Completely unaware that his reputation had once again plunged into crisis, Lancer was walking toward the 20th Ward branch as usual. Along the way, numerous rookie Investigators proactively greeted him, leaving Lancer feeling somewhat uncomfortable. After all, he still wasn't entirely used to the strange rules in Japan (like greeting your seniors every time you meet). As for Mado Kureo? That man was his savior—no matter how formally he bowed, it could never feel cumbersome.
But what surprised him was encountering a familiar face inside the branch.
"You're... Nagachika Hideyoshi?"
Lancer's sudden shout startled the blond-haired youth standing before a notice board.
"You're... Investigator Lancer?"
Nagachika Hideyoshi hadn't expected anyone to recognize him inside the CCG branch, let alone Lancer. His expression instantly turned complicated.
"Something wrong?"
"N-no, it's nothing. I just didn't think I'd run into Investigator Lancer here."
"Haha~ What's so strange about seeing me here? I'm an Investigator attached to the 20th Ward branch, after all. By the way, do you need help with something? Did you perhaps spot a Ghoul and need my assistance?"
"It's nothing like that. I just happened to see a job advertisement outside..."
Nagachika Hideyoshi and Lancer could at most be considered acquaintances who nodded to each other in passing. They'd met frequently at Anteiku, but ordinarily Hide should have felt pleased—after all, knowing someone here would make applying for a job easier. Yet at this moment, his heart was practically lodged in his throat.
He wouldn't have found out that Kaneki's hiding in my apartment, right?!
Indeed, Kaneki Ken—the very Ghoul Lancer had always been curious about—was currently hiding in Hide's home.
Although Hide was a human, he'd long known about Kaneki becoming a Ghoul. Even then, their friendship hadn't wavered. To Hide, Kaneki was gentle by nature; his transformation was just an unfortunate accident. He shouldn't be shunned simply because of such a misfortune.
When Kaneki was abducted by Jason, Hide was beyond anxious upon hearing the news. But unlike everyone at Anteiku, he was only human—completely helpless. Yet, still worried, he ventured close to the 11th Ward. It wasn't as if he thought this act had real meaning—he just felt that being there brought him a little closer to his friend.
However, what Hide never imagined was that this seemingly pointless act of self-comfort had actually saved Kaneki's life.
When the explosions began, Hide knew staying was meaningless. But just as he was cycling home, he spotted Kaneki lying bloodied on the roadside.
Without hesitation, Hide rushed to Kaneki's side.
Fortunately, Kaneki was a Ghoul; otherwise, just the Quinque piercing his side would have been fatal. But his condition was hardly better off—after all, Quinques used RC cells specifically to harm Ghouls.
Hide then removed the Quinque spear lodged in Kaneki's abdomen, using his own clothes to roughly bandage the wound, before finally dragging his severely injured friend into an abandoned-looking house nearby.
At this point, Hide's actions had far exceeded simply withholding information about Ghouls—he was outright sheltering one. Facing Lancer now, he was practically paralyzed with panic.
But luckily, Lancer didn't suspect that Kaneki might be with Hide. He'd only intended it as a joke. Smiling, he patted Hide's shoulder and guided him toward the nearby recruitment desk.
"The part-time work here mostly involves organizing documents, so it should be easy for you. Though I doubt there'll be any troublemakers in the branch, if anyone does cause you trouble, just tell me—I'll handle those rotten apples personally."
"Thank you, Lancer-san."
"No need to be so formal. We do know each other, after all, and the branch really is short-handed."
Of course, they were short-handed—now that the 11th Ward branch had been annihilated, Investigators from all other wards had been reassigned to the neighboring 9th and 10th Wards. Naturally, the stable 20th Ward had seen the highest reassignment.
And following silently behind Lancer, his "partner" quietly scribbled some suspicious notes in her notebook——
Rank 1 Investigator Lancer is not only interested in high school girls, but also flattering male university students…
Lancer remained completely unaware that merely greeting an acquaintance had caused a certain serious-looking woman to imagine strange scenarios.
