Etsuko faced the violet-haired girl, whose expression immediately darkened as she mentioned the Manager.

"What business do you have with him?" she asked her dryly, eying her up and down with a sour expression. "What does a ghoul like you want with him?"

Etsuko ground her teeth in irritation, flashing poisonous amber eyes at her.

"My problems are none of your concern," she hissed back.

The younger ghoul snarled.

"And they're not worth the Manager's time either," she retorted hotly. "What makes you think you're so special? Coming in and demanding to see the Manager, even though you've never been a part of Anteiku - "

"Is there a problem here, Touka-chan?" a gentle voice murmured from the side.

Touka jumped to the side, bowing shallowly to the man quickly as she began sputtering a little.

"N-not at all, Manager," she stammered. "It's just that this woman - "

"Etsuko-san," the Manager greeted her, facing the woman with a kind face. "It's been a while. Please, come upstairs."

Etsuko bowed to him lightly, following him up the staircase after flicking Touka a triumphant expression. The girl just scoffed, bolting to the counter to grab herself a rag to wipe down the tables.

The Manager led her down the hallway on the second floor and into what looked to be an office. He motioned her to the couch, where she politely accepted with another slight bow. She hurried over to the couch and took a seat as the Manager followed after her with long strides.

"Would you like some coffee, Etsuko-san?" he asked her warmly.

Etsuko flickered her amber eyes up at him, light shooting across her gaze.

"Yes, please," she replied a bit enthusiastically. "It's been a while since I've had Manager's coffee."

The old man chuckled, walking over to the counter to the side to fill up a delicate-looking ceramic pot with water, setting it up to boil.

"How have you been, Etsuko-san?" he asked her, beginning to grind the coffee beans. The smell was already drifting throughout the air, and the aroma calmed her so her shoulders sank back a bit. She let out a shaky sigh. "We haven't seen you around here for a while."

Etsuko shuffled her feet, a bit nervous.

"I've been...preoccupied with some things," she murmured solemnly, examining her bony hands. She turned them over and gazed at the dark lines engraved into her palms, and then flipped them back over again to trace her eyes over the knuckles that stuck out prominently from her skin; they casted shadows against her paleness, and the long tendons that ran from her fingers and down to her wrists shifted as she clenched and opened her hands. She pressed her mouth into a thin line, her mind in deep thought. "Things that I wanted to talk to you about."

The Manager, sensing her uneasiness, set the preparations to the side and turned around to face her with his hands neatly and politely behind his back. He gave her another warm, reassuring smile.

"I think I might have an idea on what it may be," he said gently.

Etsuko's eyebrows perked up, hopeful.

"So you'll be able to help me?" she asked, a bit frantically.

The Manager merely cocked his head to the side, intuitive.

"I might," he murmured, turning back around as the water began to boil, and slowly began to pour the water in a circular motion over the filter of ground coffee beans. He seemed concentrated on the coffee, but somehow seemed all the more interested in her situation still. "So let's start general, shall we? What is this problem specifically?"

Etsuko, feeling her heart beat wildly inside her chest, fiddled with her hands in her lap, chewing on the inside of her lip.

"Well," she started off softly, her eyes darting from the ground and up to the Manager, only to slide back down to her slightly trembling hands again. "It started about seven weeks ago, when I met someone on the subway."

The Manager grunted, nodding his head a bit as he took the two cups of coffee and brought them over to the table before her; he set one in front of Etsuko, taking the other with both hands and taking a sip from it.

"Go on," he urged her, his voice level but understanding.

Etsuko swallowed.

"It was when I was on the way to Anteiku. He followed after me and said he wanted to accompany me to wherever I was going, since the Mad Temptress was on the lose in Tokyo."

The Manager, seeming unfazed with the information, just continued sipping his coffee; she took a quick breath before moving on.

"He told me that he wanted a date the next day," she continued. "He seemed to have liked me a lot, despite the fact we didn't really talk that much. And...he also told me his occupation."

The Manager raised an eyebrow, the vague information piquing his interest a bit more.

"Occupation?" he inquired. "What occupation?"

Etsuko chewed on her bottom lip, twiddling her thumbs and shaking her knee out of nervous habit. She swallowed a bit, hesitating and causing a moment of anticipation to linger in the air. She finally took a sharp breath.

"He's a ghoul investigator."

Through the air, she felt him stiffen, his breath hitching as the aura surrounding his body suddenly grew cold. She could feel his sharp eyes stabbing into her hunched figure, menacing and stern; she drew a level breath.

"A Dove?" he asked her in a hard disbelief. "Well what happened?"

