Inside a certain building.
Kanae stood by the window, staring out at the cityscape. Her brows were furrowed tightly, Matsumae still hadn't returned after more than half an hour.
That alone was enough to make her uneasy.
Tsukiyama Shuu sat in a chair nearby, his expression dark and unreadable. The fact that Matsumae hadn't come to regroup after all this time... likely meant something had gone terribly wrong.
Noticing Tsukiyama's sunken expression, Kanae quickly tried to console him.
"Lord Tsukiyama, let's return for now. The Bureau Chief will be fine. Those Doves definitely aren't her match."
Tsukiyama nodded. Nothing had been confirmed yet, it was not the time for grief or self-reproach.
"I know. Let's go. Once we're back, we'll have Mairo and the others search for Matsumae's whereabouts."
...
In a dimly lit room, the screeching sound of a spiked iron club scraping against the metal floor echoed through the air, showering the space with harsh sparks.
Tokage Goumasa dragged his grotesque tetsubō along the ground as he stepped deeper into the room. His disfigured lips curved into a twisted grin.
In the back of the cell, the female auctioneer from earlier was shackled to an iron chair bolted to the center of the room. Though her face remained calm, her trembling legs betrayed the chaos and fear welling up inside her.
"Do you like playing games?"
"It's been a while since I practiced my craft. Let's get properly acquainted."
Tokage Goumasa licked the corner of his mouth with a slow, deliberate motion.
Setting the tetsubō aside, he picked up a long-handled pair of iron pincers, his face full of anticipation.
He hadn't expected to return to Cochlea after all these years. Teaching at the academy just didn't bring the same thrill.
He had previously managed to capture two ghouls for "educational purposes," but Uesugi Ryu had already killed one, and the other had broken after just a few days of "play."
"Tch. Disgusting freak. Someone like you, I wouldn't even know how to sell you at the auction."
"You're so lowly, you're not even worthy of being food!"
The ghoul spat with utter disdain, bones hard and pride intact, still mouthing off even now.
Tokage Goumasa's twisted grin widened so far it nearly reached behind his ears. It had been over half a year since Uesugi Ryu had "compensated" him with a better toy.
He liked this one, she looked like she could last a long time.
Just then, the iron door creaked open.
Kijima Shiki stepped into the room, carrying a heavy metal bucket with both hands. Inside were an assortment of grim instruments, knives, nails, and other crude tools, some lightly rusted, others still slick with dried, dark red blood.
Kijima Shiki was a Quinque Candidate Special-Class Investigator, and currently also Cochlea's head interrogator. After Tokage Goumasa had stepped down, Kijima Shiki had risen to become the most technically skilled torturer in Cochlea.
Technically, Tokage had once been Kijima's superior. The two shared similar "hobbies" and often exchanged "professional insights."
At this moment, Kijima had a grin like a grotesque clown, one large and one small eye flashing with nostalgic glee.
"Still using the same old tools, huh? I've been carefully saving them for you all this time."
"So? Want me to lend a hand?"
Tokage Goumasa shook his head lightly.
"No need. I'm more than enough on my own. But hey, if you've got something fun, we can switch off later."
It had been over a decade since Tokage left Cochlea. He gazed curiously at Kijima's face, he hadn't always looked this deformed, though Tokage himself wasn't much better off.
Kijima let out a strange, guttural chuckle, his face twisting in resentment.
"Well, I do have something... Jail. It's thanks to him I look like this now!"
The two of them standing side by side looked like a waking nightmare, aberrations incarnate. No child could look at them without weeping, no normal person without flinching.
If they were in a horror film, they wouldn't even need makeup, truly a pair of monstrosities.
Faced with these two, the female auctioneer felt a suffocating wave of pressure descend upon her.
Tokage Goumasa had been retired from frontline duty for nearly ten years. And being a full-time interrogator, he wasn't well known among ghouls.
The only one who really knew his methods had been Yamori, and now he'd been killed by Uesugi Ryu, you could say Ryu had avenged him in a twisted way.
Kijima Shiki, on the other hand, had earned infamy among ghouls as the Shearsman, even his name alone made their flesh crawl.
The female auctioneer clearly recognized him. Her facade of calm crumbled instantly.
Tokage Goumasa noticed her reaction, and his expression darkened.
"Tch... this bitch treats me and Kijima completely differently."
That hit his pride a bit. He muttered inwardly:
"Guess I'll just have to remind you what the old-school interrogators are capable of."
Kijima, noticing Tokage's excitement, grinned maliciously at the female ghoul.
"Well then, I won't get in the way of your quality time."
With that, he turned and left the room.
...
"Let's get started. First up... a math problem."
Tokage Goumasa snapped his finger with a sharp crack, then suddenly leaned forward, face filled with glee.
"What's 1000 minus 7?"
The room fell into absolute silence. Faced with this question, the ghoul chose not to answer.
But she would soon learn, silence comes at a price.
...
After exiting the cell, Kijima Shiki made his way to another holding room. He'd been rather busy these past few days, numerous Aogiri Tree ghouls had been captured, and now it was his job to make each one talk.
Screams of agony echoed throughout the floor, their chilling wails rising and falling in waves.
Ghouls in their individual cells shrank back into corners, trembling uncontrollably.
...
SS-Level, deep below.
Hoito Roma sat in a dark, damp cell. Her ears twitched, catching the all-too-familiar shrieks coming from afar.
Each scream was distinct, and she reveled in it. Bursting into maniacal laughter, she soaked in the sound like a symphony.
Living in this hellhole, those screams had become her only entertainment.
Over time, she had grown so familiar with them that she could identify individual torturers simply by the rhythm and tone of the screams.
Another scream rang out.
She raised her brow slightly, a mysterious smile curling her lips.
"Oh? That one... so he's back. Been a long time since I've heard one of his masterpieces."
Just then, the heavy iron door creaked open.
The sterile white light of the overhead lamps poured into the cell, illuminating the gloom. A figure stepped into the room.
Wearing a clown mask, Furuta Nimura walked in.
Seeing him, the smile on Roma's face widened with mischief.
"Well, well. You came in person?"
"So I'm finally being let out? Looks like the balance has been broken."
As she spoke, she leisurely stretched out her arms, flexing her stiff body with pleasure.
Furuta showed no reaction to her teasing. His tone remained calm.
"Someone will come for you soon. Be patient."
The cell door slowly closed behind him, cutting off any further conversation.