...
With Lancer's help, Hide's job application proceeded smoothly. Given the staff shortage, it was practically effortless. Finished, Hide naturally returned home, but——
"I'm back."
Habitually calling out as he opened the door, Hide got no response. He quickly noticed the hallway was unusually messy.
Had the CCG come by?
Alarmed, he rushed into his room—only to see Kaneki, whose upper body was wrapped in bandages, collapsed face-down on the floor.
"Kaneki?! What happened...?"
BANG—!
The moment Hide helped Kaneki up, he was abruptly pinned to the floor by his friend. Seeing Kaneki's eyes—blood-red kakugan completely different from before—Hide shuddered involuntarily. At that instant, his friend felt like an entirely different person, almost like...a wounded beast.
But then——
Slap—!
Kaneki suddenly released Hide's shoulder, fiercely slapped himself across the face, and then bit down hard on his own arm…
Lying beneath Kaneki, Hide reached up and touched the mixture of blood, saliva, and tears dripping onto his cheek. A look of relief appeared on his face.
"Yeah…no matter what you become, you really are still my best friend…"
As he spoke, Hide reluctantly pulled out a small fruit knife from behind and painfully sliced his own finger.
"I mean… I can't exactly be like Nishino-senpai. It's your fault you're a guy—if you were a girl, I might have just given it straight to you…"
His face twisted from the pain, Hide awkwardly moved his bleeding finger toward Kaneki's lips, telling some nonsense joke perhaps just to ease his own anxiety.
On the other side, perhaps sensing what he craved desperately in his mouth, Kaneki's previously savage expression gradually softened, until finally, he weakly murmured, "Hide…" before collapsing into his friend's embrace…
---
A BIG AUTHOR NOTE!
First off—Just keep your eyes on me (my book)! Don't listen to those other people (what they say)!
Ahem~ enough messing around. Let me explain a bit. The "Luck Rank E" joke indeed originates from Type-Moon, but since this book isn't literally "The Fate of a Lancer from Type-Moon," my interpretation of Luck Rank E won't follow all Type-Moon canon settings (highlight this).
Next, to clearly state my views—in this story, Luck Rank E isn't a curse (like being hit by cars the moment you step outside). Instead, I've set Luck Rank E as a kind of "trial." Just like flowers: those grown in storms might not be as elegant as greenhouse blossoms, but they have a charm all their own. Some may even find storm-grown flowers more beautiful.
This novel emerged from my writing experiences over the past two years. My first book was standard harem fiction—though I had some integrity and didn't let the protagonist romance every single character, the harem still reached dozens. But toward the end, I felt it violated my initial intentions.
After that, I wrote two more novels: one, though gender-bending, was essentially a female-oriented novel; the second was single-heroine focused. These works were an attempt at "returning to my roots"—writing out of "love." They flopped terribly, but honestly, I enjoyed writing them.
Precisely because of these three works, I wrote this novel. Now I no longer simply want to write about my "love" for existing characters—I arrogantly want to create a character entirely mine: Lancer.
Not invincible like my first protagonist; just an ordinary person growing step-by-step, facing failures, confusion, and realizations.
As for the most crucial question about the protagonist—"Why does he wield the spear?"
Clues already exist, but I haven't explicitly answered it yet. Even Lancer himself isn't aware. The answer will likely come around volume 2.5. Until then, he's just an ordinary guy who gained power by chance—not yet the spear-wielder in my heart who bravely charges ahead for his convictions.
Lastly, the romantic subplot. As said before, I prefer it develops naturally. Some readers asked, "You control the characters, so how could romance happen naturally?"
Embarrassingly, my "outline" is truly minimal: world-setting, goals, and main plot only. I gave up outlining relationships and romance completely. Lancer acts rationally based on his character—whether female characters end up liking or hating him is decided by "common sense."
As for mature ladies… BBA are the best!!
T/N: hags
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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