Simultaneous travel: Not eating beef

"Eat...eat you?"

Kaneki Ken said in disbelief, "How could this be? You...he, we're all ghouls, how could he..."

Touka interrupted, "Naive fellow, do you really think you understand ghouls?"

Within this group, some individuals will...

"Let's eat together!"

Touka explained, "It means eating their own kind, because that makes them stronger."

The 20th ward is alright, because of our coffee shop, people don't have to live hand to mouth, and even if they're too hungry, they can come here to grab a bite.

But in other areas, people will harm each other to avoid starvation; cannibalism is a way to fill their stomachs and even makes them stronger.

Upon hearing these things, Kaneki Kenichi was somewhat incredulous.

At this moment, his mind was filled with Bai Yu's usual kind and humorous demeanor, but as Dong Xiang spoke, he also thought of what he was eating...

Dong Xiang said, "That guy's nicknames are Gourmet and Chef."

I've been to his place. His house has a lot of tools for making food, but you know what the ingredients are. So, that guy is really weird.

Kaneki, you must stay away from him. That guy is no good. Although I haven't heard of him eating men yet, who knows if he might…

Kaneki's eyes widened as he asked, "Eat...eat me?"

Dong Xiang nodded.

She had just figured it out herself; Bai Yu had no reason to approach Jin Mu without a cause, so he must have a purpose.

What could his purpose be?

It's just about eating.

With a chill running down his spine, Kaneki Ken turned to the store manager with a pleading look in his eyes.

The store manager turned his head and squinted, saying, "Be careful. Dong Xiang wasn't joking. That man is indeed very dangerous. In short, it's not wrong to be wary of him."

Kaneki was initially quite happy working here, but from this moment on, he will never be happy again.

He finished his workday in a daze, and when he got home he couldn't sleep. His mind was filled with images of himself being served at the dinner table, and Bai Yu grinning as he dissected him with a knife.

The thought of that scene made him feel like someone had peed in his pants.

How could this be?

A teacher who was originally kind, approachable and respectable suddenly became a deranged murderer.

What's wrong with this world?

Suddenly, Kaneki Ken sat up abruptly, remembering what his teacher had said before leaving.

I hope you won't be too surprised after hearing some of these things; they are all slander and misunderstandings against me.

"Yes, there must be some misunderstanding. The teacher is definitely not that kind of person."

After comforting himself with a thought, Kaneki lay down with a clear conscience, then muttered to himself, "It's a misunderstanding, it must all be a misunderstanding. How could Teacher want to eat Touka-chan? How could anyone want to eat such a cute girl..."

It's all a misunderstanding, definitely a misunderstanding. We shouldn't think about it anymore. We'll just ask the teacher directly next time.

After figuring it out, he thought he could fall asleep quickly, but to his surprise, the first thing he saw when he closed his eyes was himself lying on the dining table.

Can't sleep, can't sleep at all.

Before I knew it, it was dawn.

He continued to go to work at the coffee shop despite having dark circles under his eyes.

During this process, Touka noticed that something was wrong with him, so she comforted him.

However, he was not comforted.

Tomorrow is Monday. Should I ask the teacher in person if I go to school?

He's been struggling with this.

Another day passed in a daze, followed by another sleepless night.

If he weren't a ghoul, even an eighteen or nineteen-year-old boy would find it difficult to endure such a long period without sleep.

He went to school and was very nervous during the first class because the next class was Bai Yu's Chinese class.

When Bai Yu walked into the classroom, he immediately noticed Kaneki Ken's dark circles under his eyes.

With a slight smile, he decided to start his class first.

Kaneki Ken is incomplete without spiritual growth.

Since he lacked some experience and thought about the relationship between humans and ghouls, Bai Yu decided to give him another lesson.

Going to the coffee shop was intentional; I wanted him to know who I was.

In the blink of an eye, when the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class, the students left the classroom one after another, and some bold girls even tried to invite Bai Yu to lunch.

Bai Yu refused them all, because he was still contemplating life during his 'lunch'.

After most of the people in the classroom had left, Bai Yu sat down next to Kaneki Ken, who was struggling with his decision.

"Kaneki, you already know, right?" Bai Yu asked.

"Teacher..." Kaneki Ken's expression was conflicted.

Bai Yu said, "It's okay. Just ask whatever you want to ask. I encouraged you before to be brave and try."

try?

In an instant, Kaneki Ken remembered his previous attempt.

I almost died because of that attempt. I'm not dead now, but it would be weirder to become a ghoul. I would have been better off dying back then.

It was even stranger to sit with my classmates; I could smell their fragrance all the time.

Yes, it does smell delicious; Bai Yu couldn't help but swallow.

He understood Tsukiyama's morbid liking for Kaneki.

It smells amazing, absolutely amazing. Compared to it, Rize and Eto are simply not even in the same league.

Shaking his head to clear away the unpleasant memories, Kaneki tentatively said, "Teacher..."

He modified what Dongxiang had told him using some rhetorical devices.

Then, he said with an awkward laugh, "It must be a misunderstanding. The teacher is definitely not that kind of person. Someone must be spreading rumors about the teacher."

Haha, that kind of person is so annoying! Doesn't they even consider the trouble they cause others? They've made everyone in the coffee shop misunderstand the teacher.

After he finished speaking, he hoped that the teacher would affirm his statement.

Kind-hearted, he didn't want to think badly of people, and even tried to exonerate Bai Yu.

Bai Yu rubbed Kaneki's head and smiled, "Really, Kaneki, don't be like that. Being too kind isn't good, because you'll be taken advantage of by bad people."

Sometimes, kindness can become a double-edged sword. It's better to try to think the worst of people; this can help avoid a lot of harm.

Kaneki's expression changed repeatedly as he said, "How could that be... There are still many good people, like my mother, she is a kind person too."

Bai Yu: "But, don't kind people end up living a very painful life?"

Some people work hard their whole lives out of kindness, but bad people can take away their right to live without a care in the world. In the end, good people don't get rewarded, and bad people are not brought to justice.

Even if good people are driven to their deaths, bad people will still live on with a clear conscience, and may even live very well.

Bai Yu slowly leaned closer, pulled Kaneki Ken's head towards him, and whispered in his ear:

"Kaneki, I'm sorry, but I am the kind of person you've heard about. They haven't misunderstood me."

"I'm... a bad person."

……

When Kaneki Ken woke up again, he tried to move his limbs, but found that he couldn't move them.

He immediately became alert, turned his head to his right, and found himself lying in a very empty room, and it seemed that his whole body was tied up.

"Zizi..."

He heard some noises coming from the left and turned his head to look.

At a glance, Bai Yu was standing in front of a makeshift stove, wearing a scarf, and smiled as he said to him:

"Kaneki, welcome to the teacher's kitchen."

[PS: Episodes 195 and 196 have been edited and can be viewed again.]