Thank a lot for the 500 power stones! Here's the bonus chapter
At 700 Power Stones, I'll drop another bonus chapter.
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Rize's smile stops for a moment while her purple eyes narrow dangerously. She's a predator who's discovered her prey has claws.
"Yours, hehe~"
Her lip curves upward.
"And how exactly does that work? Because if I remember correctly, I'm the one who has you cornered against a tree."
I feel my face also distort into a wider smile.
"Exactly. You have me cornered. You can do whatever you want to me."
My left hand rises slowly and my index finger traces the line of her jaw. She doesn't pull back, in fact, she tilts her hesd slightly toward my touch.
"You can hurt me, drink my blood until I'm dry... but then, what would you have left?"
My finger slides to her neck, stopping right where her pulse beats strongly.
"A pleasant memory? A delicious meal? Or the bitter taste of loneliness again?"
The gleam in her eyes dims a bit.
"No... I..."
"Exactly."
I push her. Now I'm the one who has her trapped against the tree.
"I'll leave and you'll be alone again. Do you want that, Rize? To go back to being hungry forever without being full?"
I can sense the confusion through her emotional frequency, as well as the fear in her aura.
"You can have my blood whenever you want. But in exchange, I'll stay with you."
I create distance between us and cross my arms while Rize stares at me.
"Heh... you're crazy."
Her gaze fixes on my neck. Then her eyes drop to my chest, my stomach, and then my hands.
"The people at Sunlit Garden. They told me I was a monster no one could control. Everyone was afraid of me."
Rize has been a prisoner of V for almost her entire life. She hasn't known freedom or the warmth of trust.
That's why her trust is broken.
"You don't seem afraid of me."
"No."
"Why?"
My smiling face looks back at me in her eyes.
Of course I'm not afraid of her.
Not only do I like fighting. I also like getting into trouble.
Especially with dangerous girls.
"Because..."
I bring my hand to my chin, acting as if I'm thinking about my answer.
"...you're my type."
A distorted smile appears on Rize's face while her cheeks are painted with a subtle pink.
"Wow... that was very direct."
She moves away from the tree and stretches.
"Alright. Then this is a deal with you."
She extends her hand.
"I won't bite your throat while you sleep."
I shake her hand.
"Accepted."
Suddenly, Rize bursts out laughing.
"Haha... hahaha..."
It's the first time I've heard her laugh like that.
"You do interesting things, Arata. You're much more interesting than that boy. Ah, what was his name again?"
"Furuta?"
"Ah, that boy. You know him?"
"No. I saw him through Yuki-chan."
I twist my lips.
Although Rize doesn't know it, in canon, Furuta would have helped Rize escape from Sunlit Garden. But Rize wouldn't listen to him after leaving that hell, and he, who has a twisted mind, would do many things, among them, make steel beams fall on Rize.
This, in theory, would cause the accident that would lead Kanou to transplant her organs into Ken Kaneki. And then the Tokyo Ghoul story would begin.
That story no longer exists.
Thinking about that, I say.
"I wonder what happened to that guy."
Now Rize is here, with me. And Furuta is probably still at Sunlit Garden.
"Why? Are you worried about him?"
"No, just curious."
Rize sighs.
"He's not someone I'd like near me. That kind of person."
While she pronounces those words with disdain, I look toward the road, where the flesh ground has toothed mouths and bottomless throats.
"By the way..."
Rize points at my arm.
"Can I have more?"
"No."
She rolls her eyes.
"Why not? You said I could."
"Look at me. Do you think I'm in any condition right now to be a blood dispenser?"
Rize crosses her arms and frowns.
"So when will you give me more?"
Tomorrow. No, that's too late. Probably in an hour or two. But I won't tell her that yet. Otherwise, she'll bother me the whole time.
"We'll see."
With that vague answer, I get up from the ground before walking away from the tree and starting toward the road.
"Hey! Wait!"
Rize runs to catch up.
"And where are we going now?"
"20th Ward."
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The train moves at high speed.
I'm sitting across from Rize. We got new clothes at a store near the train tracks. Now we look like two students, a normal boy and girl.
Also, thanks to my blood, the wound Rize received while fleeing from the monster has already healed completely. Her skin is flawless again.
We're alone in this car. Most people avoid sitting near strangers, especially if they're from dangerous districts.
Rize looks out the window, with her face almost pressed to the glass. Her purple eyes reflect the city lights rushing past.
"So this is what it looks like outside."
She murmurs to herself, though I can hear her perfectly.
After a few minutes of silence, she shifts her attention to me.
"Arata, I'm curious. What are you? You're not a normal ghoul."
"Mm. I'm not a ghoul."
"Then what?"
"A vampire."
I open my mouth and show her my fangs.
"Ohh~ Vampire? I've read some fantasy books where vampires exist. I didn't know they were real."
Rize leans forward, resting her chin on her hands.
"So that's why your blood is special."
"Not exactly. Other vampires aren't like me."
"What about your kagune? You can create tentacles, and also that big sword. I suppose vampires can't have the characteristics that define a ghoul."
"Correct."
"So you're a hybrid? Half vampire, half ghoul?"
"No."
Then I tell her about my evolution ability.
"Fascinating."
She leans back in her seat, crossing her legs.
"You're a very strange creature, Arata."
"I know."
While we sway, we stay silent for a few minutes, until Rize opens her mouth again.
"Arata."
"Hm?"
"Why did you come looking for me?"
Honestly, I'm not sure how to answer.
Why did I come? Because I've watched her for two years through Yuki-chan? Because something about her reminds me of myself, trapped in a place where I don't belong? Because I was bored and needed something to do?
All those answers are partially true. But none captures the full picture.
"I don't know."
Rize blinks, surprised.
"You don't know?"
"Sometimes you do things without knowing exactly why. And then, afterward, you make up reasons to justify them. Maybe I'll discover the reason later, or maybe not."
She rests her elbow on the seat back while looking out the window.
"You know, no one ever came looking for me before."
"..."
"At Sunlit Garden, when a child disappeared, no one asked. They stopped existing, and we all moved on as if they'd never been there. I lrarned quickly that no one would come to save me. That if I wanted to survive, I had to do it alone."
Rize glances at me sideways.
"But you show up. How am I supposed to treat you?"
I shrug while imitating her, looking toward the buildings.
It's a shame. All I see is blood instead of the river, masses of pulsating flesh instead of buildings, and misshapen monsters instead of living beings.
"Treat me how you want me to treat you."
"Fufu~"
Rize's eyelids form crescents while she looks at me and emits that kind of laugh.
The train brakes. We've arrived at the 20th Ward station.
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We've already reached 100 chapters!