by Shin Towada
“Oh, Hori! Have you been lying in ambush for me?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
Tsukiyama sat down across from Chie as if it were a matter of course. “Then what have you been doing?” he asked.
“Organizing photos.”
“Ha ha! Ever the shutterbug! C’mon, show me what you’ve got, my little insect!” Tsukiyama said, gracefully extending his hand, palm up.
Chie plopped the laptop into his outstretched hand, which promptly smacked down onto the table, Tsukiyama having seemingly underestimated how heavy it would be. “God, and you’re still such a tomboy, too,” he said, his expression unflinching, the computer still atop his palm, clicking away at the keys with his free hand like it was a piano. “You’ve been taking pictures of some pretty fancy stuff, haven’t you?” He seemed surprised that Chie would have taken pictures of trendy pop singers. His eyes were fixed on the screen as his fingers methodically tabbed from one photo to the next.
When he got to one photo, however, his fingers stopped. “Hmm …”
It was a photo of Mitsuba.
“White lines down to her throat like a Greek sculpture, her eyes like a cocktail of sadness … Well now, isn’t she quite a marvelous subject to be photographed!”
“They said her name’s Mitsuba,” Chie said, eyeing the photo as she took the laptop back from Tsukiyama. “I feel like I could take a much better picture of her than this!”
Tsukiyama let out a nasal hum, sipping at the coffee one of the employees brought him. “By the way, Hori, I’ve got a real obsession right now.”
“It’s Kaneki, isn’t it?”
Ken Kaneki, a Ghoul from the 20th Ward who apparently worked part time at the café Anteiku. Tsukiyama had followed him around previously with the hopes of eating him, but had since come to work together with him. His other companions weren’t quite as trusting, and seemed to exclude him, but Tsukiyama wasn’t the sort to be down about that.
“Ah, so the tale that Kaneki and I weave has indeed reached your ears!” Tsukiyama said, raising his right hand high. “Ever since we began working together, every day is spicier and spicier! You can tell, can’t you? That I have this glow I never possessed before!”
“I’m sure Kaneki’s wallet is happy with that, at any rate.”
“Non. Riches are just another form of power. Which is a price worth paying for Kaneki’s time! It’s the ample time we do spend together that so deepens our trusting relationship.”
“You sound like some old man talking about his favorite hostess,” Chie said. Was he of a mind to one day betray that trust with a sword, only to lick at blood that dripped down from the blade? No, Chie thought blithely. She didn’t think anyone would trust him in his whole life.
“Oh, speaking of which,” Chie said, suddenly remembering something, “what are you doing for ‘food’ nowadays?” Apparently, Kaneki was scouring the wards in search of something. If that was the case, then Tsukiyama was probably going along with him, and considering that Tsukiyama’s finicky, particular tastes currently had him craving Kaneki above anything else, Chie had to wonder what he’d been eating instead.
“I’m getting by,” Tsukiyama replied quickly enough. “After having set eyes on Kaneki, everything else looks like such meager fare—that is how exquisite Kaneki is!”
Tsukiyama looked like he was ready to launch into another spiel about Kaneki when Chie blurted out, “Wait, what? The self-styled ‘gourmet’ has been getting by on junk food?” Her eyes were wide with astonishment.
Tsukiyama stared back at her, the look on his face making it look as if he’d just been struck by lightning. “I do beg your pardon?”
“I know you’ve had your sights set on Kaneki, and you’ve also never been one to skimp when it comes to meals. I guess people really do change.” Well, Tsukiyama wasn’t necessarily a “person,” per se.
Chie put her computer back into her backpack and stood up. She tried to leave Tsukiyama with the check, but he held out his right arm to block her path. “Hold it right there!” His brow was furrowed, and he had an almost exaggerated look of pain on his face as he forced out his words. “Oh, Hori! Your words pierce my delicate heart, sweet and smooth, like a knife through cheesecake!”
“But you’ve never even eaten a cheesecake.”
