"Alright, thank you."

  After receiving the deposit, Amane Byakuya left and headed straight to Kamii University.

  Although Yoshimura Kuzen was well aware of the likely consequences for a human boy getting so close to Rize Kamishiro, he chose not to interfere.

  To him, Amane Byakuya was just an ordinary human. As a ghoul, he had long since lost the desire to harm humans, but that didn’t mean he would recklessly put himself at risk for an unfamiliar human.

  Yoshimura Kuzen had a simir attitude toward Kaneki Ken in the original story. When Kaneki was first captured by Aogiri Tree, Yoshimura was unwilling to risk everything to save him, only changing his stance ter.

  However, that decision to rescue Kaneki ultimately accelerated his own downfall along with Anteiku’s destruction. So his initial hesitation was completely understandable.

  ---

  Less than half an hour ter.

  Amane Byakuya arrived at Kamii University on foot.

  Since this was his first time attending csses here, he was still unfamiliar with the campus and had to rely on the signs to gradually get used to the pce.

  According to the information provided by the system, he was enrolled in the literature department. All he had to do was follow the css schedule and attend lectures as usual.

  Since everyone was still in the early days of their first year, even if the system hadn't interfered, no one would really question the sudden appearance of a new student in their cssroom.

  Attending lectures wasn’t much of a challenge for Amane Byakuya. The subjects were mainly liberal arts courses, so he simply took notes while listening.

  For now, he hadn’t made any acquaintances among his cssmates. Once css ended, he buried himself in reviewing his notes, aiming to become stronger without neglecting his studies. It was just like how even Kamijou Touma from A Certain Magical Index still had to attend school and cram for exams every day.

  By the time the morning passed, Amane Byakuya was done with his csses for the day. From noon onward, he was free to do whatever he wanted.

  Japanese universities typically only have around four hours of lectures per day in the first two years, and this time is halved in the final two years. That’s why, in the original story, Kaneki Ken always had plenty of free time to hang out at Anteiku and drink coffee.

  Amane Byakuya pnned to grab lunch at the university cafeteria before heading to Anteiku in the afternoon to meet up with Rize Kamishiro. Of course, he hadn’t forgotten their promise from yesterday.

  After getting his meal at the cafeteria, he searched for a while before finally finding an empty four-person table. The cafeteria was packed with students at this hour.

  Just as he was eating, someone approached him.

  "Excuse me, would you mind if I sit here?"

  Hearing the question, Amane Byakuya looked up and saw a young man about his age.

  The boy had a friendly smile, delicate features that gave off a somewhat androgynous impression, and a beauty mark beneath his left eye.

  Furuta Nimura

  Seeing the boy’s face, Amane Byakuya’s chopsticks paused for a moment. Wasn’t this Furuta Nimura?

  It made sense that Furuta was attending Kamii University at this time. But in such a rge campus, what were the chances of running into him like this?

  Obviously, this wasn’t just a coincidence. Based on Amane Byakuya’s knowledge, Furuta was already monitoring Rize Kamishiro at this point, likely preparing for the construction site steel beam incident.

  Since Furuta was surveilling Rize, he had probably already noticed Amane’s connection with her.

  In the original story, Kaneki Ken secretly admired Rize for a long time but never actually became her boyfriend.

  But Amane Byakuya had confessed to Rize upfront and successfully started dating her. It was only natural that Furuta, after hearing about this, would take action.

  "Of course, I don’t mind."

  Amane Byakuya replied politely to Furuta.

  He was rather curious to see what Furuta was pnning.

  "Thanks~"

  However, Furuta Nimura did nothing unusual—he simply sat across from Amane Byakuya and ate his meal normally.

  Ding! The host had lunch with Furuta Nimura. Reward obtained: 1 Fusion Point!

  Though unexpected, Amane Byakuya still gained something, as he had once again triggered the system’s reward mechanism.

  But it made sense. Whether in Yoshimura Kuzen’s or Furuta Nimura’s eyes, he was just an ordinary human who happened to come into contact with Rize Kamishiro. At most, Furuta would act like a passerby near him, but there was no reason for him to say anything significant.

  ---

  Afternoon.

  Amane Byakuya arrived at Anteiku once again.

  He soon noticed that Rize Kamishiro had arrived even earlier than him.

  However, what surprised him more was the presence of Kaneki Ken sitting not far from her.

  That slender young man with bck student-cut hair, holding a copy of Egg of the Bck Goat, was undoubtedly Kaneki Ken.

  Seeing Kaneki Ken here was not unexpected for Amane Byakuya.

  After all, Kaneki was secretly in love with Rize at this time. Whenever he had free time, he would come to this café just to sneak gnces at her. He probably wasn’t here yesterday because he was busy.

  Amane Byakuya had no intention of greeting Kaneki, who didn’t know him. Instead, he walked straight toward Rize.

  "Sorry for making you wait, Rize-senpai."

  Considering his status as a student and the slight age gap between them, Amane Byakuya felt that calling her "Rize-senpai" was the most appropriate.

  "It’s fine. I just got here too," Rize responded with a gentle smile.

  Hearing their conversation, Kaneki Ken immediately became alert.

  What’s going on? That cute girl seems really familiar with that guy?

  At this point, Kaneki had completely lost focus on his book. He pretended to read but was actually stealing gnces at them the entire time.

  "By the way, Byakuya-kun, do you have any pns for this afternoon?" Rize suddenly asked. "If not, why don’t we go out together? I heard from others that going on dates is one of the best ways for couples to strengthen their retionship."

  "Sounds great. I’d love to go on a date with you, Rize-senpai."

  Amane Byakuya agreed without hesitation.

  Upon hearing this, Kaneki Ken mentally shattered.

  His expression looked as if he had just suffered a devastating blow, unable to accept this reality.

  A date? A couple? That cute girl is already someone else’s girlfriend?!

  Just then, Amane Byakuya’s system activated once again.

  Ding! Mission activated: God-Tier Selection!

  Option 1: Ignore the heartbroken Kaneki Ken. Reward: 1 Fusion Point.

  Option 2: Discuss Takatsuki Sen’s works with Kaneki, ciming to be a fan of hers. Reward: 10 Fusion Points.

  Option 3: Walk up to Kaneki, loudly yell "コラッ (Kora)!", and tell him to keep his eyes to himself and stop staring at your girlfriend. Reward: 20 Fusion Points.