Mortifer
Embrace your inner lunatic. Fun times guaranteed.
- Location
- Under a rock.
Tokyo Ghoul/Persona crossover when.
Verzerrte Welt (Tsukihime/Tokyo Ghoul)
- Thread starter Mortifer
- Start date
Tokyo Ghoul/Persona crossover when.
Nidhoggr
Suletta Permetta
- Pronouns
- He/Him
One crossover at a time.
Hyacinthium
Writing about sad cannibals as we speak.
- Location
- Bedroom
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Iirc Kaneki had grown distant ever before Aogiri. It's mentioned in Hide's chapter in the light novel.
Loktarogar
The Apex of Cuddling
- Location
- Brazil
Hey Lilithium are the light novels good ?
Hyacinthium
Writing about sad cannibals as we speak.
- Location
- Bedroom
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yes! You can find them translated on tumblr iirc. There's one where we reading about a ghoul raised from birth by a human mother.
Loktarogar
The Apex of Cuddling
- Location
- Brazil
Thank you i am going to read them now. I love Tokyo Ghoul a lot.
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Hyacinthium
Writing about sad cannibals as we speak.
- Location
- Bedroom
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yes. And you know it's good when it has this sort of content, with minor commentary from the translator;
Of course! I get it now! You're a pet!" says Tsukiyama happily because no one ever taught him about liking people.
Chie gives him a dubious look and says, "Eh??"
"I thought it was strange, why couldn't I move my index finger? But when I think of it as being the same as how people keep pets, it makes sense! Little Mouse, I'll make you my pet from now on!"
EDIT; BEHOLD TRUE BEST BOY. TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD, TOO PURE. A PERFECT CINNAMON BUN.
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Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
-
[X] A local book store had an opening.
[X] A 'Binge Eater' Ghoul who preyed on young men.
Kaneki was pretty much stable before getting Ghoulified. Keep him away from cannibalism and torture and he should be as fine as he's ever going to be.
[X] A 'Binge Eater' Ghoul who preyed on young men.
Kaneki was pretty much stable before getting Ghoulified. Keep him away from cannibalism and torture and he should be as fine as he's ever going to be.
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
-
Vote tally:
##### 3.21
[X] A local book store had an opening.
[X] A 'Rabbit' Ghoul who had killed an Investigator.
No. of votes: 4
Xellos, The3rdCorinthian, Random Asian Person, Wizard_Marshall
[X] A local book store had an opening.
[X] A 'Binge Eater' Ghoul who preyed on young men.
No. of votes: 1
Loktarogar
[X] A local book store had an opening.
[X] A 'Binge Eater' Ghoul who preyed on young men.
No. of votes: 11
FoxOnPie, Archshot, Azrael, ZeroForever, Lilithium, Wolfy, Yun, Karugus, Dragonloli123, Hextroyer413, Ridiculously Average Guy
[X] A local book store had an opening.
[X] A battle between the CCG and Aogiri Ghouls in the Eleventh Ward.
No. of votes: 2
Ψυχή, Nidhoggr
[X] A Coffee Shop was seeking to replace an employee who had gone missing.
[X] A 'Binge Eater' Ghoul who preyed on young men.
No. of votes: 1
EVA-Saiyajin
##### 3.21
[X] A local book store had an opening.
[X] A 'Rabbit' Ghoul who had killed an Investigator.
No. of votes: 4
Xellos, The3rdCorinthian, Random Asian Person, Wizard_Marshall
[X] A local book store had an opening.
[X] A 'Binge Eater' Ghoul who preyed on young men.
No. of votes: 1
Loktarogar
[X] A local book store had an opening.
[X] A 'Binge Eater' Ghoul who preyed on young men.
No. of votes: 11
FoxOnPie, Archshot, Azrael, ZeroForever, Lilithium, Wolfy, Yun, Karugus, Dragonloli123, Hextroyer413, Ridiculously Average Guy
[X] A local book store had an opening.
[X] A battle between the CCG and Aogiri Ghouls in the Eleventh Ward.
No. of votes: 2
Ψυχή, Nidhoggr
[X] A Coffee Shop was seeking to replace an employee who had gone missing.
[X] A 'Binge Eater' Ghoul who preyed on young men.
No. of votes: 1
EVA-Saiyajin
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Hyacinthium
Writing about sad cannibals as we speak.
- Location
- Bedroom
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I too like Rize!
It's unfortunate that we barely see her as an actual character and not a way for plot to move forward. Her backstory and personality have a good amount of potential too. So it's even more unfortunate that she's probably going to have to die for the sake of Kaneki's happiness...
Loktarogar
The Apex of Cuddling
- Location
- Brazil
Rize is too dangerous to be left alone, if the Aogiri captures her again they are going to use her kagune to make the half-ghoul research go more fast. Also are we going to be independent or associate ourselfs with CCG ?
- Location
- NY
I'm pretty sure having a stable jobs means we're not actively hunting ghouls as we are trying to keep a low profile from our family.
CCG association would really be a vote for if/when we do get involved which hasn't happened yet.
CCG association would really be a vote for if/when we do get involved which hasn't happened yet.
Loktarogar
The Apex of Cuddling
- Location
- Brazil
So we need to go anteiku ?
Nidhoggr
Suletta Permetta
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Maybe, maybe not. It all really depends on what kind of choices we're given. I personally don't mind allying with Anteiku, because I like everyone there. But they're not the only group we can ally with. Aside from CCG and Anteiku, there are at least three other major groups in TG, Aogiri, The Pierrot, and of course the most mysterious one of them all, V.
Though we don't know too much about the latter two, and really I don't know what we'd accomplish by joining either of them.
We could always form our own group, if none of those are your cup of tea.
The point of going to Tokyo was that the Clan wouldn't dare follow Akiha when they find out she is there.
The issue with the CCG is that they're suspicious of the clan leading to an frosty relationship. If we want a degree of protection from the CCG, Well the Church does have good relationship with the CCG, and doesn't hunt demons of the oni variety.
Nidhoggr
Suletta Permetta
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Right sorry, I forgot about that.
Update 3
Mortifer
Embrace your inner lunatic. Fun times guaranteed.
- Location
- Under a rock.
A bell chimed as the door opened, and Akiha stepped into the bookstore.