Ignoring Chie’s words, Tsukiyama continued repentantly. “Oh, Hori, it’s just like you said. I, Shu Tsukiyama, born to seek out and consume only the finest cuisine, have had to stoop so low as to consume common food. And once I know what Kaneki tastes like, nothing else will ever be worth tasting again! However”—he suddenly thrust a finger at Chie—“I have decided that, though she might not meet the standards of my discerning palate, I must have this delicious, despairing diva you’ve shown me!”
“Huh?” That finally got a reaction out of Chie. Here was Tsukiyama, talking about how he wanted to eat Mitsuba. “No way. I need to take pictures of her.”
“Seeing that picture finally stirred my appetite after so long! Not as much as Kaneki, of course, but there’s something in her that makes her such an enticing cocktail. I am sorry, but she will be mine.”
Tsukiyama’s proud laugh pushed Chie over the edge, and without a word she took what was left of the syrupy cocoa and dumped it over his head as hard as she could before marching out of the café.
“H-Hori! Do you have any idea how long it takes to do my hair right?!”
Now Tsukiyama would probably go home and take a shower. Chie adjusted the backpack bouncing against her back, got out her smartphone, and began a web search on Mitsuba. She needed to make sure she found her before Tsukiyama did.
III
“Guess this is the place,” Chie said, looking up at the apartment building. Having heard that Mitsuba lived in housing provided by her agency, Chie had been able to deduce her address from photos and statements she’d posted to her blog, along with other eyewitness accounts from the Internet.
It was already past midnight, and given the possibility that Tsukiyama might well use his wealth to gather information, Chie figured there was a fifty-fifty chance the girl was still safe.
“Well, the lights in her room are still on.” Chie made her way up to the second-floor apartment and rang the doorbell.
“Yes?” came a reply from inside. “Who is it?” Chie recognized Mitsuba’s voice from the Idol Fest. It seemed she was safe after all—but still, it wouldn’t be too surprising for Tsukiyama to turn up at any time.
Chie faced the peephole and said, “I’ve come to deliver some photographs.”
“Photographs?” She was bound to be confused by that, but she also didn’t seem to be terribly wary of someone who looked like a grade-schooler, and so she opened the door, visibly curious. “Who asked you to deliver these photographs, miss?”
In a complete change of pace from her outfit at the Idol Fest, Mitsuba was dressed far more casually in jeans and a three-quarter shirt. Probably nobody would suspect she was an idol singer if they saw her out on the street wearing that, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on that sort of thing.
“Pardon the interruption,” Chie said, slipping her way in through the open door without bothering to ask permission. Once inside, she took the intense perfume she’d brought out of her backpack and sprayed its scent around the room.
“Whoa, what?!” Mitsuba cried out, eyes going wide with bewilderment. Chie headed farther inside and started spraying with another type of perfume. “Um, miss? What are you doing?”
The different scents intermingled, stirring up a stench that almost made it difficult to breathe inside the one-room apartment. Tsukiyama ought to find the vulgar scent repugnant, to the point where being awash in it would be more than he could stand, making him unable to do much of anything without first taking a break for a shower.
Chie scanned the room, ignoring the confused Mitsuba behind her, who clea
rly wasn’t sure how to deal with this. “Huh?” the girl squeaked out as Chie unlatched the window, then picked up the cell phone and wallet that were on the table and tossed them to her. Flustered, Mitsuba managed to catch them.
“Okay, now let’s go and—” Chie began, stopping as she noticed the picture hanging by the front door. It was a family photo showing a young Mitsuba, her parents, and a girl Chie guessed was Mitsuba’s older sister. Chie picked up the photograph, forcibly handed it off, then said, “Okay!” as she grabbed hold of Mitsuba’s arm and dragged her outside.
“Miss, I, ah … I don’t know what this is all about, but …” Mitsuba was quite flustered, but Chie could feel something in the air behind them, like little pinpricks, and she shushed the girl before hiding behind a telephone pole. Watching Mitsuba’s apartment from the shadows, Chie could see someone trying to sneak in through the window.
