As it turns out, Hayashi's life advice was effective—but the direction it took was completely unpredictable.
In the end, Takatsuki Sen understood her goal.
She didn't follow in Kamishiro Rize's footsteps—detaching from everything, choosing a conservative path, deciding to protect the area around the Midnight Diner and live alongside Hayashi.
Instead, she chose a more ruthless, more intense path, and set her sights on her objective.
She had Aogiri Tree. She had power.
She wouldn't become a conservative like Rize or Antique Café.
She would lead Aogiri Tree as its commander… and become the spearhead of the radical faction!
If she wanted a world where ghouls and humans could coexist, the first step was to dismantle the CCG—especially that top-level family hiding behind it all!
Then, she'd unify the ghoul population and solidify her dominance in the ghoul world through absolute power.
In her left hand, she would control the ghouls.
In her right, she would crush the organizations oppressing them.
Takatsuki Sen thought: With that kind of power, that kind of dominance—such a world could be realized, right?
That was the mindset of a radical.
Takatsuki locked eyes with Kamishiro Rize as she walked out of the Antique Café.
She released a hint of her aura—
Which immediately caught Rize's attention.
Across the street, the two stared at each other.
Takatsuki made a subtle gesture toward the Midnight Diner, then turned and walked away.
Kamishiro Rize hesitated for a moment—then chose to follow her.
—
Inside the diner.
Hayashi had just finished putting away the groceries and storing everything properly in the kitchen.
Then, he saw Takatsuki Sen return—with Kamishiro Rize following behind her.
"Figured things out?" Hayashi asked, sensing the shift in her energy.
"Mm. Thank you, Hayashi-kun," Takatsuki smiled sincerely. "Could we get two cups of coffee? I'd like to talk with Miss Rize."
"?" Hayashi looked at the two with obvious plans but finally nodded. "Sure."
If they had a plan, so be it.
It was still better than being stuck in the middle, getting hit from both sides, and ending up full of regret.
Takatsuki didn't pick a seat inside the shop.
Instead, she chose a quiet outdoor table in the corner of the courtyard.
Once seated, the two waited in silence for their coffee.
After a short while—
Tohru brought over two cups of coffee and placed them on the table, along with a small dish of cookies and dried fruits.
But before she left, Tohru picked up the tray and said seriously:
"Hayashi-san said these snacks are on the house. You can chat—but no fighting."
With that, Tohru turned and walked off, not caring what kind of expressions the two had.
Because it didn't matter what their attitudes were.
That was both a reminder and a rule.
After she left—
Takatsuki Sen and Kamishiro Rize exchanged a glance and smiled gently at each other.
Then they both lifted their cups, took a small sip...
And let out a simultaneous deep breath of satisfaction.
"Delicious," Takatsuki murmured. "Truly unbelievable."
Kamishiro Rize nodded. "So now you understand."
Takatsuki Sen tilted her head slightly and got straight to the point:
"But what I want to understand is—what kind of agreement did you and that Yoshimura guy come to? I just want to know so I can plan my own actions accordingly and make sure we don't interfere with each other."
"?" Rize looked puzzled.
She didn't see any reason why there would be conflict between herself, Takatsuki, and Antique.
Seeing her reaction, Takatsuki knew that Rize didn't know much about her—clearly, Hayashi hadn't told her anything. He probably just kept the knowledge to himself.
So Takatsuki tapped the table and revealed part of the truth:
"I represent Aogiri Tree."
"!" Now Rize was truly surprised.
To represent Aogiri Tree—that meant a lot in the ghoul world.
While the organization itself was scattered, its officers were incredibly powerful.
S-rank was the baseline for ordinary officers; SS-rank was the standard for higher-ups.
There were rumors that the leader was SSS-rank, though this was unconfirmed.
No wonder Takatsuki was concerned about avoiding conflict.
Rize took a sip of her coffee and nodded to show she understood.
"To put it simply, Antique is still Antique, but its purpose has changed. We're now accepting ghouls who've tasted Hayashi-kun's cooking and share the same mindset. While growing stronger, our goal is to eliminate any threats to Hayashi-kun from the ghoul world."
That was the essence of her conversation with Manager Yoshimura.
It was also a test—whether Rize shared this vision:
Reject feeding on humans, and eat only Hayashi's cooking.
Prioritize the protection of Hayashi and the Midnight Diner.
Love and want to preserve their current peaceful lifestyle.
That was the new philosophy of Antique.
Only ghouls who held this mindset would be accepted—forming a community of mutual support and trust.
And Rize had qualified.
So the Antique organization had just gained a new SS-rank ghoul.
"I see," Takatsuki nodded, intrigued. "That's good—it means we won't be at odds."