It wasn't too small a location, though is wasn't exactly large, either. The store was filled with bookcases, each one neatly stacked full of books. The labels on the shelves made it obvious where each genre was stacked, and a few cases over by the side of the room had addition labels in English, evidentially there for foreigners on vacation, or perhaps for those trying to teach themselves the language.
On the other side of the room, by a shelf labelled 'Horror,' a girl wearing glasses was dusting the shelves, removing and replacing the novels on the bookcases as she went. Meanwhile, at the back of the store, a large man was standing behind a counter. Apart from a faint hum coming from the girl, everything was quiet.
"Can I help you?" Asked the man at the counter, in a deep voice that suited his aged complexion.
Akiha took a moment to reply. "I heard there was an opening in the staff here." She replied.
The old man smiled at that. "Ah, good." He said. "I'm Toshio Yasushi, the owner."
"A pleasure." Akiha stated. "My name is Tohno Akiha."
She had considered, for a while, using a fake name. If any of her pursuers did chase her to Tokyo, that would throw them off for at least a small while. In the end, once she found out how expensive it was to have a fake ID created, she had decided against it.
"Good to meet you." Yasushi replied, before gesturing to a door behind the counter. "There's a lunch room back there. If you could wait in there for a second, I'll be able to talk to you without any interruptions."
Akiha nodded, and began walking towards the door in question. As she did, she heard a conversation between the owner and his employee.
"Hoshi." Said the old man. "Take over the counter for a second. You can finish dusting when I'm done."
"Yes, boss!" Came the girl's reply, a half-second before a dozen collision sounds rang out.
Her hand on the doorknob, Akiha turned towards the source of the noise. The girl, Hoshi, was standing at attention, her hand at her brow in salute. Her mouth was hung open, and her face was pale.
The reason for that was not hard to see. In front of the bookcase she had been sweeping, an entire shelves worth of books had been knocked to the ground, flung aside in the girl's haste to show her respect for her employer.
"Uhh..." The girl moaned, looking at the mess she had created. Yasushi sighed.
"Clean up that mess first." He said mournfully.
"Y-Yes, boss..."
Having seen enough, Akiha opened the door, and stepped into the lunch room. It was a small room, with a tiny fridge in the corner, and another door labelled as a bathroom on the right wall. In the centre of the room was a table, with two chairs near it. As she stepped around it, Akiha placed her hand on a chair, and dragged it around so that she faced the door.
Akiha waited, alone once more. She had spent quite a bit of time on her own, recently. After all, she didn't know anybody in Tokyo, so she was left with little to do but think about the future, and remember the past.
It was unavoidable, that she'd recall her actions under Inversion Impulse frequently. In that moment, she had been a monster. If it hadn't been for SHIKI being able to talk her down, who knows how long she would have rampaged for?
The feeling she was living with, the fear of Inverting again and losing control...
Was that what her father had feared?
If so, his actions with Kohaku suddenly seemed a lot more... Explainable. Not forgivable, never forgivable, but... Understandable. She'd only tasted the Impulse once, and she didn't have to worry about it unless she used it. How much would he, who had lived with it his entire life, fear it?
Akiha shook her head, pushing such thoughts out of her mind. What her father had done to Kohaku had been unforgivable. She didn't want to understand his justifications for his actions in the slightest. He didn't deserve to be someone who could be understand and pitied. He deserved to be remembered as a monster, to be put down without their killer having to feel guilty, or regretful, or...
The door opened, providing a welcome distraction to Akiha's thoughts in the form of Toshio Yasushi. The man was holding a clipboard, with a piece of paper and a pen attached, but otherwise had nothing. It took him only a moment to shut the door behind him and sit down.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting, Miss Tohno." He greeted, taking the seat by the door, opposite Akiha. The demon blooded girl forced herself to smile before she replied.
"It was no trouble, Toshio." She replied respectfully. The old man nodded, and looked at the paper in front of him.
"I'm going to be honest here, Tohno." Yasushi admitted. "Most people who have come in here about the job have been scared off when I mentioned that most of the shifts they'd need to take are in the evening. You've heard of Binge Eater, haven't you?"
Akiha nodded. "I can see why that would be a problem." She said. "With so many victims in such a short amount of time, all attributed to one Ghoul? People mustn't feel safe at night."
"Exactly." Yasushi said. "And since the evening shifts are the ones that need to be filled... Well, I haven't been having much luck with getting anyone to take the job."
"I don't mind taking the evening jobs." Akiha replied. "I'm... Not exactly in a position to turn down a job because of a small risk."
"You're hired." Yasushi declared, causing Akiha to blink. "If you change your mind once you start working, give me a week's notice at least."
"That was sudden." Akiha noted, surprise in her voice. "I would have thought there would be more interviews, to determine if I'm suited for the job."
"Your co-workers can help you with anything you don't know." The owner noted. "And it's not like it's a hard job. Maybe I should keep you here for longer, but I need someone to take over those shifts soon."
"I see." Akiha nodded, deciding not to push her luck. "Thank you for your generosity."
The old man nodded, and slid the piece of paper on his clipboard over to Akiha. "Here's a timetable." He said. "Slots with only one name are the ones that you'll be taking over."
The Tohno girl took a moment to look over said timetable. It was a simple one, going from Monday to Saturday- Apparently, it was closed on Sundays. There were four other names on the timetable- Toshio Yasushi, Julius Brown, Hoshi Kiyoko and Yutaka Tamotsu. Akiha noted how she shared a shift with the last three, but not with Yasushi himself.
"You can start on Monday." The owner said, and Akiha nodded. She had enough food to last her until then, and her rent wouldn't need to be paid for another few weeks.
"Thank you, Mister Toshio."
"No problem." Replied the owner. "Keep the sheet with you, by the way. The other side has some standard procedure stuff- What to do when opening the store, when closing it, what to do it someone tries to rob the place, all that."
And with that, the old man stood up again. "Excuse me, Miss Tohno." He said. "You can go now."
The man left the room and stepped into the bookstore. A moment passed, as Akiha had another look at the timetable.
Monday... She'd be sharing a shift with 'Julius Brown' then, wouldn't she? An interesting name, that one. Akiha wondered what he would be like.
It was late Monday evening, when Akiha walked into the bookstore again. She had made sure to arrive a good ten minutes before her shift started, in case anything had delayed her arrival. It was better to be early than late, after all.
