Chapter 62 - Koma and Hitokawa - 3

Approximately twenty hours had passed since the kidnapping.

These people possessed not a shred of basic human decency; they hadn't offered so much as a drop of water, let alone food. My stomach felt as though it were fused to my spine, and my throat was a parched desert of raw thirst. It was a truly magnificent sensation.

Endure it. Just endure. Compared to the hunger a ghoul feels, this is nothing. If I think of Eto, I can handle this much...

...Wait, Eto had to suffer through this kind of pain? How can I just sit here?!

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘥!

Feeling my grip on reality slipping, I slammed the back of my head against the wall. The wound from the lead pipe reopened, sending a fresh jolt of agony through me, but it worked—my mind was sharp again.

It seemed I was fraying at the edges, both physically and mentally. I suppose that's what happens when you're trapped with a group of lunatics instead of just one. The "Salaryman Artists" who were so keen on dismantling my body were still locked in their meeting. A significant amount of time had passed; they could emerge at any moment.

"𝘔𝘯𝘺𝘢, 𝘮𝘯𝘺𝘢..."

Minami, who had bolted awake from that bizarre dream earlier, was once again nodding off in her chair. This was my chance.

𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬….

I pulled at the loosened stake. I couldn't afford a mistake. I had to extract it with absolute silence. I wrapped the chain around my hand and slowly increased the tension. Even the faint friction of metal against stone sounded like a thunderclap to my ears. The concrete wall seemed to whimper like a child having a tooth pulled.

Despite the noise, Minami didn't stir. The stake was almost out. Just a little more!

𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘱!

"...!!"

The resistance suddenly vanished as the stake slid free. I lunged forward. Thanks to my reflexes, I caught the iron spike before it could hit the floor, but the slackened chain rattled loudly against the ground.

𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨-𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨!!

"...!"

I froze, moving only my eyes to check on Minami. After a long, agonizing pause, a breath of relief escaped my lips.

"𝘔𝘮𝘮... 𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘰𝘰𝘰..."

Minami let out a small grunt and knit her brows, but she quickly returned to a deep, rhythmic slumber. My palms were slick with sweat. I wrapped the remaining chain tightly around my forearm, wedging the stake beneath the coils. It turned the chain into a sort of makeshift gauntlet, ensuring it wouldn't drag and make noise.

With one hand free, I made short work of the second stake. Having leverage made the process much easier.

'Phew...'

I stretched my stiff limbs, letting the feeling of liberation flow through my body. Okay. Everything was working. Now, I just had to get out.

I looked at the door, then at Minami dozing in her chair beside it. I didn't know her full story, but as long as she was collaborating with those ghouls, she was a threat. If she woke up and found me gone, she'd sound the alarm instantly.

I had to knock her out.

With that thought, I gripped the chains in both hands and crept toward her.

'If I constrict the carotid artery for a few seconds, she'll pass out, right?'

Recalling a dangerous "fainting game" that was popular back in school, I reached for her neck with the chain. In that instant—

𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘣!!

𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩!!

"!?!"

My vision flipped. It happened so fast I couldn't tell if I'd been hoisted into the air first or if Minami—who I thought was asleep—had grabbed my wrist first.

𝘉𝘈𝘔!!

I was slammed hard onto the floor. The air left my lungs in a pained wheeze. Minami pinned me down, wrenching my right arm back into a joint lock that screamed with imminent danger.

"Did you think I was actually sleeping? Too bad~ I was just playing possum☆ You were so cute, trying so hard in secret, that I couldn't help but be a little mean."

"You crazy bitch..."

Irritation flared as Minami's playful voice drifted down from behind me. I tried to shake her off, but it was useless. The lock was perfect; the slightest movement sent a jolt of agony through my shoulder that felt like the bone was about to snap.

Minami giggled, seemingly finding my struggle amusing.

"It's no use~. These days, every girl needs at least basic martial arts for self-defense~. I've been practicing the techniques from a book called 『How to Overpower Men and Become a Sophisticated Woman』, and my skills have improved leaps and bounds."

"Wait... why does that book title sound so absurdly familiar?"

A nightmare surfaced of the time Eto read that same book and tried to use a joint lock on me.

"Honestly~ what a bad boy. You were trying to touch my body while I was 'asleep,' weren't you? Men are so lecherous~. Where were you going for? My chest? My stomach? Or maybe my—"

"I was going for your 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬."

I cut her off before she could say anything worse. Minami's voice dropped into a tone of mock disappointment.

"Oh dear~ that makes you guilty~. Should I hand you over to the police~?"

"Why? Is it a crime for a kidnap victim to try and knock out his captor? You're the type of woman who'd sue a guy for sexual harassment if his hand accidentally brushed your skirt on a crowded train."

I regulated my breathing as I spoke. I was out of time. I had to break free and escape, and to do that, I had to deal with this joint lock. I could only think of one way, and it required resolve.

"My neck is an erogenous zone, you know~. You tried to prey upon a woman's sensitive spot like a beast, so you have to pay the price~."

Minami prattled on, her voice light as if she were enjoying a casual chat. She wanted to keep the banter going, but I refused.

"Is that so? Then I guess I'll have to hit a different spot."

The moment the words left my mouth, I ground my teeth and violently twisted my body. I ignored the fact that my arm was pinned.

