20th Ward, Anteiku Cafe, July 1st, Year 1 ASBI
After Lucien left the 24th Ward and proper control and observation of the Ward and reconstruction work on it, he went to the 20th Ward to visit Anteiku Cafe, which he would visit once a week. He would always check on Touka and how she was doing in her work and talk a bit with old man Yoshimura.
Talking with an old man Yoshimura was interesting to experience as he was a wise old man who could give advice and good on top of that.
He knew that soon the Owl Suppression Operation would come, but not so soon, as not the Commission of Counter Ghoul was severely weakened due to Lucien's schemes.
He entered the Anteiku Cafe, and as now it was already afternoon, Touka was also present. Along with old man Yoshimura who looked the same as always and Irimi. Lucien sat at the bar opposite an old man Yoshimura so he could talk to him.
"Hello, Mr. Yoshimura."
Greeted Lucien politely when he sat down at the bar. Old man Yoshimura automatically started making coffee for him the moment he sat down.
"Good day to you, Mr. Aeon."
Greeted Yoshimura back as he finished making his coffee for him. Lucien then thanked for the coffee and already sensed the mesmerizing aroma of the coffee.
"Last month, the CCG was rather silent, Mr. Aeon. Don't you think so?"
Questioned old mand Yoshimura with his eyes closed as he cleaned some cups which were dirty from coffee.
Lucien chuckled hearing this, as he knew the reason for silence from the side of Commission of COutner Ghoul. He was behind that huge massacre of several hundred people from the CCG and also the death of several high-ranking ghoul investigators.
"Yes, they are. I know that soon, they will act, and they have already chosen their target, and if you agree to one condition of mine, I will help you as best I can."
Old man Yoshimura narrowed his eyes slightly, hearing his statement as he also had some bad feelings about this. He knew the exact reason behind Lucien's words. He was a very experienced person, a survivor.
He was indirectly saying that the next target of the CCG would be the Anteiku faction because the CCG needed some achievement after that bloodshed. Also, in the eyes of the Commission, the Anteiku faction was weakest of all.
Strictly speaking, this statement wasn't false.
The Aogiri Tree, which had Eto, who was an SSS+-Rated Owl, and now she was also stronger. Next, there were Noro and Tatara; both were reclassified as SSS-Rated individuals, many SS-Rated ghouls, and a huge number of S-Rated ghouls.
It is huge compared to the past, but they had around twenty S-rated ghouls and around six or so SS-Rated ones for sure.
Compared to that, the Anetiku faction was severely lacking in combat strength. Only SSS-Rated ghoul was an old man Yoshimura, who wasn't in the best condition as he was already old. They had only two SS-Rated individuals, and those were Koma Enji and Irimi Kaya.
Plus, Kirishima Touka could rival the strength of an SS-Rated ghoul, but only those weaker ones.
"So speak, what is your condition."
Said Yoshimura after thinking for a while. He was a person who deeply cared about his people, and even Lucien admired him to some extent as a rather good leader.
"Simple. As you have already noticed, that girl Touka has developed some emotions for me. I only want to know if they are something deeper or if it is just superficial. If you are able to answer this, I will guarantee that no one of your people will come to harm. You have my word as a member of the Aeon House."
This was the only thing Lucien wanted from the old man Yoshimura. He only wanted to know if her feeling for him were real or not. It would be easier for him to make a decision in the future and not hurt her.
"Hmm, give me a few days."
Hearing this answer, Lucien nodded his head and continued drinking his coffee. He was satisfied with this as Yoshimura would do the hard work for him.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Yoshimura."
He thanked him for his effort.
"I also have a question for you then. How do you feel about her?"
This question came out of nowhere and even caught Lucien by surprise bit. He still needed some time to sort it out, but he knew that it was possible for him to love her in the future and was also unsure of his own feelings and emotions for her.
Even though she was a cold person o the outside, it was mainly towards unknown people; she was a very good person.
Yoshimura also asked this for a reason because he cared deeply for Touka.
He always wished for Touka to live a life of a regular human girl without the hardships of the ghoul life. He always lectured her to be careful and cared for her safety, despite the annoyance it would cause her if he constantly reminded her to take care of herself.
This all caused her to see him as a father-like figure.
"I don't know myself. I only know that I have some feelings for her, but I am not sure what they are."
Lucien answered honestly.
Afterward, he stayed in the Anteiku Cafe for some time before leaving for his estate, where Itori was already waiting. He also needs to go training because he felt that he needed to improve his Kenjutsu as much as possible.