There was only one other person in the bookstore as she entered. Sitting behind the desk was a boy, looking to be about Akiha's age, with black hair styled back to keep it out of his eyes. In his left hand, resting on the desk, he held a book open.
The girl took a moment to remember who she was sharing a shift with. "You're Julius Brown, right?" She asked, for confirmation.
The boy smiled. "Yeah, that's me." He replied, a faint British accent in his voice. "You're Tohno Akiha, then?"
"That's right." Akiha replied. "Nice to meet you, Brown."
"Call me Julius, please." The boy responded. "I've only been in Japan for a couple of months, and it still sounds weird when people call me Brown."
That piqued Akiha's curiosity. "You're not from Japan?"
"I'm from England." Replied Julius. "Though you probably couldn't tell from looking at me, could you? My mother was Japanese, and I've been told that I resemble her more closely than my father."
Akiha almost asked another question, before remembering what she was there for. "Ah, my apologies." She said. "I'm here to work, not to bother you for your life story."
"Don't worry about it." Julius replied, shrugging. "It's a slow shift, this one. It'll probably pick up in a few days, when Takatsuki's new book comes out, but we've got time to talk now, if you want."
Akiha took a moment to think, as she crossed the store to behind the desk. Julius stood from his seat as she approached, and offered the chair to her.
"Thank you." The girl replied, sitting down. As she did so, she noticed the book he was holding again.
"Is that a good read?" She asked. Julius looked at the book, and shrugged.
"Maybe." He replied. "I'm not making good progress. I'm still learning how to read kanji, so I only get so far through a book before I lose track of what's going on."
"Oh." Came the simple reply from Akiha. "Wouldn't that complicate business here?"
"It's fine." Julius replied. "All the books have their prices on them, and all the shelves are numbered, so I can help customers find what they're looking for. For example, is a customer came around looking for books written by Takatsuki Sen, I could tell them that they want the Horror section, and should look at Shelf 15."
Putting a bookmark in his book and resting it on the desk, Julius began to pace around the room. "Speaking of which, I should probably teach you the ordering of everything here, about now. Even if there aren't many customers this late, it would be best if you knew the ordering of things as soon as possible."
Akiha stood to obey, but stopped as something occurred to her. "Speaking of late." She replied. "Are you sure it's safe to work this late? You know, with the whole Binge Eater stuff going on."
"Probably not." Julius replied. "But I've been working here since before Binge Eater came to the area, and I'm not going to let one Ghoul scare me off. Besides, my uncle... Well, he's survived Ghoul attacks before, and he passed on some advice. I'm confident that I'll be alright."
For a moment, Akiha considered asking about this uncle who had survived a Ghoul attack, but decided against it. If Julius was killed by a Ghoul, then the bookstore would be investigated, and the CCG would take a look at her. Even if she did prove she wasn't a Ghoul, it would still be too much attention. If Julius' uncle was attacked by a Ghoul, on the other hand, she was unrelated enough that she'd slip by unnoticed.
"I see." Akiha finished. "Forgive me for prying."
"It's no trouble." Julius replied. "Better you ask now, then worry about me every time I go out at night. I get enough of that from Yutaka."
Akiha's first day on the job was largely uneventful. There were only two customers the entire time, and Julius had taken care of them, giving an example for the demon blooded girl. Her second night, meanwhile, was slightly more eventful. Mostly due to the presence of Hoshi Kiyoko.
"Ah, Tohno!" The girl declared, upon seeing her. "Nice to meet you! I'm Hoshi Kiyoko."
"I remember you." Akiha replied. "You were there when I asked Toshio for this job."
A moment passed, as Kiyoko averted her eyes, looking extremely embarrassed. "I was.... Hoping you had forgotten about that." She said. "But! No matter. Even if I did embarrass myself by being a klutz, that does not mean you think less of me. Right?"
"...Right." Akiha decided, preferring not to Kiyoko more reason to be upset.
"Perfect!" The girl declared. "Now then, Julius said he'd shown you the ropes, but I want to make sure. Did he teach you where everything is sorted under? How to handle purchases, close the store and all that?"
Akiha nodded. "He was very thorough in making sure I knew what I was doing."
Kiyoko nodded. "That's good." She noted. "We can relax a bit, then."
A moment passed, before Kiyoko spoke again. "So, I understand you only came to Tokyo recently, Tohno?"
"That would be correct." The demon-hunter replied.
"I hope you find it to your liking." Kiyoko replied. "Big cities like this can be scary at first. Have you been settling in well? It hasn't been too lonely, has it?"
"I've been fine." Akiha explained. "I haven't been out much, but that's only because organising my stay here has been a hassle."
"I see..." the bespectacled girl replied, pushing her glasses up a bit.
Another moment passed, before Akiha decided to question Kiyoko as she had Julius. "There's been a lot on the news about Ghouls recently, hasn't there?" She asked.
"I know, right?" Kiyoko replied. "Yutaka talks about it a lot, too. I try not to think about it too much, though. Life's already stressful enough, and the odds of somebody I know being attacked by a Ghoul are rather low. Why worry about it?"
Akiha looked away at that comment.
Why worry about it... Oh, how Akiha would love not to worry about everything she was dealing with. If only she could go one day, or even one hour, without worrying about her brothers, or the threat of a Tohno ignoring the CCG and hunting her down, or her own Inversion Impulse...
Ever since she had come to Tokyo, Akiha had been doing everything she can to distract herself from her worries. If only she was able to simply stop.
"Are you okay, Tohno?" Kiyoko asked, leaning forward with a frown. "You look kinda sad."
Akiha turned back to face Kiyoko, and tried to smile. "Oh, don't mind me. It's just... My father died recently, and I keep thinking about it at the worst of times..."
It wasn't exactly a lie. Even if it wasn't why she was sad, Makihisa had died, and the thought of killing him was one that came to Akiha often.
"Oh!" Kiyoko gasped. "I'm sorry, I..."
She trailed off, before starting again. "Do you need some time? Or somebody to talk to? Some cake? Anything?"
Akiha smiled. "Just... Something to keep my mind off it, would do."
The girl in glasses looked around for a moment, before picking up a feather duster. "Here, why don't we dust the shelves?"
