Meanwhile, Koma and Irimi had clearly realized that Roma was just messing with them.
"By the way, Roma, you're not exactly young anymore. Any plans to get married?" Irimi teased.
"Marriage? Meh, I don't see the point" Roma replied bluntly.
Very few people knew her real age was over forty, even though she looked like she was in her twenties.
Koma and Irimi, of course, had no idea about her actual age.
"But if you two got married, now that would be interesting" Roma smoothly redirected the conversation back at Koma and Irimi.
"Pass. I'm not marrying a damn monkey" Irimi shot back.
"Monkey? Excuse you — Devil Ape, thank you very much!" Koma huffed. "And I'm definitely not marrying a Black Dog."
…
While Koma, Irimi, and Roma were bickering like kids, over at another table, Minami and Arima were quietly studying.
"It's pretty noisy here. Maybe we should've gone to the library. It's hard to focus in the middle of a shift" Minami said with an awkward smile.
"True. Let's wait until after work and then study at home or the library. It'll be more efficient" Arima agreed.
To be fair, Arima didn't really need extra studying. Most of the time, he was just keeping Minami company.
In truth, Arima was a genius. Just paying attention in class was enough for him to top every exam.
Before, it was always Minami ranking first, but now it was Arima who consistently claimed the top spot.
Not only was he a tactical genius and combat prodigy, but his mental faculties were also off the charts. He was the definition of a perfect all-rounder with virtually no weaknesses.
Well — formerly, his short lifespan had been one weakness. But not anymore.
After inhaling the Dragon Toxin, his life expectancy returned to normal human levels.
And if Byakuya felt like it, he could even give Arima a few Lifespan Pills.
"You always study with me, but I still can't beat your scores" Minami sighed.
The more Arima helped her study, the more impossible it became to catch up.
Worse yet — even if he didn't help her, she'd still fall short.
Arima simply smiled, offering no cruel truths in return.
"Hey… have you decided which university you want to attend after we graduate?" Minami asked suddenly.
She wanted to start preparing ahead of time. If she knew where Arima was aiming, she could target her studies accordingly.
In Japan, the university system was unique. Besides a national college entrance exam, each university had its own tough entrance test. Students often prepared for at least three schools: one reach school, one at their level, and one safety.
Of course, for students like Minami and Arima, those backup plans weren't really necessary.
"Probably… Kamii University" Arima answered after a moment.
"No way—same here! I was thinking Kamii would be perfect if I could get in" Minami looked surprised. "Let's work hard together then. We both have to get into Kamii!"
"Yeah" Arima nodded with a gentle smile.
Byakuya, who had overheard them while typing nearby, couldn't help feeling a bit nostalgic.
After all, in the original timeline, Kaneki and Hide had all attended Kamii University. There seemed to be something about that place that drew people in.
In this world, there was no Tokyo University so Kamii had become the top institution in the Tokyo area—a prestigious school offering a wide range of programs in both humanities and sciences.
Getting in wasn't easy.
In the original story, Touka had wanted to attend Kamii to be with Kaneki, but her plans were never realized. Likely because her identity as a ghoul was exposed, making college attendance impossible.
"What's wrong?" Eto asked, noticing that Byakuya had paused his typing. "You look like you're deep in thought."
"Nothing much. I just overheard Arima and Minami talking about university entrance exams. The Kamii they're aiming for… that's where Kaneki and Furuta went later on."
"University, huh… I didn't even finish elementary school" Eto muttered.
"Well, with your intelligence, if you set your mind to it, you could pass the exams and attend university too" Byakuya said.
(Author Note: Eto is 18 now. She was 18 earlier too. Don't ask why — just smile and nod)
She was old enough. And even though Eto never attended high school, neither did Furuta in the original storyline. There were ways, especially considering her status as the leader of TSC and her ties to the Washuu clan. If you know, you know.
So long as she could pass the national and university-specific exams, she could enroll like anyone else.
"Now that you mention it… yeah, it could be fun. Experiencing college life might be interesting" Eto said, intrigued.
"It definitely would. It'd help you grow as a writer too" Byakuya added. "Not that you need it to become a best-selling author."
"There you go again" Eto rolled her eyes. "But seriously, I think I'll give it a shot. Let's see if I can get into a decent university."