Friendship
"W-what are you talking about, Kaneki?" Nagachica stammered, his eyes avoiding the piercing gaze of Akira.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Akira retorted, his eyes unwavering.
Hide crossed his arms, as if trying to hug himself, and said, "What do you mean? Yesterday I was unconscious after the incident."
"Hahahah, who said it was after the incident..."
Nagachica looked at Akira, discerning eyes noting a drastic change. His innocent friend no longer existed; this new Kaneki exuded quiet confidence, posture straight as he slightly smiled.
Despite the mounting tension, Hide felt reluctant to divulge the truth and unconsciously denied everything.
"A-ah, that is no—"
"Stop it. I know you already discovered I'm a ghoul now," Akira said in annoyance. He only wanted a little chat to gauge this guy's reaction and see if had any use in the future, but his irritation grew as time passed.
"Why is he confronting me about this? Isn't he afraid... maybe worried?" Hide thought in shock, looking at his friend in bewilderment.
"You got me with this one. I-I know about your little secret, but aren't you afraid that I will judge you... That I will see you as a MONSTER!! Can't you understand? Why are you pressing me..." Words spilled from his mouth, a mix of agitation and fear overtaking him; he feared losing his one and only close friend.
Akira, amused, smirked and thought, "I can understand his reasoning. It's human nature, after all. Society treats anyone who differs from the norm with disgust, no matter their intention or history. If I didn't truly experience your loyalty in the anime, I would have already gotten rid of you."
Keeping everything to himself, Akira proceeded to hit the irritating Hide, who still hadn't finished throwing his tantrum, right in the leg.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh... why did you hit me, you konoyaruuuuuu!!!"
Nagachica's cry echoed in the surroundings; he almost knelt in pain. His hissing continued as he looked at his shin; a purple bruise slowly formed, and his face twisted in anguish, while his hands naturally caressed it gently.
He crouched "Seriously, you are really annoying. I said this because I trust you. I know that you will accept me as I am," Akira showed warmth, and a genuine smile began to blossom, "Like you always did." He finished with a touched expression on his face.
"We are brothers, and we will forever back each other in tough times." He looked extremely pitiful at the end.
Nagachica seemed in a daze as he looked at Akira, his gaze reflecting shock, pride, and sadness.
He was shocked at Akira's demeanor and way of speech; it was much more daring and direct than before. He also felt pride that he was trusted this much, and finally, he was really touched and agitated by this turn of events.
"We only have each other. That's how it always has been, and what will forever be..."
Nagachica, caught in a whirlwind of emotions, stood up. His tense posture relaxed, and tears threatened to fall from his eyes. Without a second thought, he lunged at Akira, embracing him tightly.
Akira didn't refuse him, but his face still cringed a bit; after all, he was hugging a random guy. While it wasn't that uncomfortable, it was still strange.
"Ahh... it seems like I acted too good for my sake." He sighed inwardly
The tension vanished and hide flinched in pain again, he looked at Akira with a mix of confusion and gratitude. The bruise on his shin throbbed with discomfort, but beneath the physical pain, there was an emotional tumult.
"You really are unpredictable, Kaneki," he said, a hint of a smile breaking through his pained expression. "First, you hit me, and then you talk about trust and being brothers. Are you sure you're not just messing with my head?"
"…"
"I still don't get why you're revealing all this to me," Hide confessed, his eyes searching Akira's for answers.
"Because I want to" Akira said as he hurriedly bad farewell to hide. he was too tired, he already got what wanted anyways.
"He reminds me of Kafka's famous book, Metamorphosis," Akira mused; he felt that his situation was similar to that of Gregor's.
He remembered every single detail about that book. It was still fresh in his mind. He recalled with clarity how Gregor's family had reacted with horror and repulsion to his transformation. Fear, disgust, and disbelief had painted their initial emotions, evolving over time into a toxic mix of frustration and resentment as they began to see him as a burden.
"While I don't consider myself a burden, I'm still a monster , and I can't completely trust him. I'm not sure if everything will go according to the plot even after this became reality."
"As much as there's a great chance he won't betray me, I can't put my complete trust in him. I have to keep an eye on him," Akira concluded, revealing a cautious side of him.
He analyzed his situation. Initially, he had thoughts to get rid of him, but at that time, he felt a great resistance inside of him, as if something was affecting his emotions. This also happened when he wanted to kill that woman.It was as if something repulsive existed in his soul, but he could feel that its influence was getting weaker and weaker as time passed.
He did all of this to probe his friend's intentions as well as to solidify their relationship. "I've done everything within my capacity, and if he attempts anything funny, hehehe," he thought while laughing hysterically—an unusual act for him—as a glint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.
After the exhausting conversation, Akira headed back, his shadow trailed behind him. Each stride appeared deliberate and symmetrical, the wind brushed past his face as a gloomy atmosphere filled the place.
He looked "bleak, and dead "
...
Akira entered Anteiku. He saw Touka talking to two figures.
"They must be Hinami and Ryoukou." he thought as he approached them. Before he could even reach them, they hastily left.
He looked at the duo only to lock eyes with hinami, she flinched quickly diverting her gaze.
"Pitiful bunch." he muttered.
"What did you say, you scumbag." Touka-chan said fiercely.
"Nothing!" he replied as lifted his two hands in the air and thought" Hoy hoy, I'm the pitiful one now"
"Anyways that's fueguchi-san and we'll be taking care of her from now one, go prepare coffee for her, Oh before that did the manager tell you about the doves"
"Yes he did mention them." he replied
"Since you know there is no need to explain I'm leaving, just be careful because they seem to increase their activities these last few days " she blandly stated before she left."
"Now that she mentioned it, in the timeline, the CCG probably just found out about Aogiri Tree. Mado and Amon are likely gonna be sent to the 20th district soon. I don't have much time, only about a week. I have to get rid of them."A plan slowly formed in his head as he thought.
In the original story, Hinami's mother was murdered by Kureo Mado and Koutarou Amon, they brutally killed in front of her daughter, this eventually led to the final fight between the characters, Kaneki vs Amon, Hinami and Touka vs Mado.
Taking this into consideration Akira said.
" I have to hunt ghouls..."
In the end the solution to all this mess was power, he could just cower in fear let those two investigators get away while saving the mother, but they would only become a bigger problem in the future.