Chapter 6 — Cracks in the Glass
Tokyo at night is not a city. It is a living organism.
He breathed in the cold air with a taste of metal and fear. It hummed with machines, flickered with the light of screens, and secretly waited for blood.
After the raid in the industrial zone, Kaneki could not sleep for a long time. He lay on the bed in the CCG barracks, staring at the ceiling, as if searching for an answer there.
"You have completed the battle with Class B. Received: 70 coins. Temporary access opened: Section "Combat skills: Close combat - level 1". Warning: unlocked skills must be purchased."
He almost automatically opened the store. The menu lines flashed before his eyes:
Basic Counterattack Technique (20 coins)
Enhanced Reaction (30 coins)
Tactical Breathing (15 coins)
Anticipation (40 coins)
Pain Threshold I (35 coins)
He thought about it. There weren't that many coins. He selected "Tactical Breathing," and felt his chest fill with heat. Then "Pain Threshold." The system silently integrated the skills into his body.
The next day, he went out into the training area. Dozens of agents were around, some practicing throws, others practicing shooting.
Haruka stood by the wall, watching him. He noticed her gaze, but didn't look away.
"You've changed," she said quietly as he approached. "Calmer. Harder."
"I have to. If I want to survive."
"Or kill?" She raised an eyebrow.
He remained silent. The answer was obvious.
"When I look into your eyes, I see something more than a soldier," she said softly. "Something you're afraid to show."
Kaneki felt an old, vulnerable part of himself stir in the back of his mind. The guy from the coffee shop, the student. The one who believed that monsters were fairy tales.
"I have no right to doubt," he finally managed to say. "Only the goal."
She looked into his eyes longer than her regular colleagues were allowed. Then she nodded.
"Then I'll be there. Until the end."
Later that day, he was given a new assignment: checking on the disappearances of students in the Kamiya University area.
The place was painfully familiar. It was there he had lived in his old life. It was there he had first spoken to Tohka. It was there he had read "The Domed City" and dreamed of becoming a writer.
Now he was returning there as a hunter. Not a student, but a judge.
In the evening, he stood on a familiar roof, peering into the windows of the dormitories. Ghouls don't leave traces. They hide in people. He knew that now.
Suddenly, the system signaled:
Danger within 200 meters. Probability of hostile activity is high.
He jumped down the fire escape, landed silently in the yard and headed after the suspicious silhouette.
It was a young ghoul, no older than 16. Thin, trembling, with tear-filled eyes. He was trying to chew on someone's hand, hiding under the stairs.
"Don't come near!" he screamed, backing away. "I... I didn't want to... I'm just... hungry..."
Kaneki froze. The system emotionlessly issued:
Target confirmed. Danger level: low. Killing the target will give: 5 coins.
He raised his weapon.
His hand trembled.
The boy closed his eyes.
"Please... please... don't..."
Kaneki clenched his teeth. "This isn't a human. This is a ghoul. You're not here for compassion. You're a blade."
He took a step closer.
At that moment, someone's voice sounded behind him:
"Kaneki!"
It was Haruka. She was running, breathing heavily. She saw everything. She looked from him to the young ghoul, as if trying to figure out which of them was the monster.
"You can..." she began, but he interrupted:
"I'm not asking for permission. I'm following orders."
He lowered his quinque.
But he didn't hit her.
"Go away," he told the ghoul. "Disappear. If I see you again, I'll kill you."
The ghoul ran away, leaving a trail of blood and horror behind him.
Haruka was silent for a long time. Then she only whispered:
— I'm glad you're still human.
System: "Moral choice. No coins received. Received: +1 to empathy. Access to the 'Human Heart' branch."