Kaneki?
"Kaneki," a familiar voice called to him, followed by a snap of fingers in front of Kaneki's face, breaking his attention away from the screen of the TV that was mounted to the wall of the café that he and his friend sat in as they relaxed and took sips of their coffee they had ordered previously.
The TV was blaring a news feed of recent Ghoul activity.
Several unidentified male bodies had been found in a 20th Ward's commercial building.
The bodies were torn apart, the act of what could only be a Ghoul.
Ghoul saliva was extracted from the bodies, but the DNA had yet to be analyzed.
"Kaneki! Oi, I'm talking to you!," the orange-haired kid said from across the table. He wore clothes that matched his hair and a pair of red headphones around his neck which stood out. The headphones weren't the only thing that was a major contrast to him. It was the vibe he seemed to let off.
A good vibe. The kind of vibe that let you know he was near and you didn't even have to look up. The kind where even the lights in the room became twice as bright when he walked in the room.
It was Kaneki's best friend, Hideyoshi Nagachika. "I still can't believe it! You really are planning on going to the bookstore for your first date, aren't you?"
Kaneki, who was raising his coffee cup to his lips, stopped at this statement and lowered the cup. "Why not? She might be thrilled, you know!," he said a bit too defensively, hoping his face's color didn't match the heat he felt in it.
Hide, who had his head lowered into his arms, lifted his head to give his reply. "For your information, that's never going to happen. Period."
"Nani? Fine, then how about I take her to Big Grill instead, just the two of us and grab some burgers," Kaneki suggested.
BWAHAHAHAHA!
Hide suddenly burst into laughter, tapping his hand on the table to exaggerate how funny Kaneki sounded.
"Oi! I'm being completely serious," Kaneki said.
"No, no, it's great," replied Hide, still giggling. "It's so like you!"
The hits just keep coming, huh, thought Kaneki. But he couldn't lie. Hide was always like this and Kaneki wouldn't change that about him if ever given the option.
"But when it happens, it'll be a total flop!," Hide continued, making sure that he rubbed it in.
Yet again Kaneki's face became hot. "You think I can't handle it? What would you do then, Hide?"
"Listen up," Hide advised. "When it comes to females, you have to pick a place the girl actually enjoys."
"Right," Kaneki said embarrassingly interested. "Such as?"
Hide stammered. The question seemed to confuse Hide. "S-such as… uh…"
"RIGHT!," shouted Kaneki. "You don't even know!"
Kaneki caught himself too late and looked around while covering his mouth with his hand with bright red cheeks, to see other customers looking at him with expressions of surprise, anger, and other things accompanied by a few shushes and murmurs.
"Hai," Hide continued. After he was finished laughing of course. "If I did know, I wouldn't be wasting this beautiful afternoon in this café, having a date with you.
The news came back on from the commercials and the TV began blaring how the number of predatory Ghoul attacks in the 20th Ward have been on the rise the last few days.
"... with the CCG's 20th Ward branch announcing an investigation into the possibility of a single culprit for every incident so far," the TV informed.
Suddenly, Hide leaned over, holding a hand next to his mouth and whispered, "So what else you got? Who's the lucky girl you were talking about?"
Kaneki jumped at the sudden movement. He blushed for the thousandth time.
Hide gasped and pointed to a good-looking black haired girl on the opposite side of the café, who was smiling while helping another customer.
"It's gotta be her, right?," Hide asked aloud.
Embarrassed, Kaneki denied that notion.
"I mean, she's pretty cute too," Hide pushed. "Sumimasen!," Hide called out to the girl.
She turned and began walking over. Kaneki blushed, suddenly wishing he could vanish without a trace.
But instead of embarrassing Kaneki like he thought he was going to do, Hide called for a cappuccino.
"And you?," Hide asked Kaneki, who had no idea that Hide was trying to open his friend up to the world of the opposite gender.
"I still haven't finished this one," Kaneki answered.