A moment passed, as Kiyoko looked at the feather duster, remembering what had happened last time. "...Or you dust the shelves, while I supervise and not embarrass myself again. Does that sound distracting enough, Tohno?"
Akiha picked up the feather duster. "It'll do."
While Julius was unable to make it, Kiyoko was able to. And so was Akiha's third co-worker, Yutaka Tamotsu.
Akiha had yet to meet the boy, let alone question him like she had her other coworkers. Julius and Kiyoko had mentioned him a bit, in passing, but not enough for the Tohno girl to think she knew enough about him.
It was a few minutes before the shop opened, when Akiha arrived. As she entered the door, she saw two figures already inside, at the front desk.
"Hey, Tohno!" Called Kiyoko, waving from behind the counter. "How've you been?"
"I've been fine, thank you, Hoshi." Akiha replied, before turning to the unfamiliar figure, a boy with blue hair. "And you are… Yutaka Tamotsu, I presume?"
"That's me." The boy replied, putting a newspaper on the counter as he walked towards her. "Nice to meet you, Tohno Akiha."
"Oh, you two haven't met yet, haven't you?" Kiyoko noted. "I'd forgotten about that… I'll give you two a minute along so you can get to know each other before we open, okay?"
Without waiting for a reply, the girl in glasses stepped into the break room, and out of sight. Left to themselves, Akiha and Tamotsu look at each other for a bit in silence.
Eventually, it was the Tohno girl who broke it. With a nod towards the newspaper that Tamotsu had been reading, she asked. "Anything interesting?"
The boy followed her gaze to the newspaper before he responded. "Nothing good." He replied, then paused. "There… Was another attack last night. Binge Eater again. Did you hear?"
Akiha had not, in fact, heard. "Another one?" She asked. "But it's barely been a few days since the last… How many has it been, in this month alone?"
"Too many." Replied Tamotsu, disgust evident in his voice. "What a vile creature. But then, I shouldn't be shocked. Ghouls are monsters to their core. This one has simply grown drunk on the pleasure of knowing that it's gotten away with such blatant acts."
A moment passed, and Tamotsu let out a breath. "…Forgive me, Tohno. I'm sure you don't want to hear me go on a rant, and especially on a topic as unsettling as this."
"No, it's fine." Akiha replied, deciding to take the opportunity given to her. "In fact, I was thinking of asking anyway. Isn't it unsafe, working late with Ghouls on the loose? Especially now that Binge Eater is active…"
Tamotsu smiled a bit, at that. "It's nice to know that people are worried, Akiha. Most people I've met aren't as concerned. But, you have no reason to worry. A friend of my family picks me up after work, and the amount of times a Ghoul has attacked someone in a car can be counted on one hand."
"Oh?" Akiha asked. "I didn't know that."
"It's a shame that my driver is so paranoid about who enters his car." Tamotsu continued. "Otherwise, I'd offer to ask him to escort you home on the days we share a shift."
Akiha blinked at that. "I… Really? You'd do that for someone you just met?"
"We work together now, Tohno." The boy explained. "We'll be seeing each other a lot, and hopefully, get to know each other. Keeping that in mind, why wouldn't I offer? I'd hate to see a potential friend disappear because a monster decided that its life was more important."
Akiha smiled. "You're an odd person, Yutaka." She said. "Most people don't think the way you do… But I appreciate the thought regardless."
The boy smiled, but before he could reply, the door behind him opened.
"Alright!" Said Kiyoko. "We open up in a minute, so I hope everyone's ready."
"Where's Toshio?" Asked Akiha. "I thought he said he wanted everyone possible to be here."
"Something came up." Kiyoko replied. "He called a bit before you arrived. He'll be here, but he'll be a bit late. Akiha, can you handle the front desk?"
"Sure." The Tohno girl replied, proceeding to move behind the counter. Tamotsu picked up his newspaper, moving to take it into the break room, and Kiyoko moved to the front door, removing the 'Closed' sign on it in favour for an 'Open' sign.
A minute passed, before the first customer came in. At the sight of the purple-haired girl, Kiyoko's face lit up a bit.
"Ah, miss Kamishiro! Good to see you again.
It was surprising, how fast the day went by. With all the customers that were coming in looking to purchases Takatsuki Sen's new novel, Akiha found that she was busy more often than not.
It was surprising how many different types of people would come in to buy it, too. She hadn't expected so many different types of people to be fans of a horror novel. A few customers had lived up to her expectations, but old ladies and timid bookworms weren't exactly what Akiha predicted as the intended audience of the Black Goat's Egg.
…Perhaps she should try it out for herself, sometime? If Takatsuki Sen's work was popular amongst such a variety of people, then maybe it was just that she was a good enough writer that the genre didn't matter? Akiha wasn't a fan of horror herself, but she'd be willing to overlook that if it was well-written…
Another customer entered the store, and Akiha broke from her thoughts to pay attention to them.
The man who entered was wearing a suit, much more formal than anyone else who had entered the store by that point. He seemed distracted somewhat, as if he had something on his mind. Despite that, his posture was a defensive one, and every time even the faintest sound was made, his eyes darted in its direction.
Akiha recognized the signs. Her father had been in a similar way, when he got overly stressed when planning a hunt. It wasn't exact, as Makihisa had never been in a position where he would have been in danger and around Akiha, but it was close enough to put the Tohno girl on edge.
The man, whoever he was, was dangerous. The question was, then, why was he here?
There was a possibility that the man was here for her. Perhaps the rest of the Tohno had managed to smuggle in an assassin of some kind. But that wasn't guaranteed. It was entirely possible that the man was here just to buy a book.
And if he was here to kill her, he would, at the very least, try to get her alone. The Tohno wouldn't risk angering the CCG, and causing a fight around normal humans would do exactly that. Which meant that, at the very least, she was safe for now.
Taking a step towards the man, Akiha noted how he honed in on her the instant her footstep echoed out. "Can I help you, sir?"
The man watched Akiha for a moment, and the demon blooded girl realized how tense she was at that moment. If the man was skilled enough to keep watch even when distracted, he'd notice her reaction.
A moment passed, before the man spoke. "I'm looking for a book." He said, in a calm tone. Probing for her reaction? "Takatsuki Sen's new novel? The Black Goat's Egg?"
Akiha relaxed a bit, relieved, and nodded. "Ah, of course. Follow me, mister…"
"Fura." The man responded. Akiha nodded again, and led him to where the book in question was being stored.
