Rize Kamishiro's expression was unusually natural this ti.
There was no need to keep up her delicate and demure act—not anymore. Ryoma had already seen her true face, and she saw no point in pretending any longer. Instead, a faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips, though it lacked the warmth she used to feign.
The attack that nearly cost her freedom still lingered in her mind.
Whoever had planned it had nearly succeeded.
If Ryoma hadn't taken her away in ti, she might never have been free again.
Rize strongly suspected that the Washuu family had finally tracked her down. She had spent years on the run, avoiding their grasp, but perhaps her ti had finally run out.
Of course, she only had part of the story right.
In reality, this wasn't the Washuu family's doing.
It was Furuta Nimura.
The one person she least expected.
And had things gone the way they were supposed to, Rize Kamishiro would have been nothing more than an experint—just another plaything for Kano Akihiro's research.
The thought made her stomach twist.
Her body was still in a weakened state. Regeneration consud a trendous amount of RC cells, and since ghouls couldn't naturally replenish them, she would remain like this until she could feed.
Unless, of course...
She took another bite out of Kanzaki Ryoma.
The temptation was there, lurking in the back of her mind.
"I want you to walk ho," Rize finally said.
Her voice was casual, but there was an underlying tension in her words.
Ryoma raised an eyebrow.
"Only if you promise not to take a bite out of along the way."
Rize laughed lightly.
"Not this ti."
Ryoma didn't find that very reassuring.
---
Walking through the dimly lit streets, the two of them no longer played their little ga of deception.
Neither of them bothered with pretenses.
They knew what the other was.
There was an odd sort of understanding between them—twisted as it was.
Ryoma remained alert, carefully scanning their surroundings. If Furuta was truly behind the attack, then there was no telling what else he had planned. But as far as he could tell, they weren't being followed.
That was good.
For now.
It was Rize who broke the silence first.
"Did you know I was a ghoul from the very beginning?" she asked, her tone laced with curiosity.
The way Ryoma had reacted to her attack—it wasn't the reaction of a clueless human.
"Not exactly," Ryoma replied. "At first, I really did fall for you at first sight. But after spending ti with you, I started noticing things that didn't add up."
It was a lie—partially.
He had always liked Rize Kamishiro, but that was from a perspective beyond this world.
Still, the lie was a convenient one.
Rize considered his answer before nodding slightly.
"I see. I guess I underestimated you," she admitted. "First, I underestimated how observant you were... then, I underestimated how strong you were."
She tilted her head, violet eyes narrowing slightly.
"Do you still like now?"
The question was blunt—cold, even.
Rize made no attempt to soften her words.
"And don't bother lying. I never had feelings for you to begin with."
Ryoma chuckled.
"It doesn't matter," he said simply. "I like you, and that won't change. Otherwise, I wouldn't have saved you."
Rize blinked.
She wasn't expecting that.
"But," Ryoma continued, "our little couple's ga is over. From here on, I won't be bothering you anymore."
His voice was calm—completely detached.
Even though Rize had made it clear she never cared about him, it didn't affect him in the slightest.
After all, their so-called 'relationship' had been fake from the very beginning.
So what was there to be upset about?
"Is that so?"
Rize's voice was unreadable.
She didn't seem bothered by his words, nor did she appear relieved.
Finally, they reached her ho.
"This is it," she said, stopping in front of the door.
Ryoma nodded.
"Alright, then. I'll be heading back."
Just as he turned to leave, Rize suddenly spoke again.
"Aren't you forgetting sothing?"
Ryoma glanced back.
Rize's right index finger lightly pressed against her lips, her eyes glimring with playful amusent.
"A goodbye kiss," she teased.
Ryoma deadpanned.
"You're trying to eat my tongue, aren't you?"
Rize giggled.
"Oh my, you figured it out~"
She leaned in slightly.
"But you're wrong about one thing," she purred. "I wasn't just going to eat your tongue—I was going to eat your lips too."
Her smile was sweet—far too sweet.
But the words that left her mouth were anything but.
"...Yeah, no thanks," Ryoma muttered.
With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.
Rize watched him go, standing at her doorstep for a long mont.
Then, with a small sigh, she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
---
The next day, after his morning classes, Ryoma found himself back at Anteiku.
At this point, it was more of a habit than anything else.
He liked the quiet atmosphere. It was a good place to read.
What he wasn't expecting, however, was to see Rize Kamishiro sitting there.
She was lounging comfortably in a seat, sipping her coffee like she belonged there.
Ryoma raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't expect to see you here," he remarked as he approached.
Rize glanced up at him, smiling as if last night had never happened.
"Why not?" she mused. "I do co here often, you know."
Her violet eyes glead mischievously.
"Or did you think I only ca here to seduce prey?"
Ryoma didn't answer.
He had assud that, but now that he thought about it, it made sense that she had other reasons for visiting.
After all, Anteiku's coffee was unique.
Unlike normal coffee, which ghouls found repulsive, the coffee here contained a special ingredient—concentrated human flesh particles.
For ghouls, it was a rare delicacy.
Of course, humans weren't served the sa coffee. Yoshimura had a habit of making sure human custors received the normal stuff.
Ryoma took a seat across from her.
As he did, he caught a subtle movent from the front desk.
Touka Kirishima had been wiping down a table when she froze.
Her eyes locked onto him, her expression unreadable.
For a brief mont, she looked... shocked.
Confused.
Almost suspicious.
Her gaze flickered toward Rize Kamishiro.
Then, back to him.
It was clear what she was thinking.
Why was this human still alive?
From Touka's perspective, Rize had obviously intended to kill him last night.
So why was he sitting here, completely unhard?
It didn't make sense.
Either...
Rize Kamishiro had shown rcy.
Or—
Sothing else was going on.
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