Hideyoshi Nagachika's image at the CCG was that of a sunny young man who wasn't very good at fighting but was very proficient in clerical work, but at this moment, he was sitting at his desk with a resentful expression.
As Lancer assistant, or rather, supporter, he was temporarily granted high-level access, such as being able to freely access the archives, which was undoubtedly an unexpected pleasant surprise, but before he could be happy for long, continuous Ghoul suppression records were sent to him, and he had to first find the Ghoul's number from the incomplete corpse photos, then retrieve the file from the archives, and then perform the preliminary filling out. As for the specifics, he would have to wait for Lancer to return and dictate them.
And what made him unbelievable was that he considered his work efficiency quite high, but he still couldn't keep up with the opponent's killing efficiency.
"Ding~ Ding~"
Just then, his work phone rang again. When he saw that it was Lancer call, his expression became even more resentful, feeling that he would have to work overtime tonight again.
"Hideyoshi, help me retrieve the files for Ryouko Fueguchi and Hinami Fueguchi. I need information on their residence and activity range."
As soon as he answered the call, Hideyoshi Nagachika heard Lancer somewhat rushed voice. His first reaction was—Investigator Lancer must have held it in for too long, right? How desperate was he?
Although he wasn't very familiar with Hinami Fueguchi and Ryouko Fueguchi, having only met them a few times, Hideyoshi Nagachika felt that he should try a little harder, but before he could speak, the phone was hung up again.
There was no doubt that Lancer couldn't be sure that the CCG could lock onto the location of the two, so he decided to try again during the time Hideyoshi Nagachika was helping him find the information. After all, there wouldn't be just one wave of attacks, and perhaps he could find more useful information...
Ryouko Fueguchi had been living a very low-key life ever since she was released more than two years ago. Today was naturally the same. After finishing work, she was preparing to go to her next workplace, but as she walked on the street, she felt something was wrong.
There was no doubt that she had not considered 'fighting' for most of her life, but even though she managed to briefly suppress Lancer using her powerful Kagune back then, she was later easily captured by the opponent, which made her realize one thing—she had to become stronger.
Even if it wasn't for herself, she had to protect her daughter, so later, she and her daughter underwent special training from Touka Kirishima. Now, while not extremely powerful, relying on sufficient talent and accumulated time, she was no weaker than an ordinary A-rank Ghoul. Even though her strength was sufficient, she hadn't experienced actual combat, so she didn't think too much, only assuming that other Ghouls were targeting her as an ordinary human woman.
In order not to bring trouble home, she simply chose to walk towards a less crowded area. In her opinion, the opponent should leave after realizing she was a Ghoul, right?
It was clear that Ryouko Fueguchi, who mainly lived in Ward 20, knew about the existence of the act called 'cannibalism,' but having rarely encountered it, she didn't consider this possibility at all.
When she walked into the alley, she had just turned around to speak when she felt a whooshing sound above her head.
"Snap~!"
Having been trained by Touka Kirishima, that crude attack wasn't so easy to hit her.
The Kagune of both sides rubbed against each other in the air, emitting a harsh friction sound, and Ryouko Fueguchi finally saw the appearance of the attacker: an ordinary man wearing jeans, a jacket, and a baseball cap.
"Who are you! As you can see, I am also a Ghoul and not your prey! This is Ward 20!"
If Lancer were standing here at this moment, even the formerly weak Lancer would not have said these words, because he knew that once a fight broke out, it would be unlikely to end in a 'normal' way. However, Ryouko Fueguchi, who had virtually no 'actual combat' experience, tried to use words to persuade the opponent to retreat, and was met with a look of contempt.
"A Ghoul? I was looking for you! Ryouko Fueguchi! As for the Ward 20 you mentioned... Heh heh, it will take some time even for the 'Devil Ape' and the 'Black Doberman' to rush here, and because of their actions, they are seen as enemies by Ghouls in other areas. There's no problem as long as I take you out of Ward 20~ And just a reminder for you..."
Saying that, the man revealed a strange smile.
"Why do you think I'm wasting so much time talking to you here?"
Although Ryouko Fueguchi still didn't know what the opponent was talking about until now, the opponent's expression and words made her realize that something was wrong, but it was already too late at this moment.
"Puchi~!!"
Kagune shards shot from all directions instantly pierced the Koukaku Kagune behind Ryouko Fueguchi, but surprisingly, the surprise attack did not pierce her Kagune, but fortunately, they had quite a few people, and instantly, several more Kagune shards pierced her limbs.
In just a few seconds, Ryouko Fueguchi was suspended in mid-air by several Kagune shards, and the man who attacked her walked towards her, swinging his Bikaku Kagune.
"Heh heh~ Although the intensity of your Kagune is somewhat beyond our expectation, the result is what matters..."
Ryouko Fueguchi had already prepared for death, and she had even been prepared more than two years ago, but the opponent's actions of only injuring her but not killing her made her realize that something was wrong.
"What do you want?"
"What do we want? Nothing much, just planning to have you do us a favor, but before that, could you please do us a small favor? Speaking of which, I've always been curious, what kind of woman can make an Investigator whose hands are stained with the blood of countless Ghouls spare you? Did you serve that Investigator well? Or did you and your daughter work together? I'm truly curious~ Could you perhaps put on a little show for us..."
While leaning his face closer to Ryouko Fueguchi, the opponent swung his Bikaku Kagune towards Ryouko Fueguchi's collar.
And Ryouko Fueguchi, who was restrained, had an extremely terrible expression, not only because of her current predicament but also because of the opponent's words.
She felt extremely fortunate to have narrowly escaped death back then, but who would have thought that the most terrifying things in this world were not bullets, but those filthy words, because they were invisible but caused wounds that were difficult to heal.
And she hadn't expected that she was spared by that man two years ago, but now she was going to suffer this ordeal here...
Even though she knew that tears were completely meaningless, tears still couldn't help but stream down her face, but what she didn't know was that her tears only made the group of people in front of her even more excited...