Rize remained silent. She hated being used, but she hated being imprisoned and dissected even more.
Amano Hiro's displayed power exceeded her understanding, and he seemed to know secrets that even she was unaware of.
Compared to the unknown, malicious trap ahead, the conditions offered by this mysterious boy, though still ambiguous in purpose, at least... temporarily provided a seemingly viable path.
She looked into Amano Hiro's eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through everything, and remembered the abyssal, demonic presence he had displayed moments ago. Negotiating with a tiger, perhaps, was her only option for now.
"...How am I supposed to trust you?" she finally asked with difficulty.
"You don't need to fully trust me,"
Amano Hiro smiled casually. "You just need to know that, for now, I am the least bad of all your terrible options. And my 'investment' in you is long-term."
He extended a hand toward the labyrinth of city lights. "The choice is yours. Continue being a bird hunted from all sides, thinking yourself free, or perch under a tree that can shelter you from wind and rain, even if it is not entirely without danger."
Rize stood by the riverbank. The night wind tousled her hair and stirred the resolve she had tried to maintain.
Freedom or survival, this had become a difficult choice. She looked at this unfathomable boy before her and, after a long pause, took a deep breath.
"I... need time to consider."
Watching Rize disappear down the opposite side of the riverbank, Amano Hiro showed no trace of surprise.
He had no urgency to get an immediate answer. Like a patient angler, the bait was laid; now all that remained was waiting for the fish to weigh the risks itself.
The conditions he offered were highly tempting to Rize, surrounded on all sides: a powerful protector who would not interfere with her freedom. It was difficult for her to find any reason to refuse.
As for her doubts about his motives... Amano Hiro recalled his half-serious, half-joking remark, "Perhaps I've come to like you," and found her completely unconvinced expression amusing.
He turned and walked leisurely in the opposite direction, as if the conversation that had just decided someone else's fate had been nothing more than a minor nocturnal episode.
...
The next afternoon, sunlight poured through the glass windows, scattering warm patterns across Antique Café. Wind chimes chimed softly as Amano Hiro pushed the door open.
"Welcome."
Kirishima Touka, wiping a glass, looked up habitually. When she saw him, her gaze shifted slightly.
"Good afternoon,"
Amano Hiro smiled in response, his gaze scanning the café, still carrying the gentle, harmless student facade.
He walked to his familiar window seat. "Same as usual, a Blue Mountain."
"All right, please wait a moment."
Touka nodded, moving efficiently to prepare it. When she brought the brewed coffee to him, she hesitated slightly, her expression complicated as she looked at him.
Amano Hiro lifted his head to meet her gaze. "Something wrong? Is there something on my face?"
"You..."
Touka parted her lips, wanting to ask why he had appeared there last night, to ask what had happened between him, Rize, and Kaneki, and most of all, to ask what his true identity was.
But at the edge of her words, seeing the calm, unreadable expression in his eyes, she felt such questions would be too abrupt.
In the end, she simply shook her head and whispered, "It's... nothing."
She turned with the tray in hand, her back carrying a trace of unspoken concern.
Amano Hiro watched her leave and sipped his coffee.
Of course, he knew what Touka wanted to ask: about the coincidence of last night and the mystery surrounding him.
But he had no intention of explaining. The rich coffee slid down his throat, relaxing him as always.
"I wonder how Kaneki-kun is doing," he thought aimlessly.
"After last night's... 'date,' he'll probably have a psychological shadow over pretty purple-haired women for quite some time."
He casually flipped through the Takatsuki Sen novel in hand, the faint smell of ink still lingering on the pages.
Suddenly, he remembered a detail from the original work, the author's signing event would occur soon.
"One-Eyed Owl..."
Amano Hiro lightly tapped the author's name on the page, interest flickering in his eyes. "Might as well take this opportunity to see for myself what this woman, whose ending in the original story was rather abrupt, looks like in reality."
As he pondered how to arrange it, the café door's wind chimes rang clearly again.
He looked up to see Kamishiro Rize walking in.
Today, she wore a proper dress. Her purple hair was elegantly tied up, and her face carried the usual slightly mischievous smile, fully recovered from last night's embarrassment and shock.
Her eyes scanned the café and landed precisely on Amano Hiro at the window seat. Without hesitation, she walked straight toward him.
After a night of careful consideration, Rize had clearly made her decision.
She approached his table calmly, gracefully seated across from him, hands folded in her lap, and smiled: "I hope I'm not disturbing your coffee, Amano... san."
There was a trace of testing in her gaze, along with the cunning and ambition inherent to the Binge Eater.
She knew that by stepping onto this path, the future might be uncertain, but at least it was better than waiting to be torn apart by multiple factions.
Amano Hiro looked at her naturally sitting across from him. A fleeting expression of surprise crossed his face, replaced quickly by a faint, subtle smile.
"Quick decision," he said, setting down his book, his tone calm. "I thought you'd take at least a few days."
Rize rested one hand on her cheek, the fingertips of the other lightly tapping the table, smiling brightly with a subtle, inscrutable charm.
"After thinking it over, Amano-san, the conditions you propose are indeed tempting. With a strong supporter, yet still maintaining freedom... I'd be rude to hesitate too long, wouldn't I?"
She leaned slightly forward, lowering her voice with a playful tone. "So... does this mean that we're... 'dating' now?"
Amano Hiro didn't answer directly. He sipped from his coffee again, his ambiguous attitude simultaneously acknowledging and avoiding the question.
Rize's gaze fell on the Takatsuki Sen novel at his side, a trace of genuine surprise flickering in her eyes.
"I didn't expect," she said lightly, "that Amano-san would like Takatsuki Sen's works.
Incidentally, she has a signing event coming up. I was planning to attend." She tilted her head slightly, issuing the invitation, "Would you like to go with me? It could be interesting."
Amano Hiro's interest was piqued. He had been planning to find an opportunity to see this 'One-Eyed Owl' for himself. Rize's suggestion perfectly suited his plans.
Moreover, he was curious to see what expression Aogiri Tree would make upon discovering Rize appearing before them with an unknown figure like himself.
"All right," he agreed readily. "I was curious anyway."
The coffee cup gradually emptied. Rize rose elegantly, adjusted her dress, and extended her hand toward Amano Hiro, her smile growing more enchanting.
With a slightly coquettish tone: "Then, darling, do you have time to accompany me to the nearby mall? Now that we've decided to 'cooperate,' we should... show a little gesture, don't you think?" Her eyes were sly, testing the boundaries of their new arrangement.
Amano Hiro looked at the hand she offered, but did not immediately take it. He calmly stood, putting the book away.
"Shall we?" His voice remained neutral, yet carried a tone of agreement. "I hope your shopping appetite isn't as formidable as your hunger."
Amano Hiro thought to himself: I'm not paying for this, so maybe I'll get a little free ride.