Chapter Text
On Saturday, a teenager came to Anteiku. He sat in the table near the corner, staying as far away from the other customers as he possibly could.
“Welcome to Anteiku .” Kaneki greeted with a smile. He pulled out a small clipboard and a pen from his pocket. “What will your order be today?”
“Um.” The teenager looked at the menu and flipped through the pages, skimming. After a moment, he put it down and looked up at his waiter. “ What do you recommend...” He squinted and looked at the name tag. “..Kaneki-san.”
“Oh! Let’s see…..” Kaneki tapped his chin with his pen. “I usually order dark coffee with some sugar cubes, but that might be too bitter for you. I guess a cappuccino.”
The teenager had no idea what a cappuccino was, but nodded anyway. “Alright.”
Kaneki scribbled his order on the clipboard. “Would you like a sandwich or a slice of cake?”
“Cake.” The teenager drummed his fingers on the table top. “Strawberry.”
“Sorry, we don’t have strawberry cake.”
“Oh.”
“But we have strawberry shortcake if that’s good enough.”
The teenager nodded.
“Will that be all?” Kaneki asked.
“Yeah.”
The waiter didn’t leave, though. He just looked at him, waiting.
“Um.” The teenager realized that Kaneki was expecting something, but he didn’t know what. “What do you want?”
Kaneki’s eyes widened and the teenager winced. Goddamn. That was a helluva more rude than he thought.
“Your name.” Kaneki said, his voice more soft. “I need your name.”
“Its Kazuto. Kazuto Kirigaya.” He gulped. “Sorry.”
Kaneki shook his head. “No no. Its fine. I should have asked you directly than let you make an inference, Kirigaya-san.”
Ouch. Kazuto knew he deserved it, but still. It hurt. His cheeks burned and he just knew they were red.
Kaneki tucked to clipboard back into his pocket. “You’re order will be ready soon, Kirigaya-san.”
“Ah. Thank you.” The waiter began to walk away and Kirito cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Sorry, Kaneki-san!”
Everyone in the cafe stopped what they were doing and stared at him. Kazuto covered his face.
Kaneki, after a moment, laughed. “Its fine, Kirigaya-san.”
When Kaneki returned later with Kazuto’s meal and a smile on his face, the teenager realized he was forgiven.
He smiled back at the waiter.
Kazuto returned back to Anteiku the next Saturday. The Saturday after that. And the Saturday after that Saturday and so forth.
It was around the 2 month period of Kazuto becoming a regular when Kaneki asked where he came from.
“I haven’t seen you around in Tokyo, Kirigaya-san.” Kaneki remarked after getting Kazuto’s order. “And you’ve been coming to Anteiku for 2 months.”
“Ah.I don’t live in Tokyo.”
“Huh.” Kaneki raised his eyebrows. “Where do you live then, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“I live in Kawagoe City, at the Saitama Prefecture.” He scratched his cheek and looked away from Kaneki’s face. “Its usually takes me an hour to get to Anteiku”
“Why do you come to Anteiku, Kirigaya-sa-”
Another waiter, a high schooler with purple hair, passed by Kaneki and smacked him over the head. “Get back to work.”
“Sorry, Touka-chan.” He looked at Kazuto and smiled apologetically. “Can we continue this conversation later?”
“Yeah.” Kazuto nodded. “Sure.”
“I get off my shift at…” Kaneki looked at the clock on the wall. “In 2 hours. Will you still be here then?”
Kazuto nodded again. “I don’t have to be back until 10.”
“Wait for me, Kirigaya-san.” The waiter said. “Please.”
“I will.”
For the next 2 hours, Kazuto slowly drank his coffee and ate his cake while watching Kaneki bustle around Anteiku. They would wave at each other every so often and trade smiles.
He had never realized how much a waiter needed to do. Take orders, make coffee, give coffee, and deal with rude customers.
Kazuto cringed as he remembered his first conversation with Kaneki. He cringed even further at what happened next.
Shouting in a cafe was not one his best choices, but being forgiven made up for that, no matter how embarrassing it was.
And Kaneki turned out to be an okay guy. Well, Kazuto knew he was an okay guy, but Kaneki was more okay than he expected.
Kazuto then realized he didn’t know much about Kaneki even though they’ve known each other for two months. He didn’t know scat, not even how old Kaneki was or his first name.
He looked at the clock. 15 more minutes until they could hang out.
He drank the rest of his cappuccino and waited.
“Sorry for the wait.” Kaneki walked towards the table, still in his work clothes.
