"Are you doing it this way too?"
Kaneki Ken looked at Riku, a burly man with horns sprouting from his head and a single vertical eye on his forehead. Despite his monstrous appearance, Riku exuded a sense of reliability that gave Kaneki a strange comfort. This man was offering him another choice.
To be honest, Riku was the one who looked the most like a monster among them. After all, setting aside everything else, Kirishima Touka, Yoshimura Kuzen, and Kaneki himself—at least as ghouls—could pass for normal humans at a glance. Riku, on the other hand, was unmistakably different.
"Me? Something like that," Riku replied with a nod, acknowledging Kaneki. Though they weren't the same kind of creature, they faced similar struggles.
Seeing this young man's turmoil and helplessness, Riku felt as if he were looking at a version of himself without the [Limit System]. Without it, Riku knew he'd likely have ended up in a worse state than Kaneki. At least this kid was a protagonist, even if his story could be summed up with the word "tragic." Still, Kaneki's tale had a happy ending.
Without the [Limit System], Riku's fate would've been grim—probably cut down by some passing demon hunter.
"Even though we've been turned into man-eating monsters, when we have a choice, we'd never give up our human identity, right?"
Riku shared his thoughts. If survival were the only option, he wasn't sure how long he could hold out either.
"Yeah… because we're human."
Riku's words struck a chord deep within Kaneki, giving him a sense of emotional support. It might sound a bit sappy, but Kaneki desperately needed someone who shared a similar experience—someone to guide him, to answer his questions.
Kaneki couldn't accept that his body had become that of a man-eating ghoul. It was a normal reaction; no one with a shred of morality could easily embrace the idea of feeding on their own kind.
"If you see yourself as human, then feed on ghouls. That way, you won't have to carry the burden of guilt."
Riku clapped a hand on Kaneki's shoulder. The kid wasn't tall, and his frame was frail from years of avoiding exercise. Standing next to Riku, he looked like a scrawny little chick.
"But his body is a ghoul now! Even if he thinks he's human, that doesn't change the truth!"
Kirishima Touka thought this horned guy was spouting nonsense. He'd already become a ghoul—why not accept reality? Clinging to the idea of being human and eating ghouls instead? That was just self-deception!
"..."
Kaneki's expression darkened. She was right. No matter how he felt, he couldn't change the fact that he was a man-eating monster now. It might ease his mind, but he could never return to a normal life.
"Touka-chan, use your head for a second. If a human can become a ghoul, why can't a ghoul become human again?"
Riku spread his hands like a bear, and his words left the two ghouls and one half-ghoul in the room stunned. Even Yoshimura Kuzen, usually composed, looked momentarily shaken.
Why had Riku held on for so long? First, because he didn't have to eat humans—when there was a choice, why would he? Second, he firmly believed that one day he'd be able to eat normal food again.
"Your body can change back. But once you eat a human, your heart… that's much harder to fix. Some things, once you start, there's no going back."
Riku looked at Kaneki, unsure if the kid could hold out, but he wanted to give him a spark of hope to keep going.
Could a ghoul become human again? Riku didn't know for sure. But he did know that, by the story's end, Dr. Chigyo Koitsu had developed artificial food that ghouls could eat.
"Yeah… there's got to be a way, right?!"
A light flickered back into Kaneki's eyes. If humans could become ghouls, then surely ghouls could become human again!
"If it were that simple, ghouls wouldn't exist anymore."
Yoshimura Kuzen sighed. How many ghouls wanted to be ghouls? How many didn't dream of a normal life?
Were ghouls just crazed beasts, monsters obsessed with hunting humans? Of course not. They had rich emotions, no less complex than humans'. To eat any food they wanted, to live without hiding, without fear of being hunted by the CCG or even other ghouls—who wouldn't yearn for that life?
"Delusional!"
Touka shouted, then stormed off, cradling her broken arm. In a few steps, she was gone.
"Don't mind her. Your words hit a nerve. She's always wanted a normal human life, too, but it's so hard for ghouls," Yoshimura explained with a smile. Touka had been trying to blend into human society, even going to school for it.
Riku shrugged, unbothered. His words weren't meant for Touka anyway. He'd stepped in because he empathized with Kaneki's plight and wanted to offer the kid another path.
Yoshimura's gaze shifted to Kaneki.
"Child, it's true that ghouls can feed on other ghouls, but their flesh tastes awful to us. And you'd need to be strong enough to defeat them."
Yoshimura's words confirmed Riku's idea, which relieved Kaneki but also made him nervous. He didn't know how to fight—didn't even dare to. Growing up, he'd always been weak, bullied, relying on his friend Nagachika to get him out of trouble. He loved books, not sports, let alone fighting terrifying monsters like ghouls.
"There's one right here. You could give it a try."
Riku pointed at the headless ghoul's corpse, and Kaneki hesitated, his eyes betraying his reluctance.
How to put it? Kaneki's expression was probably similar to Riku's when he first saw Nezuko Kamado. Sure, this thing wasn't human—just a man-eating monster that looked human—but it was still hard to stomach. Even if it were a pig, most people wouldn't just bite into it raw.
"This kid's not like you."
Yoshimura spoke slowly, seeing Kaneki's soft heart. The boy couldn't make snap decisions. Expecting him to survive by hunting ghouls was unrealistic.
"No, I was like him at first. He just hasn't adjusted yet."
Riku didn't look down on Kaneki. He'd been the same way once. If Riku had been ruthless from the start, Nezuko would've been in his stomach long ago. Kaneki's personality—wasn't it just a reflection of most people?
"Don't push him to decide too soon. Both of you, come with me. We can help him learn more about ghouls. I believe he'll make the right choice."
Yoshimura extended an invitation, his kind smile unwavering, radiating goodwill.
"Okay."
Kaneki agreed, calming down a bit. Riku's words had dulled his hunger, at least clearing his mind.
"Hold on a sec."
Riku walked over to the ghoul's corpse and rummaged around, pulling out a special organ from beneath its shoulder blade.
"The kagune sac—here it is."
Under Kaneki's stunned gaze, Riku tossed the sac to him. Kaneki fumbled to catch it, unsure whether to hold or drop it, caught in a moment of indecision.
"One of these is worth more than a few humans."
Riku teased with a grin, and Kaneki finally held onto the sac tightly. If eating this meant he didn't have to eat humans, he'd try.
Yoshimura shook his head and led the way, bringing Riku and Kaneki to his café, Anteiku.
As for the human and ghoul corpses, other ghouls would clean them up later. They wouldn't let them go to waste.
Kaneki was no stranger to Anteiku. He often came here to drink coffee, read, and wait for Rize Kamishiro—a painful memory now. To think this cozy, elegant café was home to a group of ghouls. If he'd known, he'd never have set foot here, and none of this would've happened.
"Please, have a seat."
Yoshimura began preparing coffee. It was late, and no staff were on duty at Anteiku, so he handled it himself.
"No need for me. I'm worse off than you guys—I can't even drink coffee."
Riku waved a hand, surprising both Yoshimura and Kaneki. One was shocked that Riku couldn't drink coffee; the other, that ghouls could.
"Alright."
Yoshimura nodded with a smile, quickly finishing a cup and handing it to Kaneki.
The aroma of the coffee nearly brought tears to Kaneki's eyes. After days without normal food, his life had changed so much in such a short time.
(End of Chapter)