"You can call me Yoshimura. I'm the manager of this coffee shop."
Yoshimura Kousen stood nearby, his kind and gentle smile directed at Kaneki Ken and Riku.
If Riku's approach was like a straightforward fastball, Yoshimura Kousen's was more like a masterful deflection of force.
Just looking at Kaneki Ken's face—nearly tearing up from the joy of drinking coffee—showed how wonderful it was to taste normal food again.
"You can call me Devil," Riku said, introducing himself as he scanned the coffee shop. It didn't seem like any other ghouls lived here.
"I'm Kaneki Ken," Kaneki said, setting down his coffee cup, his voice tinged with nervousness as he introduced himself.
"Kaneki, I understand your desire not to hurt others. There are actually a lot of ghouls like you out there," Yoshimura said slowly, trying to convince Kaneki to abandon the idea of hunting other ghouls. That path would only lead to his own destruction.
"Really?" Kaneki replied, his tone a mix of disbelief and skepticism.
The ghouls he'd encountered so far—whether it was the first two he met, Touka-chan, or even Kamishiro Rize—hadn't exactly left a great impression.
"Yes. The Anteiku provides food for those ghouls," Yoshimura said casually, though his words caused a misunderstanding.
Kaneki instinctively glanced at Riku, his eyes wide with concern.
"Relax, just hear him out," Riku said with a chuckle, calming Kaneki down. He could guess what was going through Kaneki's mind.
After hearing Yoshimura's words, Kaneki probably thought Anteiku was a den of vicious ghouls who hunted humans left and right. I mean, a coffee shop that supplies food to ghouls? That's not a café—it's practically a human meat bun shop!
"Devil-san, you seem to know a bit about us?" Yoshimura asked, smiling at Riku. He was still trying to figure out what Riku was—neither fully human nor ghoul, but something else entirely.
"I know a little. Anteiku, the ghoul mutual aid society, right?" Riku said, summing it up.
The ghouls at Anteiku were indeed different, largely because the manager, Yoshimura Kousen, was a "pure love warrior" who genuinely cared for humans.
"It's not exactly a mutual aid society. We just try our best to help weaker ghouls blend into society more naturally and live stable lives," Yoshimura said with a smile, clearly pleased with the acknowledgment of his efforts.
"Um, Yoshimura-san, where do you get all that…?" Kaneki mustered the courage to ask, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"We don't hunt humans. Instead, we collect the bodies of those who've passed away—people who died by suicide or in accidents like car crashes," Yoshimura explained.
Kaneki's jaw dropped, clearly not expecting that answer.
"Is that really enough?" Kaneki asked, still skeptical. How many bodies could suicides or accidents provide?
"Actually, a ghoul's appetite isn't that big. Feeding once a month is enough to meet their basic needs," Yoshimura clarified.
In other words, if they rationed carefully, a single human could sustain a ghoul for a month.
"Oh, I see," Kaneki said, realization dawning. That made a lot more sense. He let out a relieved sigh, grateful he hadn't stumbled into a nest of bloodthirsty ghouls.
"If you're willing, Kaneki, you can come to Anteiku. We'll help you. And Devil-san, if you ever need assistance, our doors are open to you too."
Yoshimura finally revealed his true goal: he wanted Kaneki to join them. They'd provide him with food. And if Riku wanted to join, they'd offer him food too.
It wasn't about gaining anything—it was just about ghouls helping each other. Yoshimura welcomed every ghoul seeking refuge at Anteiku with kindness and support.
In his eyes, with Kaneki's personality and strength, trying to survive by hunting other ghouls as Devil suggested would likely get him killed in no time.
"This…" Kaneki hesitated, glancing at Riku again. Yoshimura's words were starting to sway him.
That's how boundaries erode—step by step. At first, you swear you'll never eat. Then it becomes, "As long as I don't hurt anyone, maybe it's okay." Eventually, you stop caring altogether.
"No need to look at me. It's your life, your choice. As for me, I don't need help—I've got my own way of doing things," Riku said.
He was willing to offer Kaneki another option but wouldn't make the choice for him. As for Yoshimura's kindness, Riku appreciated it but didn't need it.
"I…" Kaneki clutched his head, overwhelmed. How could he make such a huge decision so quickly?
Riku understood that after this talk with Yoshimura, Kaneki's choice—whatever it was—wouldn't be surprising. Under normal circumstances, ghouls were almost indistinguishable from humans.
Setting aside their abilities, with Kaneki's current mindset, it'd be hard for him to justify hunting and eating someone like Yoshimura.
The relationship between ghouls and humans was never fully explained in the anime, but Riku had a theory. The difference between ghouls and humans was probably like the difference between Homo sapiens and other hominid species. They weren't exactly the same, but they weren't entirely unrelated either.
Over the course of evolution, their ancestors took wildly different paths, yet neither went extinct. The result was the warped coexistence of ghouls and humans in today's world.
There was reproductive isolation between humans and ghouls, making it nearly impossible to produce offspring. Even when they did, most died young. But the isolation wasn't absolute—otherwise, natural half-human, half-ghoul hybrids like the "One-Eyed Owl" Yoshimura Eto, Yoshimura's daughter, wouldn't exist.
Yoshimura, the "pure love warrior," became the compassionate figure he was because he fell in love with a human woman, resulting in his half-ghoul daughter, Eto.
"Kaneki, any act of taking a life is a sin. No matter what excuse you make, you can't hide the fact that it's a sin," Yoshimura said with a heavy sigh.
He was tired of killing, tired of this world of mutual slaughter. Powerless to change it, he did what he could within his reach.
"Is killing for survival a sin too? Like ghouls eating humans, or humans killing ghouls to avoid being eaten?" Riku asked, raising an eyebrow. Yoshimura's compassion seemed a bit excessive—like, maybe move over, Leshan Giant Buddha, and let Yoshimura take your spot.
"Yes. That's why I use my strength to help other ghouls. I want more of them to integrate into human society, to live without relying on hunting humans or other ghouls," Yoshimura replied firmly, his conviction clear.
He knew it was a tough path—not everyone shared his ideals. He wouldn't force anyone, and if a ghoul wanted to fend for themselves, he wouldn't stop them.
"The doors of Anteiku are always open to you," Yoshimura said, standing up. He'd said enough. The final choice was up to Kaneki and Devil.
Riku stayed silent. Yoshimura's approach felt like atonement for the killings of his past. The "Non-Killing Owl" nickname came from this—he didn't kill humans or ghouls. Riku didn't fully get it, but he respected it.
"Well then, Yoshimura-san, we'll take our leave," Kaneki said, bowing politely outside Anteiku.
Kaneki was shaken by Yoshimura's words and deeply grateful for his help, but he still chose to leave with Devil. He felt he couldn't live up to Yoshimura's ideals.
Sometimes, being too clear about things can backfire. Yoshimura's honesty had left Kaneki feeling intimidated.
(End of Chapter)