We've reached 200 Power Stones. Thank you so much!
Here's the bonus chapter!
At 350 Power Stones, I'll drop another bonus chapter.
×××
Touka is sitting on the sofa in her first-floor living room. With her arms crossed and staring at the front door, it seems she's very upset.
"Tsk... that big idiot."
She mutters while looking away toward the window where the morning sun enters and illuminates the floating dust particles.
How many days has it been already? Since the last time that idiot Arata came to visit her. No, in fact, it's entire weeks without her seeing that annoying boy appear who has an irritating smile, barging into her house without asking permission and starting to talk about random things while playing video games with her.
Touka stands up abruptly and walks to the kitchen to distract herself.
"It's not like I care anyway."
Saying those words out loud, she opens the refrigerator and looks at its contents.
There are fruits, vegetables and pork. As a ghoul, she certainly can't eat them, however, since she has a human friend, she had them in the refrigerator in case she visited and she wouldn't seem suspicious.
"Haah..."
Despite saying she didn't care, in her consciousness she knows perfectly well those words aren't true.
It's strange that annoying person who almost every day appeared at her door sometimes bringing new games, suddenly no longer came.
Did he dare disappear without any explanation?
But...
What if something bad happened to him?
While her train of thought headed toward dangerous territory and that she wouldn't like to be true, she shakes her head.
"He's probably busy with that rich pink-haired girl."
She puts coffee beans in a cup and then pours hot water.
Saya was her name? The name of the girl Arata mentioned before.
According to Arata, that girl's family has taken in Arata, who always lived in an abandoned house.
She's happy he got a better place to live. However, a ghoul living in the house of two humans?
"Hmph! Let's see if Arata doesn't bite their butts."
Touka shakes her head and kicks those annoying thoughts away. She has no right to feel this way. Arata can spend time with whoever he wants.
But it still bothers her.
She returns to her second-floor room and drops onto the bed before taking a sip of her bitter coffee.
It doesn't taste as good as the coffee they make in the nearby café. What was it called again?
"Anteiku?"
She sighs and returns to her previous spiral.
"Idiot, at least he should have let me know."
At that moment...
She furrows her brows noticing something strange.
Normally on Sunday mornings she can hear children playing outside, cars passing in the distance and people talking animatedly.
However, for the past few minutes, no sound was entering through her window apart from birdsong.
Touka stands up slowly while sharpening her senses.
This type of situation reminds her of when earthquake drills occurred at the school she attended, when everyone had to evacuate the area quickly.
'This is wrong.'
The neighbors have been evacuated and the area has been closed off.
She hasn't been notified, nor has she been integrated among the groups of those who've been evacuated.
That means...
She walks toward the window carefully and looks outside, where the streets are empty and the neighborhood houses are closed.
She opens her eyes wide.
Men dressed in white suits positioned at various points around her house.
All of them were armed with briefcases that undoubtedly contain quinques.
"Shit..."
They've found her.
Realizing that point, Touka's heart beats faster while she backs away from the window.
The CCG has completely surrounded the area.
—Crash!
Her house's roof explodes inward as several investigators enter.
One of them, a man in his twenties with scars on his face, points at her.
"Indeed it's a female ghoul. Estimated threat level: B Rank."
Another investigator who happens to be younger than the previous one, has an arrogant expression while spitting.
"How pathetic! A ghoul girl living alone. Probably her monster parents are already dead as all ghouls should be."
His face distorts into a cruel expression.
"Let's do society a favor and eliminate this trash too."
Anger instantly boils in Touka's chest.
'These bastards...'
They're the ones who took away her family! What right do they have to speak?
Without hesitating for a second, she enters combat state.
—Splash!
Her back opens and her kagune sprouts violently, taking the form of crimson and shining wings that unfold on both sides of her. Instead of feathers, they look like wings made of fire mixed with blood.
"Die!"
Not attacking first in this case, where she's cornered, would be stupid.
She launches forward with shocking speed, thanks to her Ukaku Kagune type. The next moment, she appears in front of the arrogant investigator.
—Fwoosh! Slash!
Her wings move twice, leaving crimson marks in the air. Accompanied by a whistle, her attack deeply cuts the man's arm, who managed to move his head from the direction of the wings.
"Argggh!"
A cut arm, although not as dangerous as a cut neck, at the end of the day is still extremely painful.
While the man retreats with staggering steps, Touka doesn't stop. She spins quickly and fires a barrage of crystallized projectiles from her wings toward the other three investigators.
—Shink! Shink! Shink! Shink!
They raise their briefcases, and swirling, their quinques materialize before them in different forms, helping them block the projectiles. But they're forced to retreat several steps.
She takes advantage of that moment to jump backward to create distance while assessing the situation.
There are four investigators in total inside the house. From what she saw, there are dozens of other investigators outside. But those outside seem to be weaker investigators.
So if she manages to get out of here, escaping would be easy.
However, those before her are coordinated and don't seem especially weak.
'I have to break their formation quickly.'
She's been training since she went out with Arata that night to kill a parasitized ghoul. Therefore, she now knows how to control her kagune better than before. She knows how to use her speed as an advantage, as well as knowing how to aim at vital points. Most important is not wasting energy on useless attacks.
But these irritating guys aren't simple humans, since they're a well-trained team with quinque use. They could cover each other's weaknesses.
Touka attacks again using her speed to strike from angles that are unexpected for the investigators.
—Slash! Slash!
The air becomes hot around Touka, while her short hair whips violently, revealing two eyes with black sclera and bright red iris.
She manages to wound two more using the walls and ceiling to propel herself toward them. On the agents' shoulders and legs are several bleeding wounds.
Despite trying not to make a useless effort, that's still just her intention. In a battle, no matter a good intention without the strength to back up that effort, it will be nothing more than fantasy. The strength difference between her and the agents isn't so overwhelming.
Soon, the CCG starts adapting quickly to her combat style.
They start blocking the points where she thinks of propelling herself on the walls, anticipate her attack movements, and use teamwork to corner her.
One blocks while another attacks from her blind spot.
—Clang! Whoosh!
Touka slightly pulls her head backward, and a quinque in the form of a robust spear passes grazing her nose.
In that position, she immediately counterattacks with a wave of crystallized projectiles.
—Shink! Shink! Shink!
The man who attacked her was violently struck and collapses on the floor, with blood being spit from the holes caused by the projectiles.
"What...?! A ghoul girl being so powerful! Are you sure she's a B Rank?"
The man shows no emotion and say.
"She's a B Rank, no doubt. You bastards are very weak. Tsk!"
The combat continues becoming more intense.
Touka starts receiving hits despite being able to dodge those same attacks before. Now several wounds are visible on her skin accumulating on her arms, legs, torso and cheeks while her breathing becomes heavier.
'Damn it... this isn't working.'
Time isn't on her side. Her stamina is already slowly diminishing. Her Ukaku is good for quick and ranged attacks, but has low resistance and suffers from rapid stamina degradation.
The agent with scars on his face who has maintained a defensive position, shouts.
"She's starting to tire! Focus on the target! Don't give her a second to breathe! Attack together!"
"Understood!!"
The two remaining investigators prepare their quinques while the sunlight entering through the roof spills over the weapons, giving them a sinister appearance.
Touka also prepares her kagune, whose glow has lost much of its intensity. She knows this is the last offensive she can launch with the strength she has left without completely exhausting herself, to be able to escape.
If she fails, she'll die.