“No, its fine.” Kazuto stood up and went up to the register to pay his bill, Kaneki right behind him. “So where are we going?”
Kaneki shrugged. “I was hoping to pass by my apartment first.” He tugged at his shirt. “To change clothes and freshen up.”
Kazuto nodded. “Lead the way.”
The walk to Kaneki’s apartment was spent in a comfortable silence, both being content to walk together quietly.
It wasn’t a very long walk, maybe 30 minutes at most. But the stairs leading up to the front door sucked.
“Well.” Kaneki unlocked the front door and opened it wide. “Welcome to my apartment.”
He and Kazuto stepped inside.
The apartment was neat, with no dirty garments littering the floor or anything out of place. The food was neatly stocked, all lined up, and his floors were clean.
Kaneki entered his room, Kazuto right besides him. “You can wait here while I shower. The T.V. remote is there and I have some books on the shelves.”
He went over to his closet and began to pick what he would be wearing.
Kazuto went over the the bookshelf and looked at the titles. It was full of books written by someone called Takatsuki Sen, though there were some other authors. Amidst them all, there were some books significantly thicker than the others.
“You’re in college, Kaneki?” Kazuto traced his finger over the spine of the largest textbook.
“Yeah.” The black haired male went over to his drawer to add another article of clothing to the bunch in his arms. “I’m actually majoring in English Literature.”
“How old are you?” Kazuto looked at another textbook, this one slightly less thicker than the other. “I’m 16.”
“20.” Kaneki began to walk to the bathroom, then stopped. “You’re in high school?”
“Yeah.”
Kazuto is in high school. Kazuto is a teenager. Kazuto is in his room.
“Are you- are you okay with this, Kirigaya-san?” Kaneki’s voice came out softer than usual, and his cheeks were dusted over with a light pink. “Being in an adult’s house? Room?”
“Um. Yeah.” Kazuto looked at his friend. “I’m fine with this.
“O-okay.” The older male turned his head away, trying to hide his blush “I’ll be taking a sh- shower now.”
He went into the bathroom and locked the door.
Kazuto looked at the bathroom door. Once the shower turned on, he sat down on Kaneki’s bed.
What an odd guy.
He laid down in the best, his head hitting the pillow. What an odd guy with a good taste in shampoo.
Kaneki expected to see Kazuto doing something like watching T.V. or sitting and staring into space, not sleeping in his bed.
The teenager looked so comfortable, so peaceful. Kaneki didn’t want to wake him up and ruin the moment.
“Kirigaya-san.” Kaneki said. “Kirigaya-san, wake up.”
No response.
He began to shake the teenager gently, saying ‘Kirigaya-san’ and telling him to wake up.
Eventually, Kazuto opened his eyes. He slowly sat up and rubbed them, yawning. “What?”
“You fell asleep while I was taking a shower, Kirigaya-san.” Kaneki said. He stood up and changed the subject. “Do you know where we should go out to?”
“How about the arcade?” Kazuto raised his arms and stretched. His back cracked. “So you know where any of the arcades are in Tokyo?”
“Yeah.” Kaneki grabbed his messenger back from his closet and slipped it on. “There’s one fairly close by. We’d need to take a bus though.”
“I don’t mind.” Kazuto got off the bed and walked besides Kaneki. “And prepare to be defeated. I’m good at games.”
The arcade wasn’t very full when Kaneki and Kazuto entered, as there were only maybe 20 people there at most.
But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that when they played DDR, Kaneki wrecked Kazuto every match. Every. Single. One.
Their cup full of tokens depleted and the times that Kazuto was beaten only increased. Determination was etched in his face and he grit his teeth, inserting another coin into the machine
Kaneki also inserted another coin. He turned to the high schooler with a kind gentle smile on his face. “Are you ready to give up now, Kirigaya-san?”
Kazuto narrowed his eyes at him. “Never.”
The smile on Kaneki’s face widened. “Enjoy defeat, Kirigaya-san.”
He turned back to the screen just as the game started. Kazuto screamed at the the song’s lyrics a couple seconds later.
“-Where’s my samurai.” The machine sang. “I’ve been searching for man. All across Japan. Just to find my samurai, find my samurai.”
Kazuto screamed louder as he missed 4 steps in a row.
“Someone who is strong.” Bad. “But still a little shy.” 2 goods. “Yes, I need, I need my samurai.” Miss. Miss. Miss Miss. Bad.
The chorus began. “Ai yai yai…”
Kazuto’s screen blackened and the words ‘Game Over’ were seen in all caps. He turned to Kaneki and looked at him, his eyes narrowed.