Etsuko flickered her eyes from side to side, dipped towards the ground, and reached over for her coffee. She took a drink, savoring the taste of the Manager's coffee against her tongue - slightly bitter, but smooth and silky as it trickled down her throat - before setting it back down again on the table with a gentle tap.

"A lot of things happened," she murmured softly, her eyes finding the ground once more. She told him about the weeks of starvation she had undergone, and about his persistence and annoyance, but loyalty all the same. She buried her face into her hands, frustrated, and felt her temples pulse as her head rattled with pain. She told him about how he had cared for her, and had insisted she would at least eat something in front of him.

The Manager sat there, deep in thought, before he brought up his cup again for another sip.

"So is this about the time when that man came in to order those cups of coffee for you?" he asked her.

Etsuko, distraught, nodded slowly.

"He's been very kind to me," she whispered. "I don't know what to do now, Manager. We're together now, and I just spent my first night over at his apartment, and he'd already spent two at mine. What's worse, he's been assigned to exterminate Mad Temptress too. Manager, I just don't know what to do anymore. I've worked so hard to gain control over my life again, but ever since I met him, I feel like I've been crumbling back down to where I started. I feel something very strong for him, and I don't want to end up hurting him, or worse, to put him in danger too."

The Manager, now deeply engrossed into the predicament, leaned back against his chair, his face thoughtful with his fingers drumming against the wooden arm of his chair. He folded a leg over the other, pressing his lips into a tight line as he stared off into some unknown universe, his features etched with wisdom.

"You're in quite a situation, aren't you Etsuko-san?" he asked her softly. "Have you tried to do anything about it?"

Etsuko clamped her jaws together.

"Of course I have," she hissed. "I've tried pushing him away, but he won't leave no matter what I do. And just recently, I've been trying to blend into human society - for his sake - and I went to this club called 'VICE' with him last night. I even ate human food for the first time this morning! What else is there to do?" She stared at him with pain inflicting upon her gaze, desperate and helpless but at the same time enraged as if someone dear to her had just been killed.

The Manager sighed.

"Unfortunately, that is all we can do," he murmured solemnly, taking another calm sip of his coffee. "Blending into human society is difficult for first-timers, but a little practice can go a long way."

Etsuko's ears pricked up from the suggestion.

"Practice?" she asked. "Like, practice eating human food?"

The Manager nodded.

"You're smart, Etsuko-san - I know that much. I've heard around that you've graduated from Kamii University as a double major, and in some human sciences as well. You should know how humans work, physically and psychologically. Take some time to analyze them, and mimic their ways the best you can. The more you act human, the less suspicion you can draw to yourself, and that way, you can lead on a somewhat normal life with him."

Etsuko's face softened, feeling and now looking a little more relieved.

"And what about the investigations?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "He's still going to come after me. Should I just let Mad Temptress die then?"

The Manager pondered about this for a little, leaving Etsuko to fiddle with her fingers again and to switch her eyes back from the ground, to the man, and back to her fingers again. She let out a little huff.

"The deactivation of Mad Temptress conveniently aligned with his meeting with you can cause a bit of a problem," the Manager pointed out after a while, rubbing his chin. "I'm not encouraging you to kill Etsuko-san, but you've got to keep Mad Temptress going on for a little longer before you can completely let her go - that is, if you want a normal life with him in the future. Furthermore, if you want to keep your lover safe, that is what you have to do - for his sake."

Etsuko stared at the ground for a while, the ceramic cup half-empty in front of her on the coffee table. She reached out and drained the rest of it, lost in deep thought.

"So this is my only option?" she murmured, blinking her amber eyes.

The Manager tugged his lip downward, stern.

"That, or you can come clean to him," he said with a grim tone. "But that's not at all encouraged, especially since he's a Dove. He's dangerous, Etsuko-chan. I hope you know that. And if he poses as a threat to our kind, I must regret to inform you that you must kill him immediately."

Etsuko growled, her expression darkening tenfold.

"I don't have any intention to tell him about what I am," she hissed viciously. "I'd rather die before I do."

The Manager dipped his head, a little pleased.

"You must love him very much, Etsuko-san," he mused gently. Etsuko's eyes flushed, but remained silent as she stared at him still. "But with your experience, you must be aware that if you two are to be married, a child between you would be - "

"I know," she murmured grimly, squeezing her hands into tight fists. "The fetus always gets devoured by my body, anyways. It's impossible for a ghoul to have a child with a human."

The Manager merely let out a small but sad smile, which puzzled her, and faced her with an expression that emanated a passionate love and immense sorrow.

"You mustn't say something is impossible," he sighed solemnly, gazing longingly into his coffee cup. "There are rare times in this world where miracles are given, but they're usually handed to the people who are the most perturbed."

