13. Anteiku

In a dark alley border between the 19th and 20th Wards.

"Hahahah! This is awesome!", Kaede laughed, jumping with the help of her vectors from one wall to another, the chakram flying in the air before embedding itself in a wall, the ghoul I'm the middle that showed her lower half being cut off from her navel down below could but scream in both terror and agony.

"Ah, shush… it's not even a truly mortal injury. You aren't a human, woman.", she continued landing softly next to the ghoul, whose guts tangled with the quinque and stopped her from crawling away.

"Pl-please I-I have a-", the ghoul's plight ended up interrupted by the pink-haired girl, "A what? A son, a daughter, a sick family member? Who knows? Who cares? Certainly not me or the human and ghouls children sold to the black market, not that I play the moral high ground here. I'm quite the monster myself. It's just funny to see you in such a pathetic state, trying to play the pity card. Double-faced piece of trash."

"Elena!", a male voice echoed from behind the girl, who simply took out her chakram. The now-named Elena jumped at the opportunity, the kagune exploding from her left lower back yet what she received was a slap that could fold metal into her head. 

The result was as gory with pieces and bits as one might expect. Pressing a button the quinque became but a metallic handle.

"NOOOO!!!", the man yelled, his kagune emerging from his left shoulder and what answered him was the pink-haired girl rushing straight at him with an innocent smile.

One of her vectors flowed through his body grabbing the kakuhou while two others cut open an exit for the vital organ. This caused the ghoul to fold backward and cry in agony before convulsing on the ground as more of his organ sound were wrecked by Kaede, all the damage being done with precise cuts.

Another ghoul jumped at her from above, a yell of anguish escaping at the top of her lung, not even looking Kaede hummed at the tune of the music blasting in her ears through her headphones. A vector latched against the ghoul's neck causing her to violently stop and panic.

"You do not tell your position during a surprise attack by yelling at your opponent, dumdum. Ninjas are supposed to be silent and stealthy. Not that it would have worked but at least put in a modicum of effort.", Kaede berated the girl that was two or three years older than her with this same ever-present innocent smile contrasting deeply with ruby red eyes that told she lacked empathetic capabilities or simply didn't care.

The remark was due to the old and dirty Naruto T-shirt; anime existed here as well. Predatory man-eating creatures weren't going to stop humans in that aspect.

"Please don't cry, it was inevitable your parents played and lost. Not only that but they didn't even know to whom they sold the children but didn't even hide all that well.", she huffed in annoyance at that, honestly she didn't even know where to truly begin to look for the one responsible for her Dad's death. 

It was a doctor, that was certain, the one that would change Kaneki into an artificial half-ghoul, being the primary suspect. But she didn't know who it was or what hospital he was in. But there was no need to be hasty.

"Do you know what dismemberment is?", she rhetorically asked, four vectors each grabbing a limb, and she pulled. Like a doll each of the limbs was popped off, the bone and ligament first, followed by muscle than the skin. The natural healing factor of ghouls only multiplied the pain and their capacity to stay conscious while extreme physical and mental stress only added salt to the injury.

All the while cries of agony echoed even as the now dismembered teenage girl fell to the ground, Kaede dodging her by stepping leisurely backward. Not a speck of blood over her dress.

She did not deign to give the failed 'ninja' any more of her time she crushed the ghoul's windpipe, and spine at three places, took out the kakuhou, and ultimately the major arteries were severed.

"Hmmm, weak, malnourished, and above average Rc factor for the three if a bit more for their adopted daughter… Not surprising.", Kaede mumbled pensively, storing Reap next to Tear in her metallic backpack with the picture of a red panda she was wearing backward. 

It had been a few weeks since she got her first pair of quinques which she very originally named Reap and Tear, unusual weapons for someone even more unusual. She did have quite a few kills during that short period, now with the family of children traffickers it was at 26. She was very prolific.

The fact it was here was very unusual for ghouls and with access to the public camera from her Mom, without the latter knowing of course, and also the CCG she had a lot of view on what was going on. She played the role of a good little slave with a hate boner for ghouls quite well, no that it wasn't partially true on the hate part but it isn't exclusively for ghouls.

"Hey! Old man, can we get to that cafe I notified you about earlier, all that blood made me peckish?", Kaede spoke as the 'old man in question, Arima, arrived with an expression as cold and disapproving as ever but the small nod indicated it was a yes.

Of course, the girl didn't forget to take the kakuhous. And so thirty minutes later Kaede with Arima behind were in front of a small pleasant building where a sign reading 'Anteiku' could be seen.

'Ah inconspicuous little cafe full of ghouls.', she thought pushing the door she entered, not waiting for Arima she climbed the stair, she opened another door, and the soft ring of a bell was heard.

"Welcome to Anteiku! What may I help you with…?", a blue-haired young woman greeted the ten or so pink haired-girl that entered. 

Touka was puzzled as something immediately made her feel something was off, the girl didn't have any smell, be it human or ghoul both had a very distinct smell, it was how ghouls recognized one another in society mostly. 

And this girl had none at all, not even from the fabric of her clothes. It was as if on that spectrum she didn't exist, and that was disturbing.

"Miss… Are you alright? Your stare is making me uncomfortable.", Kaede spoke, polite and overall acting her age, but it was that acting that snapped Kouta back to reality, then Arima entered and she froze.

"Ah my excuse, she hasn't felt well since this morning, it's the midterm exam after all. I hope you can forgive her misbehavior, little lady. What would you like to have from my humble establishment?", an old man with a warm smile and closed deflated the situation as he spoke.