Kaneki successfully joined Anteiku and became colleagues with Touka.
One day, a mother and daughter visited the coffee shop seeking the manager's protection, as their husband had attracted the attention of a powerful figure.
Meanwhile, human investigators had found a clue: a weapon left behind by the SS-rated ghoul Jason in Ward 20. This indicated that Ward 20 held significant investigative value, prompting headquarters to dispatch Amon and Mado to the area to eliminate the enemy forces.
At the same time, the manager was still teaching Kaneki how to disguise his eating. The secret, he explained, was not to eat but to swallow. By pretending to chew ten times and making chewing sounds, one could fool everyone, then spit out the food before it was digested to avoid overwhelming the body.
Seeing Kaneki's troubled expression, the manager comforted him, saying it was the best way to dine with friends.
Later, the manager asked Kaneki to transport some provisions. Kaneki, fearing it was something nefarious, vehemently refused. However, it wasn't about harming humans. It was for their companions who couldn't hunt, to transport food for them, as ghouls would starve otherwise. Kaneki then accompanied the quiet, stoic manager to the edge of a cliff.
Fortunately, Kaneki's kagune saved him. Beside him lay an anonymous corpse, the "food" the manager had spoken of. These were creatures that didn't attack humans, only choosing bodies with no signs of life.
Elsewhere, on the street, a ghoul was scavenging for food. Amon, arriving late, intended to ask about his wife's whereabouts.
Meanwhile, Touka and someone else visited a peculiar mask shop. Due to the cruel methods of the investigators, they intended to design a custom one-eyed ghoul mask for Kaneki to preserve his identity.
Across town, investigators were brutally interrogating suspects. Disobedient ones were swiftly executed, while others were left in shock.
The investigators considered them useless and moved to the next location. However, one of them wasn't quite dead. Kaneki opened the door to find the girl from the morning feasting, which startled him into running. The staff member, however, gave him a coffee and told him to apologize.
Kaneki brought the coffee over and discovered the girl enjoyed reading, which quickly made them friends.
Simultaneously, the ghoul who had narrowly escaped earlier returned home. Before he could say much, his elder sibling was so frightened their eyes bulged. It turned out they had deliberately let the target escape to follow the trail.
A rare visitor arrived at Anteiku. He was a gourmet who enjoyed slowly savoring his food after cooking it. This time, he seemed to have a particular interest in Kaneki, and even after Touka chased him away, the gourmet remained captivated by Kaneki. The next day, they met again in the school park. The gourmet also seemed knowledgeable about literature, which intrigued Kaneki, who realized they were colleagues in a way.
Kaneki, feeling a sense of kinship, quickly asked the gourmet to meet again before he left. Unbeknownst to Kaneki, the gourmet, behind his mask, took the opportunity to invite Kaneki to his home that Sunday at three o'clock.
As night fell, the stoic manager took Kaneki to a secluded area. To prevent surprise attacks from investigators, Mr. Four-Eyes had to teach him self-defense. He demonstrated a combination of punches and kicks, leaving poor Kaneki gasping for breath. The training ended for the day, but it would become a daily routine during his "working hours."
The next day, Kaneki met the gourmet again. Kaneki asked what he used to talk about with Rize at Anteiku. The gourmet vaguely replied it was about food.
Seeing the broken tombstone, Kaneki rushed to clean it but accidentally cut his hand. The gourmet realized his lapse in composure and thoughtfully placed a white cloth over it, which soon became stained with blood. Delighted, he immediately invited Kaneki to dinner, taking the handkerchief to the restroom. The subsequent scene was disturbing.
It was terrifying. Kaneki had accepted the invitation. After a sip of coffee, all the lights went out. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Kaneki was delivered to an exhibition hall. This was a slaughterhouse for ghoul gourmets, and the prey was this fellow ghoul. At this point, Mr. Tsukiyama, who preferred to remain anonymous, appeared. Kaneki couldn't believe that someone he trusted would betray him. Tsukiyama stated that although this person was a ghoul, he had a human heart.
Upon hearing this, the ghouls downstairs erupted. Kaneki looked helplessly at the beasts before him, thinking all was lost.
As the cannons fired, the battle royale officially began. A butcher emerged from the darkness, staggering towards Kaneki and attacking him without a word. Luckily, Kaneki dodged, or his story would have ended there. The audience on the platform shouted at the butcher to do a proper job, while Kaneki could only flee in desperation. Tsukiyama reminded Kaneki to reveal his kagune.
As soon as he spoke, Kaneki felt a surge of weakness and was kicked to the ground by the pursuing butcher. It turned out the coffee he had drunk earlier contained a potent sleeping agent. The butcher grabbed Kaneki, delighted like a child.
Just as Kaneki was about to die, his survival instinct kicked in. He revealed his Kakuja, broke free, and sent the bulky man flying with a punch. The ghouls on the platform were all stunned. This was a rare, once-in-a-century one-eyed ghoul. Tsukiyama was even more dumbfounded; how could he have released such a rare delicacy to the public?
Tsukiyama slowly approached Kaneki, apologizing for the fright Kaneki had endured and offering a sincere apology.