Chapter 8 «CCG 20th Ward's Branch Office Visit»

Once Ken got out of the Anteiku, he started roaming around the 20th district for fear of being followed. Even if he let his guard down, the more the discussion went on, but this does not mean that he doesn't fear Rize anymore. Ken still has some fear of Rize.

Only after two hours when the sun had almost completely gone did Ken return home.

Upon returning, Ken immediately lay down on the living room sofa to think about what to do in the next few days.

Ken initially wanted to go to Anteiku every day or every few days, but this meeting with Rize scared him a bit. He did not expect that he would meet Rize Kamishiro right there when he had just entered.

This, however, gave him an idea of ​​the period. Even though it is large, it is the only trace he found, from a few days to six months before the original story. Rize arrived in the 20th ward six months before the story began after she left the 11th.

Ken raised his hand to the ceiling, looking at it silently and then closing it in a fist only after a while.

"I better expand my research into the other districts," Ken murmured still looking at his hand now closed into a fist.

The only place the petal could be in the 20th district is the Anteiku for their active participation in the original story. Not to mention that it is a fundamental element of the story, without the Anteiku there would have been no Ken Kaneki.

Ken removed the idea that the petal could be in random places; it could never be this way. Ken reasoned that the petal must be in places or with people who have a specific role in the original story.

"For a week, I will continue to search in the 20th district trying to avoid the Anteiku area. Then I will move on to the other districts."

So what is left for him to do now is search the other districts and see if he can find the petal.

No, there is still a place where the petal can be found, even if the probability to find it is slim, Ken has to try.

"Time to wash!" he exclaimed in a cheerful tone as he 'catapulted' out of the sofa in the direction of the bathroom.

The following days, Ken began a wild search for the entire 20th district looking for every place that he thought could have an 'important' role but without any profit.

The only place he hasn't looked yet is the CCG 20th Ward's Branch Office.

But just today, as if manna from heaven had just fallen for Ken, CCG 20th Ward's Branch Office organized a visit inside their offices to make people understand their work and inspire them on their way.

...

"Welcome!" exclaimed a middle-aged man.

His body was sturdy since his muscles could be seen under the jacket he was wearing. His face had a large nose with a broad chin. The hair was black and short with a goatee on the chin.

"My name is Yukinori Shinohara, a Special Class Ghoul Investigator," the man continued after saying welcome to all the visitors.

Ken who was in the crowd squinted when he heard that familiar name, he couldn't imagine that the man was already here, but that just showed him that the story is as close as he thought before.

"The place where I work is the Commission of Counter Ghoul, usually abbreviated as CCG, and as everyone here probably knows, is a criminal investigation body in ghoul-related cases." said in a proud tone of voice while facing all the people that were looking at him with 'stars' in their eyes.

"Now if you want to follow me" Shinohara smiled as he walked into the office after seeing those gazes. That kind of gaze is what drives them, the ghoul detectives, to continue their work relentlessly trying to bring 'peace.'

He takes pride in doing this job.

Ken followed the group that had come here, and as soon as he entered, he immediately saw some small metal gates like those at an airport to check for metal objects with them. But Ken knows that these gates are nothing like the others think, they are used to control the level of Rc cells in the body. Anyone who passes a certain level is a ghoul.

"I would ask you to pass in an orderly manner without making any confusion" to the words of the investigator, all of the people put themselves in a single line, and slowly everyone entered the building.

Tourists did nothing but admire the place; they would not have expected to see this building with their own eyes from the inside.

"Our work is complex. It is difficult and exhausting, but at the same time, it is really satisfying. Through our actions which consist in eliminating the ghouls, we bring security to the population, thus making them have peaceful dreams without fear of any kind."

Visitors were stunned for some seconds after Shinohara ended his speech. Right after, they started to clap their hands in the direction of the investigator who immediately raised his hands as if to indicate silence.

Hearing this, Ken almost laughed, he can't help it. His shoulders started shaking from holding back his laugh.

If only the special officer knew who the CCG really is, Ken thought as he looked at that investigator unaware of the true identity of the organization he works for and believes so much for.

An organization led by an entire family of ghouls. Not only that, they feed on the ghouls hunted by the investigators, and it's also the same organization that Rize ran away from. After all, if she didn't, she would have been used as a Breeding System by the Washuu Clan to keep the bloodline pure.

Ken would like to whisper it in his ear this, but he held back. He doesn't want to do anything for the moment to cause problems for himself, but he has to admit that the idea has crossed his mind.

In this way the tour continued, not only did they see the ground floor but also the upper floors reserved for ghoul investigators. This would not be allowed, but since the indomitable Yukinori Shinohara led it, it was allowed just for that single time.

This only strengthened the visitors' admiration of Shinohara.

Ken doesn't really know how lucky he is in some moments, isn't he really the protagonist in a story?

The tour lasted until lunchtime where the group dispersed outside the building. Ken, seeing that everyone was walking away after greeting the investigator for this 'fantastic' tour, did the same and only then turned to leave.

But without Ken noticing it, his look with which he looked at the investigators or the CCG in general, was noticed by Shinohara.

"What an interesting guy, this is the first time I've seen someone who doesn't support the CCG, hahaha!"

For Shinohara, it is the first experience to see someone like this, after all their work is what provides protection and makes the activities of the ghouls less frequent, which is why he did not expect that look.

He immediately went back inside to the offices without paying much attention to it. After all, he has something more important to deal with, and that is investigating the "Binge Eater" cases.

Meanwhile, Ken showed a thoughtful expression as he walked the streets, with this visit what he imagined happened, and that is that the petal was not even in this place.

At first, Ken knew he wouldn't find it here, after all even though it's home to some main characters of the Tokyo Ghoul story, that doesn't mean it's an 'important' place to the story. Only the characters affiliated with it are important.

And with this visit Ken has done nothing but confirm this hypothesis, now the only thing left to do is to start looking in the other districts.

But first I have to get something to eat, Ken thought, putting a hand on his stomach.