Kaneki was leaning against the wall of the Anteiku Coffee shop, watching you through the window. You were sitting at a table, reading a book and drinking tea. A smile touched his lips. He remembered the day he found you, wounded and scared, after the ghoul's attack. He couldn't leave you.

He sighed, feeling a twinge of guilt. He couldn't tell you the truth about himself. How could he, knowing that he was a monster? But it was also getting harder to live a lie.

"Kaneki-kun, are you getting lost in the clouds again?" Toki Kirishima's voice snapped him out of his reverie.

He started and turned around. “I'm sorry, Toka-chan. Just...”

Toka crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a stern look. “Just what? Are you thinking about her again? You know she's human. You can't afford to...”

“I know!" Kaneki interrupted, a hint of bitterness in his voice. “I know it's impossible. But I can't help it. I just want her to be safe and happy.”

Toka relented. She understood his feelings. She herself had once dreamed of a normal life.

"Then just protect her, Kaneki-kun," she said softly. "Protect her as long as you can. But remember that sooner or later you will have to make a choice.”

Kaneki nodded, looking at you through the window again. Choice. This choice haunted him every second. A choice between life and death, between love and duty, between humanity and animal nature. And he knew that this choice would determine not only his fate, but also yours.