At a crossroads, Byakuya and Rize stopped.
Their homes lay in different directions.
"Thank you so much for today, Byakuya-kun."
Rize smiled.
"Um... my place is near Takada Building. You know about those murders there recently?..."
Her voice trembled with fear. Her expression turned uneasy.
"The killings? I heard it was a ghoul."
Byakuya responded while thinking: Here it comes.
"Yes... I've been so worried. I can barely sleep at night. Going home alone this late is terrifying..."
She was shaking slightly, face pale.
The implication couldn't be clearer. This was practically explicit.
Byakuya had planned to refuse.
What came next would obviously be Rize revealing her true form and trying to eat him. He wasn't ready for direct confrontation yet.
The CCG rated her as S-class. At his current level, facing an S-rated ghoul would be difficult.
Then the System interrupted his thoughts.
[Ding! Host has activated a quest. Initiating Divine Selection!]
[Option 1: Refuse Rize Kamishiro's request. Reward: 1 Fusion Point!]
[Option 2: Expose Rize Kamishiro's true nature right now and mock her terrible acting. Reward: 10 Fusion Points!]
[Option 3: Walk Rize Kamishiro home. When she attacks, let her eat your flesh. Reward: 100 Fusion Points!]
Byakuya paused, considering the options.
Then he changed his mind entirely.
"Then let me walk you home, Rize-san. If anything dangerous happens, I can protect you."
The System's offer was too good. 100 Fusion Points, and the requirement wasn't even that demanding.
Just let Rize take a bite. Endure some pain and it would be over.
He had Hashirama Cells. His regeneration was superhuman—whatever flesh Rize ate would grow back.
And he was confident he could escape afterward. The Body Flicker Technique was perfect for situations like this.
"Wonderful! Having Byakuya-kun with me makes me feel so much safer."
Rize beamed.
As they walked, Byakuya spent all his accumulated points as a precaution.
[Ding! Host has used 87 Fusion Points. Fusion Progress +87. Current Fusion Progress: Lv1 (87/100)!]
He also wanted to see if progress changes brought immediate power increases.
Advancing from Lv1 to Lv2 would obviously cause a major leap, but incremental progress within the same level? Unclear.
The answer came instantly: his physical abilities and overall strength noticeably improved. Changes were real-time, not just at level-ups.
This gave him even more confidence against Rize.
...
Walking through the nighttime streets, Byakuya and Rize chatted casually. Her earlier fearfulness had vanished.
They feared no ghoul attacks. Every ghoul in Ward 20 knew Rize—none would be stupid enough to interfere with her or her marked prey.
"Byakuya-kun... I really do love being with you. Tonight..."
Suddenly Rize pressed against his chest, her cheeks flushing with shyness. "...please don't go?"
But a subtle detail: her hands rested on his chest, keeping their bodies from pressing too close.
"O-okay..."
Byakuya feigned nervous excitement while keeping his expression carefully controlled. He knew exactly what was coming.
His arms wrapped around her—one at her waist, one at her shoulder—ensuring she couldn't reach anything vital.
"I like you so much that I want to..."
Before she finished, Rize's teeth sank into his shoulder. Her eyes flashed crimson—kakugan activated. "...EAT you!"
Searing pain shot through Byakuya. He gritted his teeth and endured.
Rize didn't just bite—she tore away a chunk of flesh.
Then she shoved him back. He deliberately stumbled and fell.
If one bite wasn't enough for the System, he'd let her have another. Until then, he'd keep playing the naive victim.
[Ding! Host has completed Option 3. Reward: 100 Fusion Points!]
One bite was sufficient.
The moment the points registered, Byakuya used them immediately.
[Ding! Host has used 100 Fusion Points. Fusion Progress +100. Current Fusion Progress: Lv2 (87/500)!]
[New Abilities (including upgrades): Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Hashirama Cells Lv2, Taijutsu Lv2, B-rank Ninjutsu "Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation," B-rank Ninjutsu "Fire Style: Great Fire Destruction," B-rank Ninjutsu "Fire Style: Hiding in Ash Technique"]
His Sharingan had evolved to three tomoe. Taijutsu and Hashirama Cells had both leveled up. New jutsu were now available.
"Oh my? This taste..."
As Rize swallowed the flesh from Byakuya's shoulder, her eyes widened in shock.
It was exquisite.
More delicious than any human she'd ever eaten—by a significant margin.
Likely due to Byakuya's exceptional physical condition and the Hashirama Cells, his flesh had become the ultimate delicacy for ghouls.
"Ahh~"
Pleasure flushed across Rize's face. She licked the blood from her lips, her gaze fixed on Byakuya with obsessive hunger.