"One cappuccino for this guy," Hide answered for Kaneki, not missing a beat. "And while we're at it, anata no namae wa nanidesu ka?," Hide added.
"HIDE!," Kaneki cried, literally sweating from the heat in his face.
Hide you baka, thought Kaneki.
The girl's momentary shock vanished quickly. "Kirishima Touka," she answered, her gaze returning to her clipboard.
Then, of course Hide being his charming natural self, rose to his feet and asked the girl named Touka a little too loudly if she was seeing anyone.
Kaneki had it. Hide was embarrassing both of them. "Hide, stop that, you baka!," he shouted.
This was not the right move it seemed, as Touka turned around, bowing her head, and rushed away. Kaneki could tell by her body language that for some reason this upset her.
Break-up?
Hide had the audacity to say, "Isn't she cute?"
"What'll I do if I get kicked out of here? Kaneki asked Hide angrily. "This is the only place where she and I both—," Kaneki continued, but was cut off by the sound of a bell tinkling.
Someone had walked into the café and Kaneki's eyes widened when he saw who it was.
"She's the one."
Pure blue shoes. A crisp white dress. A purple shirt accompanied by bows. Purple hair. Beautiful shining eyes. Red-rimmed reading glasses. A light pink handbag. She looked stunning.
The eyes of both Hide and Kaneki followed the girl as she walked by their table.
"Nope! Don't even go there," Hide said. "It'd be just like beauty and whatever with you guys."
What's up with him?, Kaneki wondered. One second Hide's lecturing me about girls, the next he's embarrassing me, then the next he's insulting me.
"The Beast?," Kaneki corrected.
"Well then…," Hide said before yawning. "Now that I've seen you lovelorn, I think it's time for me to head off."
Hide laid 300 yen on the red book on the table in between them Kaneki had brought with him.
"Wait, Hide," Kaneki cried.
But Hide was already on his way. He said sayonara to Touka and walked out the door.
Kaneki sighed.
"Keep your head in the clouds, Kaneki," Hide called out, waving, startling Kaneki.
A moment later, Kaneki flipped open his book. Something nagged his mind as he began reading.
He snuck a glance to his left at the girl with the purple hair.
She pulled out a book.
Not just any book! The Metamorphosis by Frank Kafka!
Kaneki stared dreamily at her. Until she looked up.
Kaneki's heart did a little jump and he quickly looked away, trying to look innocent.
He chanced another look.
She got up and raised her book, smiling, and made her way toward him.
Hours later Hide was in the middle of the busy city, having come to a stop on his bicycle with his phone to his ear. His other hand was occupied servicing Hide with a big bite of a burger.
"I guess you struck the Jackpot this time," he told Kaneki over the phone.
On the other side of the phone Kaneki responded, munching on his own burger, "Yeah! Who knew she would like the same novelist as I do?"
"Uh, what's his face, right? Takasaki Sen?"
"It's Takatsuki Sen! We're planning on hitting the bookstore this upcoming Sunday."
"Oh yeah? I'm still not sure about the whole bookstore thing, but you go and have a good time."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
Hide hung up. Kaneki did the same.
Meanwhile as Hide rode off on his bike, a CCG investigator at a nearby crime scene inspected the details before him.
"I have to say though. This sure is getting ugly," a CCG investigator commented to a fellow member who ducked his way under yellow caution tape.
Red siren lights luminated his face in the upcoming darkness of the evening.
"That's for sure," the other man responded, the red lights also affecting his glasses.
"Rumors say that they'll be fine with eating just one person a month," the investigator said, while continuing to inspect the crime scene. So that begged the question. "But these binge eaters are something else."
"They're like a bunch of wild animals eating everything in sight."
"Ghouls as animals, huh?"
The investigator wearing glasses pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. "On second thought, they're worse than livestock," he said.
"That's true."
The red sirens continued to flash as night ascended rapidly in Tokyo.