In an upscale restaurant, Kenzo sat, waiting for his guest. If he played his cards right, Shinohara Yukinori might become his replacement to lead the CCG. Kenzo needed a dove, and this man was the one he had chosen for that role.
If Kenzo initiated a complete purge, he would need to somehow maintain appearances to prevent any upheaval that could completely destabilize the country. Once he exposed all of Japan's secrets, he would make demands on humans for rights, as long as certain rules were followed. Simultaneously, he had to ensure that his rights as a representative of Ghouls were upheld and that he didn't lead his people into an absolute trap.
"It must be that way..." Kenzo murmured, fully immersed in his plans.
At that moment, a waitress approached and said, "Mr. Kenzo, your guest is here."
Kenzo nodded and said, "Let him in..."
After a few minutes, Shinohara Yukinori arrived at Kenzo's table and greeted him immediately, "Good to see you, Mr. Kenzo. Obviously, it wasn't necessary to book a reservation at this expensive place. I'm a simple man, so we could have talked elsewhere."
"A modest man, Mr. Shinohara Yukinori, but the restaurant is mine, so I guess it couldn't have been cheaper for me." Kenzo smiled as he shook hands with his guest and said, "Please, have a seat."
After a brief exchange of words, Kenzo noticed Shinohara Yukinori's fatigue and said, "It seems like work has increased. I took the liberty of ordering you a great dish to help restore your energy."
Shinohara Yukinori smiled slightly and looked at the huge steak placed in front of him. This courtesy wasn't something he experienced often, and he murmured, "You must know better than anyone what's happening with the country. That Ghoul who directly challenged our government's authority is a looming danger."
"I can understand. When a figure emerges that everyone can admire and follow, it becomes a serious problem. It's no wonder that the crime most punished is government violation; messing it up carries a heavier sentence than standing next to a murderer, that punishment would be small..." Kenzo murmured while taking a sip of wine.
Shinohara Yukinori felt uneasy and said, "I appreciate your kind invitation, but I'm afraid I need to speed things up a bit... Tell me, Mr. Kenzo, what is that information that seemed very unsettling to show me?"
Kenzo wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, "Let me ask you a very serious question, Mr. Shinohara. How far are you willing to go for the peace of our country?"
Shinohara Yukinori remained silent for a few minutes and said, "I would be willing to do anything, that's my main purpose for joining the CCG many years ago."
"Then I suppose if I tell you to make a truce with a Ghoul to completely stabilize the country, you would do it, wouldn't you?" Kenzo asked directly as one of his men approached with a black briefcase.
"I don't quite understand your question. What exactly are you referring to, Mr. Kenzo?" Shinohara Yukinori, who was very comfortable, immediately became alert.
Kenzo expected this reaction from Shinohara Yukinori, but the conversation was heading to a touchy subject. First, he needed to open a topic of conversation and get to know the man he would choose to complete his plan better.
He didn't want to admit it, but Shinohara Yukinori was vital to his plan, and he couldn't change that even if he wanted to. If he wanted to do this cleanly, he needed something much subtler than this to convince himself that he could win.
"People of high resources, those who fear Ghouls the most, some of them spend millions of dollars on security and most of the time stay in their secure homes... That's the only way to stay safe nowadays, and everyone who has the means to protect themselves does it."
Kenzo smiled slightly and said, "It seems like someone understood it very well, someone who knew the human system better than anyone and understood it perfectly."
"What are you getting at?" Shinohara Yukinori asked in a serious tone. He didn't know why, but he sensed that something very bad was about to be revealed.
"As much as possible, people with money do everything they can to maintain their security, and that surpasses limits. So, what would you think if I told you that the high billionaires not only in Japan but worldwide are being protected by trained Ghouls?"
"What did you say?" Shinohara Yukinori asked as he stood up.
"Don't be alarmed, Mr. Shinohara Yukinori. There are many things you still don't know..." Kenzo pointed again to the seat and said, "It's not a crime to hire security, especially when you are very busy hunting down the most dangerous Ghouls."
"I didn't expect this; it's not possible... How can they trust Ghouls for their protection?" Shinohara Yukinori was sweating, wondering if everything they had been doing was a joke to those people who only cared about money.
"Mr. Shinohara Yukinori, who do you think is the real monster now?"