STATUS SCREEN

Name: Rindo Shirogane

Level: 0

Faction: Rogue Ghoul

Kagune Class: Ukaku

RC Cells: 510/510

Hunger: Peckish

RC Matrix: 4.450838%

CORE ATTRIBUTES:

[Athlete: 1]

[Head Hunter: 0]

[Engineer: 0]

[Meanuver: 0]

[Scholar: 0]

[Available Attribute Point[s]: 0]

CORE SKILL LEVELS:

[Body: 0]

[Cool: 0]

[Technical Ability: 0]

[Reflexes: 0]

[Intelligence: 0]

Kakuhou Sac Count: 1

Type[s]: [Ukaku]

PERKS:

Body — N/A

Cool — N/A

Technical Ability — N/A

Reflexes — N/A

Intelligence — N/A

[Available Perk Point[s]: 0]

Kakuja: [???]

Affinity: [???]

It was the next morning. I was standing across my standing mirror focusing. On what exactly? My kagune. How did they release it so seamlessly in the show!?

Okay, probably because most of them were ghouls since birth and it was second nature to them.

I let alone my kagune, my kakugan eyes were difficult to appear. It was like I was trying to control a mysterious new limb and sense at the same time. Difficult.

But I also figured out this control was something vital.

[20 Reflex XP Gained]

Yep, that.

I was wondering how the cyberpunk-esque system worked but I figured a lot out this morning. So each skill corresponds to an attribute. Body to athlete. Cool to cold blooded. Technical ability to engineer. Reflexes to maneuver. Intelligence to scholar.

While technical ability and intelligence were kind of a grey zone in this world because of the apparent lack of technology compared to 2077, I figured out reflex also encapsulated my everything with my kagune. However I did wonder if it also covered guns and blades like it did in Cyberpunk 2077. I’ll find that out later.

The systems starting to make more sense. In due time, me.

—

I grew tired of the mental gymnastics of my kagune. Back to body, I guess. But staying in this room was out of the question. Although numbers and XP made me happy, it was a little too much right now.

So I put on Rindo’s old boots. I couldn’t tell if they were originally black or if it was smeared with so much old blood and mud that they turned black, but oh well. They were designed well.

Yesterday, Iguchi and the others said it was cool to walk outside of my room if I was alright, just not to go too far. With that, I stepped out of the cramped room littered with clothes and chairs for the first time since I entered it. I decided to take the stairs downwards. Hopefully, I could handle them without supporting myself on the rails.

And I did! It felt nice to not be trapped inside anymore. I was starting to go a little mad. If it wasn’t for the flip phone or the window, I would’ve lost my marbles.

Moving further, I decided against going to the source of the music and bickering deeper into the main building and settled for the dimly lit parking lot. The corridor that led to the parking was short and I took in the fresh-ish air with hints of diesel.

Eyeing the many bikes I whistled. They looked cool. All of them were heavily customized and most had the same flag attached with the Kurokumo gang’s symbol of a black cloud. Were they fronting as a biker gang?

I did some laps around the massive underground parking lot.

[10 Body XP Gained]

Nice. Real close to Body 2 now.

I sped up and tried some maneuvers like pivoting, small lunges, hops.

[50 Reflex XP Gained]

I grinned. Just as I thought.

Slowly I was even gaining Reflex XP as well and I was gaining Body XP. Made sense too, as I was training to move very quickly and do different movements as opposed to just conditioning my body.

But before I could revel in the XP I heard roaring bikes echoing in the distance. Flashy bikes and loud chatter came into view as they drove down the ramp from the outside.

“Is that Rindo-san!?” An unfamiliar voice asked from the small group of three.

“Nah, it couldn’t be ya’ friggin idiot. He died—”

“Oh shit it is Rindo-san! The hell!? Is that why Iguchi’s been rucking round that empty hall recently?”I waved to the trio, all of whom were unmasked. As usual, they looked like the unfriendly kind, but you can’t judge them based on looks—

Oh.

One of them had blood trickling down the back of their bike. It smelled sweet.

Gee, I wonder what it was.

