"I finally escaped that damned place! Hah, of course I did, I'm the great Naki!"
With a look of smug confidence, Naki rubbed his hands together, his expression full of anticipation.
"Big Bro! I can finally see Big Bro Yamori again!!"
"Caw! Caw!"
Two sharp caws rang out as a pair of crows circled overhead. Naki looked up toward the source of the sound.
"The hell is that? Damn birds, shut the hell up already! Quit squawking around me!"
He cursed viciously while wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Then he grabbed a black suit he had just looted and hastily shoved himself into it.
Everyone knew Naki had always favored white suits. But unfortunately, office workers rarely wore white suits to work, so this black one would have to do for now.
It didn't fit at all, hanging loosely off his body, but Naki didn't care. As long as it covered the prison uniform underneath and helped him regain some energy, it was enough.
Looking around at the unfamiliar streets, he scratched his head.
"Right... which way is the 13th Ward again?"
"You won't need to worry about that anymore."
A cold voice echoed through the alley.
Mado Akira appeared at the end of it, her quinque case opening with a snap. A massive, rough-textured whip covered in countless fine barbs unfurled into her hand.
"A Koukaku-type quinque. Just perfect for you."
Without another word, she snapped her arm forward, sending the whip howling through the air straight at Naki.
He barely managed to dodge by rolling awkwardly on the ground. Then, without hesitation, he released his kagune, a deep blue armored tentacle erupting from beneath his shoulder blades.
His eyes locked onto Mado Akira at the end of the alley. A tantalizing scent drifted from her direction, and Naki, already starving, began to drool uncontrollably.
"Damn CCG... but so fragrant!!"
Uesugi Ryu slowly walked into the alley, frowning at the noisy Naki.
What a loud, obnoxious fool.
Naki and Mado Akira could be called nemeses by now. In the original storyline, the two had clashed several times. But not this time. Not even Yoshimura Eto would be able to save him now.
Naki formed a sturdy shield with his kagune, just barely withstanding Akira's relentless assault. The solid armor of his Koukaku clashed fiercely with her whip, sending a shower of sparks flying in all directions.
In the midst of battle, Naki turned his head and caught sight of Uesugi Ryu.
His nostrils twitched slightly. He smelled something faint in the air... a scent both familiar and irresistible. It was coming from that man.
"Bro! You smell amazing!!"
Uesugi Ryu stared blankly for a second.
Naki had actually shouted that mid-fight.
But Akira was in no mood to let that slide. With a sudden twist of her wrist, her whip lashed forward with tremendous force, its barbs digging into Naki's flesh and sending him flying.
He smashed hard into a nearby wall, leaving a deep, echoing thud in his wake.
Koukaku-type quinques weren't just powerful, they were flexible and versatile, making them perfect counters to heavy, clumsy kagune like Naki's.
Clearly, Akira had come well-prepared to take him down.
Her blonde hair swayed slightly in the breeze. The corners of her lips curled into a cold, scornful smile.
"Stupid brain-dead ghoul. Just die already."
Uesugi Ryu leaned casually against the wall, watching the fight unfold with interest.
He had to admit, Akira really did have a preference for whip-like weapons. She wielded them with near perfection, which made up for her lack of brute strength.
Watching her go full maniac with it gave Uesugi Ryu a chill.
He muttered to himself, "It's fine if she whips ghouls. Just please don't whip me..."
"It hurts! It hurts! It HURTS!!!"
Naki coughed up blood, tears streaming from his eyes.
He'd just escaped from Cochlea, hadn't even fully recovered, and now he was up against these two bastards. He was doomed.
"Big Bro Yamori, I'm sorry... looks like I won't get to see you again..."
Even as he sobbed, Naki charged straight at Mado Akira.
If he was going to die, he'd at least take a bite out of her.
"Yamori's long dead. If there's a place for the dead, maybe you'll get to see him again."
Uesugi Ryu's voice was laced with mockery.
Naki glared at him, shouting in defiance.
"Don't be ridiculous! Big Bro Yamori isn't someone you scum could kill! Don't try to lie to me!"
As he shouted, he swung his kagune at Akira.
She twisted her wrist again, and her whip instantly formed a dense web of barbed wires in front of her.
The countless sharp barbs sliced through Naki's body.
His ill-fitting black suit was instantly shredded, turning into ragged scraps.
Chunks of his flesh were ripped away by the razor-sharp barbs, leaving his body a bloody mess.
Yet he still stumbled forward, refusing to fall, charging Akira like a beast on its last breath.
Uesugi Ryu wasn't interested in arguing.
As the saying went: slay the ghoul, break the will.
A cruel smile curled his lips. He pressed a button on his case.
A cold gleam flashed, Jason, the long blade, materialized in his hand.
The moment the blade appeared, Naki caught a familiar scent.
That was the scent of his most beloved Big Bro Yamori.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Staring at the weapon in Uesugi Ryu's hand, he began to tremble uncontrollably.
In that moment, everything he had believed in, everything he had clung to, collapsed.
Like a man possessed, he screamed and sprinted toward Uesugi Ryu.
"You bastard! That's Aniki's scent! How dare you touch that?!!"
Akira didn't just stand and watch.
She struck again, her quinque slashing clean through Naki's head.
With a wet, slicing sound, the ghoul's head flew into the air and landed neatly at Uesugi Ryu's feet.
It came to a stop just centimeters from the Jason blade, Yamori's blade.
Its tip pointed directly at Naki's still-open eyes.
"You're too loud. Hontou ni urusai na!" Akira said, one hand covering her ear.
With a flick of her whip, she flung the gore off the barbs.
Naki, still barely conscious, finally reunited with the scent of his beloved Yamori.
Tears of resignation flowed from his eyes.
Uesugi Ryu gave the corpse a contemptuous kick, sending it tumbling away.
He couldn't use Soul Devour right now, nor did he feel like dealing a finishing blow.
A dismembered corpse in nothing but underwear lay nearby on the cold ground. Most of the body had been eaten away, the white of bones peeking through what was left.
A brown leather briefcase, soaked in blood, lay open beside it. Its contents were scattered everywhere, papers, pens, business cards, all in disarray.
A shattered phone vibrated on the ground.
The caller ID read: "Mother."
Uesugi Ryu's brow furrowed.
His smirk faded, replaced by a heavy stillness in his chest.
He didn't know the man, he felt no guilt.
Ghouls devouring humans was a constant reality.
Taguchi, this office worker, and countless others he had seen in similar fates... It was these scenes that made Uesugi Ryu unable to like ghouls.
No matter what reasons they claimed, what labels they wore, what causes they fought for, what they took were innocent lives.
Uesugi Ryu didn't care about the fate of ghouls.
Because he was human.
And as an investigator, all he needed to do was drive out these pests.
Akira said nothing. She simply picked up her phone and notified the nearest branch office to come and handle the cleanup.
The corpse was unrecognizable now. No further clues could be drawn from it.
After a moment of silence, Uesugi Ryu began to unbutton his investigator's trench coat.