74

Chapter 74: First Class Investigator, Kanzaki Ryoma

Kirishima Touka was still simmering with frustration long after Kamishiro Rize had left. The smugness in her voice, the arrogant way she twisted her words — it all gnawed at her.

Even if Touka had caught the subtle hints in what Rize said, she wouldn't have given them much thought. The way Rize had made things sound, she was clearly just toying with Kanzaki Ryoma.

Rize's taunting smile lingered in Touka's mind, leaving her more irritated than she wanted to admit.

"Forget it," Irimi Kaya said, breaking the silence. "You know how Rize is. At least we got what we came for."

Touka took a breath and forced herself to calm down.

"You're right," she muttered. "She's not worth my time."

Despite her usual dislike for ghoul investigators, she couldn't help feeling a little sorry for Ryoma.

---

Later that evening, Ryoma returned home to find Rize waiting for him, her usual sly grin in place.

"I had an interesting conversation with your friends today," she said, clearly amused.

Ryoma sighed. "What did you do this time?"

"Nothing much," Rize smirked. "I just let them keep believing their little misunderstanding. Honestly, the way they think I'm playing with your feelings... it's kind of cute."

"You knew they misunderstood you, and you didn't bother correcting them?"

"Why would I?" Rize giggled. "It's more fun this way."

Ryoma shook his head. "One of these days, that attitude's going to backfire on you."

"Relax," Rize said, waving him off. "Anyway, how did your exam go?"

"I passed," Ryoma said. "I'm a First-Class Investigator now, but honestly, it's just a title. Doesn't mean much."

"Well, if you're serious about climbing the ranks, that's a solid start," Rize said. "Get to Special Class and you'll have real power in the CCG."

Ryoma scoffed. "It's not that simple. The promotion system's slow unless you pull off something big. Maybe if I do well during the Aogiri Tree operation, I can move up faster."

At the mention of Aogiri Tree, Rize's expression darkened.

"Those guys…" she muttered. "I never cared much about them until that idiot Gecko tried to grab me. Guess I should've been paying more attention."

"They're worse than they seem," Ryoma warned. "The One-Eyed Owl is a real monster, and they've got plenty of other powerful ghouls backing them."

Rize smiled faintly. "Think you can take down the Owl?"

"I'll find out soon enough," Ryoma said. "But I won't go down easily."

He was confident. His Mangekyō Sharingan and improved physical abilities gave him an edge most investigators could only dream to match. Still, he knew better than to be reckless.

"Well," Rize said with a grin. "Try not to get yourself killed out there. I'd hate to lose my favorite snack."

Ryoma let out a tired laugh. "Yeah, yeah."

---

Despite his growing reputation as a CCG investigator, Ryoma continued visiting Anteiku as if nothing had changed.

He figured it was harmless enough. He wasn't there to investigate, and no rule said an investigator couldn't enjoy a cup of coffee in peace.

Touka still watched him closely every time he came in. She kept expecting him to start poking around or asking questions, but Ryoma never did. He just drank his coffee, read his book, and occasionally talked with Rize.

Strangely enough, Touka was starting to believe he wasn't here to investigate at all. Maybe he really was just another idiot caught up in Rize's twisted games.

Today, Ryoma arrived earlier than usual. Rize wasn't with him this time, but Touka spotted Fueguchi Hinami sitting nearby with a book open on the table.

Ryoma noticed her too.

"You stuck on something?" he asked as he walked over.

Hinami glanced up at him, looking a little embarrassed.

"I… can't read some of the words," she admitted.

"Want some help?" Ryoma offered.

Hinami hesitated for a moment before giving a small nod.

"Okay."

She pulled a chair closer to hers, and Ryoma sat down beside her.

"You're reading 'Dear Kafka'?" Ryoma asked, recognizing the cover. "Good choice, but it's a tricky one."

He started reading from the first page, pausing now and then to explain certain words.

[Ding! The host taught Fueguchi Hinami to recognize one word and received a reward: 1 Fusion Point.]

Ryoma blinked in surprise.

Wait... I can earn points for teaching her to read?

He glanced at the book again, suddenly feeling far more motivated than before.

"Alright, Hinami," Ryoma said with a smile. "Looks like we've got some studying to do."

Hinami beamed. "Okay!"