I felt my eye twitching and my kakugan threatening to appear, but I’ve been training myself to control it when I’m not in combat or directly eating. I can’t oust myself in public in the future.

“What’s up!” I nonchalantly yelled and sped-walked toward them parking together.

“Risen from the dead? How come I haven’t heard of it?” One of them asked. He had short black cropped hair. His clothes matched the other two’s grungey look.

“Sorry y'all, I got amnesia after an accident. Iguchi didn’t tell anybody because I was weak as bones. Who’re you guys?”

The three of them shared puzzled looks before bringing their attention back to me.

“Seriously?” The same one asked but a little quieter.

“Seriously. I forgot everybody. Can barely walk too.” I responded.

“Does the boss know?”

I rummaged through my memories and frowned. “Boss… Kiryu?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know. Iguchi or someone else might’ve told them.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“Nah, you’re good. Anyways you were always bad with names. Try to remember this time. I’m Tsuu and he’s—oh shit speakin’ of the boss we gotta go!” Tsuu yelped before grabbing the other two he didn’t get the change to name inside the building.

That was fun. Tsuu… huh. I wonder if the original Rindo had any relation to Tsuu.

But before I could ponder anymore, I heard some more bikes in the distance. Hey, might as well greet whoever came next. It’ll be better than barging inside the main building at a bad time and being bombarded with names.

However, I was wrong because the next group was a familiar one.

“Feelin’ strong today?” Iguchi yelled over his insanely loud bike. Kaname was on his back.

Tatsu was sporting a pretty wicked bike too. He modded the handles and seat to help him fit. The younger kohai, Shuuji was latched behind him nervously. Hannya-gal, Atsushi was on her own cutesy bike.

“That’s good.” Tatsu echoed.

“Good work, Aniki!”

Kaname smiled. Atsushi… she just stared at me. A small shiver ran down my back in case she decided to use her kagune on me again. Creepy.

“I’m feelin’ a lot better.” I grinned. Numbers go crazy!

“Nice. Y’know what I mentioned when I first brought you here? About Kashiwagi’s?”

I frowned. Did I forget something?

“I don’t know. My head was a little weird back then. Drugs and all.” I said.

“It’s all good. We gotta get you a mask. Probably a new wallet too. Gotta hold your bills somewhere.” Iguchi muttered.

I raised an eyebrow. “Right now?”

“Might as well. We’ll stop by for coffee too. Maybe that’ll bring back some memories. You used ta’ love Aku’s Cafe.” Iguchi replied and the others nodded synchronously.

I’d kill for a coffee now! Theirs no better pair for an amateur novelist than caffeine! Banzai for coffee!

I smiled. “Lets go!”

I looked down. I was wearing the boots, some black jeans a little too big and an old plain brown sweatshirt. Not the best outfit, but the cleanest out of what I have. I’ll take it.

The rest of them revved up their bikes.

But I frowned.

Kaname was behind Iguchi.

Tatsu had Shuuji.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Only Atsushi had a free spot.

…This sucks.

“Hurry up, man.” Tatsu said as he wore his helmet.

Iguchi and Kaname were already beginning to head out of the parking lot. Atsushi was staring at me deadpan. Did she want to kill me? I met her gaze and she rolled her eyes. “Come on, Rindo-kun.”

I shuffled over awkwardly. Yeahhhh, I’m okay.

She didn’t have a helmet on herself, let alone a spare one so I just climbed on the backseat.

“Did your accident turn you dum?” She scoffed a question and wiggled. “Hold on, you’ll fall with those skeleton legs.”

I cleared my throat and gently obliged.

We started rolling, tailing Tatsu and Iguchi at the front.

Atsushi had a killer bike, cute too. The paint job was a flawless white, but it had intricate silver accents and etchings all over. She didn’t have the Kurokumo’s flag though. A good choice, it would’ve ruined the aesthetic.

Eventually we left the underground parking lot and the afternoon sun was revealed. Finally, not through a window.

But more importantly, Atsushi was driving like a maniac! She caught up to Iguchi before she passed him. I heard him scream something like “Slow down,” but she didn’t listen. At least the guys in this group understood I still needed time to grow stronger!