✿

After her therapeutic session at Anteiku, she left the café and walked from the Twentieth Ward back to the First, taking on the Manager's advice and seizing the liberty of stopping by various shops, convenient stores, and small restaurants to sample some of the small portions there. It was a rather long twenty-kilometer walk, but it occupied a great deal of time within her day. She was sprung with a new determination glinting in her eye, and it drove her to stomach all of the food she had consumed within that time; however, she could feel her power was waning with every morsel she forced into her mouth, and though she continued doing so, she knew she had to take a break sometime and stop to take in some sort of substance that her body could actually absorb - after all, being a weak in the middle of Dove territory was practically a death sentence.

She had stopped by another café, busy with people filing in and out for brunch; the place was fairly packed, so she figured it was good at least to the human tongue. Etsuko got in line and waited, looking around at the interior design of the building as she stood there, her eyes round but sickly. It was a cute little place with wooden planks glued against the walls and glossy blacktopped tables scattering about the space, accompanied by dark wooden chairs. Fake vines and potted plants decorated the café, giving it an organic look that she grew to be rather fond of. The place smelled of coffee, which eased her troubles, and was even laced with that familiar and nostalgic scent of caramel.

Her heart sank, realizing that she hadn't been at home in a while to use her shampoo; she probably still faintly smelled of it, but to the point where her own nose couldn't detect it anymore. Etsuko sighed, twisting a lock of loose white hair from her ponytail and chewing on the inside of her lip, her nose twitching as she identified a number of other scents lingering within the slightly stuffy air. She played with the crimson sweater wrap draped around her figure and brushed through her ponytail with limp fingers, sighing as the anxiety gnawed at her chest and her thumping heart. Her mind raced, feeling the blood pumping through her pulsing temples, and shuffled her feet forward as the line inched up; her eyes darted across the ground, the nerves eating at her still.

Eventually, she reached the front of the line, greeted by a handsome young man with a tuft of light brown hair upon his pale head, paired with a set of glittering brown eyes; she gave him a weary smile.

"How may I help you today?" he asked her kindly.

Etsuko blinked up at the menu, realizing she hadn't even decided what she wanted to order yet. Her eyes widened a little as she saw a particular item on the board, and then flickered her amber gaze back to the young man.

"A salted caramel latte," she murmured. "And a glazed red bean bun please."

"Sure thing," the man said, punching the items into the register. She paid the man the amount of money and stepped to the side, taking a seat at one of the vacant waiting stools. She sat there, fiddling with her fingers in her lap yet again as her amber eyes flickered across the café, her nose flaring and burning from the scent of caramel that made her chest swell and her heart pump wildly inside her ribcage. She saw people sitting at tables, talking to each other over some cups of coffee and a few snacks, some women to the side laughing about something one of them had shown her friends on her phone, and some single individuals sitting at the little counter towards the entrance, facing out the window and sipping their drinks while doing so, seemingly to be deep in thought. It was a strangely comforting sight, seeing humans unwind and relax, though she couldn't pinpoint why, and it brought a ghost of a smile upon her pale face.

So this is why he had loved humans so much.

Her name was called up at the pick-up counter, and she hauled herself up from her spot to retrieve her order. She thanked the lady who handed her the items and quickly made her exit, walking a little bit down the road before taking a seat in a resting area. She sat on the bench and opened her paper bag, fishing out the bun. She examined the paper coffee cup and sniffed it, feeling a cold shiver ripple down her spine; she felt some tears well up in her eyes, but swallowed the ridiculous feeling back as she tilted the cup up for a sip.

It was absolutely disgusting.

The salty sweetness of what tasted like thick motor oil slithered own her throat in the most spine-tingling way, and she had muster up every ounce of her power to prevent herself from vomiting right there on the street. The taste of what seemed to have been caramel began to crawl back up her nose; however, the coffee managed to suppress that a bit, so the experience wasn't that bad compared to the rest. She unwrapped the glazed bun from its clear wrappings and took a bite, making sure to get the bread as well as the red bean filling in her mouth simultaneously.

The bun tasted like a crusty sponge, dipped in a sticky concoction of pure sugar, and filled with a thick paste of mud and a grainy mushiness she couldn't quite put her finger on. She took a swig of her latte, swallowing it all back with her throat tense and constricting, the food threatening to erupt back up her trachea. She closed her eyes, trying her hardest to keep herself from convulsing in the streets, and took a number of deep, shaky breaths. Though this was at least her tenth time eating human food today, she still couldn't shake off the nausiating punch that attacked her every single time she forced in a dreadful morsel.

She was determined to learn how to do this; she had to learn how to do this. Her mind pulsed with his image, standing over and smiling at her with his dark eyes glittering in that naivety that reassured her that he knew absolutely nothing - he was oblivious, and that was where she wanted to keep him.