There was silence for a time, as Akiha observed the man. Just because he said he was here for a book didn't mean he was telling the truth. The man kept his silence as well, and to his credit, did seem to be focused on the books.
When they reached the destination, Akiha noticed that the man took two copies of the Black Goat's Egg. The man noticed Akiha's quizzical glance, and answered the question before she could ask it.
"For a co-worker." He said. "Work's been busy lately, so he asked me to pick up his copy for him."
"Ah." Akiha replied. "I see."
Fura nodded. "Thank you for your service." He said, before wandering over to the front desk, where Tamotsu was waiting.
Akiha watched the suited man for another moment, before turning away. Whatever the man's game was, it was obvious that he wasn't going to cause an issue at that very moment. Perhaps later tonight, but that wasn't something Akiha had to worry about right that issue. She still had work, after all.
Hey, Tohno." Came the voice of Hoshi Kiyoko. Akiha turned around to face the glasses-wearing girl, gave the demon-blooded girl a concerned look.
"Yes, Hoshi?" Asked Akiha.
"You're looking kinda stressed out." Kiyoko began, frowning. "Is something wrong?"
…Ah. She had noticed, then.
"I'm fine." Akiha replied. "I suppose it's just been building up over the last few days…"
Technically, Akiha wasn't lying. While the source of her stress at that moment was Fura, she had been somewhat stressed out ever since she had moved to Tokyo. At the very least, she thought she had a good reason for it.
"You should unwind a bit, Tohno." Kiyoko replied, her tense expression evaporating. "If you worry too much, your hair will go grey, and black hair suits you better."
Akiha smiled a bit at the compliment. "I'll… Take that under advisement, Hoshi." She promised.
At that, Kiyoko's eyes widened beneath her glasses. "Hey! Why don't we do something after work today?" She asked.
"Like what?" Akiha asked.
"Look around the city a bit." Hoshi continued, a smile growing on her face as she spoke. "There's a lot of things you can do. There's a nightclub not far from here, an arcade, a few attractions that look good at night…"
Akiha didn't reply for a moment, and her co-worker seemed to realize something else in that moment. "And besides, you're new to the city. It'd be a good chance to get to know the place a bit better, right?"
…She had a point. Getting to know the city would be smart, and she could use a chance to unwind a bit. But it wasn't exactly safe at night, was it?
After a moment's consideration, Akiha made up her mind.
[X] Accept Kiyoko's offer. As she had said when they first met, the chances of them being in danger was minimal, and denying the offer out of paranoia would only cause further stress.
[X] Deny Kiyoko's offer. Maybe on the weekend, they could go out during the day, but between Ghouls and whatever the Tohno had in mind for her, it was too risky to go out at night.
It wasn't too small a location, though is wasn't exactly large, either. The store was filled with bookcases, each one neatly stacked full of books. The labels on the shelves made it obvious where each genre was stacked, and a few cases over by the side of the room had addition labels in English, evidentially there for foreigners on vacation, or perhaps for those trying to teach themselves the language.
On the other side of the room, by a shelf labelled 'Horror,' a girl wearing glasses was dusting the shelves, removing and replacing the novels on the bookcases as she went. Meanwhile, at the back of the store, a large man was standing behind a counter. Apart from a faint hum coming from the girl, everything was quiet.
"Can I help you?" Asked the man at the counter, in a deep voice that suited his aged complexion.
Akiha took a moment to reply. "I heard there was an opening in the staff here." She replied.
The old man smiled at that. "Ah, good." He said. "I'm Toshio Yasushi, the owner."
"A pleasure." Akiha stated. "My name is Tohno Akiha."
She had considered, for a while, using a fake name. If any of her pursuers did chase her to Tokyo, that would throw them off for at least a small while. In the end, once she found out how expensive it was to have a fake ID created, she had decided against it.
"Good to meet you." Yasushi replied, before gesturing to a door behind the counter. "There's a lunch room back there. If you could wait in there for a second, I'll be able to talk to you without any interruptions."
Akiha nodded, and began walking towards the door in question. As she did, she heard a conversation between the owner and his employee.
"Hoshi." Said the old man. "Take over the counter for a second. You can finish dusting when I'm done."
"Yes, boss!" Came the girl's reply, a half-second before a dozen collision sounds rang out.
Her hand on the doorknob, Akiha turned towards the source of the noise. The girl, Hoshi, was standing at attention, her hand at her brow in salute. Her mouth was hung open, and her face was pale.
The reason for that was not hard to see. In front of the bookcase she had been sweeping, an entire shelves worth of books had been knocked to the ground, flung aside in the girl's haste to show her respect for her employer.
"Uhh..." The girl moaned, looking at the mess she had created. Yasushi sighed.
"Clean up that mess first." He said mournfully.
"Y-Yes, boss..."
Having seen enough, Akiha opened the door, and stepped into the lunch room. It was a small room, with a tiny fridge in the corner, and another door labelled as a bathroom on the right wall. In the centre of the room was a table, with two chairs near it. As she stepped around it, Akiha placed her hand on a chair, and dragged it around so that she faced the door.
Akiha waited, alone once more. She had spent quite a bit of time on her own, recently. After all, she didn't know anybody in Tokyo, so she was left with little to do but think about the future, and remember the past.
It was unavoidable, that she'd recall her actions under Inversion Impulse frequently. In that moment, she had been a monster. If it hadn't been for SHIKI being able to talk her down, who knows how long she would have rampaged for?
The feeling she was living with, the fear of Inverting again and losing control...
Was that what her father had feared?
If so, his actions with Kohaku suddenly seemed a lot more... Explainable. Not forgivable, never forgivable, but... Understandable. She'd only tasted the Impulse once, and she didn't have to worry about it unless she used it. How much would he, who had lived with it his entire life, fear it?
Akiha shook her head, pushing such thoughts out of her mind. What her father had done to Kohaku had been unforgivable. She didn't want to understand his justifications for his actions in the slightest. He didn't deserve to be someone who could be understand and pitied. He deserved to be remembered as a monster, to be put down without their killer having to feel guilty, or regretful, or...
