Tsukiyama Shuu's breath came in short, panicked gasps. His neck was caught in Rize's crushing grip, his arms and legs impaled by her kagune, leaving him completely immobilized. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break her hold.
He tried to force a counterattack with his kagune, but Rize slipped out of range with impossible precision, leaning back at an angle that should have been unnatural. Before he could recover, she yanked the kagune from his legs and redirected them—one piercing clean through his abdomen, the other intercepting his attacking kagune in mid-air.
Her kagune writhed inside him, and the sudden jolt of agony tore a scream from his throat.
She let him suffer.
Only after a long stretch of deliberate torment did Rize stop. She released him without a word and watched him drop to the alley floor like a discarded doll. His body lay limp and unmoving.
She stepped forward and dropped the blood-stained handkerchief onto his chest.
Then she walked away.
The echo of her boots faded down the alley, her presence vanishing into silence.
After a few moments, Tsukiyama opened one eye.
He'd been playing dead.
His fingers trembled as he reached for the handkerchief. Clutching it to his face, he flipped onto his back and began to laugh—soft at first, then louder.
"Hahaha… that really hurt…"
Coughing blood as he laughed, his body twisted in pain, but his eyes gleamed with obsession.
It hadn't been fatal. He would heal. That was enough.
With a crazed grin, he pressed the cloth to his face, inhaling the lingering scent with manic delight.
It was worth it.
...
Rize returned to Anteiku dressed differently. She had discarded the bloodied clothes and now wore a plaid dress with a white coat. No glasses. Her long legs were bare, smooth and unhidden.
Ryoma saw her walk in and immediately knew what had happened.
"How's that guy?" he asked.
"Still breathing," Rize replied coolly.
Ryoma nodded. That was all he needed to hear.
After a few minutes, Hinami approached holding her sketchbook.
"Big brother… when can I see my father again?"
She looked up with wide, hopeful eyes.
Ryoma glanced down at the notebook. Inside, drawings of her family were scribbled with shaky lines and gentle colors.
"It should be safe now," Ryoma said gently. "Gecko's dead. And Dr. Fueguchi's only enemy was him. The others won't come after him anymore."
Hinami lit up immediately. "Really? Thank you!"
Ryoko stood nearby and listened. After everything that had happened, she trusted Ryoma fully.
"If you could take her to see him, that would mean everything," Ryoko said. "I'll stay behind to help with the café."
Ryoma nodded. "I'll bring her back safely."
"I'll head back too," Rize said, standing up.
"Don't forget the key," Ryoma reminded her.
"I never do."
Touka, clearing cups at a nearby table, heard the exchange and frowned slightly. Something about it sounded strange, but she couldn't place it. Not yet.
She now knew the truth about both of them. It was hard to process. A ghoul and an investigator, living together. It didn't make sense.
...
Ryoma took Hinami to the 19th Ward. The air was lighter here, and their conversation on the way was full of laughter.
"Even though you're an investigator, you feel different from the others," Hinami said.
"I know what you mean," Ryoma replied. "You and your mother aren't bad people. I'm not here to follow rules blindly."
"You're a good person," Hinami said, smiling as she grabbed his hand.
Ryoma glanced at her. She looked so innocent, so sincere. There wasn't a hint of fear in her eyes.
He took her to Dr. Fueguchi's old clinic. The door was shut, the lights off. Dust had settled on the windows.
"He's probably been hiding since that incident," Ryoma said.
"Wait, I think I have his number!"
Hinami flipped through her sketchbook. The pages were filled with scribbles and cartoonish drawings, rough but charming.
"These are good," Ryoma said as she turned the pages.
"Thanks!" Hinami beamed.
Eventually, she found the page. A string of numbers was written across it in pencil.
Ryoma pulled out his phone and dialed.
After a few rings, someone answered.
"Hello?"
"Dr. Fueguchi?"
"Yes. Who is this… wait, that voice… you're the investigator?"
"That's right. Your daughter missed you. I brought her to see you."
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T/N: Sigh… some people really are out here being spiteful cowards.
They don't even have the guts to speak from their main account — just hiding behind alts, throwing threats about reporting this story and even my Patreon.
Like damn, did I accidentally sleep with your wife or something?
Because I'm seeing tens of thousands of translated fics on WN, and somehow I'm the one you're targeting?