For his sake. This was for his sake.

She finished the food with a few big chomps and downed her drink in one massive chug, discarding the trash before continuing to make her way back towards Chiyoda. It was only four in the afternoon by the time she arrived in the First Ward, so she decided to make a stop at none other than at VICE. She appeared in front of the club, which was just beginning to open for the night, with its toxic green sign flickering on in the small alleyway. Etsuko smiled a little, ambling in the bar with her arms crossed over her chest, and took a glance around the room as the music rumbled softly in her ears. There were a few customers there already, all of them men besides herself, and her familiar bartender standing behind the counter; Etsuko took a seat directly in front of him with a devious smile, the bass providing a sensual lulling backdrop.

"Back so soon already?" he greeted her, a smirk spreading across his face as he polished a glass with a towel.

"I've had a rough day," Etsuko sighed, licking her lips. "I need something solid. Can you do something like that?"

"Of course," the ghoul chuckled, gathering together a few liquor-like bottles and a shaker. "So a rough day, huh? What did you do?"

Etsuko scoffed.

"I tried to be human today, that's what," she seethed.

The ghoul threw his head back in a highly amused laugh, cutting through the bass and catching the attention of some of the men at the bar. Etsuko puffed out her cheeks, flushed.

"Human, you say?" the bartender jested, lowering his voice. There was a devilish smirk upon his face, his brown eyes gleaming. "How exactly did you do that, honey?"

Etsuko's own eyes narrowed, menacing.

"I ate food," she said blandly, as though her tongue were made of that nasty tofu. The recent memory of human food triggered for her stomach to churn, and she immediately slapped her hands against her stomach, holding her breath as she held back the urge to vomit on the counter in turn.

Interest misted across the bartender's eyes like a wispy cloud of dark haze, a smirk twitching upon his lips.

"Really?" he inquired. "And how did that go?"

"Nasty as fuck," she spat immediately, hissing. She groaned. "And there's still a shit ton of food left in my stomach. I have to get something else in my system."

The bartender began shaking the mix, his eyes glittering.

"Why don't you just spit it out?" he asked her, his voice light. "You'll get really sick if you keep that in, you know."

Etsuko growled.

"You think I don't know that already?" she hissed. She tilted her head down and stared at her clenched fists, still pressed tightly against her belly, with her jaw tense as she lowered her voice to barely a whisper. "Of course I know that."

His eyes flashed.

"Then why don't you do it?" he asked, bemused. "It'll be a lot easier on your body, you know."

Etsuko snapped up her gaze again, a bit irritated.

"Because I need to practice being human," she spat. "For his sake."

The ghoul pursed his lips and simply nodded his head lightly. Bringing down the shaker and pouring the icy mix into a tall glass of ice, he raised the metal container high above the cup, which caused the blood-red stream of liquid to plunge down into the glass. He then placed the thing in front of her, tapping the bottom softly against a dark green coaster.

"Tell me, Etsuko-san," he mused darkly. "You're smart, so you understand the drinking process this bar runs on. So tell me, what would be the Sin that represents you the most?"

The sudden question took her a bit off guard, but her eyes remained hooded as she reached out for her drink. She sipped it, feeling relief flood over her tense muscles and ease for the first time that day. She took another gulp before setting the beverage down, and leaned across the counter on her elbows with her chin cradled atop her woven fingers.

"I can't quite say," she mused, though her voice still a bit strained. "Lust maybe?"

"Ahh, that's a great choice," the ghoul said airily, flickering enticing eyes over to her. "Perfect, actually. Especially for a ghoul. The main theme for Lust is red, you know?" He gestured towards her drink.

Etsuko let out a light scoff.

"That's quite convenient," she muttered.

The ghoul giggled.

"Quite," he fluttered. "You can come back here with that hunky boyfriend of yours and drink without being suspicious now."

Etsuko blinked her narrowed amber eyes, thoughtful.

"I suppose that's also true," she murmured, taking another sip of her drink. "Thanks for the suggestion."

"No problem, honey," the bartender giggled again, getting back to organizing his station. "Next time you're in a predicament, you can come here and talk to me. You know what they say about gay men - they always give the best advice." He flashed her a little wink, which spiked a little smile to appear across her tight lips.

"Sure thing," she chuckled. "You are in a similar position to me, anyhow."

He gave a little laugh.

"Right-o," he said brightly. "And don't worry honey. Things will work out sooner or later. Just count on that, alright?"

The bartender flashed her another winning smile, and she couldn't help but to give him a small one in return.

"Yeah," she said softly. "I will."

~~~✿~~~

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