Hiro sat back down across from Rize as if nothing had happened. He slightly lifted his chin at her, a teasing curve on his lips. "Well? Was I handsome just now?"
Rize played along perfectly. She folded her hands beneath her chin, her eyes seeming to sparkle, her smile dazzling beyond reason.
"Mm. Hiro-kun just now was simply unbelievably handsome."
Her full-on fangirl act perfectly satisfied someone's desire to show off.
Hiro turned his gaze away in satisfaction and let it fall on Banjo, who was shrinking off to the side. "You said just now that she had to run. What's that about?"
Banjo trembled violently and hurriedly forced out a flattering smile, waving his hands again and again. "Heh, no, no! It's just that those blind idiots from Aogiri Tree were thinking of making a move on Rize-san. But with you here, Boss, what are they even worth!"
As he spoke, he edged backward.
"Well, with Rize-san and Boss here, it's definitely safe! I, I won't disturb you any longer!"
After saying that, he practically scrambled out of the café with his three lackeys, not daring to stay a second longer. The oppressive air and lingering scent of blood had not yet faded.
Hiro's gaze then swept toward Niko in the corner.
"What? You want to avenge Yamori?"
Niko twisted his waist, voice syrupy. "Ara. You really love to joke, handsome. Revenge? Why would I?"
His eyes roamed over Hiro with infatuation. "The way you looked just now was absolutely stunning."
Hiro felt a chill crawl up his spine under that gaze. His brows furrowed tightly. "Get lost."
Niko pouted in mock grievance but did not dare say more. Muttering something about how fierce he was, he quickly slipped away as well.
At this point, in the wrecked café, only the Kirishima siblings remained, along with Hiro and Rize.
The brief silence was broken by Touka. She glared at her brother, suppressed anger in her tone. "Where the hell have you been running off to these past days, idiot?"
Ayato kept his hands in his pockets, face rebellious. "Learning about society. I'm not like you, content with the status quo and hiding here chasing peace."
"Stop talking big, you little brat!"
"Little brat? You're the one who doesn't get it." Ayato sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "The one who can't face reality is you. Look at how weak you are now. You're just as weak as Dad."
"What do you know!"
As if struck at her sore spot, Touka's anger exploded. Her ukaku flared open with a sharp sound as she charged straight at Ayato. "Father fought for our sake!"
Ayato blocked her attack with ease, eyes cold. "The one who doesn't understand is you! Dad and Mom are dead! They didn't protect anything. They just threw their lives away for nothing! But I'm different. I'll make those pieces of trash understand that ghouls are the superior species!"
Before he finished speaking, his kagune burst outward. The powerful shockwave flipped Touka straight onto the ground.
In truth, the gap in strength between the siblings should not have been so wide.
But when they were hunted by the CCG in childhood, Touka had forcibly activated her immature kagune to protect her brother, permanently damaging one of her kakuhou.
On top of that, by following Anteiku's rules and consuming only enough human flesh to survive, her strength had long since been greatly reduced.
"Your father isn't dead."
Hiro's calm voice struck like thunder in the siblings' ears.
"What? Is that true?!" Ayato spun around, emotions surging.
Touka pushed herself up, her voice trembling with hope. "Amano-san... is that true? Dad... he's really still alive?"
"I have no reason to lie to you," Hiro replied evenly. "He was just taken by the CCG."
"Tell me where he is!" Ayato demanded urgently.
Touka grabbed her brother and pulled him behind her, rarely displaying the authority of an older sister. "Shut up." Ayato clenched his teeth, yet truly fell silent.
She turned back to Hiro, eyes full of pleading. "Amano-san, could you please tell us where our father is?"
Hiro looked at the hope written plainly in Touka's eyes and asked instead, "After you know, what do you plan to do?"
"Rescue him!" The siblings answered almost in unison.
Hiro glanced at them indifferently and shattered their impulse with a single sentence. "You don't stand a chance. You're too weak."
Ayato opened his mouth to retort, but ultimately fell silent. He had just personally experienced how utterly insignificant he was before this man.
Touka pressed her lips stubbornly, her gaze firm. "Even so, I still want to know. Amano-san, please tell me. All right?"
"Kirishima Arata is being held in a secret laboratory at the lowest level of Cochlea," Hiro finally revealed. "As experimental material for quinque weapon development."
Hearing that their father was not only alive but enduring such inhuman torment, the siblings' pupils contracted sharply. Anger and heartache surged up like a tidal wave.
Rage and resolve churned in their chests, but the cold weight of reality soon drove them into silence.
Cochlea. The ultimate prison built specifically for ghouls, a fortress like copper walls and iron barriers. The grave of countless of their kind.
To enter meant falling into hell. To come out was even more impossible.
"Ding-ling-"
The crisp ring of the bell sounded once more, breaking the heavy silence at just the right moment.
The door opened. Manager Yoshimura Kuzen and Renji Yomo returned from the 11th Ward, dust clinging to them from the road.
The moment they stepped inside, their eyes were drawn to the wreckage on the floor. Shattered glass and splintered wood silently told of the disturbance that had just taken place.
The sound of the door also broke everyone's thoughts.
Ayato recovered first. He gave Touka a deep look, his tone resolute beyond dispute. "Stay out of Dad's matter. I'll rescue him. You just stay here safely and stop getting involved."
After saying that, he turned and walked toward the door.
"Wait..." Touka called out instinctively.
Ayato's steps paused for only a brief instant. He did not turn back. His figure soon disappeared into the light outside.
The manager gave Hiro a gentle nod of greeting. Touka then stepped forward and quietly reported everything that had happened that afternoon, including Yamori's attack, the terrifying strength Hiro had displayed, and the news that their father Kirishima Arata might still be alive and imprisoned.
Seeing this, Hiro felt there was no need to remain any longer and rose, preparing to leave with Rize.
"Amano-san," the manager's steady voice came from behind, carrying a solemn request. "If it is convenient, could we... have a talk?"
Hiro met the manager's eyes. He then gave Rize a look that said to stay calm and followed behind the manager up the stairs to the second floor.
For a moment, only Rize, Touka, and the silent Renji Yomo remained in the now spacious first floor.
Yomo had heard every word of Touka's account.
His brows were tightly drawn as he turned to her, voice low and serious. "Touka, what you just said... your father is really still alive?"
Touka nodded firmly, a spark of hope reigniting in her eyes. "Amano-san said it himself. He said Father isn't dead. He was captured by the CCG."
Yomo drew in a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his chest. He patted Touka on the shoulder, his tone steady. "If the information is true, I'll find a way to handle this. Don't worry too much for now."
His gaze swept subtly over Rize, who stood to the side in relaxed posture. He said nothing more and turned toward the café's back door, his figure disappearing into the shadows.
Rize watched Yomo leave with interest, as though observing a drama that had nothing to do with her.
With Yomo gone, only the two women remained in the hall. The atmosphere grew faintly tense.