All For You (p2)

Special 2: Past (2)

"Welcome to my house, please come in." Kaneki's mom opened the door and invited Touka to come in, "This house only has me and my 8-year-old son".

Touka enters the house and can't help but wander her eyes around, observing the surroundings. Not a poor family, but it doesn't look wealthy.

"You can rest in my room, just don't go into that room. My son doesn't like strangers going into his room." The old woman softly said, coming to a sewing machine and sitting down.

"So Kaneki has been shy since a kid." Touka smiled

"How do you know his name?!" Kaneki's mom flinched in surprise as she heard Touka mention her son's name, although she didn't say anything about her son.

"You just told me his name when we were on the way," Touka quickly lied, her heart jumped out as her mouth slipped.

"Did I?"

"Y-Yes, what else could it be?" Touka nervously smiled, looking at Kaneki's mom. "Oh, Sayaka-san, you said I can rest in your room, then where will you rest?"

"Here," She said, pointing at the sofa near her. "I usually stay up late sewing clothes, and I rarely sleep on the bed these days."

Touka flashed in her mind about Kaneki's story, his mom passed away due to overwork, and it hurt him so much. Touka is having a conflict within herself, as she wonders whether she should help his mom and rescue her?...

If she did it, then the timeline will change... A new timeline will be created, and she won't be able to meet him.

"Kirishima-chan, come sit here with me, it's kind of boring if I don't have someone to talk to while doing this." Sayaka smiled, snapping Touka out of her thoughts. Touka listened and came as Kaneki's mom said.

"You know, my husband, he's a genius psychologist." Kaneki's mom said, keeping her eyes on the sewing machine. "He passed away, all that was left was a room full of books, and Kaneki is just like a copy of his dad." She smiled. "My husband loves books more than his wife."

"I wonder if he will become like his dad and love books more than his girlfriend in the future?" Kaneki's mom laughed.

Yes, sometimes Touka uncontrollably smiled, now that makes sense, his genes being inherited from his dad.

"Oh, sorry for yapping too much about my family," said Sayaka, switching the topic. "If you don't mind, could you tell me your story? I really want to understand you better, since you'll be a part of Anteiku."

Touka flinched at the sudden request, her memories about her father flashed by, a frown crossed her face, despite it having been a long time ago, she couldn't hold a cold face whenever she thought about it.

His mom usually abuses him, ignores her physical health, and she'd rather be hurt than hurt others. That is what Touka knew about her boyfriend's mother; she was kind of interested in understanding more about his mother, and she had an urge to share her own story. In this house, with Kaneki's mom near her, she doesn't know why, but she feels the feeling of a family.

The first time she met her boyfriend's mother, it was unexpectedly comfortable. Touka talked to Sayaka like she was already her mother-in-law. Touka felt that an indirect connection with Kaneki had been created through his mom.

**

1 hour passed.

Touka didn't realize she had talked to Sayaka for that long, her family, her childhood, it's the second person that she told about her past after Kaneki. The old woman patiently listened to Touka's story as she sewed clothes.