The door opened, providing a welcome distraction to Akiha's thoughts in the form of Toshio Yasushi. The man was holding a clipboard, with a piece of paper and a pen attached, but otherwise had nothing. It took him only a moment to shut the door behind him and sit down.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting, Miss Tohno." He greeted, taking the seat by the door, opposite Akiha. The demon blooded girl forced herself to smile before she replied.
"It was no trouble, Toshio." She replied respectfully. The old man nodded, and looked at the paper in front of him.
"I'm going to be honest here, Tohno." Yasushi admitted. "Most people who have come in here about the job have been scared off when I mentioned that most of the shifts they'd need to take are in the evening. You've heard of Binge Eater, haven't you?"
Akiha nodded. "I can see why that would be a problem." She said. "With so many victims in such a short amount of time, all attributed to one Ghoul? People mustn't feel safe at night."
"Exactly." Yasushi said. "And since the evening shifts are the ones that need to be filled... Well, I haven't been having much luck with getting anyone to take the job."
"I don't mind taking the evening jobs." Akiha replied. "I'm... Not exactly in a position to turn down a job because of a small risk."
"You're hired." Yasushi declared, causing Akiha to blink. "If you change your mind once you start working, give me a week's notice at least."
"That was sudden." Akiha noted, surprise in her voice. "I would have thought there would be more interviews, to determine if I'm suited for the job."
"Your co-workers can help you with anything you don't know." The owner noted. "And it's not like it's a hard job. Maybe I should keep you here for longer, but I need someone to take over those shifts soon."
"I see." Akiha nodded, deciding not to push her luck. "Thank you for your generosity."
The old man nodded, and slid the piece of paper on his clipboard over to Akiha. "Here's a timetable." He said. "Slots with only one name are the ones that you'll be taking over."
The Tohno girl took a moment to look over said timetable. It was a simple one, going from Monday to Saturday- Apparently, it was closed on Sundays. There were four other names on the timetable- Toshio Yasushi, Julius Brown, Hoshi Kiyoko and Yutaka Tamotsu. Akiha noted how she shared a shift with the last three, but not with Yasushi himself.
"You can start on Monday." The owner said, and Akiha nodded. She had enough food to last her until then, and her rent wouldn't need to be paid for another few weeks.
"Thank you, Mister Toshio."
"No problem." Replied the owner. "Keep the sheet with you, by the way. The other side has some standard procedure stuff- What to do when opening the store, when closing it, what to do it someone tries to rob the place, all that."
And with that, the old man stood up again. "Excuse me, Miss Tohno." He said. "You can go now."
The man left the room and stepped into the bookstore. A moment passed, as Akiha had another look at the timetable.
Monday... She'd be sharing a shift with 'Julius Brown' then, wouldn't she? An interesting name, that one. Akiha wondered what he would be like.
~~~~~
It was late Monday evening, when Akiha walked into the bookstore again. She had made sure to arrive a good ten minutes before her shift started, in case anything had delayed her arrival. It was better to be early than late, after all.
There was only one other person in the bookstore as she entered. Sitting behind the desk was a boy, looking to be about Akiha's age, with black hair styled back to keep it out of his eyes. In his left hand, resting on the desk, he held a book open.
The girl took a moment to remember who she was sharing a shift with. "You're Julius Brown, right?" She asked, for confirmation.
The boy smiled. "Yeah, that's me." He replied, a faint British accent in his voice. "You're Tohno Akiha, then?"
"That's right." Akiha replied. "Nice to meet you, Brown."
"Call me Julius, please." The boy responded. "I've only been in Japan for a couple of months, and it still sounds weird when people call me Brown."
That piqued Akiha's curiosity. "You're not from Japan?"
"I'm from England." Replied Julius. "Though you probably couldn't tell from looking at me, could you? My mother was Japanese, and I've been told that I resemble her more closely than my father."
Akiha almost asked another question, before remembering what she was there for. "Ah, my apologies." She said. "I'm here to work, not to bother you for your life story."
"Don't worry about it." Julius replied, shrugging. "It's a slow shift, this one. It'll probably pick up in a few days, when Takatsuki's new book comes out, but we've got time to talk now, if you want."
Akiha took a moment to think, as she crossed the store to behind the desk. Julius stood from his seat as she approached, and offered the chair to her.
"Thank you." The girl replied, sitting down. As she did so, she noticed the book he was holding again.
"Is that a good read?" She asked. Julius looked at the book, and shrugged.
"Maybe." He replied. "I'm not making good progress. I'm still learning how to read kanji, so I only get so far through a book before I lose track of what's going on."
"Oh." Came the simple reply from Akiha. "Wouldn't that complicate business here?"
"It's fine." Julius replied. "All the books have their prices on them, and all the shelves are numbered, so I can help customers find what they're looking for. For example, is a customer came around looking for books written by Takatsuki Sen, I could tell them that they want the Horror section, and should look at Shelf 15."
Putting a bookmark in his book and resting it on the desk, Julius began to pace around the room. "Speaking of which, I should probably teach you the ordering of everything here, about now. Even if there aren't many customers this late, it would be best if you knew the ordering of things as soon as possible."
Akiha stood to obey, but stopped as something occurred to her. "Speaking of late." She replied. "Are you sure it's safe to work this late? You know, with the whole Binge Eater stuff going on."
"Probably not." Julius replied. "But I've been working here since before Binge Eater came to the area, and I'm not going to let one Ghoul scare me off. Besides, my uncle... Well, he's survived Ghoul attacks before, and he passed on some advice. I'm confident that I'll be alright."
For a moment, Akiha considered asking about this uncle who had survived a Ghoul attack, but decided against it. If Julius was killed by a Ghoul, then the bookstore would be investigated, and the CCG would take a look at her. Even if she did prove she wasn't a Ghoul, it would still be too much attention. If Julius' uncle was attacked by a Ghoul, on the other hand, she was unrelated enough that she'd slip by unnoticed.
"I see." Akiha finished. "Forgive me for prying."
"It's no trouble." Julius replied. "Better you ask now, then worry about me every time I go out at night. I get enough of that from Yutaka."
~~~~~
Akiha's first day on the job was largely uneventful. There were only two customers the entire time, and Julius had taken care of them, giving an example for the demon blooded girl. Her second night, meanwhile, was slightly more eventful. Mostly due to the presence of Hoshi Kiyoko.
"Ah, Tohno!" The girl declared, upon seeing her. "Nice to meet you! I'm Hoshi Kiyoko."