Antique would remain in the shadows.
Their actions wouldn't be aggressive; they would build strength slowly and avoid making trouble.
That would never conflict with Takatsuki's future plans.
Rize then added,
"As for Aogiri Tree, any intel I receive—I'll share with both Antique and Hayashi-kun."
Takatsuki took another sip of her coffee, then paused before speaking seriously:
"The leader of Aogiri Tree… will appear. He will restructure the organization from within and begin formal operations against the CCG. We'll also adopt stricter criteria for recruiting and managing ghouls."
"But at least, we know now—we're not in conflict. That's a relief."
The news that Aogiri Tree's leader would appear and initiate a formal campaign against the CCG—
Even Rize was shocked.
That meant one of the largest ghoul organizations would be openly declaring war on the CCG.
"Looks like something big is coming."
"Exactly," Takatsuki confirmed.
A major event was indeed about to unfold.
To establish dominance in the ghoul world, using absolute force to impose rules—
Then strike at the CCG, humanity's anti-ghoul front.
That was Takatsuki Sen's vision—as a radical.
Rize sighed, a bit emotional.
"So the world of bloodshed and violence will return. I just hope it doesn't spread here."
"I'll keep most of the fighting in other wards," Takatsuki promised. "But the 20th Ward still needs a bit of staged chaos. Otherwise, the CCG will find it suspicious."
Rize nodded in agreement. "That's true."
Takatsuki then shared her plan:
Step 1: Let one of her more unruly officers loose in the 20th Ward to attract hatred.
Step 2: Ask Antique to leak the information to the CCG, prompting them to respond and eliminate the officer.
Step 3: Use the incident as a spark—
Aogiri Tree would issue a formal statement and begin its campaign.
That way, everything would look natural and justified.
No one would know what truly started the conflict.
Everyone would assume it was just the actions of one rogue officer—
Which spiraled out of control.
Rize listened carefully and nodded.
"I understand. I'll inform Antique."
It was a reasonable request.
Starting the spark in the 20th Ward ensured it wouldn't draw attention too quickly.
If every other ward was in chaos but the 20th wasn't, it would stand out—and the CCG would launch an investigation.
This way, Antique could also adapt and strengthen under controlled conditions.
So the two sides struck a deal.
One conservative.
One radical.
A temporary alliance was formed.
Back inside the diner.
Hayashi was handling the seafood they had just bought.
He was deveining shrimp, peeling shells, preparing everything properly—including the seasonings and cooking wine.
He peeled a batch of raw shrimp meat—translucent and glistening.
Kanna watched beside him.
She wasn't even tall enough to reach the counter, so she had to stand on tiptoes, gripping the edge.
Hayashi had even prepared a little stool for her.
"Can I help, Hayashi?" Kanna asked.
Hayashi paused and looked at her.
Honestly, he couldn't think of anything she could really do.
Just watching was enough of a morale boost.
"Hmm..." Hayashi thought. "How about this—Kanna, help me line up the peeled shrimp neatly, like this."
He placed a few in a row, like arranging seats.
"Okay," Kanna agreed after checking them out.
So Hayashi started peeling.
Kanna started arranging.
Everything seemed to be going perfectly.
Until Kanna, after placing a few, picked one up, sniffed it—
Then popped it into her mouth.
"Nom~!"
"!"
It was surprisingly tasty!
Kanna's eyes lit up.
Her right hand placed shrimp.
Her left hand devoured them.
When Hayashi finally heard the "nom~" sound—
He turned his head and saw Kanna had already eaten several.
"They're raw, Kanna! Be careful of para—uh…"
He wanted to say parasites...
But then he remembered—Kanna is a dragon.
Anything that entered her stomach probably didn't survive anyway.
So raw food? Probably fine.
"Hmm?" Kanna looked at Hayashi in confusion. "This isn't edible?"
"It is edible," Hayashi thought for a second and explained another way.
"But just try the taste for now—it's not at its best yet."
"Once I finish cooking it, it'll taste even better."
As expected—
The moment he said that—
Kanna put the shrimp back down and firmly refused.
"Then I won't eat more. I'll wait until it's better."
"Exactly." Hayashi nodded in satisfaction.
So then—
He finished prepping all the seafood.
Then took Kanna out for a short break.
After they stepped out—
Takatsuki Sen and Kamishiro Rize had also finished their coffee and conversation.
They came inside.
Takatsuki wanted to pay, but Rize waved her off.
"I have a tab—let's count it as my treat."
Takatsuki smiled and accepted.
"Then next time it's on me."
She turned to Hayashi and said gratefully:
"You were right. Hesitation, not moving forward or backward—that's just another form of running away."
