Two Classrooms. Two lovers.

Chapter 16: Sidestory

••The sky had never seemed so
beautiful••

Recap on Kaneki's Background:

Good friends with Isuju. Then Touka, a girl he really liked, confessed to him but he rejected because he had mixed feelings about dating since it was the exam period.

Isuju left him alone because he would shoot down anything she said and she thought he needed some space.

Then Gakuho 'counseled' him and convinced him that he loved Isuju. The next day, he went to Isuju's house and the following is what happened.

---

There was a knock on Isuju's door. The atmosphere in her house had suddenly turned eerie. The air was still and there was a high pitched sound in the air.

Turns out that putting her hand on the handle of the door was the biggest mistake she ever made.

A figure stood there. The light shone in behind him, so it was hard to see his face clearly with the shadow on his face.

"Kaneki?" Isuju muttered in shock, she had never expected him to show up at her door since he had been shooting down whatever she said," are you feeling better now? Do you need some water?"

Isuju turned her back and proceeded to the kitchen but was held back by a pair of arms around her waist. His hands were cold and his presence felt some what foreign.

"I just need you," Kaneki whispered into her ear. His voice didn't sound like him in the past at all. It was filled with hunger and need.

"With you, there's no need for water at all," he smiled," or even the basic necessities."

Isuju was filled with fear. Her breath sharpened as she slowly turned her head to look at him closely.

His left eye was as red as blood.

His smile was gentle yet hostile.

His touch was the same yet unfamiliar.

"Who are you?" Her voice wavered, but she didn't stutter. She pulled away from him.

Kaneki placed his right hand on his chest and said the words she was afraid of hearing.

"You can see who am I, right? Isuju?," he said.

The shadow on his face became lighter and his eyes stood out more than before. The red one especially glowed.

"I am Kaneki Ken."

---

Day 69

Isuju put her ear up against the door, listening to any sound or vibrations. She then slowly turned the knob of the door and peeked through the gap.

She didn't dare to swallow her saliva, as there would be a sound. She didn't dare to scratch an itch, as there would be a sound. She didn't dare to breathe, as there would be a sound.

Once Isuju had confirmed that Kaneki was asleep in his room, she quietly took her school bag and headed out of the room. She climbed out the kitchen window, taking her shoes and socks with her.

She was never happier to have her bare feet come into contact with dirt and small rocks. She was never happier to see the sky without any boundaries. She was never happier to leave a place she once called home.

"Finally," she sighed as she started sprinting towards school.

As Isuju reached school, she greeted some of her friends who all asked her the same question.