It wasn't just Byakuya and Eto at the café — other staff members were there as well.
So when a young boy who clearly knew Byakuya came in talking about some romantic conflict, everyone's curiosity was immediately piqued.
Roma especially had a particularly animated expression. She was one of the few who actually recognized Furuta.
She even knew that he was the current leader of the Washuu, successor to the old clan.
The Clowns' intel network had always been formidable—but lately, they were just in it for the fun. They didn't stir up trouble anymore, and sometimes even helped out cleaning up Dragon Orphans.
At the very least, they were smart enough not to provoke the TSC, especially with Byakuya at its head.
The Washuu clan hadn't been wiped out — far from it. Byakuya's power alone was enough to keep them intact. And more than any army, it was Byakuya himself who was the terrifying one.
"Kids these days sure are mature" Hikari said as she touched her own cheek.
"Watching them makes me feel ancient."
Even though she was still in her twenties and nowhere near thirty.
"Speaking of which" she suddenly turned to Yomo, "You're not exactly young anymore either. Don't you think it's time you got yourself a girlfriend?"
Yomo blinked, caught off guard. He hadn't expected to become the center of attention.
"I'm not good at that sort of thing. Living alone is just easier" he replied flatly.
"That's exactly why you should be dating! No one's good at it in the beginning. What if Touka and Ayato both get married before you even start? I'll be a heartbroken big sister then."
Hikari began lecturing him in earnest.
Yomo could only sigh internally. He never had a good rebuttal when his older sister got like this.
Listening to their exchange, Byakuya couldn't help but think:
"In the original timeline, Yomo really did stay single all the way until Kaneki and Touka got married—even after their daughter Ichika grew up."
And now that Kaneki wouldn't be turned into an artificial half-ghoul, his and Touka's child would still likely be a natural-born half-ghoul like Ichika from the original story.
After all, Kaneki had originally still been human at his core — his RC levels were just artificially elevated. Once he became Sasaki and started using CCG's RC suppressants, he could eat regular food again.
But a true ghoul couldn't survive like that.
So it stood to reason: Kaneki's biological nature would still lead to a natural-born half-ghoul child.
Back in the present, Furuta had finished explaining everything.
"Maybe she got mad because I insisted on staying with the Washuu clan..." he said, a little regretfully.
"Sounds about right. And I bet you never really explained your reasons to her either" Byakuya said.
"Just go talk to her. You don't even need to apologize—just clear things up. You might be surprised."
"I agree" Eto added. "Rize was probably hurt that you didn't choose to go with her. And not explaining anything just made it worse. It's honestly a pretty easy misunderstanding to fix—unless, of course, she doesn't like you anymore."
"I... don't know if Rize likes me..." Furuta murmured.
"Come on" Byakuya said. "You two were practically inseparable. But I get it—you're still kids. Feelings are pretty pure and simple at your age."
"So I should just go explain it all to her now?"
"Exactly" Byakuya nodded. "And maybe charm her a little while you're at it. Even if you don't apologize, try to be sweet. A girl like Rize's pretty easy to win over with a bit of kindness."
"Right, I got it" Furuta said, nodding with new determination.
"I'll come with you" Byakuya offered. He wasn't busy anyway, and it'd be interesting to see how the boy handled it.
"Wait a second" Eto suddenly called out.
"What is it?" Furuta turned back, puzzled.
She stepped over to him, cupped his cheeks with both hands, and stretched them outward like taffy.
"You're supposed to be a smart kid. How did you let something this tiny trip you up so badly?" she teased, grinning.
Clearly, she remembered what Byakuya once told her—that in another timeline, she'd eventually be played by this very boy. So in her mind, this was a bit of payback.
"Ow... that kinda hurts..." Furuta muttered, confused by her sudden attack. Had he upset her somehow?
Only Byakuya knew why she did it—and even then, it was obvious she was just playing around. Eto hadn't used any real force.
If she had been serious, it wouldn't have ended with a simple cheek-pull.
"Alright, I'll come with you too" she said after letting go, "Just in case you screw it up—I can save the situation."
"Thank you!" Furuta beamed.
With Byakuya and Eto at his side, he felt like he could take on anything. His confidence was already surging.
"Mind if I tag along too?" Roma suddenly chimed in with a grin.
She just loved drama—and kid drama was drama all the same.
Faced with the unfamiliar older woman's request, Furuta instinctively turned to Byakuya for guidance.
"...Sure, as long as you don't stir up trouble" Byakuya said reluctantly.
Truthfully, he still didn't completely trust Roma. But he was strong enough that even if she did cause problems, it wouldn't matter.
"Of course not. I'd never do that" Roma promised, still smiling.
Furuta looked up at her. She seemed kind and gentle—maybe even someone like the café's owner. That made her trustworthy enough in his eyes.