I really am happy with being able to skip the summary. Wattpad can learn.

Today, me and Hideaki, my identical twin brother, were supposed to get a ghoul slave because it was our fifth birthday. I can't wait! I want a cute boy that will be my best friend forever and ever! I've always waited for this day because it basically is the day I get a best friend that won't leave!

I ran past the crowds, Hideaki close behind.

"Nee, what kind of ghoul do you want, Hideaki?!!" I grinned back at him as we ran behind the stage.

"I think I want one that'll play with me whenever I want! I want someone who will get as excited as I do about things like sports and music! What about you, Brother?"

"Since he's being my ghoul slave, the only real requirement I have is him being cute!"

"Oh, right, the main thing you're excited about is having a best friend that won't leave, right?"

"Yep!"

"I bet you'll find one pretty easily then!"

"Haha, I guess! They do have a wide variety - whatever you like, strong, cute, hot, smart, they have ghouls with any attractive attribute thinkable! But I wonder if any of them will like music and sports.."

"I hope so!"

"It'd be nice if mine liked stuff like that too! If there is one, you'll get him, okay?! If there's multiple - more than two, it's gonna be hard to choose!!"

"Yeah! I hope there's two like that! One for you and one for me!"

"Uh-huh!"

We raced down the lanes of cages, glancing every which way.

"Maybe we should split up! Um, how much time did our parents say we have?"

"Three hours I think! But the ghouls go out on stage in one hour, and the number of them will decrease! I think the ones in the front are the ones getting chosen first?"

"Okay, we'll go by that then!" we took a sharp turn and started running back, still gazing over the ghouls we ran by. "I'll check the ones on the left?"

"Okay! I'll check the ones on the right!"

"Tell me if there's any cuties!" I hurried off towards the left, and Hideaki ran the other way. I eventually reached the farthest cage. I grabbed the bars and gazed in, taking a closer look than I had been at every other cage.

"Mr. Nagachika, don't get too close," a worker pulled me back.

"Nee, do any of you like music or sports?!" I asked, ignoring her. They all looked dead..

None of them responded, so I ran over to the cage across from them.

"Do any of YOU like music or sports?!" I inquired. Only one in this cage didn't look like a zombie, but that one looked like he thought the world was ending. "Okay.." I ran to the next cage, asking. None responded, but a boy in the corner caught my eye. He looked about my age, unlike all of the other ghouls. He was shyly looking at me, as if worried. Unlike the others, he seemed like he actually processed what I said since he was fumbling with his thumbs and murmuring under his breath. I walked over to him and pressed my face against the cage. {Oh my ghouls, Hide. Seriously. You're going to flip him out, you creepy turd.} "Well? I can't hear you."

"!!" his face got a little red.

Cute..

"U-Um," I heard his voice now that I was closer, and it was really soft and weak. "I.. I.. li-like bo..books..?"

"Books? Oh, okay. So, you don't like music or sports?"

"..." he shook his head softly.

"That's alright! WORKER!! WORKER-SAN!! I WANT THIS ONE, GIVE ME THIS ONE!!" The workers seemed slightly irritated with me, but I didn't mind. A man came over and unlocked the cage.

"Step back," he told me, beckoning the boy, who was supposedly #21. The boy stood up cautiously and walked over. I noticed his collar now that he wasn't crouching. It was a thick, spiky one that had a little tag hanging off it. The tag said #21, Centipede. The worker man clasped some handcuffs around the boy's hands - probably made of quinque steel - and attached a chain to the collar. He handed me the reigns to the chain and locked the cage back up.

Yay! My very own friend that will never leave me!

He stared at me strangely as if disturbed, and the worker offered to take me to the car.

"Nope! I have to go back to Hideaki!" I told him, racing over to the next cage with Centipede being dragged behind me.

"Ah!" he struggled to keep up. Hm? Are his legs not working? He's barely not tripping over himself.. I slowed down slightly so that he could follow more easily.

"Do any of you guys like music or sports?" I asked the two cages I was by. None responded. I went to the next batch of cages, and the next, and the next, until I bumped into Hideaki. "No one even responded.." I told him.

"Yeah.. that way too.. They all look dead.." he seemed mildly depressed and disappointed, "But you found one I see."

"Yeah. Let's keep searching though. There HAS to be a ghoul that likes sports and music in this big place!"

He cheered up a little, "Yeah! Yeah, you're right!"

"Yosha! Let's go!" We split up again and kept going down the aisles. It was pretty late by the time we started getting exhausted and really beaten down. My new ghoul friend was panting slightly, and so were me and Hideaki.

"Just a few more cages.. Hopefully, we'll get to one, Hideaki," I tried to convince him. He scratched his cheek with a frown but nodded. We split up again.

Ahh.. at this rate, Hideaki won't even find one by the end of the auction.. According to the person speaking on the microphone, they're already on #979 of today. What did our parents say? Were there 1500 ghouls being sold today? Already past the halfway mark..

I sighed softly as I passed the third-to-last cage. I asked them the question, but none responded.

Then I heard a cry.

"Hideaki?!!" I started running towards the sound. It took me a few seconds, but I eventually reached him just outside a cage. He was flailing his arms inside the cage, a surprised-looking ghoul just a foot away. The ghoul looked our age.

"I'M SO GLAD!! SO VERY GLAD!! YAY!!"

Ah. Oh, so that's what this is about.

I smiled softly.

This ghoul must like sports and music.. He's cute too. Not my type really, but Hideaki's type, definitely.

A worker eventually came running towards us, pulling Hideaki away from the cage. The worker eventually took out the ghoul just as Centipede had been taken out. The two ghouls glanced at each other and stubbornly jerked away.

"Yay! We both found nice ghoulies, Hideaki!"

"Yeah!" Hideaki hugged his new ghoul. I smiled down at Centipede.

This marks the beginning of a new friendship! Two friendships! And if all four of us become friends interchangably, that makes.. uh.. I have no idea. I'm pretty sure Mado-san taught me earlier how I could figure this out, but.. I've already forgotten.

Uh, I can be friends with Centipede and Hideaki's new ghoul. The ghouls can be friends with each other. I'm already friends with Hideaki. Hideaki can be friends with our ghouls..

So, um.. two.. four.. five? Or am I counting wrong?

Ahh, my head hurts!! Why do we of the Washuu family's branch families have to learn early?