistent. People like him aren't the type who die early", the white head answered. "Then, train him until he pukes. That way, Yoriko will not lose someone precious to her", Touka looked at her reflection in the coffee.
"I was to recommend him this coffee shop but he found his way here. Fate has its comedy, Touka. I am still hoping the best for the both of you, you and Yoriko", Rikina slid a paper bag. "I asked the father if RC cells were injected. It's just a human who died unable to withstand blood loss", Rikina finished her food and stood. "I'll visit again to monitor you~", the lady said as a joke. Touka just smiled.
"Areh~ A friend of yours?", Nishiki entered and saw the investigator's coat. "Yes", Touka nodded. Rikina's eyes widened and gave a chuckle.
She's just a classmate.
Touka watches her friend's back as she walks out of the cafe. She felt relieved that she was able to unravel the truth about the lady. Though completely different from her, she found hope that humans and ghouls could co-exist in the future.
Quinxie's Residence
Shirazu and Urie entered feeling frustrated that they weren't able to catch the real Torso. Haise is cooking for dinner with Mutsuki accompanying him. "I don't need any food", Urie went to his room right away. Shirazu followed afterwards. "We'll catch them before those two!", Haise got annoyed that he was being ignored as their leader.
Mutsuki just stared at their team leader. "We're going to train with Special Class Imai-san again tomorrow. Might be the reason why they're under the weather again", Mutsuki tried to comfort the man. Haise poured food for Mutsuki and also prepared one for Saiko. After bringing it to her room, Haise went down to join his team member.
"Unlike us, Imai-san is just a human, right?", Mutsuki didn't mean to be offensive to the humanity of Rikina. More of it, she was amazed that someone who was just a year older than them had been a special class investigator for four years and had aided in wide-scale missions. "Don't sell yourself short. Have fun tomorrow in your training", Haise smiled.
Imai's Residence
Underground Training Area
The quinxie arrived with Saiko still not joining them. The place was wide enough for them to swing their kagune as well as quinquie. "Welcome Sasaki-san's dear children", Rikina entered the room wearing a tank top and training pants. "I won't go easy on you so make sure to protect your vital parts", the white head cracked her neck. Urie attacked her using his kagune and she was able to evade. "That's right, do not hesitate", she encouraged them to keep attacking.
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On the side, Akihiro is watching and also monitoring the body function of the quinxie while they are using their kagune. Yoshitoki asked him personally to spearhead the project and so he is the one responsible for injecting ghoul cells into the investigators. If they die due to RC cells overwhelming them, he feels responsible for their lives.
After some time, the three investigators are lying on the ground panting and nearly out of breath. "That's enough", Akihiro instructed. "Dad, did you see? They're already getting better at making use of their kagune. Let me give them a celebratory confetti", the lady popped a confetti just near Urie's face. He was startled by the sound and also felt the small piece of paper thrown on his face. Amongst the three, Urie had always been the one who pushed himself to the limit. Rikina grabbed on his arm and helped him stand. "I can stand on my o-", the lad felt nauseous and covered his mouth. "Being enthusiastic in training is good, Urie-kun. Being stressed makes your body feel tensed and it won't give you a good command of your body", the lady explained.
Garden
The maids prepared a meal for the investigators. Rikina is already wearing her investigator's uniform. "Are you headed for another mission?", Mustuki asked. "I'll just be escorting Commander Marude in Cochlea along with some bureau investigators", the lady answered. She started serving the youngsters with food and she began telling them about her observation with their movements. The three didn't find it offensive even if she didn't hesitate to tell them about their bad habits in fighting as well as their weaknesses.
"Be strong, Shirazu, Tohru, and Urie. That way, you can fight alongside with Sasaki-san and you won't lose as much as those you wanted to protect", she stood and gave a wide smile to the three.
