The next day, He Xi Qian Yu and Kaneki Ken were assigned a procurement task.
On the street, various people were bustling with noise.
"Kaneki, look over there," He Xi Qian Yu suddenly said, motioning.
Kaneki Ken looked in the direction he pointed—a man in a brown trench coat, carrying a briefcase, walking in a hurry.
"That's a White Doves," He Xi Qian Yu whispered, "What's in the box is a Kouink."
Kaneki Ken's gaze followed closely, as if to engrave the man's appearance into his mind.
The man quickly disappeared into the surging crowd.
For some reason, the Ghoul Search Officer's activities were becoming more frequent; He Xi Qian Yu had already encountered several on the street these past two days.
As the manager said, even in the Twenty Ward, it was not absolutely safe for Ghouls.
"Kaneki," He Xi Qian Yu pondered for a moment, "You need a mask."
"A mask?" Kaneki Ken's tone was confused.
"Yes," He Xi Qian Yu nodded, "As a Ghoul, once your identity is exposed, it will lead to pursuit and Slaughter by the CCG. So everyone usually wears masks to avoid revealing their true appearance."
"Then what about Qianyu Ge?" Kaneki Ken's voice was puzzled; he had never seen He Xi Qian Yu wear a mask.
"People can't be generalized, Kaneki," his tone was relaxed, "After all, not every Ghoul can take on six fully armed Search Officers at once."
Then, he embellished a heroic story for Kaneki Ken about how a weak Ghoul bravely defeated six Search Officers in a narrow alley.
"So... so amazing," admiration showed in Kaneki Ken's eyes.
"...Shameless..." Slaughter's complaint sounded at the opportune moment.
...
Back at the Anteiku Coffee Shop, He Xi Qian Yu immediately brought the matter up to Fangcun Gongshan.
"Yes," Fangcun Gongshan nodded, "Qianyu Jun has considered it very thoughtfully."
He called Dong Xiang over.
"Dong Xiang, can you accompany Jin Mu to Mr. Uta's place tomorrow?"
"What?" Dong Xiang's eyes widened, "It's a rare weekend..."
"If Jin Mu goes alone, he might get lost," Fangcun Gongshan said gently.
"Then what about him?" Dong Xiang pointed to He Xi Qian Yu, who was looking down at his phone, pretending to be uninvolved.
"Ah, sorry," He Xi Qian Yu spread his hands, smiling innocently, "I don't know the way either~"
Dong Xiang's eye twitched almost imperceptibly, and her face immediately flushed.
...
He Xi Qian Yu was eventually brought along.
On the bustling street, Dong Xiang walked ahead with a cold face, while He Xi Qian Yu and Kaneki Ken, the two brothers, trailed behind, whispering.
"Qianyu Ge..." Kaneki Ken's voice was full of doubt, "Didn't you say... you didn't need a mask?"
"Listen, Kaneki," He Xi Qian Yu coughed, "Yesterday I taught you the first lesson—one must have a clear understanding of one's own strength."
"Today I'll teach you the second lesson," he looked at Kaneki Ken with a serious expression, "Sticking to the old ways is not advisable; sometimes, appropriate change is necessary."
"Oh," Kaneki Ken nodded, half-understanding.
"What are you dawdling for?" Dong Xiang's icy voice came from ahead, "Catch up, we're almost there."
The two quickly chuckled and quickened their pace.
...
After walking down a dark, downward staircase, the three arrived in front of an inconspicuous wooden door.
"The security here..." Kaneki Ken hesitated, "It seems not very good..."
He Xi Qian Yu nodded in agreement—he had just heard a woman's scream and the sound of breaking beer bottles from the alley next door.
Dong Xiang was expressionless, seemingly accustomed to it—or perhaps she hadn't cooled down yet.
She pushed open the wooden door directly.
"Mr. Uta," Dong Xiang's voice echoed in the slightly empty shop, "Are you here?"
He Xi Qian Yu's gaze swept over the shop's furnishings: mannequins wearing various masks were placed all around, walls were densely covered with masks of different shapes, and the black and white checkered floor made the atmosphere strangely eerie.
In the center of the shop, a mannequin covered with a white cloth was particularly conspicuous.
...Under the white cloth...there's a person...
"Strange," he frowned, "Is he sleeping?"
Kaneki Ken's gaze was firmly attracted by the mysterious white cloth.
"Kaneki, wait..." He Xi Qian Yu's warning was a step too late—Kaneki Ken had already curiously lifted the white cloth.
A man blinked at him.
"Waaahhhhhhh!" Kaneki Ken's scream instantly tore through the silence in the shop.
"Really..." Dong Xiang pressed her hand to her forehead, her tone helpless, "Mr. Uta, you're doing it again..."
...
After a brief introduction, Mr. Uta and Dong Xiang began to converse in low voices. He Xi Qian Yu looked at Kaneki Ken, who was still startled and pale.
"Are you alright?" He patted Kaneki Ken's back.
"N-nothing..." The latter's voice was still trembling slightly.
"Recently, White Doves have been lurking nearby..." Mr. Uta turned his head, his tone calm, as if talking about something ordinary, "If there's nothing major, they should leave the Twenty Ward alone."
He leaned closer to Kaneki Ken and sniffed, his eyebrows slightly raised: "He has Rize's scent on him... Is he related to her?"
"Yes, partly," Dong Xiang nodded, "And Yue Shan Xi has been a bit too much recently..."
"Him..." Mr. Uta nodded thoughtfully.
"Let's start with the measurements," he pulled the still dazed Kaneki Ken onto a nearby stool, "Starting with you..."
...
Mr. Uta's movements were swift, and it was soon He Xi Qian Yu's turn.
After taking the measurements, Mr. Uta casually asked, "Did you prepare anything beforehand? If not, tell me your preferences."
Upon hearing this, He Xi Qian Yu took out a neatly folded drawing from his pocket and handed it over.
Mr. Uta unfolded the drawing—on the paper was a metal mask covered in rust and spikes, engraved with a distorted, pained female face, and the edges of the mask were outlined with ominous dark red flame patterns.
Liandry's Torment, He Xi Qian Yu had been fond of it for a long time.
Thanks to Slaughter's replication ability, which was like a precise printer, his concept was perfectly presented on paper.
"Hmm..." Mr. Uta's eyes lit up, "The design... is quite unique." His fingertips traced the edge of the drawing, and he looked up at He Xi Qian Yu, his tone carrying a subtle hesitation, "However... this style is more like a female design."
"Do you have... this kind of preference?"
Before he finished speaking, He Xi Qian Yu felt two burning gazes—
Kaneki Ken's mouth was slightly agape in surprise, his eyes filled with astonishment.
And Dong Xiang crossed her arms, her purple eyes slightly narrowed, openly displaying a look of disdain that clearly said, "He really is a pervert."
He Xi Qian Yu coughed awkwardly, quickly waving his hands in defense: "Cough, don't misunderstand, this is to better incapacitate the White Doves. Catch them by surprise, understand? Catch them by surprise."