I gripped her jacket tighter and brought my head closer to her back. This maniac! She’s going to be the death of me, not the doves!

In moments we were zigzagging through a bustling mainroad. Cops eyed us down but couldn’t chase. Then we illegally swiped past a sidewalk!

Once we reached a more empty road she broke her silence. “You’re an idiot, Rindo-kun.”

“Huh!?” I yelped from behind. The audacity of calling me an idiot after that!

“I thought you died for real.” She continued. “And that’s what you say after coming back? Stupid.”

I felt my earlier frustration sink a little. Did she want to get a little payback on the original Rindo?

Gosh.

—

“Welcome to Kashiwagi’s,” Iguchi smirked at me. “Our Kurokumo’s mask maker. Well, not really ours, but the only one in the ward. This place is a gang-free zone, Kashiwagi’s demands. One time some sucka’ messed ambushed a guy outside the shop and killed a guy. Kashiwagi hunted the guy down and slaughtered ten ghouls from the same gang in return. So don’t piss him off ya’ hear?”

I was bent over the garbage can outside the mask store. A puddle of reddish vomit was inside it. Am I bitch for puking? Maybe. Screw you.

Tatsu patted me on the back. “Atsushi, did ya’ really have to go that fast on poor Rindo?”

Kaname whistled from somewhere behind. “Don’t mind her, it might be that time of—”

SLAP.

Kaname quieted down.

Iguchi sighed and waved us all in. “C’mon.”

I spat out whatever was left and cleaned my lips. Shaking my head a little I said I was fine to Tatsu.

“Helllllo? Kashiwagi-san you here? It’s Iguchi.”

It was dim inside the store. Mounted mannequins scattered the center hall while masks of all kinds lined the surrounding walls behind the vast glass counter which also displayed masks.

They were separated into similar styles.

The six of us shuffled over to the section of hannya masks. Totally not conspicuous to any CCG dove that may wander inside to investigate the dozens of ghouls wearing hannya masks as a gang trade mark. Tooootally not.

I stepped away from the others and towards some of the mounted mannequins. These hannya masks were pretty cool. Most were full masks instead of Atsushi’s half-mask, so I started thinking about which one I wanted.

I narrowed my eyes at a mounted mannequin with cloth draped over it. That’s a person beneath.

I sighed. Did all mask makers in Tokyo Ghoul do this to their new customers? Actually, I technically wasn’t even new!

“Uh. Kashiwagi-san?” I asked.

The cloth didn’t move.

“I know you’re under there.”

The cloth still didn’t move.

I groaned and walked over to the cloth and pulled it off where it should’ve covered a mannequin—

…it was a mannequin. A little on the bigger side, but a mannequin. “Huh?”

In the next moment I felt a tap on my shoulder that sent a tingly shiver down my back.

“You were dead the last I heard.” A quiet voice hissed.

I jolted, the cloth still held in my hands.

A new face. Just like his voice, the older gentleman had a snake-like appearance. Was it just the forked tongue? Yes.

Iguchi and Tatsu came from behind the man.

“This here is Kashiwagi-san” Iguchi grinned. “Best maskmaker in Nakano!”

I bowed my head a little respectfully and the mask maker returned one back. “Nice to meet you,” I said.

“Meet?” Kashiwagi frowned. He opened his mouth to speak but Tatsu filled him in.

“Huh. Amnesia… rare.” He slowly nodded. “Did you guys tell Rindo-kun what mask he used to wear?”

Iguchi and Tasu looked at each other and then shook their heads.

“Good. I want to see if his preferences change with a loss of memory.” Kashiwagi clapped his hands and grabbed both Tatsu and Iguchi back to leave me alone.

Really? Was this an experiment? I sighed before turning around to browse through the other hannya masks. Weird maskmaker aside, this place is cool. I was geeking out because it looked kind of similar to Uta’s mask shop in the Tokyo Ghoul world. A shame I couldn’t enter it because it’s too early in the timeline.

The others were chattering away. Probably because they didn’t need any masks and were just catching up with Kashiwagi.

