Touka approaches like a cautious kitten toward the dead parasite ghoul.
She keeps her kagune active and ready to attack in case there's any unpleasant surprise. However I notice that this time her wings are no longer crystallized into those hard, sharp structures. Instead they move like dancing flames, although I know they're actually liquid and can change shape when she wants.
So she crystallizes them to fight at a distance, and softens them to fight at close range?
As I watch her approach, I think about my own objective here.
'I should consume this parasite ghoul's Kakuhou.'
I wonder what type of kagune I'll get once I eat enough Kakuhou.
'Will it be a Koukaku like this ghoul had, or a wing like Touka's? Or will my weird body process it differently?'
I also approach walking toward the corpse.
Upon arriving next to Touka, I see how she furrows her gaze while observing the dry and withered head of the monster. The brown mass that was once tentacles and blades now looks like a dead and rotten flower stuck to the ghoul's shoulders.
"It's disgusting and terrifying."
She says with a disgusted voice.
I laugh at her reaction.
"Hehehe! Ghouls themselves are terrifying. Or at least for normal humans."
I remember that even when I first met ghouls, I never felt real fear of them, but for humans, the existences known as Ghouls, and later they would know of the existence of Parasites, are no different from a demon.
Touka stays silent for several seconds looking at the corpse, then speaks again.
"It's true we ghouls scare humans. But what I specifically mean is that these parasites seem terrifying... Mm... How do I put it? Well, because even a ghoul doesn't escape from them. We're considered predators of humans since we've been existing for centuries among humanity, but these parasites can turn us into their prey. When did they appear? It shouldn't have been long ago, since their existence wasn't known."
She pauses before turning her head toward me while her eyes with black sclera and red irises study me intensely.
"Are there many of them out there? How much do you know exactly about these parasites? You seemed quite familiar with them from what you said before. Ah, and don't forget about your fingers that transformed into blades. Now that I think about it, they looked like the blades this ghoul had on its tentacles. Hmmm...."
I spoke too confidently before, immediately identifying that the ghoul had been parasitized. Anyone would wonder how I knew. Besides, I didn't try to hide the fact that I can transform my fingers into Knife Fingers.
"Well, questions and suspicions for later. It's time to get out of here. Some people are heading this way right now."
Through my Ghoul Vision I can see they're normal humans since they're only red silhouettes without that purple object on their backs. But it would still be problematic if they saw us at this scene. Two hooded figures next to the destroyed corpse of what appears to be a man. It's possible they're even police responding to the noise we made. Or maybe some of those men dressed in black from the CCG I saw patrolling earlier.
Touka nods without questioning my warning. It seems she now understands and trusts that I really can detect when someone approaches.
"Let's go back to my house."
She says while deactivating her kagune. The shining wings disappear into her back and her eyes turn blue.
"There we can talk more calmly and you'll explain everything you know."
"Fine, but first..."
Saying that, I crouch down and grab the dead parasite ghoul by the arm and lift him over my shoulders. His skin is cold and rigid.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Touka exclaims with surprise and confusion in her voice.
"It's for research, of course. Besides I need to eat it."
"Eat it...? Wait, are you a..."
I can feel her emotional frequency that's transmitting disbelief mixed with horror.
I laugh feeling her such strong reaction.
Then I jump toward the nearest roof with the parasite ghoul's body firmly held on my shoulder. Touka follows me quickly just as a group of people turns the corner of the alley where we were barely seconds ago.
From above I deactivate my Ghoul Vision. The world recovers its normal colors and I can see they're uniformed police patrolling the area. They carry bright flashlights in their hands and radios on their belts.
"Loud noises were reported coming from this area."
I hear one of them say while illuminating the alley with their flashlights.
"Check everything carefully."
Well, we were quite noisy while fighting. It's very possible that several neighbors heard us and called the police reporting disturbances.
Touka and I start running across the rooftops in the direction of her house. The extra weight of the dead parasite ghoul on my shoulder doesn't bother me at all or slow my movements. In fact I barely notice it.
After making sure no one is following us, neither police nor CCG investigators nor curious onlookers, we finally arrive at Touka's house.
We land in her front yard and walk toward the main door. Touka opens it with her key and just when I'm about to enter behind her with the corpse still on my shoulder...
She puts a hand on my chest stopping me.
"Leave that disgusting thing outside."
She says with an extremely cold voice.
"Eh? But if we leave it outside it's possible others will find it, right?"
Although Touka's house is surrounded by high solid concrete walls that provide quite a bit of privacy and security, it's possible the corpse's smell could still escape with the wind. And that smell could attract other hungry ghouls from the area. Or some curious person passing by here and investigating.
"Tsk..."
Touka clicks her tongue with irritation.
She exits her house again after closing the door.
"Follow me."
We walk through the side yard bordering the main house. In the back part of the property there's a small separate building that appears to be a warehouse or storage room. It doesn't seem to have been used in a long time. The windows are covered in dust and there are cobwebs in the corners.
Touka opens the warehouse door.
"Put it there."
She says pointing toward the farthest corner of the small room.
I enter and drop the parasite ghoul's body in the corner she pointed at.
Touka takes off her black mask and lowers her hood revealing her face. Her expression is serious while looking at me.
"Now explain everything you know about those parasites. And also about that thing about you needing to eat this monster. Are you perhaps a ghoul who has practiced cannibalism?"
Cannibalism among ghouls is apparently something serious. Something taboo perhaps.
I also take off my mask and hood while thinking about how to explain all this without revealing too much about my true nature.