Chapter 23: A Taste of Obsession
If Kanzaki Ryoma hadn't already understood Rize Kamishiro's true nature, her words would have been easy to misinterpret.
When she said, "You belong to ," she didn't an it in a romantic way.
She ant as food.
She wanted to be the only one who could devour him.
And yet—he hadn't even done anything. All he did was fire so rounds with Q-Bullets during training.
If he ever activated a Quinque, the scent of ghoul essence on him would only get stronger.
"Did you hear ?"
Rize suddenly poked his cheek with her finger, her voice carrying a playful yet dangerous undertone.
Ryoma sighed. "Yeah, I heard you."
"Good." Rize grinned. "Then don't let yourself get bitten by any other ghouls."
Ryoma shook his head. "That's not really up to , is it?"
"Aren't you strong?" Rize tilted her head. "Just make sure they don't get the chance."
She leaned in, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper. "Only I can taste you."
"...You're getting a little possessive," Ryoma muttered.
Rize ignored his complaint.
"Speaking of which," she mused, "I feel like having a little taste today."
Ryoma tensed slightly. Not again.
"Nope. Not happening. I already let you get away with that once before."
He still rembered the feeling of her lips on his earlobe.
Rize chuckled. "Relax. I won't go for your ear this ti. I'll switch it up a little~"
Before he could react, she reached out and grabbed his right index finger.
"I'll decide which part to enjoy next ti," she said teasingly.
Ryoma exhaled. "...Fine."
Rize's crimson eyes glowed with satisfaction as she gently brought his finger to her lips.
Then—she bit down.
Not hard enough to break the skin, but enough to taste him.
She held his hand in place, savoring the mont.
It wasn't the sa as the flesh she had ripped from his shoulder before, but even this light taste filled her with euphoria.
The longer she restrained herself, the more she would enjoy the final feast.
This was only a small indulgence—one that would make the eventual mont even more satisfying.
But even so, just this small taste was more delicious than any human she had ever hunted before.
She let out a soft hum of pleasure, stroking his fingers with an almost reverent touch.
Ryoma, anwhile, was feeling increasingly uncomfortable.
Not because of the bite itself—but because of the growing number of eyes on them.
Several other custors in Anteiku had turned to stare.
Even Touka Kirishima, who was working at the counter, kept glancing over at him with a frown.
It wasn't out of personal concern—but because this whole situation was drawing too much attention.
If Rize and Ryoma went too far, it could damage the coffee shop's image.
"Alright," Ryoma said firmly. "That's enough."
Rize reluctantly released his hand, licking her lips as if savoring the lingering taste.
She let out a content sigh, her expression flushed slightly with satisfaction.
Even though she had only sampled his skin, it was more intoxicating than any prey she had consud before.
What she didn't realize was that Ryoma's body had changed significantly since the last ti she tasted him.
His fusion progress had increased, enhancing his physical structure.
His blood. His flesh. Even his scent—had grown more irresistible to ghouls.
A terrifying thought crossed Ryoma's mind.
If this continues, won't I beco so kind of "holy grail" for ghouls?
A delicacy so rare that every ghoul would chase him down to consu him?
That was not a situation he wanted to be in.
---
Rize, still reveling in her satisfaction, suddenly shifted gears.
"Oh, by the way," she said, "that nerdy boy from earlier—he invited you to Takatsuki Izumi's fan eting, didn't he?"
Ryoma blinked. She noticed that?
"Yeah. What about it?"
Rize smiled, twirling a strand of her violet hair. "I suddenly feel a bit interested. I'd like to see what kind of person Takatsuki Izumi really is."
Ryoma raised an eyebrow. "Didn't take you for a literary fan."
"I enjoy her books." Rize smirked. "The darker the plot, the better. Takatsuki's stories have that beautiful touch of despair that makes them fascinating."
Ryoma wasn't surprised.
Given Rize's personality, it made sense that she enjoyed Takatsuki Izumi's grim storytelling.
"Fine by ," he shrugged. "You can co along."
That was definitely going to make things awkward for Kaneki, though.
He could already imagine Kaneki's internal agony when he saw Ryoma bringing Rize along.
Guess he'd have to make it up to Kaneki so other way.
---
anwhile, at the front counter—
Touka Kirishima had been watching Rize and Ryoma interact.
A voice beside her spoke up.
"Touka, don't you think Miss Kamishiro has been acting differently lately?"
The one who asked was Kaya Irimi, another waitress at Anteiku.
She had a mature aura, a tall woman with an air of elegance.
But in truth, she was the SS-rated ghoul, "Black Dog".
Touka folded her arms. "She has. That guy is supposed to be her prey, but she hasn't done anything to him in days."
Irimi nodded. "It's unusual for her. Normally, she'd have devoured him already."
Touka sighed, still skeptical.
"Maybe she's just toying with him longer than usual."
But even as she said it—she had doubts.
Because Rize's interactions with Ryoma didn't look like simple manipulation anymore.
It was starting to look real.
"She said she liked him, didn't she?" Irimi mused.
"She also said she was lying," Touka reminded her.
"Did she?" Irimi chuckled. "Or was she just hiding her real feelings?"
Touka frowned. "You think a ghoul like her could fall for a human?"
"Stranger things have happened."
Irimi's golden eyes glead with amusent.
"I've heard of plenty of ghoul-human relationships. Maybe Miss Kamishiro isn't as indifferent as she pretends to be."
Behind the counter, Yoshimura Kuzen—Anteiku's manager—remained silent.
But he had heard everything.
As a ghoul who had once fallen in love with a human himself...
He wondered if Rize Kamishiro was facing the sa dilemma.
---
Back at the counter, Kaya suddenly leaned in toward Touka, her eyes sparkling with amusent.
"By the way, Touka... do you like older ns?"
Touka blinked. Where the hell did that co from?
"I'm just curious," Kaya purred. "Or do you prefer boys your age?"
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