Chapter 15: The Hanged MacGuffin

Ryoma could feel Touka Kirishima's eyes on him from the corner of his vision.

It wasn't surprising.

She had seen him walking with Rize Kamishiro last night—late at night, alone with the most infamous man-eater in the 20th Ward.

For Touka, there was only one logical outcome.

He should be dead.

And yet, here he was, casually stepping into Anteiku like nothing had happened.

---

"You didn't think I'd show up today, did you?"

Rize's voice was as teasing as ever, a faint smirk curling at her lips.

"Yeah," Ryoma admitted as he sat down across from her. "I figured you'd be… elsewhere."

Hunting, to be precise.

Rize, however, had stayed put.

For whatever reason, she wasn't in a rush to find new prey.

She took a slow sip of her coffee. "I like this place. The atmosphere's nice. And the coffee's delicious."

"Right. Totally not because it's laced with… special ingredients," Ryoma muttered under his breath.

Ghouls couldn't digest normal food. But Anteiku's coffee contained small amounts of concentrated human flesh particles—something only ghoul customers received.

For them, it was a rare delicacy.

Rize chuckled but didn't deny it.

---

Ryoma stood up and walked toward the bookshelf.

This time, he picked up a novel—The Hanged MacGuffin.

It was Takatsuki Izumi's latest release.

Rize, noticing his selection, raised an eyebrow. "You recommended that book to me before, but you hadn't read it yourself?"

"I heard it was good," Ryoma replied smoothly, flipping through the pages.

Rize smirked.

"Then let's read it together."

She didn't wait for an answer.

Instead, she dragged her chair closer and leaned in, settling beside him.

The scent of her shampoo—something floral yet faintly sweet—reached him.

She was too close.

But Ryoma quickly realized why.

Rize wasn't just reading.

She was smelling him.

Her face was dangerously close to his neck, inhaling deeply as if savoring the aroma of a gourmet meal.

Ryoma tensed.

Great. I really am the 'Tang Monk's Meat' of this world.

"I'm starting to worry you'll bite me," he muttered dryly.

Rize chuckled. "Not here. Not now."

Then, with an almost mocking innocence, she added:

"But if you're interested, we could go somewhere more... private."

Ryoma deadpanned.

"Yeah, no thanks. I have zero interest in getting eaten alive."

Rize pouted playfully, then turned her attention to the book.

---

Reading with Rize was… distracting.

Her presence was unsettling, yet oddly familiar—like a dangerous animal that hadn't yet decided whether to strike.

Still, the book itself was interesting.

Takatsuki Izumi's writing was dark. Twisted. Morbid.

Which, naturally, meant Rize loved it.

She was particularly fascinated by the gruesome details, her violet eyes gleaming with excitement at every brutal twist in the story.

"That part was amazing," she gushed at one particularly disturbing scene. "The way he described the agony… the sheer helplessness…"

Ryoma gave her a blank look.

"You really like this kind of stuff, huh?"

"Of course."

She smiled sweetly.

"Don't you?"

"...I have limits," Ryoma muttered.

Rize chuckled. "Too bad. I thought we could enjoy darker things together."

Ryoma decided to change the subject.

---

After finishing the book, their conversation drifted elsewhere.

Ryoma studied Rize for a moment.

Her physical condition had clearly improved.

"By the way," he asked casually, "how's your body holding up?"

Rize arched an eyebrow, then smiled knowingly.

"Oh? Is Ryoma-kun worried about me?"

Her tone was playful, but there was something in her eyes—a faint wariness.

"I'm fine," she continued. "I still have plenty of stock at home."

Stock.

Ryoma knew exactly what that meant.

The human flesh she had stored in her fridge.

He kept his voice low, making sure no one else could hear.

"Still," he said, "I'd be careful if I were you. That guy in the clown mask might come after you again."

Rize's expression darkened slightly.

"You're trying to control me?"

There was a sharpness in her voice.

She didn't like being told what to do.

"Not at all," Ryoma replied evenly. "I just think it'd be a shame if you got caught in another trap."

Rize studied him for a long moment.

Then, just as her expression softened—

"Well," she said, a teasing lilt returning to her voice, "I might listen to you… if you let me have another taste."

She licked her lips.

###

T/N:For those that don't know, Eto is her real identity, Takatsuki Sen is her alias that she goes by in public, and Takatsuki Izumi is the pen name of Takatsuki Sen.

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