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After the Di Kou family reunion, life for everyone at the coffee shop returned to normal. However, compared to before, Hinami's clear, bell-like laughter could often be heard in the Anteiku Coffee Shop, adding a touch of childlike warmth to the establishment.
...
Four o'clock in the morning.
He Xi Qian Yu turned the last page of "black goat's egg" and slowly closed the book.
The book, of course, was borrowed from Kaneki Ken. Since the next day was a holiday, he rarely allowed himself to stay up late.
"How do you feel?" He Xi Qian Yu asked in his mind.
"...Not bad..." Slaughter's voice, with a rare hint of approval, resounded.
This work, which tells the twisted relationship between the serial killer "Black Goat" and his son, is filled with brutal descriptions and delicate psychological portrayals. As a bedtime read, it is indeed...unique, and surprisingly suited Slaughter's taste.
He Xi Qian Yu turned off the light and buried himself in the covers.
"Good night."
"...Symbiotes don't need sleep..." Slaughter slowly replied, "...However...good night..."
Consciousness gradually sank into darkness.
"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"
The noisy chirping of birds, like fine needles, suddenly pierced He Xi Qian Yu's sleep. He tried to bury his head deeper into the pillow and cover his head with the quilt, but the highly penetrating "chirp, chirp" sounds were omnipresent.
He irritably fumbled for his phone, and the screen lit up with a dazzling light—five o'clock sharp.
"Where did these birds come from???" he cursed in a low voice.
He had been living upstairs from the coffee shop for a while now, and it had never been so "lively" in the early morning.
"...Hinami's...stupid bird..." Slaughter's voice, with a hint of schadenfreude, reminded him.
He Xi Qian Yu suddenly remembered. A few days ago, Hinami found a small bird with an injured wing at the entrance of the coffee shop. Overflowing with compassion, she found a cage for it and placed it in a corner on the first floor of the coffee shop, even giving it a solemn name: "Stupid Bird."
An unidentifiable surge of anger shot to his head. He quickly got up, rushed downstairs in a few strides, and accurately located the birdcage that was chirping happily.
In the darkness, his face was quickly covered with a grotesque layer of crimson fluid, and Slaughter's terrifying face faintly appeared in the dim light.
"Chirp again..." A low growl emanated from that inhuman mouth, "...and I'll stew you into soup."
The "Stupid Bird" in the cage instantly fell silent, as if an invisible giant hand had gripped its throat. It fearfully tucked in its feathers, trembled, and cowered into the deepest corner of the cage, even burying its head deeply.
The threat worked, and Slaughter's face receded. He Xi Qian Yu nodded in satisfaction. He turned and went upstairs, collapsing back onto the bed.
This time, the world was finally quiet...or was it?
"Knock knock knock! Knock knock knock!"
Urgent knocking on the door sounded again, and He Xi Qian Yu suddenly opened his eyes, which were bloodshot.
He grabbed his phone again—seven o'clock sharp!
He Xi Qian Yu opened his phone; it was seven o'clock.
"F***!" he growled, getting out of bed with lingering morning grumpiness and murderous intent. He swore that if Nishio Nishiki was standing outside the door, he would definitely fulfill his training duties today and make that guy understand what SSS-class care meant.
"Good morning, Qianyu Gege!" As soon as the door opened a crack, Hinami's clear, sweet, and vibrant childlike voice eagerly squeezed in.
She was neatly dressed, her small face flushed with excitement. Behind her was Kaneki Ken, equally tidied up.
"Good morning, Qianyu Ge," Kaneki Ken greeted politely.
"It's Hinami and Jin Mu..." Seeing that it was Hinami, He Xi Qian Yu forcibly suppressed the anger that was almost bursting forth, his facial muscles stiffly pulling into an extremely forced smile. The dark circles under his eyes were so dark they looked like he had been punched twice. "Is something wrong?" His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing.
"Today! Today there's an autograph session for Takatsuki Izumi-sensei!" Hinami's eyes sparkled astonishingly, and her small hands gesticulated excitedly, "Qianyu Gege, do you want to come with us? It's at the downtown Book Tower! Jin Mu Gege is coming too!"
He Xi Qian Yu opened his mouth, and a "no" almost slipped out. All he wanted to do now was collapse back into bed and sleep until the end of time. But Hinami's big eyes, sparkling with immense anticipation, firmly held back his words of refusal.
He sighed helplessly, rubbing his brow as if resigned: "...Alright. Please wait for me."
Back in his room, He Xi Qian Yu washed up as quickly as possible. Cold water splashed on his face slightly dispelled some of the grogginess.
After changing, he, with a body severely lacking sleep, followed the two enthusiastic individuals into the bustling morning streets.
...
The downtown streets had long since woken up, with hurried commuters and students carrying backpacks intertwining into a massive flow of people. The honking of cars, the chatter of pedestrians, and the rolling sound of shop doors opening merged into the city's unique morning symphony of noise.
"Qianyu Ge," Kaneki Ken looked at He Xi Qian Yu beside him, who was yawning incessantly and whose steps were unsteady, and hesitated before speaking, "You look...not so good?"
"I read until four o'clock," He Xi Qian Yu, sporting two enormous dark circles, couldn't help but let out another long yawn, tears welling up in his eyes, "Then I was woken up at five by a stupid bird, and just as I fell asleep again, I was hit with a seven o'clock 'surprise' knocking on my door...It'd be a miracle if I felt good."
He leaned closer to Kaneki Ken, lowering his voice with strong resentment, "It's all that stupid bird's fault. I'm going to stew it someday."
"Sure enough, Qianyu Ge, you also stayed up late reading Takatsuki-sensei's work, right!" Kaneki Ken's eyes instantly burst with astonishing brilliance, his face overflowing with the immense excitement of finding a fellow enthusiast, "I knew it, Takatsuki-sensei's books are worth staying up late for. The ending of 'black goat's egg' is too impactful, that twisted intertwining of love and hate..."
Kaneki Ken was completely immersed in his fervent admiration for his idol's work, automatically filtering out all of He Xi Qian Yu's complaints, and began to eloquently share his thoughts on the book.
The corner of He Xi Qian Yu's eye twitched uncontrollably a few times. Looking at Kaneki Ken's excited expression, he felt his temples throbbing.
...
After much effort to push through the crowded mass of people, the three finally arrived at the Book Tower.
The autograph session venue was set up in the ground floor lobby, and it was already packed with people, the line stretching like a winding dragon all the way to the main entrance. The vast majority were young readers like Kaneki Ken and Hinami, full of anticipation.
The air was filled with excitement and eagerness.
"So...so many people!" Hinami tightly gripped He Xi Qian Yu's sleeve, her small face filled with awe and excitement. Kaneki Ken also nervously pushed up his glasses, his gaze eagerly directed towards the makeshift autograph table at the very front of the line. He Xi Qian Yu also forced himself to cheer up, following their gaze—
As far as his eyes could see, behind the autograph table...it was empty. Only a few empty chairs stood there, forlornly.
He Xi Qian Yu blinked his bloodshot eyes in disbelief, confirming that he hadn't misread.
He suddenly turned his head, staring intently at Kaneki Ken, his voice rising several pitches due to extreme shock and anger, almost cracking:
"Where is she?! I'm asking you, where is she?! Where is that great Takatsuki-sensei you spoke of?! I sacrificed my precious sleep, endured crushing dark circles, and came to this crowded hellhole just to see that author...late for her own autograph session?!"
!