“How do you like defeat, Kirigaya-san.” Kaneki said as he hit all the steps perfectly while looking into Kazuto’s grey eyes. “Enjoying it?”
“No.” His cheeks reddened. “I want a rematch.”
“You sure?” Kaneki raised an eyebrow. “Even if the score is 23-0?”
“Yes.” Kazuto’s blushed harder. “Even if the score it 23-0”
“Alright.” The older male looked back at the screen. “After I beat the lev-”
At that moment, the DDR machine died. Its screen went black and there was a loud zap. Smoke slowly rose from the machine, thus activating the fire alarm, which activated the sprinklers and killed the rest of the machines in the arcade.
Kazuto looked at all the broken machined around them, then looked at Kaneki in horror.
Kaneki looked at the busted machine in front of him, then at the oncoming staff members. His face was drained of all color.
The staff members got closer and the two realized that they weren’t even mad. Just tired and frustrated.
Kaneki stepped off the platform.
The staff member pointed to the exit, and Kaneki and Kazuto walked out stiffly, their eyes wide and faces pale.
All the other people inside were sent outside as well, giving the two the stink eye was they passed by them.
Finally, Kaneki spoke. “What happened to being good at games, Kirigaya-san.”
The teen exploded, laughing so hard he was gasping for air.
“Kazuto, Kaneki.” He wheezed. “Call me Kazuto.”
“Okay,” A small smile bloomed on the older male’s face. “Kazuto.”
“You don’t need to walk me home, you know.” Kazuto said as he and Kaneki entered the train station. “I’ll be fine.”
They got in line for tickets for Nerima to Ikebukuro.
“Its late and Kawagoe city is kinda far.” Kaneki said. “I’m worried about you.”
Kazuto nodded.
“Kazuto,” Kaneki began once they had bought the tickets and had boarded the train. “You’re good at games, right? Not counting DDR.”
Kazuto frowned at the mention of DDR. “Yeah, I’m good at games.”
“What kind?”
He thought about for a moment. “VRMMORPGs, I think. Though I’ve only played one.”
“What was it?”
“SAO.”
“Sword Art Online?” Kaneki’s eyes widened. “You were one of the players? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, but,” His shoulders drooped slightly, “My wife- I mean girlfriend is still in there.”
“She’s one of the 300 still stuck in the game?” The older male placed a hand on his friend’s arm and patted it. “That’s rough, buddy.”
Kazuto remained silent.
As Kazuto neared home, the two exchanged numbers.
The next time Kaneki saw Kazuto, the teen looked to be on the verge of tearing his hair out.
Kaneki didn’t need to ask to get and explanation.
“My girlfriend is in the new game, Alfheim Online.” He whispered when Kaneki was finished getting his order. “In a birdcage.”
Kaneki blinked. “Oh….Kay.”
“I’m going to bust her out.” Kazuto smiled weakly at him. “And then I’ll introduce her to you.”
“Good luck, Kazuto.”
Clearly, the teen was going insane. So Kaneki gave him another slice of strawberry shortcake. On the house.
Touka smacked him for that.
The next time Kazuto came to Anteiku, his left cheek had a bandage and there was a satisfied look on his face.
Kaneki already knew what happened, as Kazuto sent him numerous texts about what had transpired between he and Sugou, along with how his girlfriend was finally awoken from her coma.
He couldn’t help but feel proud at what his friend had accomplished, even his he didn’t have anything to do with it.
“Congratulations, Kazuto.” Kaneki had said while getting the teen’s order. He didn’t know why he even asked for it anymore, since it was the same thing since he first started coming to Anteiku.
“Hey, Kaneki?” The teen grinned at him. “Wanna hang out today?”
The waiter nodded. “Where?”
“You pick.”
“Let’s see...” He tapped his pencil on his chin. “There’s Big Girl Restaurant-”
“Big Girl Restaurant, eh.” Kazuto looked up into the waiter’s eyes and raised his eyebrows, his mouth a straight line. “What kind of place could that possibly be?”
“I-it has good burgers, okay?” Color rose to Kaneki’s cheeks and the tips of his ears reddened. “I go there with Hide, all the time.”
Kazuto continued to stare at him. Kaneki looked down at his clipboard. The blush on his face became darker.
“My shift ends in an hour.” Kaneki muttered before scurrying back to work.
The teen laughed softly and leaned forward, resting his chin on the palm of his hand and watching Kaneki run about.