Anyways, I moved along the selection toward the half-masks. They seem more my style.

Eventually my hands were pulled to the glass counter. I poked my head up and looked around for a while before I called for Kashiwagi-san.

“This one?” He asked as he made his way behind the counter. He reached inside and pulled out a sleek black half-mask and handed it to me. It looked pretty solid and obviously well-made. Felt it too.

My hands brushed along the silver accents on the fierce gold teeth. “Yeah, I like this one.”

Kashiwagi nodded and brushed his chin. “I’ll use the same measurements, doesn’t look like your face changed that much. I don’t have many orders right now so it’ll be ready tomorrow at the earliest. Swing by.”

I nodded. “...And the price?”

“Free. I only charge humans.” He answered firmly.

Huh. I guess that makes sense if he wants less trouble among ghouls. Plus it gives more incentive for ghouls to get masks from him to keep the ward safer for them. What a nice guy.

“Thank you, Kashiwagi-san.” I responded with a smile before I remembered what he said earlier. “So-uh, about your experi—”

“It’s the exact same.”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Did I actually have a connection with the original Rindo? Or was it great minds think alike?

“Really!?”

“Yep. Pretty interesting if you ask me.” He said, skimming through a large notebook. “Ah, nice. I still have your measurements.”

Iguchi spotted them. “Yo, you all done—Huh!?”

Iguchi and the rest them came beside me and peeked over at the glass sitting atop the display.

“Brilliant choice, Aniki!”

“Nice.”

“That’s so funny.”

I caught a surprised meep from Atsushi but ignored it. Didn’t want trouble in the store.

Iguchi patted my shoulder and brought me into a loose headlock. “C’mon man, really? You had to choose the same one to match Atsushi again?” He sighed.

Wait what? Just because it’s a half-mask?

“What do you mean?”

“You kiddin’ kohai? Look over ere’.” Iguchi said before swiveling me to face Atsushi.

I studied her mask. White-silver… oh. Go figure. His mask was just the opposite of her white and silver. It was black and gold. Also a half-mask.

Nice one, me. Friggin idiot.

—-

“Hey, hey, heyyyy!!! You’re gonna kill me! Atsushiiiii! Chill!” I screamed as she drove past another red light, somehow her reacting well enough to weave the traffic.

The idea of jumping off sounded better but I’m too much of a wimp to do it.

She’s a wicked woman and a maniac driver.

Of course the way to Aku’s Cafe was short with her.

It didn’t take long for Iguchi and the others to catch up. He once again scolded her and she just scoffed. Damn it girl, take some accountability!

I ran over to the nearest trashcan, already feeling the bile rise up. Luckily I managed to swallow it down. There was a nice smell in the air so I’ll just attribute it to that.

“Let’s go!” Iguchi called before opening the door for us.

The moment I stepped inside, the rich aroma of coffee hit me, mingling with the faint sweetness of something freshly baked. Aku’s Café was dimly lit, with wooden furnishings polished to a warm sheen and mismatched chairs that gave the place a cozy, lived-in feel. Despite the chaos that led us here, the cafe had a calming effect.

Is this why a certain old Manager decided to run a coffee shop? I could see how it could bring together people. Good going, Anteiku! Should I start my own coffee shop in the 14th Ward?

Iguchi waved us toward a corner booth, one that seemed to be unofficially reserved for his crew. Atsushi strutted in behind me, smug as ever, while I tried to shake off the lingering dizziness from her driving. Wicked woman.

Atsushi plopped down across from me, kicking her legs up onto the table like she owned the place. “You’re soft. Next time, drive yourself if you’re gonna whine.”

I glared at her. “Next time, I’ll take the train.”

A server approached, a young man wearing a crisp white shirt with sleeves rolled up, exposing tattoos that peeked out from underneath. "Your usual, Iguchi?" he asked Iguchi, not bothering with a notepad.

“Yep. All black.” Iguchi said.

I eyed the server as he turned away to the counter. I pulled closer to Iguchi and brought a hand to cover from the outside, “Is that a ghoul?” I whispered. Hey, gotta be safe.

