"You saved ?"
Rize Kamishiro's voice was skeptical, laced with suspicion.
Even though Ryoma had told her to calm down, her instincts were still on high alert. The deadly Rinkaku tendrils erging from her back were coiled and ready to strike at any mont.
"Yes," Ryoma said simply. "I heard a loud crash, ca back, and found you buried under steel beams. I pulled you out and brought you here."
His tone was calm, as if he were discussing sothing trivial.
"And before you ask—no, I had nothing to do with it. Soone else did it."
Rize's eyes narrowed.
"Do you really expect to believe that?"
The suspicion in her gaze deepened. Though she had retracted her Kagune slightly, she remained tense, ready to attack at the slightest hint of deception.
Ryoma sighed.
"Think about it logically," he said. "If I had set you up, why would I bring you back to my own place? Why wouldn't I just leave you there to be found by whoever did it?"
He leaned back slightly, making no effort to appear threatening.
"In fact, if you want to leave right now, I won't stop you." He gestured toward the door. "But if you step outside without thinking this through, you might not live long enough to regret it."
A tense silence followed.
Rize's mind raced.
Everything he said made sense.
She wasn't naive—far from it.
The steel beam incident was clearly no accident.
And now, Ryoma was claiming it had been deliberate.
Her eyes sharpened.
"You said soone else did it," she said slowly. "So do you know who?"
Ryoma hesitated, then shook his head.
"I don't know their na," he lied smoothly. "But I saw them standing on top of the construction site. They wore a clown mask. I think they were the one who pushed the beams onto you."
A flicker of recognition crossed Rize's face.
"Joker...?" she muttered.
She had heard of the underground group known as Joker, but she had never interacted with them before. Why would they target her?
Sothing didn't add up.
And yet...
It wasn't impossible.
Could it really have been them?
Or was Ryoma lying?
Either way, she needed to be more cautious.
After a mont, Rize's piercing gaze softened ever so slightly. Her Rinkaku Kagune retracted, vanishing back into her body.
She was willing to listen.
For now.
Her violet eyes studied Ryoma carefully.
"...Why did you save ?" she asked.
Her voice was quiet, almost unreadable.
"You know I was planning to kill you."
Her words carried a weight that most people would have flinched at.
But Ryoma simply shrugged.
"Well... you were my first love," he said lightly. "And besides, you didn't actually eat in the end, did you? So I figured, why hold a grudge?"
Rize blinked.
Then—
She laughed.
A sharp, amused, almost mocking laugh.
"First love?" she repeated, shaking her head. "Don't tell you actually believed our little 'relationship' was real."
The sheer absurdity of it seed to amuse her.
Ryoma chuckled.
"Of course not," he admitted. "But it felt real at tis. And hey, before I t you, I'd never dated anyone before."
He gave her a lopsided smirk.
"At the very least, you made it an interesting experience."
Rize rolled her eyes.
"That's disgusting," she muttered.
Still—
Her amusent lingered.
"But you're a strange one," Rize said, crossing her arms.
Her gaze flicked to his shoulder—the spot where she had bitten him.
"You're not human, are you?"
Ryoma tilted his head.
"What makes you say that?"
"I rember biting off a huge chunk of your flesh," Rize said, eyes narrowing. "If you were a normal human, you wouldn't have recovered so fast."
Ryoma simply shrugged.
"Maybe I just have a good physique," he said nonchalantly. "But I'm definitely human. You ate part of , didn't you? If I were a ghoul, I wouldn't have tasted that good, right?"
Rize paused.
She had to admit—he was right.
Ghouls had a distinctive, disgusting taste.
But Ryoma...
"Yeah," she murmured. "You tasted amazing."
Her fingers twitched slightly as she recalled the flavor of his flesh.
Compared to every other human she had ever eaten, Ryoma's body had been on an entirely different level.
So rich. So satisfying.
She licked her lips.
"Hey, since your body regenerates," she said, flashing him a playful smile, "can I have another bite?"
Ryoma deadpanned.
"No."
Rize pouted.
"Why not?"
"Because it hurts," Ryoma said flatly. "I'm not a damn buffet."
"...Tch."
Rize clicked her tongue in annoyance.
She didn't push the matter further—she knew he wasn't soone she could force.
But still, the temptation lingered in the back of her mind.
Soday...
If she got the chance...
She would have another taste.
---
Rize's body had mostly healed.
She stretched slightly, testing her movents.
"Alright," she said, "I'll be going now."
Ryoma didn't stop her.
He simply nodded.
But just as Rize reached the door, she hesitated.
Then—
She turned around and glanced back at him.
"Aren't you coming with ?" she asked.
Her voice was casual.
But there was sothing in her tone—sothing unreadable.
Ryoma raised an eyebrow.
"You want to walk you ho?"
Rize tilted her head slightly.
"More like," she said slowly, "I want you to co ho with ."
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