"I remember you." Akiha replied. "You were there when I asked Toshio for this job."
A moment passed, as Kiyoko averted her eyes, looking extremely embarrassed. "I was.... Hoping you had forgotten about that." She said. "But! No matter. Even if I did embarrass myself by being a klutz, that does not mean you think less of me. Right?"
"...Right." Akiha decided, preferring not to Kiyoko more reason to be upset.
"Perfect!" The girl declared. "Now then, Julius said he'd shown you the ropes, but I want to make sure. Did he teach you where everything is sorted under? How to handle purchases, close the store and all that?"
Akiha nodded. "He was very thorough in making sure I knew what I was doing."
Kiyoko nodded. "That's good." She noted. "We can relax a bit, then."
A moment passed, before Kiyoko spoke again. "So, I understand you only came to Tokyo recently, Tohno?"
"That would be correct." The demon-hunter replied.
"I hope you find it to your liking." Kiyoko replied. "Big cities like this can be scary at first. Have you been settling in well? It hasn't been too lonely, has it?"
"I've been fine." Akiha explained. "I haven't been out much, but that's only because organising my stay here has been a hassle."
"I see..." the bespectacled girl replied, pushing her glasses up a bit.
Another moment passed, before Akiha decided to question Kiyoko as she had Julius. "There's been a lot on the news about Ghouls recently, hasn't there?" She asked.
"I know, right?" Kiyoko replied. "Yutaka talks about it a lot, too. I try not to think about it too much, though. Life's already stressful enough, and the odds of somebody I know being attacked by a Ghoul are rather low. Why worry about it?"
Akiha looked away at that comment.
Why worry about it... Oh, how Akiha would love not to worry about everything she was dealing with. If only she could go one day, or even one hour, without worrying about her brothers, or the threat of a Tohno ignoring the CCG and hunting her down, or her own Inversion Impulse...
Ever since she had come to Tokyo, Akiha had been doing everything she can to distract herself from her worries. If only she was able to simply stop.
"Are you okay, Tohno?" Kiyoko asked, leaning forward with a frown. "You look kinda sad."
Akiha turned back to face Kiyoko, and tried to smile. "Oh, don't mind me. It's just... My father died recently, and I keep thinking about it at the worst of times..."
It wasn't exactly a lie. Even if it wasn't why she was sad, Makihisa had died, and the thought of killing him was one that came to Akiha often.
"Oh!" Kiyoko gasped. "I'm sorry, I..."
She trailed off, before starting again. "Do you need some time? Or somebody to talk to? Some cake? Anything?"
Akiha smiled. "Just... Something to keep my mind off it, would do."
The girl in glasses looked around for a moment, before picking up a feather duster. "Here, why don't we dust the shelves?"
A moment passed, as Kiyoko looked at the feather duster, remembering what had happened last time. "...Or you dust the shelves, while I supervise and not embarrass myself again. Does that sound distracting enough, Tohno?"
Akiha picked up the feather duster. "It'll do."
~~~~~
It was early in the morning, when Akiha's next shift started. Technically speaking, she wasn't supposed to be at work at that time, but Toshio had requested that everyone who had the time come in. Sen Takatsuki's new book, 'The Black Goat's Egg,' had come out on that day, and Yasushi expected it to draw in some crowds.While Julius was unable to make it, Kiyoko was able to. And so was Akiha's third co-worker, Yutaka Tamotsu.
Akiha had yet to meet the boy, let alone question him like she had her other coworkers. Julius and Kiyoko had mentioned him a bit, in passing, but not enough for the Tohno girl to think she knew enough about him.
It was a few minutes before the shop opened, when Akiha arrived. As she entered the door, she saw two figures already inside, at the front desk.
"Hey, Tohno!" Called Kiyoko, waving from behind the counter. "How've you been?"
"I've been fine, thank you, Hoshi." Akiha replied, before turning to the unfamiliar figure, a boy with blue hair. "And you are… Yutaka Tamotsu, I presume?"
"That's me." The boy replied, putting a newspaper on the counter as he walked towards her. "Nice to meet you, Tohno Akiha."
"Oh, you two haven't met yet, haven't you?" Kiyoko noted. "I'd forgotten about that… I'll give you two a minute along so you can get to know each other before we open, okay?"
Without waiting for a reply, the girl in glasses stepped into the break room, and out of sight. Left to themselves, Akiha and Tamotsu look at each other for a bit in silence.
Eventually, it was the Tohno girl who broke it. With a nod towards the newspaper that Tamotsu had been reading, she asked. "Anything interesting?"
The boy followed her gaze to the newspaper before he responded. "Nothing good." He replied, then paused. "There… Was another attack last night. Binge Eater again. Did you hear?"
Akiha had not, in fact, heard. "Another one?" She asked. "But it's barely been a few days since the last… How many has it been, in this month alone?"
"Too many." Replied Tamotsu, disgust evident in his voice. "What a vile creature. But then, I shouldn't be shocked. Ghouls are monsters to their core. This one has simply grown drunk on the pleasure of knowing that it's gotten away with such blatant acts."
A moment passed, and Tamotsu let out a breath. "…Forgive me, Tohno. I'm sure you don't want to hear me go on a rant, and especially on a topic as unsettling as this."
"No, it's fine." Akiha replied, deciding to take the opportunity given to her. "In fact, I was thinking of asking anyway. Isn't it unsafe, working late with Ghouls on the loose? Especially now that Binge Eater is active…"
Tamotsu smiled a bit, at that. "It's nice to know that people are worried, Akiha. Most people I've met aren't as concerned. But, you have no reason to worry. A friend of my family picks me up after work, and the amount of times a Ghoul has attacked someone in a car can be counted on one hand."
"Oh?" Akiha asked. "I didn't know that."
"It's a shame that my driver is so paranoid about who enters his car." Tamotsu continued. "Otherwise, I'd offer to ask him to escort you home on the days we share a shift."
Akiha blinked at that. "I… Really? You'd do that for someone you just met?"
"We work together now, Tohno." The boy explained. "We'll be seeing each other a lot, and hopefully, get to know each other. Keeping that in mind, why wouldn't I offer? I'd hate to see a potential friend disappear because a monster decided that its life was more important."
