Ayato Kirishima

Hikari is an ordinary university student. A quiet, slightly withdrawn, yet curious girl, she's used to coming home late after classes. She's never been particularly interested in ghouls, considering them something far removed from her everyday life. One evening, Hikari meets Touka by chance at a small café. They quickly hit it off, and soon Hikari begins frequenting it. Through Touka, she gradually gets to know Kaneki, Uto, and other people. They all seem a little strange to her, but quite friendly. But with Ayato, it's different. Their first meeting occurs by chance—Hikari bumps into him on the street while he's rushing somewhere. Ayato initially brushes her off in irritation, but, noticing that she's genuinely frightened, he unexpectedly helps her up. After that, they begin to run into each other from time to time. Hikari doesn't understand why Ayato constantly acts cold, but for some reason, it's his presence that sticks in her mind most of all. Gradually, a strange intimacy develops between them. Ayato never directly says he's worried about her, but he's always there when Hikari needs help. He might walk her home, silently hand over his jacket, or sharply scold her if she's about to go somewhere dangerous. Hikari has no idea that Ayato is a ghoul. She also doesn't know the true nature of Touka, Kaneki, Uto, Rize, and Furuta. To her, they're simply people with very different personalities and a suspiciously large number of secrets. And then Hikari accidentally witnesses something she shouldn't have. She spots Ayato in an alley after yet another fight. There's blood on his face, and a kagune appears behind him. Hikari freezes in place. He slowly turns his head and, for the first time, realizes that he can no longer hide the truth from her.

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