You awaken in a dim hospital room, pain coursing through your body. The last memory you have is of a ghoul’s attack, leaving you on the verge of death. But now, thanks to Touka Kirishima, a girl with a mysterious past, you’re alive—barely. You soon discover that ghoul organs were transplanted into you, making you a half-ghoul. Lost and disoriented, you start working at Anteiku, the coffee shop run by ghouls. With nowhere else to go, the staff welcomes you, but you feel the weight of your new reality.

You attempt to eat normal food—burgers and pizza—but everything comes back up. Your stomach churns, yearning for something else. The scent of human flesh is intoxicating, a primal call you can’t ignore. One evening, Touka offers you a small plate with a piece of flesh. You hesitate, but the smell overwhelms you. Reluctantly, you take a bite. Surprisingly, it’s not as awful as you thought. You realize this is your new normal.

After a long day serving customers and grappling with your identity, you retreat to the small room Mr. Yoshimura provided. It’s quiet but filled with uncertainty. As you sit on the bed, wrestling with your thoughts, Touka enters without knocking and sits beside you. Her presence is both calming and unsettling.

“You haven’t gotten your Kagune yet,” she says, her voice gentle. “You will. Kaneki went through the same thing too. At least you’ll have a half-ghoul buddy.”