"The Master wants to catch the entire Madam Organization in one net. There really are quite a few Madams here today—including Big Madam herself."
"Those hooded figures everywhere—are they the Madams' bodyguards...?"
Matsumae and Kanae had also arrived at the auction venue, wearing their respective masks.
They'd heard about Byakuya's operation and had come to assist.
Their job was to watch for anyone who slipped through—if CCG missed any Madams, they'd handle it.
Just then, a rope descended from above the stage, accompanied by eyeballs dropping from the ceiling.
Whether they were ping-pong balls in disguise or actual human eyes was unclear.
The fat clown began juggling the eyeballs.
Roma pulled the rope, and a peculiar cylindrical house descended from above.
"Ladies and gentlemen, sorry for the wait."
A figure emerged from the house. "In this world, auctions featuring rare treasures and exquisite items are countless. But... humans! Auctioning humans is a specialty unique to our ghoul world."
"Also... I almost forgot to introduce myself. Tonight's host and auctioneer... will be provided by us Clowns."
The figure was the MC—recognizable as Uta from his hairstyle and tattoos alone.
Uta wore a new mask with an exaggeratedly long, pointed nose and only four small holes besides.
"Without further ado, please enjoy tonight's auction!"
With that, the auction officially began.
Meanwhile, Mutsuki—about to be auctioned as merchandise—was trying to contact allies via the micro-wireless device in their ear.
"Hello—this is Rank 3 Mutsuki. Please respond if you can hear me."
No response came.
Cold sweat formed on Mutsuki's face.
Clearly, there was no signal where they were.
By the time Mutsuki was brought to the auction venue, the first item was already being sold.
The most common items at ghoul auctions were celebrities—singers, actors, and the like. Such merchandise was always popular.
"Let me introduce today's first item: the actor Suzuki Yama. He's starred in several films—mostly flops, but he became popular thanks to his handsome face. I'm sure many guests here have seen his movies?"
Roma, serving as auctioneer, began her introduction.
As she spoke, the escaping actor was held firmly in place by the fat clown.
"Starting bid is 9 million. Please bid freely!"
The guests began raising their paddles.
"9.1 million!"
"9.5 million!"
"10 million!"
"..."
The bidding price shot up rapidly.
Kanae sat with legs crossed, showing no interest in bidding. "What's the value of some actor with nothing but looks?"
"It's because he's famous that they can inflate the price. Not that it's good taste..."
Matsumae merely offered commentary.
Setting aside that they weren't here to bid anyway, they had no interest in human merchandise even if they were.
Soon, the first item's bidding was drawing to a close.
"We now have a one-on-one battle between Guest #1 and... Guest #10!"
Guest #1 was Big Madam, while Guest #10 was...
"Ahem..."
Kanae coughed awkwardly.
Because Guest #10 was none other than Mirumo Tsukiyama, head of the Tsukiyama family.
She hadn't expected the Master's father to be bidding on such merchandise...
Matsumae said nothing, making a "shush" gesture.
Mirumo Tsukiyama was just as conspicuous as Big Madam—he'd shown up wearing only reading glasses, barely concealing his face.
"25 million!"
"30 million!"
When Mirumo raised the bid directly to 30 million, Big Madam had to back down.
"30 million, going once—"
"30 million, going twice—"
"30 million, sold! Congratulations to Guest #10 for winning today's first item!"
As Roma announced the result, murmurs spread through the audience.
"Who is Guest #10...?"
"He's known here as 'Mr. Crunchy.' Apparently a wealthy tycoon—one of Big Madam's few rivals."
"Truly upper-class ghouls, spending tens of millions on a single human..."
"..."
Big Madam felt somewhat embarrassed.
"Whatever! I didn't want him that badly anyway! What I really want is the finale piece!"
She immediately spoke up to save face.
By now, Uta was introducing the next item.
"Please note, this merchandise isn't on your lists..."
The "lists" were essentially menus—items on them were typically notable humans; ordinary goods weren't included.
But many guests remained interested in unlisted items, since occasionally there were major surprises.
As Uta finished speaking, Mutsuki was pushed out of the house.
They stumbled and fell to their knees, appearing before the ghoul audience in a girlish duck-sitting pose.
"Huh...?"
Mutsuki seemed dazed, apparently not expecting to suddenly be on the auction stage—they might not have even known they'd become merchandise...
"Now then, starting bid is 1 million..."
Uta didn't even glance at Mutsuki, casually naming a starting price.
This item appeared unremarkable. The eyepatch hurt the appeal. Most ghoul guests lost interest, waiting for some sucker to buy it so they could move on.
But Uta soon sensed something was off—he detected a strange scent from Mutsuki.
He immediately approached. His footsteps drew closer, making Mutsuki's heart pound.
Uta leaned in and sniffed.
"Haha, your scent seems quite special..."
Uta's teasing whisper tickled Mutsuki's ear. Then he reached over and tore off Mutsuki's eyepatch.
Mutsuki's uncontrollable kakugan was instantly exposed to every guest.
...
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