“Nah. Can’t you smell it?” Iguchi responded.

“Is your nose alright?” Kaname asked from beside Tatsu and Shuuji.

I rubbed my nose. “Maybe? Hrm, I guess my senses got dull as much as my body has over the coma.”

“I’ll be your nose in the meantime, Anik—”

“Shut ya’ trap kohai. You can’t rise the ranks if ya’ bootlick.” Tatsu slapped Shuuji’s head.

Poor guy.

The talk about my senses did make me wonder what it feel like. Cool, probably? It was all about headhunting and assassin typa stuff. Rad.

I pulled up my status and silently apologized to Atsushi whose head was poking through the screen in my vision. Thankfully she couldn’t sense it otherwise I’d have a glassy arrow sent through my head instead.

It’s a shame I don’t have any perk or attribute points, but if it's like the game then I have to level myself up to obtain them. How I would level? I have a sneaky suspicion… that I have to kill somebody. Ghoul or human. Also, it's likely the method I do will probably also give me Cool XP, Reflex XP, hell maybe even Body XP.

And if it is really pulling from the cyberpunk game, I’ll need to optimize my build and not waste my attribute points. That's because some perks won’t be unlocked no matter how many perk points I have stored if I haven’t hit the prerequisite points in that respective attribute. Gah, numbers and more numbers.

“Enjoy!” The server announced, breaking down my internal numbers rant. Six fancy glasses of black coffee. It smelled incredible. While I used to enjoy a double-double from a drive thru, at least I’m able to enjoy coffee as a ghoul.

“Thank you!” We all echoed.

Iguchi sat on the outside and handed us our cups.

"Drink up," Iguchi said, taking a long sip from his own mug. "We got business to talk about."

I nodded. These glasses looked great. If I had a smartphone, I would’ve pulled it out and snapped a photo of the six of us and some over-the-top photos of the coffee.

I sighed, I’m missing smartphones.

“You all right?” Kaname asked before he sipped.

“Yeah, it just smells real good.” I smiled before grabbing it by the handle.

I took another deep inhale before bringing it to my lips. “Ahhhh.” I exhaled.

It tasted great.

I looked across to Tatsu who looked serious. Actually, he always looked stern and serious.

“We were all out earlier together near central Nakano to see what’s brewing with the CCG patrols and the other gangs. We stayed up overnight to do it. Haven’t slept.”

I raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.

Kaname nodded. “It’s bad out there, Rindo-san. Some lone, but strong ghouls were actin’ up outside Meiji University. One of the other gangs had their sights to recruit them but things fell through. Boss had eyes on them too. They started killin’ each other. A shame, I saw a really beautiful ghoul, she was the picture-perfect Shibuya gal—”

“Get serious Kaname.” Tatsu flicked Kaname’s temple.

Kaname frowned and rubbed his head. “As I was saying, they caused a ruckus and killed some students too. Doves got involved. A First Class investigator from their headquarters in the 1st Ward came across them and now decided to make the 14th his home for now.”

“Strong fucker with a giant hammer.” Iguchi nodded. “I already called the boss about it and he said to come back to our block and lay low in case.”

I silently nodded and took another sip. “Speaking of the boss, did you tell him about me?”

“Yeah. After the day I brought ya’ back here.” Iguchi said.

“Oh, okay. I ran into uhm… what was his name?” I muttered. Shoot, am I just as bad as Rindo with names? “Uh, Tsuu. That’s right. I ran into Tsuu and he was surprised I was alive?”

“Oh that, Aniki? Don’t worry about them. Only us and the Kurokumo higher-ups knew you were alive. After Iguchi-aniki told the boss, they agreed to not have you thrown into that mess. They’re a rowdy bunch.” Shuuji said.

I eyed his glass. He’s already wolfed down his coffee. C’mon, you gotta savor it!

“Rowdy and ugly.” Kaname agreed. “I tried talkin’ to Misa-chan again and she almost yanked my ear off.”

Atsushi scoffed and jabbed a finger in Kaname’s direction. “Obviously no girls that know you would like you. You're a dirtbag. She shoulda’ yanked off your—”

“Okay, okay. Hold the brakes.” Tatsu interjected.

