Yu Fura

"Sorry..." Taira Kusaba finally realized he had said the wrong thing and hurriedly apologized.

"That's how a Ghoul Investigator's job is. The more focused you are, the easier it is to lose your life." Amon's expression did not change. They had prepared themselves for this on their very first day at the investigator academy, training with that resolve before going out to fight ghouls.

All he could do for his fallen comrades was finish the missions they had left incomplete, whatever that took.

For some reason, Amon suddenly thought of the ghoul wearing the Ice Mask. Before the operation to capture Ice Mask, he had never felt any sympathy for ghouls. All he had thought about was their patterns of behavior, finding them, and killing them.

He wanted to talk to me? How could we talk when we stand on completely opposing sides... if ghouls don't want to eat people either... no...

Coming back to his senses, Amon immediately shook his head and reaffirmed his convictions.

There are no ghouls who don't eat people... whether they want to or not, the fact remains that they eat people.

"Thank you for the meal. I'll be leaving now."

"You two should be careful, too." Amon stood, nodded to them both, and walked out.

"Sorry... I didn't know," Taira Kusaba apologized to Shou Nakajima again.

After finishing their ramen, the two left together and headed home from work.

"The more focused you are, the easier it is to lose your life..." Taira Kusaba sighed. "Mr. Amon doesn't seem interested in getting promoted. He just acts on his sense of justice."

"Yeah, almost everyone transferred from headquarters is like that, including those two new investigators. Though maybe it's because Ward 20 is relatively peaceful. Anyone looking for a promotion goes to the other wards where ghouls run rampant." Shou Nakajima sighed as well. They were only minor employees at the branch office, with no Quinques issued to them, and spent most of their time doing clerical work.

"Honestly, I'd rather work in an office. It's safe and respectable. But seeing Mr. Amon always gets my blood pumping. It even makes me feel motivated to work."

They chatted as they walked, completely unaware that someone wearing a white rabbit mask and a pink wig had been following them for quite some time.

"I'll use your deaths to teach them a lesson..." Touka clenched her fists. Just as she was about to charge out, another figure moved faster and grabbed her.

"Touka..." Wearing the Ice Mask, Louis pinned her against the wall despite her struggles. "Didn't I already save Miss Ryoko? Doing this will only provoke them... ow... that hurts..."

While Louis was speaking, Touka punched him, aggravating his wound and making him suck in a sharp breath.

"They have to pay somehow," Touka said coldly.

"If you're not going to help, don't follow me. If you die, don't expect me to care."

Touka glanced at the two men, who still hadn't noticed anything. There was almost no one else around, making this the perfect place to strike.

But Louis desperately held her back. He knew there were another Associate Special-Class and two First-Class investigators nearby. He had no idea whether they had brought their Quinques, but if a fight broke out, his injuries would definitely get in the way.

And if Touka couldn't beat them either...

"I cut off that investigator's arm and beat down dozens of them. Isn't that enough?" Louis felt a headache coming on. He simply couldn't hold Touka back. "Besides... those two are just clerical staff..."

"And what did the Fueguchi family ever do wrong?" Touka's face darkened. "You're an outsider. Stop pretending you care and mind your own business."

"..."

Silence fell...

Touka realized she had gone too far. She gritted her teeth, but still charged out, leaving Louis standing alone.

"..." Louis touched the cold mask on his face, feeling bitter. "Then let's fight..."

"There's still so much work to do..." Taira Kusaba stretched, but halfway through the movement, his body suddenly gave a slight shudder, and he froze in place.

"Kusaba?" Shou Nakajima looked at him in confusion from behind. Then his eyes suddenly filled with terror as blood sprayed across his face.

Taira Kusaba collapsed. Standing directly in front of him was a masked...

"Ghoul..." Once Shou Nakajima realized this, reason overcame his fear. He immediately reached for his phone, but the rabbit-masked ghoul was faster, severing his arm with a wet slice.

Just how fast was an ukaku ghoul? In barely a second, a sweeping kick was already flying straight toward Shou Nakajima's head.

But suddenly, a man and a woman dropped down from above, cutting off Touka's attack.

[Identity confirmed! Shizuri, First-Class Ghoul Investigator. Quinque: Jiuhe 1/4 (A-Rank rinkaku)]

[Identity confirmed! Yu Fura, Associate Special-Class Ghoul Investigator. Quinque: Armor Blade (A-Rank koukaku)]

"Mr. Nakajima, take cover. Leave the rest to us." Yu Fura wore round glasses and had a little stubble on his face. He looked like a middle-aged man, but his body appeared sturdy, and he held a black-and-red katana over a meter long.

"This ghoul's speed is pretty decent..." Excitement spread across Shizuri's face. She had a voluptuous figure, and her investigator's coat had been tailored into a short-sleeved white jacket worn over a tight, long-sleeved black top.

Her weapon...

Watching from the shadows, Louis stared at Shizuri for quite a while, but still couldn't find her Quinque. Jiuhe 1/4? What does that mean...

Then, suddenly, the First-Class investigator attacked first. Two sharp silver blades sprang from the back of her hand, and she lunged at Touka with incredible speed, wielding them like brass knuckles.

What refined fighting technique... Louis was surprised. This woman named Shizuri seemed to be an expert in close combat. She flowed from one move to the next with almost no hesitation, striking from tricky angles. Despite being only First-Class, she actually caught Touka off guard for a time.

A brilliant, fiery-red kagune appeared, then immediately turned into hard red crystals that stabbed toward Shizuri. But she simply leaned backward, planted both hands on the ground, and sprang away, dodging with ease.

This Shizuri is even stronger than Amon...

"A burst-type ukaku ghoul... extremely explosive, but lacking in stamina. Prolonged combat will cause her fighting strength to plummet," Yu Fura recited after seeing the kagune.

"Your rambling is so annoying. You have to say it every single time." Shizuri rubbed her fists together. The speed of the rabbit-masked ghoul in front of her had her excited.

"We should still be careful. Didn't that Devil Ape who suddenly appeared last time give us a beating..." As Yu Fura spoke, he seemed to catch something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his gaze, and his voice cut off abruptly.

Louis slowly emerged from the shadows.

"S-Rank... Ice Mask..." Shizuri stared in surprise at the figure who had suddenly appeared, her expression gradually turning grave.

An S-Rank Ghoul required at least an Associate Special-Class Ghoul Investigator to deal with.

"Don't let your guard down. Even Mado and the others couldn't defeat him..." Yu Fura gritted his teeth. He had never expected to encounter Ice Mask here.

Although Kureo Mado was an Associate Special-Class Ghoul Investigator, he was unquestionably among the very best of that rank. His strength even exceeded that of some Semi-Special-Class investigators.