"I'm sorry for bothering you!" Ryoko, Hinami's mother, said apologetically to Manager Yoshimura.
"It's okay. Compared to your little one, the males in my family can sometimes be even worse than this!" Manager Yoshimura smiled and said indifferently.
"Was that a joke?" Kenzo, who had heard these words from the side, was pleasantly surprised. The old man had actually compared him to a girl when he was an adult.
However, Kenzo didn't say anything; he just lazily sat on the counter, lost in his own thoughts.
At that moment, Ryoko also glanced at Kenzo. He should be around 22 years old by now, and she could detect a certain human scent covered by something that seemed very peculiar.
Initially, Kenzo always had an expression of weariness, as if nothing around him mattered, so since they arrived at this cafe, both she and her daughter decided not to disturb him. Only now did Ryoko realize that he was Manager Yoshimura's son, and his human smell was somewhat curious since there was only one way that could happen.
"What are you looking at?" Kenzo raised his head at that moment and looked at Ryoko; the woman's eyes were always on him. He wasn't sensitive about it, but it could be an enemy, something he would try to eliminate as soon as possible.
"Ah... I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" When Ryoko heard Kenzo's question, she quickly lowered her head and apologized.
Because Kenzo's eyes were too dominant, and his body very muscular, she didn't dare to look at him directly again.
"Kenzo, you're scaring our guests; you can't be so rude to them!" Manager Yoshimura reminded him at this moment.
"What?"
"Are you joking again? How can my attitude be rude right now?" Kenzo asked strangely.
"Haha, I told you, you look like a delinquent!" At this moment, Koma Enji couldn't help but laugh because he knew Kenzo wasn't being rude; he just had a fierce face, and his usual tone of voice seemed a bit aggressive.
"Miss Ryoko, don't worry; actually, Kenzo has no malicious intentions. It's just that he's like that, and he usually talks that way!" Koma Enji said while wearing a friendly expression.
"Hoo... So that's what it is! Mr. Yoshimura, please smile from time to time so you can appear kinder." Ryoko lowered her head again and said in a kind tone.
"My name is Kenzo; you can just call me by my name." Kenzo was a little annoyed, but wanting to know more, he asked, "By the way, which district are you from?"
"What?"
Kenzo stared at the woman in front of him and said, "Well, I'd be an idiot not to realize that you're on the run, so I'd be interested in knowing more about your situation so maybe I could get you a safe house in one of the secure areas managed by the group I belong to."
Knowing that she might possibly be a Ghoul investigation case, sooner or later, Doves would arrive in the vicinity, and those in charge of hunting Kyoko would soon know more about her. In that case, he couldn't leave her in this place, and the smartest thing to do would be to hide her for a few months in one of his nearby bases.
"You don't seem to be an enemy. I startled myself a moment ago with the thoughts I was having... Still, leaving you here is a risk for both me and the others," Kenzo thought with a calm look directed at the slightly uncomfortable woman.
"What are you talking about, Kenzo?" Koma Enji was the most confused in this situation. What was Kenzo, who didn't care about most of the problems that happened here, doing?
"We come from District 24. The Doves in that place have become much more common, so we escaped." Just as Kenzo was about to ask another question, Kyoko suddenly spoke.
"You ran away just for that?" Kenzo raised his eyebrows, a bit confused. "Didn't you have a solid identity in District 24?"
What kind of excuse was that for escaping? It should be more than that, and there must have been other reasons for their escape. Their identity should have been well integrated into society for them to live comfortably. She didn't have any difficulties like other Ghouls, so something else must have happened, but he decided not to delve deeper into it.
"About that..."
Kenzo interrupted her before she could speak and said, "I actually don't care. I'll be very honest with you; they will soon arrive in this district... I mean the Ghoul investigators you're running from. I highly doubt you came all the way here just because of the CCG's increase. They should be investigating your whereabouts right now. If that's the case, you'll be put on the list of Ghouls to be hunted, so you won't be able to have a normal life for a while."
"The only way would be to dye your hair, create fake records, identifications, and move to a residence near this place. At the same time, you should stay hidden for a few months with your daughter. If you are really running away, just call this number when you're ready, and they will help you with all those problems."
"This... In exchange for what?" Kyoko knew that these things were tempting, but she was also aware that all these things wouldn't be given to her just like that.
"Take it as a welcome gift. You can work in a place of your choice, and the need to hunt for survival will be obsolete. It's a problem for you to stay here, your daughter should be well cared for, as it would be a problem if she escapes while you're not looking."
Kyoko was lost in thought. Although she had heard of Anteiku, she had never heard rumors of another group of Ghouls besides them. If the things he told her were true, then she should accept this help with great gratitude and integrate into this district as soon as possible.
She knew that Kenzo seemed to have discovered everything she was hiding with a few words of exchange, so if her stay here was a problem, she should go to that place he recommended as soon as possible. No one, not even Manager Yoshimura, said anything about it, so this should be true.
Ryoko felt that it might be impolite not to respond to this man's kindness, so she said, "I'll call this number as soon as possible."
"You don't have to rush; you can stay with us for as long as you like," Koma Enji knew that Kenzo practically wanted to rush Kyoka.
At this point, Kenzo leaned against the counter and said, "You should know better than anyone that the Crows can protect her better than this cafe can. So it's smarter to let them do the work than be selfish at this point."
Manager Yoshimura smiled and said, "Mrs. Kyoko, you can trust my son's words... It might be hasty, but you will be much more comfortable in a place that will be entirely yours, where others like you live peacefully."
"That's true," Koma Enji didn't know how Kenzo could communicate with the Crows, but it was undeniable that the system they managed could support thousands of Ghouls without any problems, and all their businesses were absolutely safe.
"I see, thank you very much for your help, Mr. Kenzo," Kyoko, seeing that it bothered Kenzo to be called by his last name, called him by his first name directly.
"Well, all right, but you should go to your daughter first, who is angry," Kenzo waved his hand to indicate that she should go and not bother him.
"Thank you!" Ryoko nodded, then turned and went up the stairs.
Kenzo continued to sit at the counter and think about the problem. Now that the Doves were becoming more aggressive, he needed to send a message. After all, it's simply impossible to let them take the advantage on the streets that will be his in the future.
But before making any flashy moves against the CCG investigators, the first thing he would do is attack District 19, take it under his command, and from there, start moving between the other districts. Thinking about it, Kenzo simply kept thinking about the many things he would do afterward.
"Hey, Kenzo, why did you sleep all afternoon?" At this moment, Touka's voice sounded, waking Kenzo up.
"Um... why did I do that?" Kenzo wanted to go out all night and deal with some issues, so that's the first thing he'll do after today.
"Hey, I bought you the coffee candies you like!" Touka handed him a bag of the coffee candies Kenzo loved so much.
"I appreciate it!" Kenzo tried one of the candies, and as expected, they were his favorites.
"Kenzo, are you free later?" Touka sat next to Kenzo and asked with a smile.
"Not tonight, but we could have a date on the weekend," Kenzo knew what Touka was referring to, so he was also interested in their relationship.
Upon hearing this, Touka wondered, "Where are you going?"
"I'll tell you on the weekend, what do you say?" Kenzo asked as his gaze drew closer to Touka's.
"Stay safe..." Touka said as she closed her eyes and let Kenzo kiss her.