Downstairs at the Shirogane family's apartment.

The night breeze was cool, teasing Shirogane Kei's silver-white hair.

She stood blankly at the door, eyes still out of focus, as if she were lost in that bizarre "dream" and hadn't yet woken up.

"We're here."

Rei Ao's voice tugged her drifting thoughts back a little.

"Kei."

Kei nodded stiffly, like a marionette on strings, and answered in a faint, airy voice, "Goodbye… senpai…"

Then, like a sleepwalker, she turned, unlocked the door, and walked in on autopilot.

The door closed behind her, shutting out the "abnormal" world outside.

"Kei? You're home?"

Her father's concerned voice came from the living room.

Her brother, Shirogane Miyuki, looked up from his book. He pushed his glasses up and peered toward the entryway at his clearly off-kilter sister.

"What's wrong? You look pale. Was club practice that exhausting?"

Kei hadn't told them she'd gone to Rei Ao's place—she'd only said it was a club activity.

But she ignored their questions as if she hadn't heard a thing, staring straight ahead. Her steps were unsteady as she crossed the living room and went straight to her room.

Click.

The bedroom door shut softly, leaving her father and Miyuki exchanging a baffled look in the living room.

"Is Kei… okay?" her father asked, frowning with worry.

Miyuki pushed his glasses again; a glint flashed across the lenses. "Looks like she's had a major shock… Did a test go badly? Or…"

Thinking of another possibility, his face darkened a shade. "Did some jerk at school bully her?"

Father and son met each other's eyes, and both saw the same worry there.

…

In the bedroom.

Kei didn't even turn on the light. She dropped onto her soft single bed and pulled the blanket over her head.

In the dark, those impossible images spun like a runaway slideshow through her mind, looping again and again.

Angels, demons, dragons—words and pictures crashing and tangling together!

Do angels really exist? Magic? Dragons? Other worlds?

Were the things she saw at Rei Ao's place real or not?

Was it a shared hallucination brought on by stress?

Or… just an absurd, outlandish dream?

If it was real, then what did the world she'd known for over a decade amount to?

A massive lie?

A carefully hidden, ordinary façade?

And if it was fake… why did every little detail feel so real?

The more she thought, the worse her head throbbed.

Her thoughts were like a ball of yarn a cat had batted to pieces—the more she tugged, the more tangled it got, with no end in sight.

Irritation mounted. A huge sense of aimlessness and the frailty that follows a shattered worldview closed in around her.

At last, she squeezed her eyes shut, buried her face deep in the pillow, and let out a long sigh.

"Forget it… I'm done thinking…"

She chose to stop.

She desperately hoped it was all just a gaudy, fever-dream of a night.

If she could just sleep—just wake up—she'd find the world back to the way she knew it.

No angels, no magic, no dragons.

And Rei Ao would be nothing more than that slightly mysterious, kind of handsome senpai who made her heart flutter in secret.

Clinging to that faint, final hope, Shirogane Kei, mentally exhausted, sank into a deep sleep.

A faint trail of tears still clung to the corner of her eye.

…

Tokyo's 20th Ward.

Evening.

Inside the old coffee shop.

Gentle music flowed as always, the aroma of coffee lingering in the air. But compared with most days, there was a barely perceptible tautness to the room.

By the window, in her usual spot, Kamishiro Rize set down her cup with elegant poise, a flawless, mild smile on her face.

Across from her sat a black-haired boy, a little tense and shy—Kaneki Ken.

"I really enjoyed talking with you today too, Kaneki-kun."

Rize's voice was soft and melodious, like a spring breeze gliding over strings—and it plucked at Kaneki's heartstrings too.

"Time flies. It's that hour again."

Kaneki's cheeks flushed; admiration and fondness for this "cultured onee-san" shone in his eyes.

After these days of chance meetings and conversations, he felt the distance between them had shrunk.

She was so gentle. So understanding. She discussed books with him and listened to his clumsy thoughts…

In his monotonous life, Rize was like a shaft of light suddenly breaking in.

A wave of courage rose in him out of nowhere.

He wanted to confess.

Kaneki drew a deep breath. His hands clenched nervously into fists on his knees. His voice trembled a little, but came out unusually firm:

"Um… Rize-san, it's getting dark. It isn't safe to go home alone. P-please let me walk you back!"

…

The moment he finished, it felt like he'd spent all his strength.

Rize's lips curved into a bright smile. "Of course."

At her answer, Kaneki's eyes lit up. He sprang to his feet and bowed deeply toward Manager Yoshimura behind the counter.

"Manager, I'm really sorry—I'd like to leave a bit early. W-would that be okay?"

Yoshimura's hand paused on the cup he was polishing. His usually narrowed, kindly eyes opened to a thin slit. His gaze slid past Kaneki to the purple-haired woman by the window who was still wearing that perfect smile.

His look grew deep and piercing; it rested on her for a long moment with a knowing scrutiny.

Rize seemed not to notice, smiling with undiminished grace. She even dipped her head to the manager in a polite nod.

After a beat, the sharpness in Yoshimura's eyes ebbed away. They narrowed again, and his face returned to its usual gentle, benevolent smile.

"Heh. You're young. Go on, go on."

"Be careful on the way."

He agreed, his tone betraying nothing.

"Thank you so much!"

Relief flooded Kaneki's face; joy burst across it as he spun and hurried to the staff room to change.

~~~

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