I snorted. “Okay. But did you guys need to bring me into the fold?”

“Huh?” They all hummed.

“Whatcha’ mean? Once ya’ get better again you’re gonna lead us, Rindo-san.” Kaname said as if it was the most natural thing.

I raised an eyebrow.

“Not Iguchi? I thought I’m his ko—”

“He’s been fuckin’ with you.” Tatsu sighed.

“...Oh.”

That fucker. Should’ve known the moment I heard him laugh. I scoffed.

“Hey, can one of you guys teach me how to control my kagune?” I asked as I continued to slowly savor my coffee.

“What? Really? Ya’ can’t feel it no more?” Iguchi looked surprised.

I nodded. Not before I spotted Atsushi genuinely looking concerned. Alright! I get it! A ghoul that can’t use his kagune. Kinda like a bird that can’t use its wings.

“Hmmm….” Kaname hummed. “You strong enough to head out with me tonight, Rindo-san?”

“Yeah, should be.” I nodded.

It sounded nice. It was due time I could get an idea of what Tokyo Ghoul’s nightlife was like. I had to get used to it. Besides, I also wanted to get to know the others in our group aside from Iguchi. Kaname sounded pretty cool.

SLAM!

We all jolted at the source — Atsushi’s fist hitting the table. Our cups rattled. Even the faraway server at the counter glared at us. Iguchi got over his jitters and turned to the counter. He clasped his hands apologetically while the culprit didn’t look like she cared.

“No!” She cried.

Kaname poked his head forward and met her deadly gaze head-on. Right on, Kaname! I’m rooting for ya’!

“Hoooo…? What’s the problem, Atsushi-chan?” Kaname raised an eyebrow.

“He’s not well enough.” She said, jutting a finger to me.

I frowned. “But I just said I was though…”

Kaname nodded. “That’s what he said.”

Atsushi looked flustered. “He doesn’t even have his mask! What if you guys get into some hot shit?”

Oh. That was actually a good point. I glanced over to Kaname who nodded slowly too.

“Huh. I forgot. Sorry, Atsushi, you’re right. My bad.” He said, brushing his luscious hair. “A shame. There's a mixer I’m heading to tonight. I can’t invite any other guys to fill in the missing spot. Tatsu-san’s too big and bald, he’ll scare them. Same thing with Iguchi-san. Shuuji-kun’s too young.”

Kaname sank back into his seat and took the last sip of his coffee with a pout. I did too. That sounded fun—

Oop. Atsushi’s staring daggers at me. Nevermind.

“Y’all done?” Iguchi asked.

We nodded and Iguchi pulled up to pay our bill. Eventually we headed outside to the bikes again and it looked pretty late.

“Ahh! Sorry Rindo-kohai. I wanted to get ya’ a new wallet. The shops probably closed.” Iguchi said, fastening his helmet on.

I shook my head. “It’s fine. I had fun.”

“I know a girl’s store that opens til 10,” Atsushi said as she hopped onto her bike.

“Huh!?” Kaname exclaimed from behind Iguchi. “I thought you said he’s too weak to head out late, Atsushi-chan!”

“I can protect him better than you. If you took him, you’d be too busy frolicking with those sleazy girls—”

“Okay, okay. Hold the brakes Atsushi.” Tatsu said from his bike. “Just be safe. We’ll head back to Kurokumo’s.”

I nodded. “Sure. See y’all then. Thanks Iguchi-aniki!”

Iguchi put a finger above his lip and grinned, “Of course! I may be broke, but I could always afford my kohai’s coffee.” He roared with laughter, somehow overwhelming the sound of his exhaust.

I shook my head with a smile and hopped behind Atsushi.

“Ready?” She asked as I waved the four of them off. Weird. Why’s this demon being so nice?

“Uh. Yeah. Ready.” I muttered. “Where’s the shop again?”

“Not far. Small shop south of Nakano.” She said.

Huh. Didn’t sound too bad. I exhaled in relief before I flipped my phone and read the time – 8:55 PM.