The blush on the waiter’s face had not died yet. In fact, it only got worse, because every time Kaneki looked at his friend, Kazuto would shoot him a shit eating grin.
That led him to stutter while trying to get the other customer’s orders. And that led to Touka smacking them both.
Kazuto never realized how important it was to not fluster someone who was working. And Kazuto then realized that he’d do it again. And again. And again.
“So who’s Hide?” Kazuto asked once they were at Big Girl restaurant, waiting to be seated.
The line wasn’t very long, fortunately. There were only about two people in front of them, and as Kaneki responded, they were lead to a table.
“His full name is Hideyoshi. And Hide...” A soft and small smile grew on Kaneki’s face. “Hide is a dear friend of mines.”
Kazuto nodded. He wondered what kind of person Hide was, to make Kaneki smile at just merely saying his name.
So naturally, he asked.
“What’s Hide like?” Kazuto drummed his fingers on the side of his thigh. “What kind of person is he?”
“He’s friendly and smart. A great person.” Kaneki raised his eyebrows. “Why do you want to know?”
Kazuto shrugged. “I just do.”
They stood in silence for a while, waiting for the waiter to come and assign them a table.
Kaneki broke the silence. “Kazuto, can you tell me about your girlfriend?”
“Asuna? Sure.” The teen stopped his drumming and looked over at him. “What do you want to know?”
“Um.” Kaneki hadn’t expected to be able to ask specific question. He furrowed his eyebrows. “I gue-”
“Ah! Kaneki-san!” A waiter, a young woman with black hair, interrupted him, unintentionally. “Welcome back to Big Girl Restaurant!”
Kaneki returned the smile and gave her a small wave. “Hi, Ohashi-san.”
“No Hide? How shocking.” She turned and looked over at Kazuto. “And who might this fellow be?”
“He’s Kazuto Kirigaya. A friend of mine.”
Ohashi gave him a once over, then turned to Kaneki. “He’s pretty young. Kaneki-san, where did you meet him?”
“He’s actually a regular at Anteiku’s. And you know that I work there.” Kaneki rubbed the back of his neck. “Table please, Ohashi-san.”
“Oh, right!” She turned around and began to walk. “At the usual spot, Kaneki-san?”
“Yeah.”
“So what do you want to know about Asuna?” Kazuto asked once the waiter left them alone with 2 menus. He opened his menu and skimmed through it before looking up at his friend.
“What kind of person she is, I guess.” Kaneki pushed his own menu to the side to look at Kazuto. “To make do what you did to free her.”
“Asuna is...a nice person. Very loyal. Pretty. Annoying at times.” Kazuto scratched his cheek lightly, a small blush on his face. “I can’t live without her.”
Ah. Young love. An intense, but fleeting thing. Kaneki wondered how long the two would last.
Hide’s relationships never lasted long when he was a teenager, and they still don’t. But then again, maybe that was a Hide thing.
“To be in a romantic relationship with someone seems nice.” Kaneki smiled softly. “I’d like to experience that one day.”
“You mean you haven’t dated someone?” Kazuto’s eyes widened. “Have you ever been on a date?”
Kaneki once had went on a date with a pretty girl named Rize, but she turned out to be a serial killer and tried to kill him by stabbing while walking home. Then a steel beam fell down on her.
Kaneki decided this did not count and shook his head. “Nope.”
The waiter then came and took their order and Kazuto, not knowing jack about this restaurant, just ordered whatever Kaneki ordered.
After Big Girl Restaurant the two went over to the library, where Kaneki gushed over Takatsuki Sen and bought Kazuto The Black Goat’s Egg both as a congratulation present and to get someone to talk about the book with.
“What is it about?” Kazuto asked as he read the summary on the back of the cover. “How would you describe it?”
Kaneki’s face brightened and he began to explain not only the plot, but the character development and the metaphors scattered within.
Kazuto knew instantly it would not be his kind of thing, but for the sake of Kaneki, he would read it. All 300 pages.
Everything was going all well and fine, with Kazuto’s girlfriend slowly recovering and him finishing The Black Goat’s Egg, only for Kaneki to urge him to read Dear Kafka and Takatsuki Sen’s other works.
They weren’t particularly bad. In fact, they were quite good. But they messed with Kazuto’s head and made him think deep. He wasn’t sure if he liked that.
Kazuto said he’d bring Asuna to Anteiku once she’d regain the ability to walk without assistance, so satisfy both her curiosity of why he didn’t play on Saturdays and Kaneki’s of who exactly his girlfriend was.
Everything was going fine.
Everything was going fine until Asuna broke up with Kirito.