Thank a lot for the 100 power stones! Here's the bonus chapter
At 250 Power Stones, I'll drop another bonus chapter.
Sorry for the late update. We had a terrible thunderstorm here and I didn't have internet
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I look to my side. Rize has a smile on her face.
Though it's not what I'd call a kind smile. I guess it must be the smile she puts on before killing someone.
"Hey."
Her voice is sweet.
"What do you think you're doing, bitch?"
Huh...
I look at her with wide eyes. A few seconds later, a smile appears on my face.
Wow.
I didn't expect such a violent reaction, and so soon. I thought she'd at least ask me who this guy was before jumping to arms.
But I like this reaction.
I like it a lot.
The purple-haired man seems a bit surprised by Rize's reaction. Without his smile fading, he looks at her with curiosity.
"Oh, and you are...?"
"His girlfriend."
"Are we really?"
She ignores my words and narrows her gaze dangerously at the man.
"So I suggest you back off. Unless you want to lose that head of yours."
The man blinks a couple times. Then, without seeming offended, he laughs.
"Hahaha. How interesting. Such a young ghoul with so much confidence."
Despite that, he doesn't move away, and instead, brings his hand to his forehead while inhaling the air.
"Oh? I also smell on you the scent of your boyfriend... and it's much stronger. You've drunk his blood, haven't you? How fascinating!"
"And you are?"
My voice is cold. There's no smile on my face now. This guy is making me nervous. I don't see him as a threat, but his behavior makes me want to slap him.
"Ah, how rude of me."
The man makes a bow bringing his hand to his chest.
"My name is Tsukiyama Shuu. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Tsukiyama...
So it's him?
"What are you doing in the 20th Ward? You don't seem like someone who enjoys being in a quiet place, do you?"
"Oh, I came to enroll in a nearby university. My family insists I must have a formal education and I can't refuse their words."
He shrugs to make me believe he's depressed. But I know from his emotional frequencies that's not the case.
"Though I must be grateful for this trip. Since I've been able to meet you, someone who turns out to be quite interesting."
He opens his eyes and with a narrowed gaze, I notice he seems hungry.
At the same time, I'm aware that Rize is about to explode.
"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Tsukiyama."
I grab Rize's hand and start walking toward the door.
"But we have to go."
"Oh, so soon? What a shame."
Tsukiyama doesn't try to stop us, staying behind, though I can feel his gaze fixed on my back as we exit.
"I hope we meet again soon."
Nah...
The door closes behind us. Once outside, Rize looks at me with a frown.
"Who was that guy? He gave me bad vibes."
"Tsukiyama Shuu. Also known as 'Gourmet'."
I don't know if he's already known by that name currently, but in the manga he was called that way.
"Gourmet?"
"He's a ghoul who only eats select prey. How do I put it? Mm... People with special smells or flavors."
Rize tilts her head to one side.
"Special smell or flavor... there's no one who fits that term better than you, Arata. So he wants to eat you?"
"Probably."
"Heh. I'll kill him."
She turns around, and it seems she really wants to go back to kill him.
I quickly stop her by the shoulder.
"Calm down, Rize. He won't eat me, because I won't allow it."
I move my hand from her shoulder to her head, and give pats on her soft purple hair.
Instantly, her body completely relaxes while the tension disappears from her shoulders and her face softens.
She closes her eyes and has a big smile on her face.
"Fufu..."
While she laughs that way, I also smile at her, who seems to have completely forgotten about Tsukiyama already.
Speaking of him, surely after smelling my fragrance, he'll try to approach me again to turn me into his next meal.
Good luck with that.
"So where are we going now?"
Rize asks as we walk down the street.
"To see my master."
"Oh."
Her eyes shine with curiosity.
"You mentioned them before. Who's your master?"
"You'll know when we get there."
"Eh~ Arata, don't be mysterious. Is it a woman?"
Rize grabs my arm and wraps it between hers, pulling me as we walk.
"Yes."
I feel my arm starting to suffer.
"Tell me, tell me. What's she like? Is she strong? Is she pretty?"
"You'll see."
From Rize I see a thick crimson aura escaping while her eyes lose a bit of their shine.
I raise my other hand and put it on her head.
She closes her eyes while my finger runs through her hair.
Just as it's quite fast for her to get jealous, it's also quick to calm her down. Though she'd probably be really dangerous if I don't know how to handle her.
After a few minutes of walking, Rize speaks again.
"So what exactly are we going for?"
"It's been a while since I've seen my master. I want to see how she is."
"Does she live around here?"
"Mm."
We keep walking for a good while and arrive at a quiet residential area. It's a weekday and most are at school or working, so the noise is scarce.
Finally, we arrive in front of a house with a wall.
"Is this wher—?"
Before Rize can finish her question, something happens.
I don't see it coming, in fact, I don't even feel it coming.
There's just an instant of intense pain, and then...
—Splash!
My head separates from my body, my arms detach from my shoulders and my legs are cut at knee height.
In less than a second, I'm completely dismembered.
"...!?"
I hear Rize's choked scream through my ears that are no longer connected to my brain.
It's a strange sensation seeing your own body in pieces on the ground.
Though it's not the first time this has happened to me. I've been dismembered many times so I don't panic.
My flesh begins to move, the pieces crawl toward each other, connecting, fusing and regenerating.
In a few seconds, I'm standing again.
"Arata...?"
Rize, who has her eyes transformed into red and black, freezes while her kagune behind her move. Through her emotional frequencies I'm able to sense her emotion of relief seeing me intact, replacing the fear and pain she saw when I fell dismembered to the ground.
"Five seconds."
A female voice resonates from somewhere.
I turn my head toward the source of the sound, and a figure begins to materialize from a cloud of smoke.
It's a tall woman, with caramel brown hair that reaches her shoulder, and crimson eyes. The expression on her face is serious.
"Five seconds it took you to regenerate completely."
She walks slowly until stopping in front of us.
"Good. Your next training will be improving that poor regeneration."
"...Hello, master."
I sigh while shaking the dust off my clothes.
"I'm glad to see you too."