𝘚𝘯𝘢𝘱!!

A sickening sound erupted from my shoulder, followed a split second later by a tidal wave of white-hot agony. Before the pain could paralyze my brain, I swung. I drove my fist—wrapped in heavy chains like a knuckle-duster—straight at Minami's face.

"!?"

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘥!!

The blow landed before she could react. She clearly hadn't expected me to be willing to break my own joint to escape. It was a clumsy, desperate punch, but the weight of the iron made it a heavy blow; her entire body jerked back.

I shoved her off me and scrambled to my feet. I bit down hard on my own arm to keep from screaming.

'𝘎𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘩!!!!'

The horrific shriek echoed internally, never leaving my throat. I couldn't make a sound, or the ghouls would find me. I'd prepared myself, but the pain of a dislocated shoulder was worse than I'd imagined.

I leaned my back against the wall to keep from collapsing. Cold sweat poured down my face, and my vision swam. Sensing the trauma, my brain began dumping endorphins into my system, dulling the edge of the pain. Once I could think clearly again, I looked down at Minami.

She was sprawled on the floor, groaning. Blood trickled from her forehead where the chains had torn the skin.

"H-Hitting a lady in the face... that's so cruel.... Is this that 'misogyny' I've heard so much about?"

"𝘏𝘶𝘧𝘧... 𝘩𝘶𝘧𝘧... It's called 'not trusting you,' you bitch...!"

After everything she'd done to me... I'd learned my lesson: never drop your guard around her. Sure enough, as I clutched my dangling right arm, Minami—who I thought was incapacitated—suddenly lunged.

But I was ready. I threw myself forward, mirroring her movement. Minami was reaching for the lead pipe she'd used to kidnap me. Not a chance. I am not tasting that pipe ever again.

𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘣!

Minami swung the pipe the moment she gripped it, and I threw out my left arm. The chains around my wrist took the blow, sending sparks flying. It hurt so much I thought my left wrist might snap to join the right.

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘥!!

With her guard down after the swing, I drove my left foot into Minami's stomach. She doubled over with a wheeze. Using the momentum of the kick, I lunged forward and slammed my forehead into hers.

𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬!!

"...!!"

Minami's head snapped back. She stumbled for a few seconds before her legs gave out, and she toppled like a felled tree. Her eyes rolled back until only the whites were visible. She was out cold.

"𝘏𝘶𝘧𝘧! 𝘏𝘶𝘧𝘧!"

I steadied my shaking body and tried to catch my breath. My left hand, which had taken the impact of the lead pipe through the chains, was still numb. Who says women are the weaker sex? They say female predators are often more terrifying than the males, and Minami was living proof.

I looked at my right shoulder. The bone was completely out of the socket.

"𝘏𝘶𝘶𝘶𝘧𝘧!!"

𝘗𝘰𝘱!!

I gripped my arm below the elbow and forced it upward with a sharp grunt. I felt the bone slide back into place, a sensation followed by a wave of nausea-inducing pain. The injury wasn't gone, but the structural damage was fixed. Every movement still sent a jolt through my nerves.

I had to get out of here. If I didn't hurry, my daughter—the apex of all terrifying females—would come charging in. I couldn't let that happen. No matter how strong Eto was, there were four ghouls in this building. Five, if the "President" Minami mentioned actually existed. Numerically, the odds were suicide for her.

'As soon as I'm out, I have to find a phone.... I have to tell Eto to stay away and call the CCG....'

Formulating my plan, I pushed open the door to the room.

"You're quite impressive for a human, I must say."

"...!?!"

Standing directly in front of the door was the horse-faced ghoul. The Senior Manager.

𝘉𝘈𝘔!!!

"𝘎𝘶𝘩!!"

Before I could even raise a hand, a powerful fist slammed into my gut. I felt myself fly through the air for several seconds before I slammed into the far wall and crumpled to the floor.

"When creating a work of art, the key is how well you temper the subject's soul. You possess a surprising amount of venom and an unbreakable tenacity. You might just become the greatest masterpiece this company has ever produced."

The monster's words barely registered.

'𝘎𝘰𝘥... 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘪𝘵...'

I cursed internally, but not because the escape had failed. As I lay on the floor, a specific pain flared in my broken arm.

To be precise, the bite-shaped scar on my right arm was throbbing. It wasn't the same pain I felt when a ghoul looked at me as prey. This was different.

'She's finally here...'

She was close. And she was absolutely furious. I could feel it—a vague, intuitive certainty. I wanted to tell her to go back, but I had no way to reach her.

My consciousness faded into black.

"Is this the place?"

"...Yes."

Hitokawa and Eto stared at the seven-story building looming before them. A faded sign suggested it had once been a pharmaceutical company, but it was now a hollowed-out derelict, its glassless windows staring back like a hundred empty mouths.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Primary objective is securing Koma's safety. And..."

𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬-𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬-𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬!

As he stepped out of the car, Hitokawa deployed his Quinque. The wing-like greatsword snapped into his hand.

"...anyone who gets in the way is to be exterminated."

"Of all the things you've ever said, Uncle, that's my favorite."

Eto's left eye was no longer hidden, burning with a blood-red fire that refused to be contained. The two of them stepped forward into the darkness.

The operation to rescue Takaki Koma had begun.