Akiha smiled. "You're an odd person, Yutaka." She said. "Most people don't think the way you do… But I appreciate the thought regardless."
The boy smiled, but before he could reply, the door behind him opened.
"Alright!" Said Kiyoko. "We open up in a minute, so I hope everyone's ready."
"Where's Toshio?" Asked Akiha. "I thought he said he wanted everyone possible to be here."
"Something came up." Kiyoko replied. "He called a bit before you arrived. He'll be here, but he'll be a bit late. Akiha, can you handle the front desk?"
"Sure." The Tohno girl replied, proceeding to move behind the counter. Tamotsu picked up his newspaper, moving to take it into the break room, and Kiyoko moved to the front door, removing the 'Closed' sign on it in favour for an 'Open' sign.
A minute passed, before the first customer came in. At the sight of the purple-haired girl, Kiyoko's face lit up a bit.
"Ah, miss Kamishiro! Good to see you again.
~~~~~
It was surprising, how fast the day went by. With all the customers that were coming in looking to purchases Takatsuki Sen's new novel, Akiha found that she was busy more often than not.
It was surprising how many different types of people would come in to buy it, too. She hadn't expected so many different types of people to be fans of a horror novel. A few customers had lived up to her expectations, but old ladies and timid bookworms weren't exactly what Akiha predicted as the intended audience of the Black Goat's Egg.
…Perhaps she should try it out for herself, sometime? If Takatsuki Sen's work was popular amongst such a variety of people, then maybe it was just that she was a good enough writer that the genre didn't matter? Akiha wasn't a fan of horror herself, but she'd be willing to overlook that if it was well-written…
Another customer entered the store, and Akiha broke from her thoughts to pay attention to them.
The man who entered was wearing a suit, much more formal than anyone else who had entered the store by that point. He seemed distracted somewhat, as if he had something on his mind. Despite that, his posture was a defensive one, and every time even the faintest sound was made, his eyes darted in its direction.
Akiha recognized the signs. Her father had been in a similar way, when he got overly stressed when planning a hunt. It wasn't exact, as Makihisa had never been in a position where he would have been in danger and around Akiha, but it was close enough to put the Tohno girl on edge.
The man, whoever he was, was dangerous. The question was, then, why was he here?
There was a possibility that the man was here for her. Perhaps the rest of the Tohno had managed to smuggle in an assassin of some kind. But that wasn't guaranteed. It was entirely possible that the man was here just to buy a book.
And if he was here to kill her, he would, at the very least, try to get her alone. The Tohno wouldn't risk angering the CCG, and causing a fight around normal humans would do exactly that. Which meant that, at the very least, she was safe for now.
Taking a step towards the man, Akiha noted how he honed in on her the instant her footstep echoed out. "Can I help you, sir?"
The man watched Akiha for a moment, and the demon blooded girl realized how tense she was at that moment. If the man was skilled enough to keep watch even when distracted, he'd notice her reaction.
A moment passed, before the man spoke. "I'm looking for a book." He said, in a calm tone. Probing for her reaction? "Takatsuki Sen's new novel? The Black Goat's Egg?"
Akiha relaxed a bit, relieved, and nodded. "Ah, of course. Follow me, mister…"
"Fura." The man responded. Akiha nodded again, and led him to where the book in question was being stored.
There was silence for a time, as Akiha observed the man. Just because he said he was here for a book didn't mean he was telling the truth. The man kept his silence as well, and to his credit, did seem to be focused on the books.
When they reached the destination, Akiha noticed that the man took two copies of the Black Goat's Egg. The man noticed Akiha's quizzical glance, and answered the question before she could ask it.
"For a co-worker." He said. "Work's been busy lately, so he asked me to pick up his copy for him."
"Ah." Akiha replied. "I see."
Fura nodded. "Thank you for your service." He said, before wandering over to the front desk, where Tamotsu was waiting.
Akiha watched the suited man for another moment, before turning away. Whatever the man's game was, it was obvious that he wasn't going to cause an issue at that very moment. Perhaps later tonight, but that wasn't something Akiha had to worry about right that issue. She still had work, after all.
Hey, Tohno." Came the voice of Hoshi Kiyoko. Akiha turned around to face the glasses-wearing girl, gave the demon-blooded girl a concerned look.
"Yes, Hoshi?" Asked Akiha.
"You're looking kinda stressed out." Kiyoko began, frowning. "Is something wrong?"
…Ah. She had noticed, then.
"I'm fine." Akiha replied. "I suppose it's just been building up over the last few days…"
Technically, Akiha wasn't lying. While the source of her stress at that moment was Fura, she had been somewhat stressed out ever since she had moved to Tokyo. At the very least, she thought she had a good reason for it.
"You should unwind a bit, Tohno." Kiyoko replied, her tense expression evaporating. "If you worry too much, your hair will go grey, and black hair suits you better."
Akiha smiled a bit at the compliment. "I'll… Take that under advisement, Hoshi." She promised.
At that, Kiyoko's eyes widened beneath her glasses. "Hey! Why don't we do something after work today?" She asked.
"Like what?" Akiha asked.
"Look around the city a bit." Hoshi continued, a smile growing on her face as she spoke. "There's a lot of things you can do. There's a nightclub not far from here, an arcade, a few attractions that look good at night…"
Akiha didn't reply for a moment, and her co-worker seemed to realize something else in that moment. "And besides, you're new to the city. It'd be a good chance to get to know the place a bit better, right?"
…She had a point. Getting to know the city would be smart, and she could use a chance to unwind a bit. But it wasn't exactly safe at night, was it?
After a moment's consideration, Akiha made up her mind.
[X] Accept Kiyoko's offer. As she had said when they first met, the chances of them being in danger was minimal, and denying the offer out of paranoia would only cause further stress.
[X] Deny Kiyoko's offer. Maybe on the weekend, they could go out during the day, but between Ghouls and whatever the Tohno had in mind for her, it was too risky to go out at night.
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[X] Accept Kiyoko's offer. As she had said when they first met, the chances of them being in danger was minimal, and denying the offer out of paranoia would only cause further stress.
Loktarogar
The Apex of Cuddling
- Location
- Brazil
[X] Deny Kiyoko's offer. Maybe on the weekend, they could go out during the day, but between Ghouls and whatever the Tohno had in mind for her, it was too risky to go out at night.