"So…" Hayashi waited, slightly expectant.
"So, I'm going to pursue my plan seriously," Takatsuki said, waving as she walked out.
"I'll definitely come back, no matter what happens. I hope the shopkeeper will still welcome me."
Hayashi already had a pretty good guess.
He waved and replied:
"As long as you're not targeting me, and you don't do anything outrageous—the Midnight Diner welcomes all guests."
Takatsuki acknowledged this and left.
Hayashi watched her go.
And deep down, he already knew—
Takatsuki Sen had chosen the hard path.
Because she had strength. She had confidence. She had an organization.
She had everything—
Except the courage to reclaim her own heart.
What's this about being a bridge between humans and ghouls again?
Does it really have to be someone who's an artificially-created one-eyed ghoul?
Takatsuki Izumi was born a natural one-eyed ghoul—her potential is clearly far greater.
The original story was full of excuses.
Just like Arima Kishou—all just convenient excuses.
And sure enough—
After Takatsuki Sen left,
Kamishiro Rize, wearing a light lavender dress, recounted the entire conversation from earlier:
"Takatsuki Sen said she represents Aogiri Tree. She's restructuring the organization, using unstable officers as bait, and preparing an operational plan against the CCG."
"It's honestly surprising. I didn't expect Takatsuki Sen to be a high-ranking member of Aogiri Tree—that bandaged rabbit."
"I see," Hayashi nodded, finally understanding.
Takatsuki Sen was serious this time. She wasn't going to play puppet master from the shadows anymore.
In the original storyline—
She always operated from behind the scenes.
That led to all sorts of problems during operations, and she couldn't respond in time.
Some missions succeeded.
But none were ever complete victories.
Since she was now stepping out from the shadows, Hayashi figured there was no need to hold back anymore.
"Do you know her real identity?" he asked Rize.
"?" Kamishiro Rize blinked. "Didn't she say it already? The bandaged rabbit… a high-ranking officer. Are you saying that identity is fake?"
"No. That identity's real," Hayashi said, cutting her off. "But the 'high-ranking officer' persona is just a cover—for yet another identity."
"?!" Rize was stunned.
Takatsuki Sen—how many layers of hidden identities do you have?!
Yes, Takatsuki Izumi is Yoshimura Eto.
Yes, she's a high-ranking officer.
But even that role is a disguise for her final, real identity.
Seeing the way Rize's jaw dropped, Hayashi smiled mysteriously.
"I'll just say it plainly—Takatsuki Sen's true identity is Yoshimura Eto, also known as the One-Eyed Owl. She's the real King of the Ghouls."
"!" Now Rize was genuinely shocked.
She stared at Hayashi's face, trying to see if he was joking.
But Hayashi was dead serious—he never lies.
Rize was completely floored: "Takatsuki Sen… the One-Eyed Owl? That girl? That famous novelist…?"
So many identities overlapping—no normal person would believe it.
A ghoul who had risen to such prestige in human society...
Was actually the One-Eyed Owl.
The contrast was unreal.
"So now you understand how dangerous it was when you went to meet her," Hayashi said with a smile. "How do you feel now?"
Rize thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"No… I don't think it was dangerous. The one who wrote The Black Goat's Egg—that was also a reflection of herself. She's not that dangerous."
"Fair enough," Hayashi nodded in agreement.
"But it won't be long before Takatsuki Sen reveals her identity herself, once her plans go into full motion."
"It'll really come to that, huh…" Rize could already picture the scene.
Once the world finds out that the beloved novelist Takatsuki Sen is the One-Eyed Owl, it's going to be absolute chaos.
Social media's trending pages would be destroyed.
On a more amusing note—
Sales of The Black Goat's Egg would probably skyrocket again.
More people would start analyzing it word for word.
That's just how today's society works.
Outside the diner.
It was already 5 PM.
Takatsuki Sen had returned to the alley's edge, ready to leave.
She took one last look at Antique Café.
Her feelings toward the manager inside… had diminished a little.
Not because her hatred had faded—
But because she now cared more about other things, so he simply no longer mattered.
Time to move on. He was no longer important.
Just as she was about to turn and go—
She spotted a beautiful high school girl in black stockings walking toward the diner.
Kasumigaoka Utaha was arriving early to the shop.
She also happened to notice Takatsuki Sen.
Her jade-green hair made her instantly recognizable in literary circles.
And Utaha had seen photos of her before—
So she immediately recognized her.
"Are you… Takatsuki Sen-sensei?"
"Yes," Takatsuki replied. Then she seemed to recall who the girl was:
"You must be Kasumigaoka Utaha—the one the shopkeeper mentioned."
"Yes, that's me," Utaha nodded
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