Touka sips the terrible decaf coffee Hide brewed just for her. “Man, I always heard about people hating their in laws but this just takes the cake, you know?”
“You can eat cake?” Saiko asks.
“In laws? You mean, you really are married?” Takizawa laughs. “Holy shit!”
“Does that make you my mother?” gasps Higemaru. “Because I am down with that. She’s a badass.”
“I hate her! I hate her! She’s not our mother!” cries Mutsuki. “She – she stole Sensei away! That slut!”
Ayato rises, but Hinami yanks him back.
“Touka is actually pretty cool for the rabbit who killed my dad,” Akira says, tossing her a wry smile. Akira keeps her hands massaging Mutsuki’s shoulders.
Aura spits out his coffee. “She what?”
“Say it, don’t spray it,” says Nishiki with a glare.
“Oh come off it, we’re all killers here.” Kurona primly lifts her mug.
“Mutsuki, Kaneki left you because he couldn’t face himself,” Tsukiyama says quietly. “He’s never been good at that. Not that I have either. He craves a family but fears the hurt that comes with love. It was his failing, not yours. Not Touka’s.” He smiles slightly. “He told me the list of people he cared about once. Believe me, you Quinx were included.”
Mutsuki sniffles. “Really?”
But I am awful. I kill families. But Akira is rubbing his back, and Urie has approached him, and Saiko looks at him with kindness he doesn’t deserve. Did he leave the Quinx home, too?
“Really.” Tsukiyama nods.
Mutsuki lets out a little sob, and that does it. Saiko springs up and embraces him. Even Touka has to smile.
“Wait, wait, wait!” Ayato stands up. “Touka! Does that mean you really are – the rumors – the decaf -”
He turns purple. “I CAN’T HELP HIM!”
“Sit down and shut up,” Yomo mumbles.
Ayato sits.









