Chapter 332: The Best Way to Trick (Crossed Out) Lure a Loli Is to Feed Her

When the door was pushed open, a gentle light spilled inside.

Izumi instinctively squinted her eyes, as if unable to adapt to the lighting inside the house.

But, a ghoul's body shouldn't react abnormally to this level of light. Rather than a physiological response, it seemed more like a psychological one.

Izumi had rarely lived under such bright lighting. More often, she had to hide in the darkness.

Stepping into the light meant bearing more danger.

Izumi instinctively shrank back a little, then rubbed up against Haruto.

"Let's go."

Haruto spoke softly, then gently nudged Izumi into the apartment. Her steps were still hesitant, but she was ultimately guided inside by Haruto.

"Welcome home, Haruto-sama~" ×2

Two voices spoke in unison.

Ram and Rem greeted him and brought out a pair of slippers to change into. When they noticed another person standing beside Haruto—the two girls exchanged glances.

Then—

"Oh no, oh no! Haruto-sama brought home another girl!"

"This is bad, this is bad! Haruto-sama has tricked another innocent girl!"

The two little ones shouted into the apartment.

Haruto facepalmed.

Just who was out there ruining his reputation?

Meanwhile, the originally tense Izumi, after sensing Haruto's helpless mood, calmed down instead.

She even had the mood to smile, watching the boy's reaction curiously.

Haruto skillfully found a brand-new pair of slippers and handed them to Izumi. She took them, removed her tattered shoes, and carefully placed them in the corner. In the dimness earlier, it hadn't been obvious—

But now, under the bright light—

Her clothing looked especially ragged.

Though not to the point of being indecent, there were many tears in the fabric. It hardly offered any warmth.

Some edges were stained with brown marks—

Likely from some dark-colored liquid that splashed on her and couldn't be washed off with just water.

After all, you can't expect a homeless girl to properly wash her clothes with detergent. If she had money, she'd probably rather buy supplies to help her survive.

Perhaps sensing Haruto's gaze, Izumi tugged at her clothes to cover the torn areas and smiled.

Without the usual embarrassment a girl might have, which only made it more heartbreaking.

At that moment, a few more girls came running over after hearing the commotion.

But the ones who had initially charged over intending to scold Haruto—

All stopped in their tracks when they saw Izumi.

Her condition was far too familiar.

Many of them had looked the same way when they first arrived here.

"Hi, sorry to intrude—though I guess I already did—anyway, let's go wash up and get ready for dinner."

Nao came over, took Izumi from Haruto, and led her further into the apartment.

Nao had always been naturally outgoing. She was often the one to break the ice first at home.

As she led Izumi away, she even gave Haruto a knowing look.

Haruto chuckled lightly.

Having a Nao at home was great.

Izumi gave him a look asking for help. But Haruto just returned a calm and reassuring gaze.

And so, Izumi was led away to the restroom by Nao to wash her hands. The other girls didn't crowd around to ask questions.

It wouldn't be polite.

There was plenty of time anyway.

Better to wait until she settled in and ask her directly.

Haruto, meanwhile, noticed Kanna peeking out from behind Tohru. After recharging, Kanna seemed a lot more spirited. Even her gaze toward him lacked the hostility it had before.

Though really, her earlier hostility was more like a child's "I don't like you."

Not serious at all—easily swayed.

Haruto thought for a moment and took out a piece of chocolate from the Kamui space.

He waved it in his hand.

Sure enough, Kanna—who had been hiding behind Tohru—immediately had her attention drawn.

Her gaze followed the motion of the chocolate in his hand.

So simple to understand.

As expected, the easiest way to get along with lolis was to feed them. Haruto unwrapped the chocolate and held it out toward her.

Kanna's little nose twitched twice.

After a moment of hesitation, she still stepped out from behind Tohru and came closer and took a bite of the chocolate.

As she ate, Haruto reached out and gently patted her little head.

A strange sense of déjà vu grew stronger.

Just then, Izumi and Nao emerged from the restroom.

Now, Izumi had completely changed. She was wearing one of Nao's outfits. Originally, she had been like a wounded golden canary, fallen into the dust.

But now, the canary had preened her feathers and spread her wings slightly.

Even such a small change elevated her charm significantly.

Haruto felt that Izumi's aura was that of an elegant and gentle young lady. Nao pulled her over to the dining table and had her sit down.

Normally, a girl in a strange place with unfamiliar people would focus her attention on someone she knew.

But Izumi didn't do that.

She knew very well that doing so might not yield the response she hoped for, and might even become a burden. At the same time, Izumi was desperately suppressing her physiological reactions.

The table was full of delicious food.

But in her eyes, it was all inedible.

The smell alone made her nauseous.

Due to the concentration of RC cells, a ghoul's taste buds interpret human food as something indescribable.

It was incredibly difficult to suppress this reaction.

But she did her best.

At that moment, Haruto walked over to her.

He retrieved a special RC cell solution from the Kamui space. A glowing bluish liquid in a small vial.

He handed it to Izumi.

"This will help you survive better."

Haruto didn't explain what the solution was or how it worked. Izumi accepted it without hesitation and drank it down.

Partly out of trust.

But more so because—

If even someone as kind as Haruto wanted to hurt her—

Then she'd rather just die at his hands.

Her life had always been nothing but endless darkness anyway.

As the solution entered her body, Izumi immediately felt changes taking place inside. She couldn't describe it, but she could feel it clearly.

More noticeably—

The food, which had previously smelled nauseating, now released waves of enticing fragrance.

Already starving, her stomach growled loudly at the scent.

Blinking in surprise, Izumi was overwhelmed.

This food—unlike the "food" she'd known before—had a much richer taste. And for once, she felt no guilt eating it.

Swallowing her saliva, she held herself back and looked at Haruto. Before she could say anything, he reached out and ruffled her hair.

"For now, just eat."

The other girls didn't question anything further.

They all began to enjoy the dinner.

The atmosphere became warm and joyful.

Haruto took Izumi's bowl and filled it with rice.

Only when everyone else started eating did she clumsily lift a piece of chicken and put it in her mouth.

Though it was meat, the feeling was completely different. The moment it entered her mouth, her eyes welled with tears.

She could actually eat human food.

So this was what food besides human flesh tasted like?

For others, experiencing various flavors might be a daily occurrence. But for Izumi, it was something unimaginable.

Like a blind person being shown the colorful world for the first time. A newfound sense of taste, like opening her eyes and seeing the world anew.

Tears dripped into her bowl, mixing with the rice as she swallowed.

Izumi thought—

If this was a dream before death—

Then she wished she could stay in this dream forever.