"My mom wants to meet you?"
Now, hearing that might make it sound like I'm about to become someone's son-in-law… But that's not what this is.
Not even close.
After all, the girl standing in front of me is Misuzu. The same Misuzu whose mother dumped her entire day's meal on me two days ago.
I still can't stop wondering how they reacted when they woke up.
All of them.
Completely naked.
Especially Akemi, who was basically frosted like a cake with my—
Ahem. Abort that thought.
My eyes drifted to the terrace door, where Tomo was standing. She was on standby, just in case things went sideways. A good friend.
"If you're worried I'm gonna blackmail you guys or whatever… chill. I'm not interested," I finally said, looking back at Misuzu.
Even with that fake confidence in her eyes, I could see it. Fear and confusion, just barely hidden.
Her lips parted slightly, but she didn't respond right away.
Instead, she swallowed whatever sarcasm she was prepping and said something else.
"Can you come to my house this evening? My mom took a day off from work."
That tone—
No, not commanding.
Not bratty.
It was laced with something more fragile. A plea disguised as politeness.
I exhaled through my nose and nodded slowly.
"Yeah, I'm free. Let's get it over with."
Because let's face it, there's no way they can just pretend nothing happened.
Not when their entire lives are on the line.
___
"Did she ask you out?"
Ah, just the question I knew was coming.
I glanced at Kazuomi's grinning face and let out a sigh so dramatic it could win an award.
"Yeah," I said, deadpan. "She invited me to her house today… to meet her parents."
That wiped the grin clean off his face.
"Wait, what the actual—?!" he exploded. "Since when?! When did you betray me?! How did she even fall for you?!"
There it was. The real question.
Not why, but how.
Typical Kazuomi, skipping right to the part that bruises his ego.
Ignoring his question completely, I cut in,
"Did you find what I asked for?"
He blinked, caught off guard by the shift, then quickly pulled out his phone.
"Oh—yeah, right. Here."
He tapped through a few photos and turned the screen toward me.
First, a picture of a small café. Run-down but familiar.
Then, an old man.
"Didn't manage to get pics of the other staff," he added with a shrug. "But is this the guy you were looking for?"
I stared at the screen, my eyes narrowing slightly.
Anteiku Café.
"Bingo," I muttered under my breath.
Two days ago, I saw a live interview.
Sen Takatsuki, the famous horror novelist, all over the news.
To the world, she was a literary genius.
But to me?
Eto Yoshimura.
Half-human. Half-ghoul.
A walking nightmare in a cute author disguise.
That interview lit the fire. My instincts started screaming.
And that's why I had Kazuomi look into it.
Gave him a vague description, just bits I remembered from the anime. I didn't expect much.
But here it was. The real deal.
The café where Kaneki met Rize.
Where it all began.
This world wasn't just a messy anime-hentai crossover anymore.
Now the ghouls were in play.
"What happened? Is it where your ex dumped you?"
Again, his grin came back.
I rolled my eyes so hard I saw my past life.
This guy...
"Rena-san~!" I called out sweetly, ignoring Kazuomi like the background NPC he was born to be.
She turned, eyebrows raised, clearly not expecting to be dragged into our nonsense.
"What are you doing?" Kazuomi whispered in a suspicious tone, like I was about to commit social war crimes.
Still ignoring him, I flashed my most innocent smile at Rena.
"Kazuomi's showing me café pics to check if they're romantic enough for a first date. But, you know, I'm just a dumb dude. No idea what girls actually like."
My smirk widened.
"So, can you help him out and say whether it's a good place for a date?"
Oh her…
Despite no change in her expression, I could feel it. Her aura shifted.
"Oh? So, Kazuomi, are you going on a date?" she asked with a smile… but it was ghostly. Chilling.
"No, I am not! He is lying!" Kazuomi panicked and shouted, pointing his finger towards me like he was going to shove it up my ass, given how angry he was at me.
"I'm not! If you don't believe me, you can check his gallery!" I beamed with a Might Guy smile. Full teeth. Zero shame. Absolute betrayal.
"You!"
Kazuomi's anger leveled up as he turned to Rena, desperately trying to erase the words from her mind.
Afraid she might complain to his parents, completely unaware that she was actually more furious than they would ever be.
Ignoring them, I turned to Chizuru, who was silently staring at us.
The moment she noticed my smile, she quickly lowered her gaze.
Yeah... I need to keep tabs on her too.
She's the key to tracking down that company responsible for the age transformation.
They must be monitoring her. Recording her every move.
I just need to act normal and not draw any unnecessary attention.
Still, the thought of ghouls lingered in my mind, darkening my expression.
Man-eating monsters could be anywhere in this city.
Maybe even inside the school.
I have to be on guard.
*************
Harem members from Tokyo ghoul