Chapter 79

In the woods beyond the Aogiri base, the Anteiku group reunites with Kazuichi Banjou and his companions. Touka Kirishima worries aloud that Kaneki's changed hair will draw stares when he returns to the cafe, but he cuts in to say he will not be coming back. There are things he has to prepare for, he explains, and time is short.

Banjou pledges to serve as Kaneki's shield, and as Kaneki accepts, Shuu Tsukiyama sweeps in offering to be his sword and knight, clearing every obstacle from his path. Kaneki takes him on with a warning that any needless move will cost Tsukiyama his life, a threat that only stirs the Gourmet's hunger.

Touka begs to come along, but Kaneki tells her to focus on her entrance exams and reach university, and he likewise turns Nishiki Nishio away. He softens the refusal by promising to stop by Anteiku for coffee and to admire her rabbit latte art, vowing to see her again before she and Nishiki head back. From the trees, Yoshimura, Hinami Fueguchi, and Kaya Irimi look on; Irimi frets over their leader's wounds, but Yoshimura wants only to clear the forest.

Gazing at the sky, Kaneki turns Amon's words over in his mind, that everything in existence is part of what rots the world. Later, Touka lies in bed clutching Hikari and Arata Kirishima's wedding ring, mulling her parents' promise never to abandon her, and curses Kaneki for leaving.

New Light (新光, Shinkō) is the seventy-ninth chapter and the final entry of volume eight. It severs Kaneki from Anteiku and gathers his new allies, chiefly Banjou and Tsukiyama, while leaving Touka bitter over his departure. Banjou's followers Ichimi, Jiro, Sante, and Usu appear during the reunion.