Kenzo had several anger issues, and he typically let that feeling grow and subside by hunting Ghouls that entered District 20 to cause trouble.
But something strange happened when he consumed human flesh; he felt a peculiar numbing sensation, as if he were a bit drunk, along with heightened senses. It was difficult to explain in words, but some strange things did happen to him.
When Kenzo opened his eyes, he felt slightly pressed by a completely naked female body on top of him. Kenzo's calm eyes met Touka's, and although he was surprised, he remained calm.
"It really happened... How did we end up in this situation?" Kenzo was in a state of ecstasy, and even though he remembered everything perfectly, the high level of satisfaction made him wonder if it was a dream since he wouldn't have acted that way under normal circumstances.
It was certainly pleasant, and he couldn't say he was a romantic man, but if it happened, it was for a reason, and he would take responsibility for everything that had occurred. It's not that he didn't feel something nice for Touka; what he thought was that now he had a significant weakness. If it happened that night, it was because both he and she allowed it.
Both were strong enough to refuse, but if they let it happen, it was because they both felt something for each other. While Kenzo thought about all of this, he lowered his gaze and met Touka's calm, observing eyes.
Kenzo, though calm, felt a bit of discomfort because he didn't know what to say, so he just spoke up, "Good morning... It was an amazing night."
Argh!
As Kenzo was about to finish his words, Touka bit into his chest to the point where blood started to seep onto the sheets. She wanted to say many things, but the first thing she did was to moderate Kenzo roughly because she felt a mix of anger and confusion.
"Are you an animal?!" Kenzo shouted as he raised his hands to grip Touka's shoulders, but after a few moments, she got out of bed, covering herself with a sheet.
"Are you angry? Was it that bad? Well, that's definitely not an appropriate question considering what happened last night." Kenzo's gaze turned slightly smug as he thought about it, and then a plastic cup hit his head.
Boom!
"What's wrong?"
"Why didn't you tell me you're a Ghoul?!" Touka wasn't angry about what happened last night but because she found out in the midst of it that he was a Ghoul when initially she thought he was human.
When Kenzo understood what was bothering Touka, he smiled slightly and got up. "I planned to tell you, well, I certainly never planned to tell you, but now you know, and it's much better."
"Are you playing innocent?!" Touka shouted as she threw another plastic cup at him, and because of that, Kenzo got up from the bed a little dazed.
"Hey, hey, isn't it better to know it late than never? You're the only one in the café who knows, are you angry?" Kenzo asked as he walked towards Touka, who had fallen silent. He thought she had calmed down, but then he heard something surprising.
"Hey, why aren't you wearing any clothes?"
"Obviously, because we slept together, don't you remember?"
Boom!
Touka clenched her fist and punched Kenzo in the stomach because of his lack of intelligence. She felt very embarrassed seeing the bite marks with dried blood on his body and all the blood she had wiped from her mouth just moments ago. Remembering her aggressive actions made her blush a bit, but eventually, she calmed down. Kenzo wasn't nervous or embarrassed at all, so she wouldn't act foolishly.
But now that she thought about it, what were they now?
Seeing that Touka appeared confused, Kenzo smiled mysteriously and said, "So, my dear Touka, how should I address you? Couples have nicknames they call each other, should I call you my little grump? Hmm, no, how about my sweetheart? We should keep this a secret; it would be too troublesome if someone else found out because we live together, although, of course, I don't mind."
Touka furrowed her brows because she knew Kenzo was teasing her. He often behaved this way, even though in most cases, he was cold, calm, and confident. He also enjoyed clever banter with people capable of it, but he had never been like this with anyone else.
"You should clean this place; I have to help with work. Since you don't work, you can at least clean up this mess." Touka was about to take a shower when suddenly large arms held her by the waist. She turned around, and then wild lips gave her a deep kiss.
"What are you doing?"
Kenzo didn't want to leave things incomplete; he didn't plan to say that something like this didn't matter to him, so he decided to take a step forward. "I'll take care of it, my grumpy girlfriend. When we have free time, I'll tell you everything about me that you don't know. What do you say?"
"Okay..." Touka blushed a bit but was deeply happy.
"So, what nickname will you give me as a couple?" Kenzo asked as he folded the blood-stained sheets. Touka's bites had been deep, causing more blood than usual.
"I'll call you by your name, as I always have. Stop pretending and clean up without anyone noticing because it would be embarrassing if someone finds out about us..." Touka said these last words in a barely audible tone, but Kenzo heard them perfectly. After seeing her enter the shower, his expression returned to normal.
Their relationship had to remain a secret for the time being, not because he cared about what others thought. What concerned him a little was the fact that their future enemies might target his only vulnerable loved one. She wasn't weak, but she certainly couldn't face the attacks of an entire organization. Now that they were expanding into District 19, which didn't seem to have a representative who posed a threat, they would find a way through Route V14 for now to send their products and move new Ghouls to the training area. All of them had to go through training before joining the Three-Eyed Crow organization.
As long as they gain control of District 19, it will have a significant influence on the two neighboring districts, and, of course, they will deal with the Tsukiyama family from District 21, who are high-ranking entrepreneurs. Kenzo noticed them when they requested their exquisite materials, participated in their auctions, and sponsored their more sophisticated research, like cloned human meat.
"Today was supposed to be the date..." Kenzo wrapped the bloodstained sheets and then, after thinking for a bit, handed Touka a credit card to buy whatever she wanted and needed without any problem.
His issue was also to talk to Rize. She was somewhat secondary in his plans, and if she isn't of any use, he would end up killing her. He had no use for a woman who didn't want to follow the rules, especially someone who killed without restraint every day.
Ghouls are different from humans in one aspect: most Ghouls only eat once or twice a month. This is enough for non-combatants, but it's incredibly impossible to maintain this diet for warriors seeking to become stronger and always be in peak condition.
After leaving Touka's room, he walked to his own room and took a shower. His thoughts constantly flowed with cause and effect, and he knew that every step he took from now on had to be extremely careful to avoid making a mistake.
Perhaps it would be easy to take over District 19 and subsequently 21 so that they could consume District 17. The leader of the Tsukiyama family would understand this perfectly, and he certainly wouldn't lose out on his deal to take control of their territory. Unlike District 20, District 21 didn't have such strict control, causing hungry Ghouls to roam freely, which is why only District 20 is recognized as a weak area.
He put on a black t-shirt, loose light-colored pants with a black belt, and black sneakers. He was ready for whatever situations he might encounter.
When he went downstairs, he approached the counter and took a coffee in a disposable cup before leaving without saying a word. Touka hadn't come down yet, and it was much earlier than usual.
Koma Enji, with a perplexed expression, asked, "Is that Kenzo? How did he get up so early?"
"Maybe someone woke him up..." Irimi Kaya glanced at Touka, who was slowly coming down the stairs as if she was afraid Kenzo would suddenly be here and call her "sweetheart."
"Kenzo has already left. Did you fight with him again?"
Touka blushed a bit and mumbled, "A little..."
"Goodness, at least you beat that idiot. Boss, I should be given permission to beat that lazy son of yours who only brings unnecessary worries." Koma Enji shook his head as he prepared a cappuccino.
"There's no need; I can handle his education..." Touka smiled faintly. Since Kenzo had spoken with Rize, she had certainly felt jealous, but now she had left her scent on him, so no one would dare go against Kenzo.