Rewinding the clock back to the past...
"I'm Miina Shinooto~. Just a lowly employee at an ordinary company~."
"If you're a company employee, you should be home resting like a normal person, not joining a midnight dojo-crashing spree!"
"I just got caught up in the rhythm~."
"๐๐ข๐ฉโฆ!"
Hitokawa was currently subduing Komaโwho had transformed into a passionate, drunken pro-wrestlerโwith a sleeper hold. It was a drastic measure, but necessary to prevent the number of victims from rising. It was a contest of strength between the investigator trying to knock him out and the friend desperately resisting.
Miina, crouched on the ground and watching the struggle with amusement, continued her story.
"You see~ I'm a fresh-faced rookie who just started her first job. I was determined to make a good impression and be energetic. But when I was giving out my contact info, I accidentally wrote down the wrong number! ...Because of that, I was the only one who didn't get the invite to the company dinner. I was just sitting in a random bar, drinking all by myself."
Her final words were shrouded in a gloom so thick it was hard to listen to. Hitokawa found himself feeling a pang of sympathy; first impressions were everything for a rookie, and she had managed to sabotage hers completely.
After the struggle finally ended, Hitokawa hoisted the now-limp Koma onto his back. He turned to Miina, who was wearing the hollow, vacant smile of someone who had tasted both the bitterness and the fleeting sweetness of life.
"Where do you live? I'll walk you home."
"Eh? I'm fine, shouldn't you take Koma-kun home first? Carrying a passed-out man is exhausting work~."
"You two got close enough to use first names in that short amount of time, huh... Anyway, just tell me. I'm a Ghoul Investigator. This level of exertion is a morning warm-up to me."
"Is that so~. Well, that's a shame. My place is five stations away; it's not exactly walking distance~."
"What? At this hour, the buses and trains have already stopped running. How were you planning to get home?"
"I wasn't~. For the record, I spent every last cent I had on alcohol earlier. I am currently, officially, and perfectlyโฆ dead broke!~"
"Why are you saying that with such pride?!"
Hitokawa couldn't tell if it was the alcohol or her natural personality, but this Miina woman seemed to have more than a few screws loose.
"So, since I'd become Koma-kun's drinking buddy, I asked if I could stay at his place for the night, and he readily agreed~."
"Even so, who asks a man they just met if they can stay over?!"
"Well, he said he had a daughter, and he seemed like a decent guy, so I figured why not?~ If he tried to get grabby, I was planning to make sure I had enough evidence to bleed him dry for alimony~."
"...."
Hitokawa suddenly found Miina more than a little frightening.
Setting her aside, would Koma really let a strange woman into his house? The Koma he knew avoided inviting people over, always claiming Eto was shy around strangers. Hitokawa met with him often, but the number of times he'd been invited inside could be counted on one hand. It had reached a point where he suspected there was another reason beyond Eto's shyness.
'And yet, drunken Koma invited a complete stranger over?'
It was strange, but with the man unconscious, there was no way to verify it. Feeling a lingering sense of unease, Hitokawa began to lead the way to Koma's apartment. He couldn't exactly leave his unconscious friend out in the freezing cold.
"By the way, are you really a Ghoul Investigator? Is that case in your hand the weapon they use to hunt Ghouls? Is it heavy? You must be close with Koma-kun. Oh, have you been to that cafe over there? It's closed now, but you should visit when you have time~. Their donuts and coffee are exquisite!~"
"Look, I'm sorry, but you're being very distracting. I'm not asking for total silence, but could you at least lower the word count? Please..."
Hitokawa's patience was being tested. It was as if she were a reincarnation of someone who had died without ever being allowed to speak. He was exhausted from a day of paperwork and the ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต investigation, his drunken friend had just tried to wrestle him, and now he was carrying that friend while a chatterbox chirped in his ear. He felt like he was aging in real-time.
As he walked, sighing with every step, he suddenly froze.
"...!!"
A chill swept over him. It wasn't the wind.
It was a sickening sensation, like a centipede crawling up his spine. He had survived enough brushes with death to recognize this sensation for what it was: ๐ด๐ญ๐ข๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต, ๐ฎ๐ช๐น๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ.
