Ryoma Kanzaki closed his book, glancing at the ti.
"It's getting late. I have sothing to take care of, so I'll be heading out. See you, Miss Rize."
Kamishiro Rize offered a sweet yet knowing smile. "Alright, see you next ti."
Ryoma turned and left, but he could still feel her eyes lingering on him as he exited Anteiku.
Rize, on the other hand, stayed behind. With her usual hunting habits put on hold for two weeks, she needed sothing to occupy her ti.
So she kept reading.
Takatsuki Izumi's books were dark, twisted, and deeply personal. She had only read half of The Egg of the Black Goat before, so she took the opportunity to finish it now.
A story of a cold-blooded female serial killer and her only son, who initially despised his mother's ways—only to realize he was beginning to resemble her more and more.
A fictional story, yet one that mirrored reality.
Takatsuki Izumi had woven her own life into the narrative.
The serial killer? Yoshimura Kuzen.
The son? Yoshimura Eto.
Only the genders had been swapped.
"I wonder how Yoshimura would feel if he read this."
Rize smirked at the thought.
---
As the night stretched on, the café finally prepared to close.
Touka Kirishima, now out of her work uniform and back in her school attire, approached Rize.
"Hey. We're closing soon."
Rize looked up, blinking as if she had lost track of ti.
"Oops, sorry. Guess I got too into the book." She smiled.
Touka folded her arms, clearly hesitant about what she was about to say next.
"...You've been acting different lately."
Rize raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm?"
"You've been sitting here reading instead of hunting. And that guy—your so-called 'boyfriend'—he's still alive."
Touka's voice carried a sharp edge.
It was unnatural for a predator like Rize Kamishiro to let her prey live.
Rize tilted her head.
"Can't a girl fall for soone?"
Touka's eyes widened.
"...You actually like him?"
Rize's lips curled mischievously.
"Of course not~"
Touka scowled, realizing she'd been played.
"Ugh. Whatever."
Rize chuckled and rose from her seat. "Well, thanks for the hospitality, Miss Kirishima."
With that, she left, a pleased hum escaping her lips as she walked.
"Only two more weeks. Then, Kanzaki-kun, I'll finally get to taste you again."
---
Earlier that day...
After leaving Anteiku, Ryoma made his way straight to the CCG's Ward 20 Branch.
Tokyo was divided into 24 wards, but only 23 had a CCG presence.
The main headquarters resided in Ward 1, while Wards 2 through 23 housed branch offices.
Ward 24?
That was a different story.
A lawless, underground maze, inhabited solely by ghouls. Even the CCG rarely ventured there.
But today, Ryoma had only one destination—the Ward 20 Branch.
As soon as he entered the main hall, he walked directly toward the RC Scanning Gate.
---
The RC Scanning Gate was the first layer of security in any CCG facility.
A simple yet effective tool—it asured RC cell levels to distinguish between humans and ghouls.
Humans had RC cell counts between 200–500.
Ghouls had at least 1,000, with stronger ones reaching the tens of thousands.
Even a half-ghoul like Kaneki Ken—post-surgery—had a staggering increase in RC count.
But Ryoma Kanzaki?
He wasn't a ghoul. He wasn't even a half-ghoul.
And yet, he had the power of Uchiha Madara fused within him.
"Let's see how the scanner reacts to ."
As he stepped forward—
"Hey! You can't just walk in like that!"
A staff mber imdiately approached him, stopping him before he could proceed.
"This isn't a police station, kid. This is the Ghoul Counterasures Bureau. Unauthorized civilians aren't allowed in."
The man wasn't hostile, but he wasn't welcoming either.
Ryoma turned to face him, his expression calm.
"I know exactly where I am. That's why I'm here. I want to beco an Investigator."
The staffer's eyes widened.
"You? An Investigator?"
He looked Ryoma up and down.
"You're just a student. Go ho and focus on your studies. This isn't a job for people who want to play hero."
It was a fair warning.
The casualty rate among CCG Investigators was terrifyingly high.
They weren't dealing with normal criminals—they were facing monsters in human skin.
Even the strongest Investigators often t grueso ends.
Anyone with a conscience wouldn't recomnd this job to a young student.
But Ryoma's expression didn't change.
"I appreciate the concern, but my mind's made up."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
The staffer sighed.
"...Fine. If you're serious, head over to recruitnt and fill out an application. But don't expect an easy path."
Ryoma nodded and stepped forward.
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