"Wait a moment, sir, we'll take you home." Said a police officer who had responded to Kenzo's call.
"It's not necessary, officer; you can carry on with your work." Kenzo now wanted to stay off the radar for a while, so arriving at the café in a police car would be very conspicuous.
The police officer, who appeared to be in his forties, shook his head and said, "I insist on taking you. It was a request from a Ghoul investigator, so it's more than just work to take you home."
Are they going to tail him again?
None of his information is linked to the café. Perhaps that's why they wanted to follow him. Thinking it through, Kenzo gave the police officer an address that was his old home where he lived with his grandfather.
"While Ghoul attacks are not very frequent in the 20th district, we're never exempt from being their victims. Many people tend to be afraid of not having control over the unknown, and this is no exception. Who knows where Ghouls hide?" The police officer driving shared this with Kenzo while shaking his head.
"Many find it more comfortable for Ghouls to be unrestrained than hidden. Places where nothing unusual happens are often more terrifying because they may be much more dangerous areas." The cop sitting in the passenger seat nodded and mentioned this information he'd heard on a website.
"Isn't it the other way around?" Kenzo asked, looking ahead.
"What do you mean?"
"It's often rare to see Ghouls being so calm in the districts. If that happens in the 20th district, it's because something keeps them under control. Isn't that better than seeing destruction everywhere we go? Many districts aren't as lucky as ours; that's why the population is increasing in our area." Kenzo opened a chocolate bar he had in one of his bags and said, "My humble thought, a tough and bitter war against them would only bring painful deaths."
"You're right about that, but how long do you think the peace will last in this district?"
"True, there won't always be peace." Kenzo smiled and thought to himself, "Peace will last until you humans strike first. You'll have to learn that not all wars will be won by crushing the enemy, as you've done so far."
On the way, Kenzo pondered who might have betrayed him, and the only person who comes to mind is his sister. Even if he doesn't spend much time with the Ghouls from her organization, they know that everything is happening because of him, so it's impossible for them to initiate contact with their main enemy in their eyes.
If he thinks about it more closely, not even the V organization has knowledge of his real appearance, making it difficult to speculate that it was them. Most likely, it was his sister or the Ghoul accompanying her who caused this disaster. Fortunately, he acted promptly; otherwise, things could have gone very wrong.
He would not only lose a large portion of his business branches registered in his name, but all those connected to him would be hunted. Whoever did this has messed with a force they can't handle, so when he finds out who betrayed him, he'll kill them.
What just happened now may go unnoticed by his father, Yoshimura, and even less by Touka; the matter wasn't as serious as they might think.
"We've arrived!" said the police officer after seeing Kenzo's old house, he smiled and said, "Have a pleasant evening. We're sorry for what happened, so we hope you can resolve all your issues and avoid going out at night for your safety."
Kenzo smiled and nodded, then said, "You too, officers, stay strong and avoid getting hurt."
The old Japanese house where Kenzo has memories with his late adoptive father is a wonderful example of traditional Japanese architecture from the modern era. The house is located in a peaceful setting and surrounded by a meticulously maintained Japanese garden.
The house's facade is simple and elegant, constructed from dark wood that has acquired an aging patina over time. The gabled roof, typical of architecture in old houses, is covered with ceramic tiles of rusty red color. The exterior of the house features subtle decorative details, such as sliding shoji paper doors that allow natural light to enter.
Upon crossing the threshold of the house, Kenzo saw a genkan, a small entryway where visitors are expected to remove their shoes before entering the interior areas. The interior walls are lined with washi paper, which filters light softly and creates a warm and serene atmosphere inside.
"I'm back, sir..." Kenzo smelled the soft, characteristic scent of tatami mats that permeated the air. In the center of one of the rooms, there's a tokonoma, a decorative alcove in the wall, where there was a photo of him and his adoptive father.
The sound of water flowing in a small zen garden near an open window provides a relaxing soundtrack to the environment.
"So lonely, I understand why he took me back..." Kenzo thought of his real father.
The memories Kenzo holds in this house are filled with nostalgia and affection for his adoptive father. Every corner of the house evokes special moments shared between them, and the garden offers a space for contemplation and peace that reflects the deep connection they had.
But now that he sees it, it's clearly a lonely place that he can't share with anyone. However, when Kenzo thought about it, he remembered Touka.
"Maybe in the future..."
A few hours later, Kenzo left his house where normally a lady took care of the garden and the fish that inhabited the small artificial pond around the high walls that kept the outside from view.
After changing his clothes, Kenzo decided to return to the café, but due to various things, he was running late.
"Kenzo, is everything okay?" Touka suddenly asked him as she watched him enter.
"Yes, I'm sorry for worrying you. I'm here to help with the night shift," Kenzo, with his characteristic tired look, smiled at Touka, who was just inches away from him.
When Touka felt a hand touch her hip, she quickly moved away and said, "That's perfect. Mr. Koma will be out today because he has important matters to attend to, so your help would be appreciated."
Manager Yoshimura looked at these two young people with a smile, and his thoughts drifted back to a time when he deeply fell in love with his late wife, even when he acted colder than Kenzo.
"Love, it's incredible how love always changes people," Manager Yoshimura muttered as he prepared several cups of coffee.
"Hey, I want a cup of coffee..." Kenzo, who was supposed to help with work, served himself a cup of coffee as the first thing. He had to admit it; his father had an enviable technique in the art of coffee.
"Hey, didn't you say you'd work?"
"This is a quality control test, my dear Touka. All business owners do it." Kenzo affectionately patted the head of the grumpy Touka, who was searching for any detail to argue with him, but he took it simply as a tantrum for not explaining things to her.
Touka gave Kenzo's hand a little pat and said in an annoyed tone, "Have you lost 10,000 yen in a bet watching two women fighting?"
"Cough cough..." Kenzo almost choked on his coffee and, after looking around, shook his head. "It was the ladies' cats, not the ladies themselves."
"You're a terrible liar..." Touka went into the storeroom to fetch some needed boxes, and because there weren't many people around, Kenzo followed her.
"Well, I can tell you that the lady I bet on was extremely tall and weighed three times more than her opponent. If you saw it the way I did, you'd bet on the same one I did." Kenzo lifted a box that Touka couldn't reach.
"I'm not interested..." Touka was about to turn around when Kenzo held her shoulders and kissed her, but a few minutes later, she felt a strong bite that took a piece of her tongue.
"Are you a dog?!" Kenzo yelled with a bloody mouth and pointed, "I don't have regeneration like you. Well, it still hurts..."
Touka blushed but showed a dignified expression and said, "No kissing at work..."
"But you liked it..."
"You're mistaken."