"He... he can't eat anything..." Yongjin Hideyoshi's voice was filled with helplessness. "The food the nurse brought, he took one bite and... and threw it all up. The doctor said it was due to excessive fright and post-traumatic stress reaction... but..." He looked at his friend's pained expression, his eyes full of worry. "How can this be? How can he recover if he doesn't eat?"
He Xi Qian Yu's gaze swept over the almost untouched meal, then returned to Kaneki Ken's face, which was even paler from nausea.
Only he knew that it was not a stress reaction at all. This was his body instinctively rejecting human food. Kaneki Ken's taste buds and digestive system had already been twisted during the organ transplant surgery.
He had become a one-eyed Ghoul, or rather, a half-Ghoul.
Furthermore, unlike naturally born half-Ghouls like Yoshimura Eto, acquired half-Ghouls formed through organ transplantation cannot consume human food. They will experience nausea towards human food just like ordinary Ghouls, and forcibly swallowing it will even cause harm to their bodies.
Just then, Kaneki Ken's body suddenly arched, and violent dry heaves struck again. He painfully curled up, his hands tightly covering his mouth, his slender shoulders trembling violently, and cold sweat instantly seeped from his forehead. Although nothing substantial was thrown up this time, the heartbreaking retching sounds were still alarming.
He Xi Qian Yu watched silently, his hand in his pocket unconsciously clenching the cold oil paper package, but in the end, he still did not take it out.
Not now.
Kaneki Ken was not yet ready to face reality. Forcibly revealing the truth would be like stabbing him again in his unhealed wound.
"Give him..." Slaughter's consciousness whispered in his mind with a hint of urgency, "...He needs this... doesn't he...?"
"He's not ready yet," He Xi Qian Yu responded in his mind.
"He'll have to face it someday..."
"But not now," He Xi Qian Yu interrupted Slaughter.
"You humans always like this... superfluous... and boring..." Slaughter's tone was full of disdain.
...
Kaneki Ken's painful groans in the ward had not yet faded when the sudden sound of a turning door hinge echoed, and a figure in a crisp white lab coat pushed the door open.
Akihiro Kano.
The former CCG Ghoul anatomist, the chief surgeon for Kaneki Ken's organ transplant, dedicated to the study of one-eyed Ghouls, and the mastermind behind Kaneki's transformation into a one-eyed Ghoul.
He believed that "the world is bound by a distorted 'birdcage'," and he wanted to destroy this "birdcage," and only "one-eyed Ghouls" could become "a ray of sunshine piercing through the gloom."
...
Although Akihiro Kano had done many bad things, to be fair, if it weren't for this organ transplant surgery, Kaneki Ken would undoubtedly have died in yesterday night's attack.
From this perspective, Akihiro Kano had, instead, saved Kaneki Ken's life.
Becoming a half-Ghoul was better than dying.
But even so, it didn't mean he was a good person.
...
Yongjin Hideyoshi, as if seeing a savior, immediately rushed forward anxiously: "Doctor, please take a look, my friend can't eat anything. If this continues..."
Akihiro Kano raised a hand, signaling Yongjin Hideyoshi to be silent: "Shh... The patient needs absolute quiet."
Akihiro Kano's gaze calmly swept over the suffering Jin Mu on the hospital bed, then rested on He Xi Qian Yu for a moment, and finally returned to Yongjin Hideyoshi's face, his tone gentle: "Your friend suffered a Ghoul attack, and his body and mind were greatly impacted. It is a normal post-traumatic phenomenon to experience stress reactions such as loss of appetite and vomiting. There is no need to worry too much."
Akihiro Kano wore a reassuring smile on his face. He approached the bed and gently checked Kaneki Ken's pupil reflex and heart rate monitor.
"We will closely monitor the patient's electrolyte and nutritional status, and provide intravenous nutritional support if necessary. Please rest assured, a professional medical team will take good care of him." His words were impeccable, reassuring Yongjin Hideyoshi, but his gaze seemed to inadvertently sweep over Kaneki Ken's abdominal bandage, as if admiring his most proud work.
Just then, Kaneki Ken's body convulsed violently again. This dry heave was more intense than before. He painfully arched his body, a wheezing sound like a broken bellows emanating from his throat, veins bulging on his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked the back of his hospital gown.
He Xi Qian Yu stood still, watching Kaneki Ken struggle painfully on the hospital bed, and Akihiro Kano hypocritically comforting Yongjin Hideyoshi.
"...Hypocritical fellow... disgusting..."
"Indeed," He Xi Qian Yu rarely agreed with Slaughter.
...
"You see, his reaction is indeed very strong," Akihiro Kano said with just the right amount of concern in his tone, as if he was truly considering the patient, "This requires even more quiet and professional psychological intervention. I understand the family's feelings, but excessive anxiety can also affect the patient."
He looked at Yongjin Hideyoshi again, gently giving him the dismissal, "Visiting hours should not be too long. Let the patient rest well, we will handle it."
Yongjin Hideyoshi looked at his friend's pained expression, his heart aching, but the doctor's authority made him dare not say anything more, only looking at He Xi Qian Yu for help.
He Xi Qian Yu met Akihiro Kano's seemingly gentle but actually scrutinizing gaze. Their eyes briefly met in the air. He Xi Qian Yu's gaze carried a hint of warning, while Akihiro Kano still maintained a gentle smile.
"The doctor is right," He Xi Qian Yu finally spoke, "Hideyoshi, let's go out and let Jin Mu rest." He reached out and reassuringly placed a hand on Yongjin Hideyoshi's shoulder.
Yongjin Hideyoshi opened his mouth, but ultimately, under He Xi Qian Yu's steady gaze and the doctor's professional advice, he nodded dejectedly, turning back three times as he followed He Xi Qian Yu out of the ward.
Just as He Xi Qian Yu was about to step out of the ward door, Akihiro Kano's gentle voice sounded again, with a subtle hint of inquiry:
"Sir, you seem... very concerned about the patient's condition? Are you the patient's elder brother?"
He Xi Qian Yu's steps did not falter in the slightest. He did not look back, his voice clearly reaching the ward:
"Just a friend."
With that, he walked out of the ward without looking back, closing the door behind him.
Yongjin Hideyoshi leaned against the wall, his hands covering his face, his shoulders slightly shaking. He Xi Qian Yu stood beside him, his gaze heavy as he stared at the closed ward door.
"...Are you... worried?" Slaughter's consciousness suddenly sounded in his mind, with a hint of playfulness.
He Xi Qian Yu did not answer aloud, only nodded very slightly.
"...Oh..." Slaughter's voice dragged, filled with undisguised mockery, "...How rare..."