“Hey, what’s …” Mitsuba had noticed the suspicious man now as well. He opened the window, slipped fluidly inside, and then, a mere moment later, jumped right back out, holding his nose.
“Guess we can call the scent bomb a huge success,” Chie said. She walked quietly so as not to catch Tsukiyama’s attention, then broke into a run after rounding the corner at an intersection.
“M-miss, what’s going on? Who is that man?”
“I have a name, you know. It’s Chie Hori,” Chie said, introducing herself.
“Chie Hori?”
“Yeah.”
By now they’d come out onto a main thoroughfare. Chie stuck out her right hand and hailed a taxi. “Come on, get in.”
“Wait, hold on. Where are we going?”
Chie felt it was only fair to give poor, perplexed young girl another hint. “Mitsuba, you’re being hunted by a Ghoul.”
Mitsuba stiffened visibly.
“Come with me if you want to live.”
“Where are we?” Mitsuba asked as they got out of the taxi, fearfully inspecting her surroundings.
“We’re near a Ghoul detention center.” Up ahead, the building was visible, encircled by a tall fence. There was no telling what might be inside.
“Then we’re in the 23rd Ward?”
“You know it, then?”
“Yes. I used to live in the 23rd Ward a while back, so I’ve heard of it. But wait, wasn’t there a breakout at this detention facility a few months ago?”
She was right. Several months earlier, a number of Ghouls had indeed managed to escape from the Ghoul detention center, and the 23rd Ward had been in a state of high alert ever since as a result. “Yep. According to the rumors, some of the Ghoul escapees were particularly nasty, too,” Chie said.
“But Miss Hori, hold on. Doesn’t that mean it’s dangerous around here?” Mitsuba seemed like she thought one of these nasty Ghouls could be right next to her, and she continued to uneasily inspect her surroundings.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. After the breakout, a whole bunch of Ghoul investigators were assigned to the 23rd Ward, and Cochlea had its security beefed up a ton,” Chie said as she led them to a nearby park. With a soft huff, she sat down on a bench and patted the spot beside her, which Mitsuba promptly took.
“So what do you mean, I’m being hunted by a Ghoul?” she asked.
A picture being worth a thousand words, Chie took her laptop out of her backpack and showed her the photo she’d taken of Tsukiyama feeding from way back when. A tiny squeak of fear escaped Mitsuba’s throat, and she went pale.
“Apparently this Ghoul has taken a liking to you, Mitsuba, and he’s decided to track you down. Which, uh, might be partially my fault.”
“Your fault, Miss Hori?”
“Yeah. This Ghoul’s an acquaintance of mine. His name’s Tsukiyama.”
“You’ve got a Ghoul for an acquaintance? Then … then does that mean you’re …”
Probably she was wondering whether Chie was also a Ghoul like Tsukiyama. Under the circumstances, it may have been reasonable to think.
“Hey, I might have a Ghoul acquaintance, but I’m very human!” Chie said promptly, to clear things up.
“But sheltering a Ghoul isn’t something you …”
“Sheltering? Hey, I’m just leaving him be,” Chie replied, pulling up the photo that started this whole mess. “I wound up showing him this picture of you singing at the Idol Fest, and that sparked his interest.”
Mitsuba gasped as she saw the picture. “Is … that what I look like when I sing?” It was as if she’d been shown a picture of someone she didn’t recognize. She just stared at it, dumbstruck. After a moment, however, she snapped out of it. “You’re a very talented photographer, Miss Hori,” she said.
Chie slipped her computer back into her backpack and hopped off of the bench. “If Tsukiyama finds you, you’re going to get eaten, so for starters you should probably hide for the time being. I know someone who has a place here in the 23rd Ward, so let’s see about hiding you there for a while.”
“But Miss Hori, since this is a Ghoul matter, shouldn’t we take this to the CCG? They should be able to help me, right?” Mitsuba asked.
“That’s a no-go,” Chie replied. “The CCG could harbor you for a while, sure, but it’s not like you can just live there forever, right? And investigators can’t guard you 24/7, either—and besides, Tsukiyama’s likely stronger than they’d be, anyway.”
