Bonds

Night fell over the city, and in the darkness, it burst with a different kind of life and energy.

The ghoul's corpse was loaded into a CCG vehicle. Seeing this, Huiqi turned and left. He no longer needed to stay; two Rank 3 Investigators would handle the rest.

Half an hour later.

Huiqi arrived at his home in the 17th Ward and inserted his key into the lock.

The keys rattled, followed by a click.

Creak... the door swung open.

Everything instantly fell silent.

Huiqi's face twitched as he stared at the figure inside his home. Familiar. So familiar he couldn't possibly know her any better.

"Hehe, back from work, Ghoul Investigator?"

"Huh? Why do you smell even tastier now?"

The woman sniffed the human scent in the air.

Because ghouls and humans had different digestive systems, human food tasted like shit or flavorless sponge to ghouls.

To keep their bodies functioning, ghouls ate human flesh and blood. The higher its quality, the more enticing it was to them.

Huiqi stood quietly outside the door, his expression somewhat grim and an unreadable emotion flickering in his eyes. The woman before him was an extremely dangerous ghoul. Every expression on her face was merely a disguise, concealing an utterly cruel soul.

Her kakuja form and the battle in the 24th Ward still haunted Huiqi's mind. Whenever he remembered her hideous body and brutal methods, a chill ran down his back.

"You... I..."

Huiqi's lips moved a few times before he glanced down to gauge how high up his apartment was.

"I'd advise you not to do that. Otherwise, you might find yourself hunted by several different factions."

Eto Yoshimura watched Huiqi with a smile as one of her eyes silently turned into a kakugan.

"What do you mean? I'll be hunted?"

"I'll hunt you down... and so will Kishou Arima. Of course, we won't be the only ones. In short, I won't eat you, but you shouldn't go running off either... breaking the balance won't do anyone any good."

"Hiss... that puts me in quite a difficult position."

Huiqi sucked in a cold breath and stopped what he was doing. His expression shifted several times before finally settling into a smile.

"Then I won't run. We can talk everything out."

Huiqi wore a smiling face, his tone and manner so gentle that he seemed like a completely different person from a moment ago.

"Stop smiling. It's far too fake. Right now, you must be dying to kill me and Kishou Arima."

Eto Yoshimura adjusted her glasses and let her smile fade, her voice turning flat. Her years of living underground had taught her enough to see through Huiqi's current attitude.

"No, no, of course not. We all know each other, after all. More importantly, I can't beat either of you."

Huiqi looked as though he had given up and accepted his fate, but inwardly, he was already asking the system for a detailed assessment of his strength.

[You can't beat them.]

The system's answer was concise.

I'm still too weak. I have to get stronger to keep myself safe. I need to grind missions and get promoted to Special Class Investigator.

Damn Arima and Eto Yoshimura. Once I make Special Class, I'll find a chance to...

"Very good. You're gradually starting to look like a proper toy."

Eto Yoshimura nodded in satisfaction and walked lightly to the doorway, her single crimson eye sweeping over Huiqi from head to toe.

"Do you need me to invite you in?"

"Never mind."

Huiqi shrugged and stepped inside. He set his briefcase aside, took off his coat, and changed into his house clothes.

Judging by what Eto Yoshimura said, I'm probably part of their plan. Most likely, I'm some kind of intermediary.

At that thought, Huiqi changed his approach. Rather than keep digging into it, he would focus on getting stronger. When the time came, the truth would surface on its own.

Crunch.

He stepped on something thin. Looking down, Huiqi saw sheets of paper scattered all over the room, covered in writing.

"Yoshimura..."

Just as Huiqi was about to tell Eto Yoshimura to clean up her mess, her expression turned slightly hostile.

"Call me Sen Takatsuki from now on."

"Oh."

Huiqi agreed indifferently. If she didn't want him using her real name, then he wouldn't. For now, he would keep his head down and build his strength. There would be plenty of chances to turn against her later.

"Sen Takatsuki, clean up your things."

Having rephrased his request, Huiqi called out from the kitchen.

"Depends on my mood..."

Hearing the reply from the living room, Huiqi's mouth twitched. What a fine answer. If he ever got the chance, he would definitely say those exact words to her.

Several minutes later.

Huiqi ate the dinner he had made in the kitchen.

"Hey, did Kishou Arima tell you anything?"

"No."

A green-clad figure suddenly appeared beside Huiqi. She held a pen, seemingly waiting for his answer.

When Sen Takatsuki failed to get anything out of him, she turned away without hesitation and returned to the living room to get on with her work.

That night, Huiqi stared silently into his refrigerator. It was filled with rectangular containers, each labeled with a time and number.

Tsk.

The next day, Huiqi got dressed and headed to the CCG branch in the 17th Ward.

"Good morning, Rank 2 Investigator Huiqi."

"Good morning."

"Good morning."

Huiqi exchanged greetings with his colleagues. But as he passed through the Rc detection gate, he spotted a mother and child at the reception desk.

The woman's sobs faintly reached his ears.

"Shangfeng... sob..."

The closer Huiqi got, the more clearly he could hear her. When he reached the reception desk, he patted her shoulder.

"Kawashima worked very hard! I was the one who failed to back him up in time!"

"You... are you... Ghoul Investigator Huiqi?"

The woman wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and turned to look at Huiqi behind her.

"Yes. I'm so sorry! I didn't bring Kawashima back."

Huiqi's voice was heavy now, too. Kawashima had died in the 24th Ward, and his body would remain there forever. By now, there were probably only bones left.

"I... I heard him talk about you... he said you weren't ambitious, but you always seemed dependable... being your partner really..."

The more she spoke, the sadder she became, and tears spilled from her eyes again. Huiqi didn't interrupt. He simply listened quietly as she described the person he had been in Kawashima's eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Those were the only words Huiqi could bring himself to say. He had never imagined that the 24th Ward would be so much more terrifying than he expected. Even with Kishou Arima leading the team, Kawashima had still died horribly.

Before long, several assistant Ghoul Investigators from the CCG came and escorted Kawashima's wife and child away, apparently to collect survivor benefits.

"It's always like this. You have to learn to let go. In our line of work, every day is full of unknowns."

Shinohara's words left Huiqi standing there in a daze.

Maybe if I were stronger... stronger than Kishou Arima, this wouldn't have happened... I could have brought him out, and I wouldn't be a pawn for Kishou Arima and Eto Yoshimura either.

At that thought, Huiqi clenched his fists, his teeth grinding audibly.

System, issue a new mission.

[Mission issued.]