Outside the gates of a high school in D-City.
"Fushimi Kyo, see you tomorrow!"
A sweet-looking girl with short orange-blonde hair and a cute hairpin waved cheerfully at Kyo.
"See you tomorrow, Yoriko!" Kyo replied with a forced smile.
Walking alone through the streets of D-City, Kyo felt an overwhelming sense of gloom settle over him.
"Damn it… how the hell did I transmigrate here?"
"And of all worlds… it had to be this cursed, dangerous ghoul-infested D-City."
It had been a full week since he arrived in this world.
From an ordinary office worker, he had become a third-year high school student again. Being young once more wasn't entirely bad. Kyo even felt happy about it at times.
But this was the Tokyo Ghoul world.
A world that was at least a hundred times more dangerous than his previous one.
Disappearances were reported almost daily. Unidentified corpses were found in alleyways and abandoned buildings. Such news had become terrifyingly common.
Because of this, Kyo's nerves were constantly stretched to their limit. He always carried a switchblade in his pocket, terrified that one day he might become prey caught without the power to resist.
Just then, a peculiar scent drifted into his nose.
He sniffed instinctively.
"What is that…? Why does it smell so good?"
It wasn't like the aroma of normal food.
This scent felt… alive.
It had an irresistible pull, as if it was calling directly to him. Kyo felt every cell in his body cheering in excitement.
"Gulp."
He swallowed hard.
After hesitating for a moment, he followed the scent toward a slightly secluded alley.
Stopping at the entrance, Kyo frowned.
"Ghouls usually hunt in deserted alleys… am I seriously walking into my own grave?"
The chances of witnessing a ghoul feeding scene were low but what if he was unlucky?
Rational thought forced him to stop.
Then
"Grrrr~"
His stomach betrayed him with a loud growl.
It wasn't just hunger.
It felt like something deep within his soul was screaming for food.
His vision swam, dizziness crashing over him in waves.
The closer he got, the stronger the scent became. Saliva uncontrollably slid down the corner of his mouth.
"I'm too hungry… damn it, I can't hold back anymore!"
In the end, bodily instinct overwhelmed rational thought.
Kyo stepped into the alley.
Even in broad daylight, the narrow alley was dim. After walking about fifty meters in, the scene before him caused his mind to freeze completely.
At the far end of the alley, slumped against the wall, was a human figure.
Blood dark and vivid was seeping from the man's abdomen, pooling on the ground and stretching several meters away.
"Is that… a dead body?"
Kyo murmured.
It was his first time seeing such a gruesome, blood-soaked scene in real life. His mind went blank.
Then
The "corpse" moved.
Slowly, the man lifted his head. A pair of crimson eyes locked onto Kyo's body.
"A human… if I eat you, I'll live."
The man lunged forward.
But his injuries were far too severe.
With a heavy thud, he collapsed to the ground.
Only then did Kyo notice a horrifying wound there was a hole the size of a bowl punched straight through the man's back.
"Damn those White Doves… I won't forgive you, even in my next life…"
The man growled bitterly.
His crimson pupils slowly faded, returning to the normal color of human eyes. Yet the resentment within them was so strong that even death couldn't close them.
"A ghoul…?"
"He's dead?"
Kyo could hardly believe it.
In his previous life, he had watched Tokyo Ghoul from beginning to end. He knew exactly what ghouls looked like.
Especially those unmistakable red eyes there was no way he could be wrong.
"He mentioned the White Doves… were his injuries caused by them?"
That conclusion came naturally.
Suddenly
"Grrrr~"
His stomach growled again.
The strange scent that had drawn him here reached an overwhelming intensity.
Kyo's gaze slowly shifted toward the ghoul's corpse.
"Don't tell me… that scent is coming from him?"
"I was… attracted by the smell of a ghoul's corpse?"
His worldview shattered in an instant.
This wasn't chicken, fish, or beef food you could eat without guilt.
This was a ghoul.
A being that looked exactly like a human.
Eating its flesh was no different from eating a person.
"Eating… people…"
Cold sweat instantly drenched Kyo's back.
He was just an ordinary human. How could he even think such a horrifying thought?
"No this is bad. I need to get out of here. Now."
He turned to leave.
But something terrifying happened.
His body refused to obey.
Step by step, he moved toward the ghoul's corpse against his will. Saliva dripped freely from his mouth.
Every cell in his body screamed with desire, urging him to devour the corpse before him.
His consciousness grew increasingly hazy, until only primal predatory instinct remained.
Kyo reached into his pocket and pulled out his switchblade.
He crouched down and cut into the ghoul's body with trembling hands. After some digging, he extracted a strangely shaped organ.
Holding it in his right hand, Kyo's eyes glowed an eerie green.
"So fragrant… eat it… eat it…"
That single voice echoed endlessly in his mind, like an inescapable curse.
Finally
Crunch.
Kyo bit down.
The taste exploded across his senses.
It was unbelievably tender, far superior to even the finest Kobe beef.
Every dish he had ever eaten felt dull and insignificant in comparison.
"Ding. Devoured B-rank ghoul Kakuhou. Evolution Points +2."
"Ding. Devoured B-rank ghoul Kakuhou. Evolution Points +3."
"Ding…"
When Kyo finished consuming the entire Kakuhou, the unbearable hunger finally vanished.
His mind cleared.
And at that very moment
A virtual interface appeared before his eyes…