Irimi Kyouko

Dusk deepened, and a bright moon hung high in the sky.

Back at Anteiku, Touka reeled at Koma's words. She had just learned that Louis had been taken away by that perverted woman, and immediately prepared to rescue him.

"Touka, this isn't like you." Koma continued cleaning the returned cups as though nothing had happened.

"Unlike Kaneki, Louis is human. Anteiku has neither the responsibility nor the obligation to protect him."

"He should overcome these dangers himself."

Touka froze for a moment, but quickly shook her head. "Mr. Koma, Anteiku has no obligation to help him, that's true."

"But as his friend, I'm willing to help him."

"His friend?"

"Yes. Yesterday... he said so himself."

Meanwhile, Big Madam's estate was already in shambles. The obese woman kept attacking Louis, but apparently unfamiliar with his fighting style, she missed almost every time.

"I have no idea what he's thinking, bringing a human who knows about us into Anteiku."

"Is he still clinging to that fantasy of his, that humans and Ghouls can live together peacefully? What a joke..." The obese woman continued mocking that ridiculous dream as she attacked.

"Doesn't Koma handing you over to me so readily mean he disagrees with it too?"

"You're human! You stand on the opposite side from us! Killing you before you can form friendships with us is the right thing to do."

The woman had long since abandoned any intention of keeping Louis for herself. Blinded by rage, she now wanted only to kill the man before her in the cruelest way possible.

Unlike a Ghoul such as Big Madam, who had never undergone systematic training, Louis had endured hellish training in the Special Ability Army that had pushed his stamina and adaptability to their limits.

Once he understood his opponent's attack patterns, he could turn the tide of battle considerably.

Unlike Touka, this woman clearly had little combat experience. The speed and power of each blow were nothing to scoff at, but her attacks were too repetitive, allowing Louis to counter them every time.

Her only advantage at this point was probably the stamina of an S-Rank Ghoul, enough to wear Louis down until he died.

For a well-fed, high-ranking Ghoul, stamina was virtually limitless as long as their body remained uninjured. At least, Louis had yet to discover her limits.

"You're wrong."

"What do you even know about the manager?" Louis created a vast spread of ice crystals, putting some distance between them and finally giving himself a chance to speak.

"That dream may be difficult to realize, but it isn't necessarily impossible."

Louis recalled the manager's kindly face. "As long as there's even a sliver of hope, he won't give up."

As for Koma... every organization needs someone to play the bad guy... Besides, I'm still human. Although I haven't done anything out of line to Ghouls, I haven't done anything to benefit them either. It's only natural that they don't trust me.

He had considered explaining this to the woman, but remembering how deranged she was, he abandoned the idea.

Those words would only work on someone who still possessed some reason. The woman before him was simply a complete pervert, with a full belly and far too much time on her hands.

Louis leaped onto a streetlamp on the estate and looked down at her. "Do you still want to keep fighting?"

As he spoke, Louis gestured at their surroundings.

The once-lavish estate had been destroyed beyond recognition, with crystals and fragments of buildings scattered everywhere.

The obese woman was beginning to show signs of irritation too. She had heard rumors about this man, but had never expected him to be so troublesome.

Neither could inflict any meaningful damage on the other, and their stalemate had resulted in this devastation.

"There aren't many residents around here, but if we keep fighting, we're bound to arouse the White Doves' suspicions." Seeing her waver, Louis continued speaking.

"If you're exposed, it won't do either of us any good."

Aside from the people at Anteiku, Ghouls could hardly be called loyal to one another. But selling out their companions to the CCG had always been taboo. Anyone who did so would earn the disgust and contempt of almost every Ghoul organization.

Although the chances were slim, Louis still feared that the woman might be exposed and then give up the manager and the others who had sheltered him.

Yet even after he had said all this, the woman remained unmoving, still staring fixedly at him. Louis instantly understood her intent and let out a startled laugh.

"Don't tell me you're still waiting for the drug to kick in?"

So much time had passed that if it was going to work, it would have worked already. If not, he would soon be shitting it out.

"..." With her thoughts exposed, the woman felt another surge of anger.

That dose could knock out even a Ghoul. How could it fail to take down a human?

Angry though she was, she knew perfectly well that she could not defeat Louis anytime soon. "You can hardly even be called human..."

After delivering that bitter remark, the woman retracted her Kakugan and Kagune, walked around Louis, and headed toward her half-collapsed villa.

The battle had finally come to an end.

"Phew..." Seeing that the woman was letting him go, Louis finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he was confident he could hold out a while longer, he would have been in serious danger if another Ghoul, such as Gourmet, had been drawn here first.

Jumping down from the streetlamp, Louis did not rush to treat his wounds. He simply covered them with a layer of ice to stop the bleeding and prevent the smell of blood from attracting other Ghouls.

Until he returned to his base, he could not let his guard down.

"Seriously..."

Louis rubbed his shoulder.

Without the system's assistance, he really would have met his end here today.

Or rather, if the system had not informed him that her overall combat ability was relatively low, he would have fled halfway here.

He sighed and stepped through the estate's iron gates, ready to head back. Suddenly, he heard faint breathing extremely close to his left.

An ambush!

Louis's hair stood on end. A blue Ice Blade instantly appeared in his hand, and he thrust it out fiercely.

Yet his swift thrust was blocked in an instant, unable to advance another inch. Looking closely, he saw that the newcomer had stopped it with just two fingers. The sight sent him straight into a cold sweat.

What kind of major boss have I run into this time?!