Following the memories in his mind, He Xi Qian Yu pushed open the activity room door at the appointed time.
Although it was the activity room for the pharmacy department, in his impression, everyone else was busy enjoying their colorful university life, and few people set foot here besides him and Nishio Nishiki.
A Ghoul's physical quality was indeed extraordinary; even though he had been injured by Dong Xiang yesterday, when He Xi Qian Yu saw Nishio Nishiki the next day, there was no sign of anything unusual on him.
"This seems to be the first time you've properly come to school since the semester started, right?" Hearing the door open, Nishio Nishiki stopped typing on the keyboard, turned his office chair to face the door, "If I hadn't helped you cover your absences, would you have just waited to fail your courses at the end of the semester?"
"It's just... I was delayed by something..." He Xi Qian Yu's face showed a hint of embarrassment when he heard this.
He casually pulled over a chair and sat down.
"Thanks for covering my absence."
"Something? What thing?" Nishio Nishiki's gaze locked onto his friend, his voice suddenly rising a few octaves, "Busy working at the coffee shop?"
"That's just a job." He Xi Qian Yu rubbed his brow helplessly, "And I really don't understand why you have such great animosity towards the manager and the others."
Nishio Nishiki fell silent for a moment, the air seemingly solidified.
Then, he slowly spoke, his tone carrying an undeniable solemnity: "Qianyu, come here."
He Xi Qian Yu stood up as told and walked in front of him.
"Look into my eyes, Qianyu." Nishio Nishiki's voice deepened.
The two of them stared at each other, close enough to see each other's reflections in their eyes.
Although he understood his intention, He Xi Qian Yu still unseasonably suspected the other party's sexual orientation.
Just as he was lost in thought, the scene before his eyes suddenly changed dramatically—Nishio Nishiki's eyes instantly turned into a cold, piercing crimson, and at the same time, an eerily beautiful and vibrant tail Ghoul burst out from behind him, tearing his clothes, trembling slightly in the air with a heart-pounding sense of oppression.
"...Ghoul." Nishio Nishiki stood up, his voice mixed with self-mockery, "In the eyes of you ordinary people... a man-eating monster..."
He paused, then changed his tone, with a warning: "And not just me. All those staff members at Anteiku Coffee Shop... are all Ghouls..."
"Listen, Qianyu." He looked at his friend, genuine sincerity revealed in his crimson Ghoul eyes, "Stay away from them, that place..."
"Thank you for the reminder, good brother." He Xi Qian Yu suddenly raised his hand, lightly patted Nishio Nishiki's tense shoulder, interrupting him, "However, you might have overlooked one thing."
Before he finished speaking, dark red gelatinous mucus, like a living creature, suddenly surged from under He Xi Qian Yu's skin, wriggling to envelop his entire body at an astonishing speed. In Nishio Nishiki's disbelieving gaze, the mucus rapidly expanded—
A grotesque and terrifying monster, strikingly, replaced He Xi Qian Yu, standing before him.
"...Actually..." A low voice came from the direction of the monster, "I'm not an ordinary person either..."
...
He Xi Qian Yu's "transformation" brought Nishio Nishiki immense shock.
He had painstakingly hidden his Ghoul identity, thinking he had hidden it well enough, believing it was seamless, but he never expected that his close brother, with whom he spent day and night, was also one of them.
And even a more powerful Ghoul.
...
After revealing their true identities, He Xi Qian Yu originally wanted to chat with Nishio Nishiki a bit more, but just then, the activity room door was gently pushed open.
Standing at the door was Nishino Kimi.
Seeing that his girlfriend had arrived, He Xi Qian Yu instantly dismissed the idea of staying longer.
He didn't want to be a third wheel.
"Then I'll be going first." He gestured to Nishio Nishiki, then walked towards the door. As he brushed past Nishino Kimi, he nodded slightly in greeting.
Before leaving, He Xi Qian Yu subtly reminded him: "Nishiki, things are a bit tense outside lately, not very safe. Restrain yourself, it's best... not to go out hunting."
He tried to change the predetermined fact of his good brother losing to Dong Xiang, then losing to Jin Mu.
However, Nishio Nishiki seemed not to take the warning to heart; his tone was relaxed: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I've already targeted a prey, and I can take him down very easily."
Hearing this, He Xi Qian Yu sighed inwardly, and in the end, said nothing more.
He had already given the warning.
Anyway, Nishio Nishiki wouldn't die.
...
He Xi Qian Yu walked down the empty corridor.
"...Look at his dumbfounded expression... So interesting..." Slaughter's deep voice echoed in He Xi Qian Yu's mind, full of the pleasure of a successful prank.
"Normal." He Xi Qian Yu calmly replied, "Anyone would be surprised by something like this."
"Brother Qianyu!" A vibrant call broke the silence of the corridor.
He Xi Qian Yu turned his head at the sound.
It was Yongjin Hideyoshi.
His characteristic blond hair was particularly striking in the corridor's light, and his face was beaming with that familiar, seemingly endless, enthusiastic smile.
And Kaneki Ken, following behind him, was as quiet as a shadow, his face pale, his expression carrying an lingering gloom, forming a stark contrast with Yongjin Hideyoshi.
"What a coincidence, to run into you here!" Yongjin Hideyoshi quickly approached, his voice filled with surprise, "Brother Qianyu is also from Kamii University? How come I've never seen you on campus before?"
"Me... I've been skipping too many classes lately..." He Xi Qian Yu vaguely replied, his gaze then falling on Kaneki Ken behind him, "Jin Mu, are your injuries okay? And... your eye..."
"Thank you for your concern, Brother Qianyu," Kaneki Ken lowered his head slightly, his voice a bit soft, "It's... fine now."
"This guy, he's just trying to be trendy!" Yongjin Hideyoshi chuckled, patting Kaneki Ken's somewhat thin shoulder hard, "We still have something to do, Brother Qianyu, so we'll be going now!"
"Mm, go ahead." He Xi Qian Yu waved at them.
...
"...The 'prey' that guy mentioned... Is it them?..."
"To be precise," He Xi Qian Yu replied softly, his gaze following the blond figure, "it's Yongjin Hideyoshi."
"...Let me guess..." Slaughter's voice drew out, his mockery unconcealed, "...Your good friend... is going to... get beaten up... again..."
...
At dusk, the clouds were dyed a gradient of orange and purple-red.
"...Their scent... is nearby..."
He Xi Qian Yu followed Slaughter's guidance and turned into a narrow, deep alley.
The scene inside the alley was just as he had expected. Dazzling blood was spread across the ground in the dim light, Yongjin Hideyoshi lay unconscious on the ground. And in the center of the blood-stained alley, Kaneki Ken and Dong Xiang were facing each other in a tense standoff.
His good brother Nishio Nishiki was also hanging high on the iron fence of the alley wall, beaten unconscious, his head even stuck in the fence gaps.
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