Chie went on. “Also, assuming we did somehow eliminate Tsukiyama, his Ghoul family would be out for revenge, and you’d wind up being killed anyway. They’re kind of a … unique bunch.”
“Then it sounds like there’s no way to save me …” It was understandable for Mitsuba to lose hope. Even just having Tsukiyama after her was frightening enough.
But Chie hadn’t come to her without a plan.
“I don’t know if we can pull it off, but I have an idea of how to avoid him for the time being.” A glimmer of hope appeared on Mitsuba’s face. “I feel like I could take much better pictures of you, Mitsuba.” Which was why Chie couldn’t let her get eaten by Tsukiyama.
Mitsuba probably didn’t even understand half of what Chie meant, but she seemed to have at least some idea. Standing up from the bench, she lowered her head. “If you would, please.”
Chie took Mitsuba to a high-end condominium not too far from the Ghoul detention center.
“This is incredible …” the girl said as she took in the sights of the extravagant interior design and dazzling decorations. The window offered a great look out at the nighttime cityscape.
“Let’s hide out here for now. Oh, and you should probably contact the people from your agency. Let them know you probably won’t be back for a while.”
“Oh. Yes, right …”
Chie sat down on the floor in a position she was quite used to, then got her computer out of her backpack and booted it up. She then got out some snacks, rolled up her sleeves, and opened her photo files.
“What are you doing, Miss Hori?”
“Mmm … just picking out some pictures.”
“Picking them out for what?”
“Figure I might be able to sell some.” It was too much to hope that she’d be able to win out over Tsukiyama on her lonesome. If she could sell some of her photos, she’d be able to purchase some assistance.
“Oh, by the way,” Chie said then, remembering the photo of Mitsuba’s family amidst trying to figure out the next stages of her plan, “what’s your family like, Mitsuba?” Knowing Tsukiyama, there was a chance he’d make contact with her family in order to get information. That wouldn’t be too bad by itself, but it would be a disaster if Chie blurted out that Tsukiyama’s particular sensibilities might get the better of him and cause him to eat her family as part of some taste-comparison test. “It just might be a little risky if Tsukiyama makes contact with them.”
Mitsuba’s eyes drooped at that. “You don’t need to
worry about that,” she murmured. “My father remarried and is living overseas now. I get email from him sometimes, but that’s it, so he knows almost nothing about what’s going on with me.”
She set the family photo atop the table and clutched her knees. Tsukiyama could probably still get to someone overseas if he caught wind of things, but given his current obsession with Kaneki, Chie doubted he’d go through the effort. So Mistuba’s father was probably safe.
“What about the other two?” Chie asked, looking at the photo set on the table.
Mitsuba huddled herself up even tighter. “They’re … missing.”
Chie stopped her typing and looked up. “Both of them?
“Did they go missing together?”
“No, separately,” Mistuba said. “Sorry. I’m not really explaining it right, huh?” she added with a bitter laugh.
Chie shook her head. “It’s all right,” she said. “Would you mind telling me about them?”
For a while, Mitsuba was lost in thought, but then seemed to find the resolve to talk. “My sister ran away when she was in high school. My mother was worried sick over it, and a year later she went missing too.”
Mitsuba’s sister was about ten years older than her, and had longed to become an idol singer since she was little. Back at home, she was always dressing up in cute little outfits and singing with a toy microphone. Her mother and father would laugh and smile as they watched her, praising her singing.
As her sister grew up, however, her mother began to frown upon these antics. “You’re in high school now! How long are you going to cling to this silly dream of becoming an idol singer?”
“It’s not some silly dream! I’m serious about this!”
Mitsuba’s sister held off on taking her college entrance exams, and almost every day she and her mother had arguments about her future. Her sister said that she wanted to quit school and go into the entertainment industry, but her mother staunchly forbade it. Her father stayed out of it, pretending not to notice as the other two argued incessantly. Mitsuba had wanted to support her sister, but her mother’s threatening, oppressive demeanor forced her into silence.
