"Kaneki, where are you heading next?" Hide asked.
"I want to check out the bookstore," Kaneki replied. "I heard Takatsuki Sen-sensei might be doing a signing event soon. I want to see if there's any announcement about the date."
"Then go ahead to the bookstore. I still have some documents to deliver."
"See you later, Kaneki!"
With that, Hide pedaled his bicycle and quickly disappeared into the flow of people.
Watching Hide vanish into the crowd, Kaneki turned and headed in the opposite direction.
Between rows of tall buildings lay a narrow, shadowy alley. Kaneki walked through it with Takatsuki Sen's novel clutched tightly to his chest, his eyes filled with longing.
I wonder if there'll be an announcement today about Takatsuki Sen-sensei's signing event. That's Takatsuki Sen, after all…
Just imagining the chance to one day see his favorite novelist in person filled Kaneki with excitement.
At that moment, strange noises echoed from around the corner of the alley.
"What was that sound?" Kaneki murmured, curiosity surfacing.
He took a few quick steps and rounded the corner
and the scene before him nearly stopped his heart.
"Thump!"
Kaneki staggered back and collapsed onto the ground. The novel he treasured like his own life slipped from his grasp without him even noticing.
Not far ahead, a ghoul was crouched over the corpse of a man, devouring it with savage abandon.
The blood-soaked scene assaulted Kaneki's senses. He had never witnessed anything so horrifying in his life.
"A… a ghoul?" Terror surged through him in waves, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
Though he had never encountered one before, he followed the news closely and knew the basic traits of these creatures, especially those crimson kakugan that seemed to pierce straight into the soul.
"Hm?"
Hearing the noise, the ghoul abruptly lifted its head and looked over.
"A human?"
The ghoul froze for a brief moment, then burst into manic laughter.
"Hahahaha! What luck! To think prey would walk right up to me while I'm eating!"
"Human die! Let me eat you!"
With a feral roar, the ghoul lunged toward Kaneki, who was still sitting on the ground.
"This can't be real, no, no, no!"
Kaneki clenched his teeth, scrambling to his feet and bolting back the way he came.
"You can't escape," the ghoul's voice hissed behind him like a devil's whisper.
"Let me enjoy devouring you."
Bang!
A tremendous force slammed into Kaneki, sending him flying before he crashed to the ground four or five meters away.
Every bone in his body screamed in pain; there wasn't a single spot that didn't hurt.
"Tsk. Humans really are such weak creatures," the ghoul sneered.
"I didn't even use any strength, and you're already down. Now then be good and let me eat you."
Drool spilled from the ghoul's mouth as it approached, its eyes gleaming like a feral beast that had cornered its prey.
"I'm going to die… I'm really going to die…"
Kaneki finally understood what true despair felt like.
He remembered how Hide had warned him more than once to avoid secluded alleys but he had never listened. Now, he was about to become ghoul food.
"That look of despair and fear on your face… it's so satisfying," the ghoul said gleefully.
It stretched out its long tongue and licked its lips with a wet slurp.
"Time to eat!"
As the ghoul's gaping mouth drew closer and closer, Kaneki shut his eyes in terror.
Yet time passed and the agony of being torn apart never came.
Confused, Kaneki slowly opened his eyes
and was stunned speechless.
A powerful hand had seized the ghoul by the throat, lifting it high into the air.
The monster that had seemed so terrifying, so utterly invincible, now struggled helplessly in that person's grasp like a kitten.
"It's not that humans are weak," a cold voice said.
"It's just that you only dare prey on the weakest among them."
"If you ran into a CCG investigator, you'd probably be so scared you'd piss yourself."
Fushimi Kyo spoke calmly.
After leaving the café, he had continued patrolling the nearby streets, hoping to find a ghoul to satisfy his hunger. He hadn't expected to stumble upon this scene.
"Ghk ghk !"
Pure terror filled the ghoul's face.
The man before him was horrifying. No matter how much strength he used, it was like an ant trying to shake a tree he couldn't break free at all.
Desperation flared in the ghoul's eyes.
With a sharp rip, a koukaku burst from his shoulder, forming a thick, pointed spike that stabbed straight toward Kyo's back.
"Ah watch out!" Kaneki shouted, having seen the ghoul's sneaky move.
"Heh. A mantis trying to stop a chariot."
When the kagune was less than three inches from his body, Kyo's left hand snapped shut, gripping the koukaku firmly.
With a violent yank
"Aaaargh!"
The ghoul screamed as the koukaku was ripped out at the root.
Kyo slammed the ghoul into the ground like a piece of trash, then took the still-undissipated kagune and drove it straight into the ghoul's back, piercing its vital point.
Splrch!
A massive hole opened in the ghoul's body, the light in its eyes fading rapidly.
After dealing with the insignificant opponent, Kyo turned to Kaneki.
"What are you still standing around for? Get out of here."
Kaneki was completely shaken by Kyo's ruthless efficiency, staring at him in a daze.
Hearing those words, he finally snapped back to reality and scrambled to his feet.
"I I'll go right now!"
He ran a few steps, then seemed to remember something and hurried back, flustered, to pick up the Takatsuki Sen novel that had fallen to the ground.
He bowed deeply to Kyo.
"Th-thank you… thank you for saving me!"
Then he sprinted out of the alley.
"Such a clumsy little guy," Kyo muttered.
Watching Kaneki disappear, Kyo looked down at the ghoul's corpse, frowning slightly.
"Too weak. The kakuhou's scent is barely noticeable."
"Not tasty but a waste to throw away."
After hesitating for a moment, he formed his hand into claws and tore off a chunk of flesh from the ghoul's shoulder, the kakuhou.
"A fly is still meat, no matter how small. I'll make do."
With that, he brought the flesh to his mouth.
"Ding. Devoured B-rank ghoul kakuhou. Evolution Points +2."
"Ding. Devoured B-rank ghoul kakuhou. Evolution Points +1."
"Ding…"
By the time he finished the entire kakuhou, it had only granted him 10 Evolution Points.
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