"? What's the matter?"
"...Hold onto him for a second."
"Eh? ๐๐บ๐ขโ?!"
He shoved Koma toward Miina. Already unsteady from the alcohol, Miina lost her balance and collapsed onto the pavement with Koma on top of her.
"Ow, owโฆ What was that for?~ ...Eh? Koma-kun?"
"๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ..."
Koma, who should have been out cold, let out a pained groan. He hadn't been hurt by the fallโMiina had served as a more-than-adequate cushion. He looked like someone trapped in a nightmare. His left hand reflexively clutched the 'bite mark' scar on his right arm.
Unconsciously, Koma had sensed the same gaze that Hitokawa had. There was only one species on the planet that directed such a gaze of madness-tinged hunger toward a human.
๐๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ฌ! ๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฑ-๐ด๐ฏ๐ข๐ฑ!
Hitokawa's steel briefcase flew open, clattering against the ground. The sound of mechanical parts rapidly assembling echoed through the silent street, and in an instant, Hitokawa held a weapon radiating an ominous, dark-red glow.
ใ๐๐ถ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ถ๐ฆ โ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ๐ถ (๐+) ๐๐ธ๐ข-๐ธ๐ข๐ด๐ฉ๐ช (๐๐ฐ๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ญ๐ฆ)ใ
It was a greatsword shaped like the spread wing of an eagle. However, instead of feathers, jagged ridges of stone were embedded in the blade, with crimson vessels pulsing like veins between them.
"If you want something, come down and get it, you freak."
Quinque in hand, Hitokawa looked up. Atop a grimy, stained telephone pole, a figure clung like a macabre shadow, toes and fingers dug into the wood in a grotesque, upside-down pose. Its limbs were thin and elongated, making it look like a four-legged spider. It wore a mask that covered everything but its mouth and eyesโa mask shaped like an insect.
Behind the mask, a 'Ghoul's Eye'โthe Kakuganโglowed with the same ominous light as the Quinque.
"๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฆ...!!!"
Even though he was perched above them, the upside-down figure looked as though he were looking up at Koma's group, his mouth agape as he drooled and laughed. His Kakugan was blurred, his focus seemingly fractured.
This time, they were truly dealing with a lunatic.
"...Uh-oh. Looks like Mr. Tomoru has a guest~. Can I sit this one out?~"
"...!! You idiot! Stay close to me!!"
Before he could finish the sentence, the Insect-Masked Ghoul lunged from the pole, leaving cracks in the wood as he soared through the air. Like a projectile, the Ghoul targeted Miina, who was currently trying to drag Koma away as she beat a retreat. Hitokawa threw himself between them, swinging his greatsword.
๐๐ญ๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ฏ๐จ!!
Sparks flew with a sharp, metallic ring. The Ghoul hadn't even used his Kagune; he had merely swung his arm, yet the impact was colossal. A few of the stone feathers on the Quinque were sheared off. They sailed through the air and landed with a dull ๐ต๐ข๐ฑ on the head of the unconscious Koma.
Hitokawa's palms tore as he gripped the vibrating hilt, but he refused to let go. Meanwhile, the Ghoul, repelled by the strike, let out a wet, raspy growl and shook his wrist. His elongated claws had snapped, and his index and middle fingers were twisted in unnatural directions.
The monster looked at his broken fingers for a moment.
๐๐ณ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฉ! ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฉ!
Then, he began to chew on them.
Hitokawa grimaced at the incomprehensible, bizarre behavior.
'This is dangerous... That strike, even at its lowest estimate, was A-rate.'
Investigators categorize Ghouls by their power level, known as a "Rate." C-rate Ghouls are only slightly stronger than humans; Hitokawa could handle them easily if he stayed focused. B-rate Ghouls were the average, a tough fight alone but one he could win.
But A-rate was different. From A-rate onward, the difficulty of "extermination" spiked. For a mere Rank 2 Investigator like Hitokawa, the odds of winning a head-on fight were nil.
'A direct confrontation is suicide. I can't run as long as Koma is unconscious. In that case...'
Hitokawa scanned the surroundings with only his eyes. A dark, deserted night street. The only light came from the streetlamps. No moving cars, only a few parked vehicles nearby. The shops were all locked tight. The only way to survive was...
"๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ...!"
The Insect-Masked Ghoul, having finished eating his own fingers, spat out a fragment of bone and grinned. His teeth were stained with blood, a sight so revolting it was nauseating. He lowered his center of gravity, preparing to lunge again.
Hitokawa bit his lip and swung his Quinque.
Not at the Ghoul, but to his own left.
"Well, the primary duty of an investigator is protecting civilians... so forgive me for this!!"
Hitokawa slammed the Quinque into a car parked in the middle of the street. The door and window were shredded by the blow. Immediately, the vehicle let out a piercing, wailing shriek.
โ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โโโโโโโโโโ!!!!!!
"Illegal parking for the win!"
Hitokawa winced at the deafening noise but managed a smirk. A sane Ghoul would never risk attacking someone so close to a CCG branch, where reinforcements could arrive at any moment. This monster's lack of sanity would be his undoing!
"๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉโฆ?"
If the creature had even a shred of common sense, he would have fled by now. Instead, he tilted his head in confusion before his gaze drifted back to the group. His eyes fixed on the trembling Miina and the unconscious Koma.
"!! You bastard!!"
Hitokawa lunged toward the Ghoul's flank. But the monster ignored him, diving toward the prone Koma with bared teeth.
"NO!!"
As Hitokawa screamed,
๐๐ฉ๐ธ๐ถ๐ฑ!!!
"๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ฉ!!!"
The Ghoul let out a shriek and recoiled, blood spraying as he clutched his face. Embedded in his right eye was the stone feather that had broken off the Quinque earlier.
"You goddamn Ghoul... first it's the police costume, now it's a bug? If you touch Eto, you're dead. ...Hic!"
Koma, still half-drunk, had pushed himself up and was glaring ferociously at the monster. He seemed to be confusing this Ghoul with someone else, but that wasn't what concerned Hitokawa. Koma was sitting on the ground, his left foot extended toward the Ghoul.
Had he really just snatched that stone shard and kicked it into the Ghoul's eye as it lunged? It was a level of responsiveness unthinkable for a civilian with no combat experience.
'Wait, no. He did have experience! When he was being hunted by that cop Ghoul!'
Perhaps it was a reflex born from that trauma. The Ghoul's arroganceโnot expecting a counterattackโhad also played into their favor.
This was their chance.
With the Ghoul's vision limited on his right side, Hitokawa closed in and swung the greatsword with everything he had.
๐๐ฉ๐ธ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ!!!
"๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐จ๐ฉ!!!"
The stone blade tore into the Ghoul's side. The impact left his flank a mangled mess. The creature lashed out with its claws in a fit of rage, but Hitokawa had already retreated.
"๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐!!!"
The Ghoul roared, but he didn't pursue. Instinctively realizing he was in danger, he clutched his side and his eye before leaping back onto the telephone pole. He fled, hopping from pole to pole until he vanished into the night.
Once he was sure the monster was gone, Hitokawa lowered his sword, leaning on it like a cane.
"Whew.... What the hell was that guy? Never seen a Ghoul like that before.... Hey, Koma. You okay?"
"๐ก๐ป๐ป๐ป๐ป๐ป๐ปโฆ"
Hitokawa looked back to see Koma had already fallen back into a deep sleep.
How can you just go to sleep after gouging out a Ghoul's eye? Where does this guy get his balls? Hitokawa scratched his head in disbelief and turned to Miina.
"Hey, miss. Are you alright?"
"...."
The chatterbox was silent, her head bowed as she sat on the pavement. Well, Hitokawa thought, even someone as eccentric as her wouldn't be okay after nearly being eaten.
He walked over to offer some comfort before the CCG units arrived, but Miina's murmur stopped him in his tracks.
"So cool..."
Correction: she hadn't been bowing her head in fear. She was staring at the sleeping Koma.
Ah. From her perspective, it must have looked like Koma had fought off a monster specifically to save her. Hitokawa felt a bad premonition. He waved his hand in front of her face, but Miina looked like someone who had just lost her soul, her eyes fixed solely on Koma.
...It seemed his friend had just invited another disaster into his life.