40

Chapter 40: Ghouls Are The Apex Predator!

"Hah~ I feel better now."

Furuta Nimura let out a deep sigh, his voice light and carefree—as if he hadn't just spent the last few minutes cursing Kanzaki Ryoma's existence under his breath.

His expression, previously twisted with resentment, had returned to its usual sly and composed self.

It was as if his moment of madness had never happened.

With that, his mind switched gears effortlessly.

Now wasn't the time to dwell on trivial emotions.

He had a plan to execute.

Rize Kamishiro had clearly figured out that he was behind the steel beam incident. That meant his next move would be much harder to pull off.

She would be on guard.

Should he keep targeting her, or find another sacrifice?

Rize was undoubtedly the best experimental donor—her RC cell levels, her regenerative capabilities, her Washuu bloodline… everything about her made her the ideal subject.

But getting to her now would be near impossible.

Not only would he have to wait for a moment when she let her guard down, but he'd also need to make sure the Washuu family didn't interfere.

If he wanted an alternative, his only option was to find another Washuu bloodline host.

That was the key to achieving his ultimate goal—"Dragon."

The Washuu family had many "childbearers," individuals with high-purity bloodlines. None were as perfect as Rize, but some would still be viable candidates.

Furuta's mind calculated his next steps with cold precision.

And as he casually made his way to class, he had already forgotten about Kanzaki Ryoma and Rize Kamishiro.

---

Meanwhile, Kanzaki Ryoma walked side by side with Rize Kamishiro on the university campus.

The events from earlier still lingered in his mind, so he decided to ask the obvious question.

"That guy just now… he's the one who dropped that steel beam on you, right?"

Rize glanced at him before nodding casually.

"Yeah. His name is Furuta Nimura. I've known him for a long time."

Her tone lacked any real anger or surprise.

"And why would he try to kill you?"

Ryoma pressed further.

"Who knows?"

Rize shrugged, her voice laced with amusement.

She wasn't hiding anything from him—she genuinely didn't know.

If Furuta had been trying to bring her back to the Washuu family, then the Washuus should have already made their move.

But there was no sign of them in the 20th Ward.

That meant Furuta was acting alone.

His motives were still a mystery.

But one thing was certain—

He had betrayed her.

No matter his reasons, Furuta had tried to kill her.

And Rize wasn't the type to forgive betrayal.

She had no idea that Furuta's true goal was to use her as an experimental donor for Kanou Akihiro's research.

If she did know…

She would have killed him on the spot.

Ryoma observed her for a moment before commenting, "You told me before that you have a lot of enemies. Seems like you weren't exaggerating."

"Scared?"

Rize grinned at him teasingly.

"If you regret sticking around, now's your chance to back out."

Ryoma didn't hesitate.

"I'm not afraid. And I don't go back on my word."

His answer was calm, as if there was never any doubt.

Rize blinked, slightly taken aback.

Then, her lips curved into a mischievous smile.

---

They continued their stroll through the university grounds, eventually stopping by a reservoir near the edge of campus.

The water was calm, reflecting the clear sky above.

Rize stood by the railing, gazing at the view, before speaking out of nowhere.

"You ever think about how ghouls are supposed to be at the top of the food chain?"

Ryoma raised an eyebrow.

"And yet," Rize continued, "we've built all these rules to contain ourselves. It's ridiculous, don't you think?"

Her tone was light, but there was a sharp edge to her words.

She wasn't just making conversation.

She was venting.

The "rules" she spoke of were the unspoken laws that ghouls had to follow—especially those set by powerful organizations like Aogiri Tree or the "Ward Leaders" who controlled Tokyo's districts.

Some of these rules were simple:

Don't hunt in another ghoul's territory.

Pay "area taxes" to avoid disputes.

Limit human prey to one kill per month.

Don't leave evidence behind.

But why?

Why should apex predators have to restrain themselves?

Why should ghouls—beings stronger, faster, and more resilient than humans—have to hide like frightened prey?

To Rize, it was absurd.

"...That might be true," Ryoma admitted after a pause.

"But survival is survival. Most ghouls aren't as strong as you. If they don't follow the rules, they'll be wiped out by CCG investigators."

Then, he added dryly, "You're no different. If I weren't keeping you in check, you'd already have half of CCG chasing after you."

Rize let out a soft chuckle.

"Guess that makes me just like the weaklings, huh?"

"There's no shame in staying alive," Ryoma said simply. "But if you ever reach a point where you're so strong that nothing can touch you, then you won't need to follow anyone's rules."

His voice was matter-of-fact.

Not hopeful.

Not sympathetic.

Just stating the truth.

Rize tilted her head, studying him.

Then, her lips curled into a sly smirk.

"Hmm~ You're quite an interesting one, Ryoma."

He remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

After a moment, Rize let out a small sigh.

"Well… I do like to enjoy life. That's why I was born, after all."

She gave him a sidelong glance.

"Even if I can't freely hunt humans anymore, I have found something else to enjoy lately."

Ryoma's instincts flared.

Something about her tone felt… suspicious.

And then she said it—

"I'm talking about you, Ryoma~"

His expression didn't change.

But inwardly, he wasn't fooled.

"You're not interested in me," he said evenly. "You're interested in the meat on my bones."

Rize laughed.

"Same thing, isn't it?"

Ryoma exhaled, watching the water ripple in the reservoir.

"If you can really find things to enjoy besides hunting," he said, "then I hope you stick with those. You already have enough enemies. No need to add more to the list."

"You're starting to sound like an old man," Rize teased.

"That's called being responsible. I told you I'd protect you. That includes keeping you out of trouble."

Rize gazed at him thoughtfully.

Then, out of nowhere—

She asked, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you really want to protect me?"

Her voice was quieter this time.

She wasn't teasing.

She was serious.

"Do you actually… like me?"

Her eyes locked onto his, filled with genuine curiosity.

Ryoma had already answered this question once.

But she hadn't believed him then.

Now, she wanted to hear it again.

To see if his answer had changed.