The CCG and 'Anteiku' reached a limited extent of cooperation, initially spearheaded by Lancer, but as Lancer said, the foundation of cooperation must be built on sufficient strength, otherwise, the stronger party will inevitably devour the weaker party, and the same applied to 'Anteiku.'
Yoshimura Kuzen, playing the role of the 'Owl,' might be able to offset the influence brought by Kishou Arima, but the number of people in 'Anteiku' was too small. This was a fatal weakness, but just at this moment, Enji Koma and Irimi Kaya did something that made Touka Kirishima stare dumbfounded.
The 'Black Doberman' and the 'Devil Ape.'
Names that were very unfamiliar to young Ghouls and even Investigators, but anyone over thirty would definitely be familiar with these two names, as these two major Ghoul organizations often fought to seize territory back then. It could be said that most Investigators in this age group or older had comrades who died at the hands of these two Ghoul organizations.
But no one had expected that nearly ten years ago, these two major Ghoul organizations suddenly disappeared, or rather, the leaders of both organizations chose to 'retire' simultaneously, and these two major Ghoul organizations gradually diminished under the orders of their leaders until they completely gave up their dominance over the 'hunting grounds.'
Many people speculated that the leaders of the 'Black Doberman' and the 'Devil Ape' might have died together, otherwise, these two organizations couldn't have disappeared at the same time, but it wasn't until the 'Owl' appeared at the negotiation table with the Devil Ape and the Black Doberman that everyone realized that these two organizations had actually been subdued by the 'Owl' without anyone noticing.
Of course, Yoshimura Kuzen himself didn't think so. In his opinion, Enji Koma and Irimi Kaya were nothing more than 'companions' to him, as they shared the same goal.
In addition to Enji Koma and Irimi Kaya standing beside Touka Kirishima, Renji Yomo standing further away was also watching this battle, and even further away, a black-haired young man wearing a strange mask was also silently watching.
Since Ken Kaneki's identity as a 'Ghoul' was exposed, he had completely disappeared. All the people and things that were once connected to him seemed to have been completely cut off.
Of course, this was the perception of most people. In reality, Ken Kaneki would still occasionally appear in 'Anteiku,' but strangely, no one seemed to have asked him about his current situation, and he himself had not talked to others about his own matters.
After becoming a 'Ghoul,' Ken Kaneki felt that he was no longer human, especially after his 'Ghoul' identity was exposed to the CCG. He had no choice but to completely sever ties with his former life.
At the time, he was close to death and even considered committing suicide, and even after he miraculously survived, he went through a period of great confusion. He didn't know where his future should lead, but perhaps this was fate. His former friend accepted his 'Ghoul' identity and helped him conceal his whereabouts.
And it was with the help of his friend that he found the direction for his life.
The former Ken Kaneki had never considered, or rather, simply couldn't figure out why he became a Ghoul. He saw all of this as a 'god's' prank, and he was just unlucky, but under his friend's calm analysis, he had no choice but to face something he was unwilling to believe.
'The CCG turned him into a Ghoul.'
After being attacked by Rize Kamishiro and falling unconscious, he woke up in a hospital affiliated with the CCG. Later, when he learned that a part of his organs belonged to Rize Kamishiro, he didn't pay too much attention because he believed the doctor's words that 'this was the only way to save his life.'
But now, thinking about it carefully, even so, it was still too strange, but he had always been unwilling to think too much. However, when all the options were eliminated, the last remaining option was the correct answer, no matter how absurd the answer was.
Ken Kaneki even suspected that he might have become a CCG experimental animal, and it was at this moment that he decided to leave 'Anteiku.'
'Anteiku' was a very special place for Ken Kaneki.
When he became a Ghoul and was at a loss, it was the manager who took him in from the outside; when he first lost his sanity and tried to attack his friend, it was the girl named Touka Kirishima who slapped him back to his senses; when he didn't know how to face life as a Ghoul, it was Renji Yomo who showed him the other side of being a Ghoul; when he was at a loss, Enji Koma, who liked to act cool, would also use his experience to help him with ideas when the time was right...
For him, who had not felt much family warmth since childhood, he experienced this 'unfamiliar' feeling for the first time.
It was precisely because of this that he chose to leave 'Anteiku.'
In his opinion, since he was a CCG test subject, his situation must be monitored by the CCG to a certain extent, so staying in Anteiku would only bring danger to everyone. Therefore, after talking with Yoshimura Kuzen, he chose to leave, and surprisingly, Yoshimura Kuzen did not object because, according to him—
'Ken Kaneki, since you've found the direction for your future and have the determination to work towards it, I won't stop you, but I hope you remember that if you ever feel tired, you can always come back for a cup of coffee. I will serve you the best coffee then.'
What Ken Kaneki hadn't expected was that his sudden whim to return to Anteiku for a cup of coffee led him to encounter the coffee shop being closed and everyone leaving together. What was even more unexpected was that he actually saw the man who had pierced his body back then!
He knew that even with a Ghoul's terrifying regeneration ability, the wound that had been pierced by the long spear was still incredibly gruesome and hadn't fully healed even now. He had been happy for a while when he heard that the opponent was missing. After all, even though he knew that the opponent was the one who provided edible food for Ghouls, he couldn't bring himself to like the opponent. He wasn't a masochist who would like the person who attacked him, was he?
But he hadn't expected the opponent to appear again!
However, because he had left Anteiku, Ken Kaneki didn't know that Touka Kirishima's Ghoul identity had been exposed to Lancer. Seeing everyone change clothes and put on masks, his first reaction was that everyone in 'Anteiku' was planning to kill Lancer, but the subsequent developments somewhat surprised him, because the opponent and the manager chatted for a while before separating.
And standing far away now, he couldn't hear the content of their conversation...
'What exactly is going on?'