First date

Rize Kamishiro's POV:

I am lucky to have found a book that is the latest edition of Takatsuki Sen's book. However, the density of this shop prevents me from reading the book.

As I continued to read the book in my palm, I took another sip from a cup of coffee on the left side of my desk. As I was putting the cup back on the table, a waiter approached me and said, "Ma'am, would you like me to refill your coffee?"

After turning my sight to the almost finished coffee, I looked again at the waiter and said with a smiling face, "Please." I said.

The bell on the top rang twice as the door of the shop opened as the waiter took a cup of coffee that I had handed her over and came back.

*TriinnnnnTrinnnnng*

Since it was busier than usual here today, I continued to read my book without caring who the person was entering.

Kaneki Ken's POV:

As I opened the door of the shop, I realized how crowded it was with customers. What was the reason they had more customers than usual?

As I entered the door, my eyes searched for Rize-san. She was sitting on the left side of a double table in the corner of the cafe. I saw you read the same book as when Hide and I came in the other day.

I approached the front of the bar and called out to a waiter, "Is there an empty table?"

One of the waiters, while searching for an empty table in the shop, pointed out that a table at the end of the glass corner was empty and said, "Yes sir, this place is empty. Please let me prepare it for you." He said with a smile.

The waiter and I walked over to the table, and after giving the waiter some time to clear the table, I sat down.

The comfort of this place was really more comfortable than the cafes in my world. The decor of the shop was ordinary, but it was evident that it was masterfully prepared.

As the waiter who assisted me left to bring me a menu, I continued to study the design of the cafe.

Three cushioned seats were placed on the window sills at the entrance of the cafe. The tables were expertly placed and prepared to prevent visual pollution, no matter how high the incoming customer density was.

The waiter came to me with a menu and handed it to me.

While I was taking the menu and checking the contents, I was looking at Rize-san, who was sitting two tables away from me and reading a book.

While we continued to look at the menu for a while, I looked up and said to the waiter, "I'll have a water." I closed the menu and handed it to the waiter.

Hearing my offer, the waiter left me and went back to the bar to fetch me a glass of water, while I was still looking at Rize-san with one eye.

When I saw the book she was reading, I took out the bag hanging on my back and placed it next to me, then took out the same book as Rize-san.

I had to go through many bookstores to find this book.

Half of my daily allowance went to this book, I continued to study the book with my face hanging.

*Sigh*

When I opened the book and started reading, I was constantly looking at Rize-san from time to time. She seemed to sense that someone was looking at her because she looked up from the book and looked at me the same way as I continued to stare at her.

Rize-san narrowed her eyes and smiled

I could have sworn that Rize-san's smile was definitely fake. As my water reached my table, I took my water and my book and approached Rize-san and said, "Excuse me, I think you may be a fan of Takatsuki Sensei's book too. Do you mind if I accompany you?" I was ready to take the first step as it was time to execute my plan.

Rize-san looked me in the eyes for a few seconds with a surprised expression, and then smiled again, "Of course, it's okay." She said as she let me sit.

Since Rize-san allowed me to sit, I placed the water on the table and took the chair back a few steps to sit, then gently sat down on the chair.

Rize-san said, "If I'm not mistaken, I saw you the other day, didn't I?" as she closed her book and placed it on the table.

So, she noticed me the other day.

"You don't remember wrong, yes I was here the other day." I replied as I took a sip of my water and placed it back on the table.

Later in the day, I had the opportunity to have a long chat with Rize-san. As it started to get dark, I saw customers slowly leaving the cafe.

It was as if people were trying to get home at this time, as they didn't want to roam the streets at night anymore.

I saw it as a logical decision.

We moved together with Rize-san to get out of the cafe. After paying the bill evenly, I opened the door of the cafe and smiled, motioning for her to pass first.

We left the cafe with Rize-san. Asking permission to go back home, Rize-san said, "Well, Kaneki-kun. I don't know how accurate it is to say this. But you know that when it gets dark, the Ghouls start to wander around." I already knew what she meant to me.

"If you don't mind…" she said, and was surprised that I interrupted before she could finish her sentence.

"It's okay Rize-san, I can accompany you home." I had a hard time not stuttering, but things had gotten to this point.

Actually, I didn't expect it to be this fast. What that meant was that my plan had worked quite flawlessly.

We continued to chat with Rize-san along the way.

We were slowly advancing to areas where there were fewer people and the sounds of cars were quieter. It looked like we were going to the same place again.

As we continued to chat along the way, Rize-san wanted me to talk more about myself.

By accepting her offer, I began to tell about my life for a while. By mixing Kaneki Ken's memories with mine, I came up with a story and kept telling it until we got closer to reaching our goal.

As we finally reached our destination, my heart began to beat faster.

"Here we go." I said in a low but incomprehensible voice.