【心做し】 Kokoronashi 『Between Ghouls and Doves』

『3』

Chapter Three: Target

"Good Eveniiiiing!!!" Eto shouted after opening the door of :re which got everyone's attention. Touka noticed that Ayato wasn't with her.

"Hm? Where's Ayato?" Touka said while leaning her back through the wall of the café near the door. Eto smiled fortunately as she pressed her hands together.

"That's a nice question!" Eto said and clapped her hands in joy. "He was with someone special to him." She said with a cold smile on her face. Touka's eyes widening. "For real?!" she surprisingly said.

"Investigator, Kirishima Ayato, asigned to the 20th Ward Branch as of today. It's so nice to work with all of you. I'll be Suzuya Juuzou's partner as a replacement of Yukino Shinohara." Ayato introduced himself. Seido scratched the back of his head and stood up, to get his attention.

"Uhm, Kirishima-san, may I talk to you for a while?" said Seido who stood of from his seat, trying to get his attention. Ayato turned to him and nodded his head. "Sure thing." He replied back.

---

"Kirishima-san, whenever you were with Suzuya please make him recover his old self, he's kind of lousy starting from the day Shinohara-san passed away." Seido said. Ayato just nodded his head in approval. "Not a big problem."

"Then, I'll count it on you then." He said.

"Oh yes, I forgot giving you this..." Seido said and handed him the current uniform of the CCGs. 'Do I really have to wear this piece of crap?' Ayato stared at the uniform and took it afterwards.

"Thanks a lot." Ayato said as Seido left the room. Ayato just hang his head thinking with an anxiety. He was worried about him. He knew even humans have a tragedy against ghouls as ghouls have the same way as humans. He put his thoughts aside and started to do his main work at this building, not by killing other ghouls but making Juuzou to recover his old self.

He headed back to the room where they gathered but no one was left on that room. He searched for his companion all over the building but it seems it didn't get through him. While he was walking, he heard someone mentioned...

"Then, since eyepatch is disable, let's move on to our next target. His friend, rabbit." said the white-haired with thin glasses man. "Do you think they have a connection with black rabbit?" said the other with blond hair with braid. Ayato froze and stopped from pacing with a serious frown on his face.

Once he continued pacing he become walking faster than usual. He quickly walked out of the building hurriedly. He knew he had to tell them they're being searched. Once he exited the building, his Kagune started ripping off his shirt as his eyes turned pure black with a red spot. He flew faster to go to the café. He landed through the front of the door of the café as he quickly slammed the door and see if everything's okay. Luckily, they were just resting in peace while looking at him.

"Is... everything alright?" Touka asked while looking at the blue-haired man who look pale. Ayato sighed in relief as his Kagune got smaller as his eyes went back to normal. "I'm fine."

"Anyways, is it true that you're with the girl you like earlier?!" Touka said with a teasingly tone in her voice. Ayato's eyes widened. "Hm? Who told you that?!" He said angrily but his face heated.

"I did! It was the truth, you were with your old friend earlier..." Eto smirked with her cheek resting on her palm. Touka thought for a while trying to recall who was their old friend since they were kids. She then snapped her fingers once she remembered.

"Rei-chan! Why didn't you told me you liked her?" She said which made the man's face grew more red. He just turned his in the other way "Tch"

"Well, why didn't you told me that you liked eyepatch?" He said teasingly, Touka blinked and shut up for a second. Her face turned red as she realized about her brother's words and by the awkward silence inside the room. "I-It's not that—"

"Then, we're just fair. We're both in love with people who will never love us back, but I think you have a chance on him, he always think of you, while me..." Ayato said and stopped for a moment. "She can never accept ghouls..." he continued. Touka remained in silence.

"Did she changed?" She asked. "Yup, haven't you met him yet? His appearance and personality changed a lot. He now declared himself as a boy with his new name 'Suzuya Juuzou' and he was now figting against ghouls!" Eto explained as she raised her index finger. Touka glanced back waiting for an answer if she was telling the truth. While Ayato just gave her a serious look that tells her that it was.

"Besides, ghouls and humans can't be together—" Ayato said but got interrupted by Nishiki who was sitting to the table where Eto was facing. "Well, not all of them." Ayato blinked in confusion and let him speak. "Kimi accepted me even if I'm a ghoul." He just smiled at Nishiki's words and sighed deeply. He remembered what he was about to do here in :re. He turned serious.

"Anyways, the CCG's next target was me and Touka." Ayato said with a serious tone. "That's why we have to be more careful to our steps." He added.

"And especially you..." Eto said as she rest her cheek on her palm. "You have a very dangerous mission there, to make Suzuya-san remember his old self... "

"That's hilarious! Are you trying to kill yourself?!" Touka worryingly said, looking at her twin.

"Just for someone who is special to me, sister." Ayato said warmly which surprised Touka by his words, by being serious and by finally respecting his own twin, she would never expect that from him. "Not bad." Nishiki said, scratching his chin while smirking in approval. "...of course, we men can't give up on girls." Nishiki added as Ayato smirked back at his words. He put himself back together and shut his eyes.

"Now, I should go back to the 20th Ward, I still haven't accomplish anything yet." Ayato said with his eyes turning back to ghoul.

"Wait right there~! Just a little bit more time... 'Till you be recalled by her." Eto whispered. Ayato just nodded in agreement as he began flying by his Kagune.