In a small bar, a blonde beauty sitting at the counter drinking suddenly frowned, and then put down the glass containing the bright red liquid.
"Nico, is that you?"
As she questioned, a somewhat strange voice suddenly appeared beside her, and at the same time, a somewhat tall figure also sat down directly.
"That's right, it's me~ Itori"
Nico casually picked up the glass bottle next to him and poured himself a glass. He then shook the glass while looking at it. Itori simply frowned and did not say much about this familiar behavior.
"Did you come to see me for something?"
Although the two belonged to the same organization, she was not in a good mood at this time and did not want to talk to others.
Noticing that Itori's condition was a bit strange, Nico stopped rambling and simply stated his purpose directly.
"Looking for someone? Is it for the Leader?"
"Not exactly, it's for Souta."
Itori's expression worsened after hearing 'Souta'. It was clear that she did not like 'Souta,' who was Nimura Furuta, but regardless of whether she liked him or not, everyone belonged to the same organization, and Nico was the intermediary, so she couldn't simply refuse. After all, the bar she ran in name, which was actually a small intelligence station, was also established with the support of the people within 'The Clowns'.
"Who are you looking for?"
"Former CCG Associate Special Class Investigator — Lancer."
As Nico spoke the target's name, Itori, who was about to bring the wine glass to her mouth, froze for a moment.
"What's wrong?"
Nico couldn't help but ask upon noticing the opponent's strange reaction, but Itori just shook her head.
"Nothing, just a bit strange. I just collected similar information."
"Oh~ then my luck is really good~"
Undoubtedly, although Nico trusted Itori's intelligence capabilities, he hadn't expected it to be so fast.
— — — — — —
Several people were standing in a warehouse inside a certain abandoned factory.
Ken Kaneki, standing against the wall, looked solemnly at the ground, not knowing what he was thinking, and standing next to him was Nishiki Nishio. This senior from Ken Kaneki's school had voluntarily joined Ken Kaneki's newly formed organization after graduating from university, and was also the actual controller of this warehouse.
"Kaneki, our subordinates haven't found any news about that man."
"That's normal. If we could find them so easily, the CCG wouldn't have failed to find them until now. We can only rely on Mr. Yomo now."
The fact that Lancer was wanted by the CCG caused quite a stir among Ghouls. After all, the opponent was previously known as the 'CCG's Harbinger of Death,' but now he was instead wanted by his own 'master'. Everyone held the attitude of watching a joke, but Ken Kaneki was different. Besides being interested in the 'Ghoul food' that Lancer promised him, the more important reason was that he was very curious about why Lancer was wanted by the CCG.
But just at this moment, a sound of metal scraping came, and then the metal door was seen being pulled open. Renji Yomo finally returned.
"Mr. Yomo, how is the situation?"
"The situation is not good."
Without any unnecessary talk, Renji Yomo immediately began to briefly explain the situation outside to everyone as soon as he entered.
"The store was indeed sealed off by the CCG, wasn't it…"
Undoubtedly, the subsequent reaction to Yoshimura revealing his face had already begun, but the only good news, according to Renji Yomo, was that everyone in the store was not on the wanted list.
And just then, a somewhat weary voice suddenly came.
"Then what about Mr. Lancer?"
"Touka? Haven't you rested yet?"
Renji Yomo did not answer directly this time but instead asked back.
"The Manager just fell asleep. I'm planning to rest for a while with Irimi-nee, but you still haven't mentioned Mr. Lancer…"
"As for Lancer, I can't be completely sure, but according to Itori, there is a strange piece of news: a man with one large and one small woman appeared in two different 'Love Hotels'."
Speaking of this, Renji Yomo couldn't help but secretly glance at his niece. Although he was merely stating the intelligence, saying 'Love Hotel' in front of his relative still made him feel a bit strange.
"'Love Hotel'? Why would Mr. Lancer go… there?"
"Actually, a 'Love Hotel' is a good choice, because due to its business nature, there are generally no surveillance facilities either inside or near the store, and the CCG's search would logically not extend to a 'Love Hotel'. Therefore, I personally think that the man and two women who appeared in the 'Love Hotel' are very likely Lancer and the Fueguchi mother and daughter."
As one of the insiders back then, Renji Yomo naturally knew that Lancer had not done anything to the Fueguchi mother and daughter. The rumors outside were just rumors made up by people with dirty minds. After obtaining the intelligence, he did not jump to conclusions and merely analyzed the pros and cons.
Undoubtedly, everyone here was a 'serious person' at this time. Except for Touka Kirishima, who initially blushed, everyone listened solemnly to Renji Yomo's analysis.
"So what are you planning to do next? Are you going to look for that man named Lancer?"
"Yes, Mr. Lancer saved us before, and it's very likely that he is wanted by the CCG for this reason. We must find him!"
Ken Kaneki couldn't help but look at Touka Kirishima, who was looking down and thinking about something, as he said this. In his opinion, the reason Lancer saved them must have been for Touka Kirishima, and he was just a bonus. After all, when Lancer often went to the store for coffee three years ago, everyone had rumored that Lancer liked Touka Kirishima, and later the opponent saved Touka Kirishima several times. Thinking of this, Ken Kaneki couldn't help but sigh.
'What am I thinking? The most important thing now is to return to my original state. Otherwise, how can I face Hideyoshi, who entered the CCG for me?'
Touka Kirishima on the other side was biting her lip. Before, the Quinque armor that was allegedly made from her father's Kagune made her almost lose her mind. Later, thinking carefully, she realized there was no need for her to rush out. Lancer, as the owner of the Quinque armor, she could completely ask the opponent afterwards.
'It's all because of me…'
Undoubtedly, although the matter of Lancer possessing 'magic' was initially exposed among the CCG high-ranking officials, the people present, including Touka Kirishima, were completely unaware. Touka Kirishima still believed that she was the one who harmed Lancer.
At the same time, when she thought that Lancer was wanted because of her, the tiny seed that was buried in her heart began to sprout for some reason.