Using the wings' explosive power and agility,
the girl zipped through the maze of alleyways,
changing direction so fast she left only a red blur behind.
Her breathing was a little heavy
but her gaze stayed razor-sharp and calm.
Tap, tap, tap
Tight, rhythmic footsteps echoed from the alley entrance.
Trained. Controlled. Intense.
Touka's eyes narrowed.
Without hesitation, she folded in her kagune wings.
In one swift motion, she slipped into a narrow, shadowy crevice between two buildings, completely covered by the shadow of a massive billboard.
Her crystal wings retracted like a living thing,
softening and vanishing seamlessly beneath her coat.
Her presence disappeared entirely.
Almost at the same time, two men walked into the alley.
They wore crisp white trench coats
and carried sleek silver briefcases.
Their eyes were sharp, scanning the alley with military precision.
"She's gone"
One of them spoke quietly, pressing a finger to his earpiece.
"Target isn't the SS-class 'Binge Eater.' It's an Ukaku-type ghoul. We lost track in Ward 20, Sector E7. Requesting orders."
"Expand the search. Prioritize abandoned buildings and sewer access."
"Be alertthe target is extremely fast and aggressive."
A calm voice replied through the comms.
The two men exchanged a glance, then turned and headed off without wasting a second.
Their footsteps faded into the distance.
In the shadowed crevice, the girl held her breath for a full five minutes.
Only when she was sure they weren't coming back did she exhale slowly.
She lifted off her rabbit mask, revealing a sharp, striking face
delicate features, flawless pale skin like fine porcelain.
Short, dark-blue hair curled slightly at the ends, giving her a neat, quietly defiant look.
Her eyes, now a deep indigo instead of crimson, still held a hint of coldness from the fight
and a flicker of frustration.
Her pale lips pressed into a tight line.
Staring in the direction the agents had gone, she muttered:
"SS-class 'Binge Eater,' huh. Makes sense now."
Those guys were CCG agentsthe Commission of Counter Ghoul.
To ghouls, they're known as "Doves."
Doves are elite investigators backed by the government, equipped with powerful weapons called Quinquesmade from the kagune of ghouls they've killed.
Their mission: eliminate ghouls that threaten humans, keep order.
To ghouls, they're merciless predators.
And the girlTouka Kirishima
was one of their targets.
In this world, ghouls are a subspecies of human who can only survive by feeding on human flesh.
They're stronger, faster, they heal ridiculously fast, and can manifest biological weapons called kagune using RC cells in their bodies.
They look almost exactly like regular humans
except when feeding or fighting, when one or both eyes turn blood-red. The kakugan.
Ghouls blend into society, locked in an endless game of cat-and-mouse with the CCG.
Touka's wings are a form of Ukaku kagune
a kagune type that grows near the shoulders, shaped like wings or projectiles.
Fast, long-range, insanely explosivebut burns out fast.
"Tch. Doves are such a pain."
Touka muttered under her breath, her voice cool and laced with teenage defiance.
She slipped the mask into her coat pocket,
tidied up her collar and hair, and stepped out of the alley.
She had something important to report.
Back in familiar territory.
After shaking the Doves,
Touka moved through a few quiet side streets like she knew them by heart.
Eventually, she stopped in front of an old, low-key two-story building.
Warm yellow light spilled through the first-floor windows, casting a soft glow onto a simple wooden sign:
"Anteiku Coffee."
Dingaling.
The bell over the door chimed as she stepped inside.
A wave of warmth and the scent of roasted coffee beans and old books
washed over her, wiping away the cold and the adrenaline.
The place had a cozy, old-school vibe
dark wood furniture, walls of books, smooth jazz flowing in the background.
This was the unofficial safe house for ghouls in Ward 20
Anteiku Caf.
Behind the counter stood an elderly man in a pristine server's uniform, gently wiping a coffee cup.
White-haired, glasses, calm and refined.
This was Yoshimura, the manager of Anteiku
and secretly, the legendary SSS-class ghoul "Non-Killing Owl."
He looked up and smiled kindly.
"Welcome back, Touka. Everything alright?"
"Yeah."
She nodded. Her voice was still cool, but her tension had clearly faded.
There were three other people inside:
Renji Yomo, her uncle.
Gray-white hair, sharp features, and always serious.
An SS-class ghoul with the codename "Raven."
He gave Touka a small nod from his corner booth.
Enji Koma, tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a plain black suit.
He looked easygoing, flipping a coin out of boredom, but his smile had an edge. His codename: "Devil Ape."
And finally, Kaya Irimi
stylish, mature, with wavy black hair and a sleek dress.
She glanced up from a fashion magazine,
her lips curving into a warm, teasing smile.
"Welcome back, Touka-chan."
"Rough night out?"
Chapter 839: Anteiku
A cozy little caf.
Yet inside, several SS-rated ghouls quietly gathered.
They were the core figures behind the legend of the 20th Ward's so-called "Safe Zone."
Each had a pasteither glorious or soaked in blood.
Now, they'd all chosen to disappear from the front lines.
Under Manager Yoshimura's philosophy, they protected this rare and fragile balance between humans and ghoulsa sanctuary hidden in plain sight.
Touka Kirishima walked up to the bar and sat down on a high stool.
Without saying a word, Kuzen Yoshimura handed her a glass of warm water, like it was second nature.
Koma Enji and Irimi Kaya came over too. Even Yomo Renji shifted his gaze to her.
"So, what did you find out?" Yoshimura asked gently.
But behind the calm tone, his eyeshalf hidden by his glasseswere heavy with concern.
Something had definitely changed in the 20th Ward.
CCG activity had picked upway more than usual. And that alone was enough to upset the fragile peace they'd worked so hard to maintain.
Touka took a sip of water. Her deep-blue eyes swept across the group.
"I've figured it out," she said, voice firm.
"The reason CCG's doves suddenly swarmed into the 20th Ward is because an SS-class binge eater slipped in from nearby districts."
"The guy's completely unhingedignores all the unspoken rules. In just a few days, he's gone on multiple flashy hunts even took out some CCG trainee investigators."
"An SS-class binge eater?" Koma's smile dropped. His eyes darkened.
The coin he'd been idly spinning between his fingers came to an abrupt stop.
"Which dumbass district spawned this idiot? Doesn't he know Anteiku watches over this ward? Stirring up trouble here is basically asking the doves to drop hellfire on our heads."
Irimi closed her magazine with a snap. Her gaze turned razor-sharp.
"Reckless little freak. Thinks the 20th Ward is his playground?"
"Sounds like someone needs a reminder of why this place was ever called the Safe Zone."
Her words were quietbut icy enough to cut glass.
Yomo didn't speak. But the hand on his knee clenched tight, knuckles turning white.
Everyone here knew what an SS-rated ghoul was capable of.
Leave him unchecked, and it would trigger an even harsher crackdown from the CCG.
That would mean innocent lives lostand the peace they'd built, destroyed.
Yoshimura frowned deeply, fingers drumming quietly on the bar.
He stood for coexistence, not senseless bloodshed.
But this outsider had forced their hand, dragging war to their doorstep.
And doing nothing would mean the collapse of everything they stood for.
"Manager," Koma said, finally opening his usually squinting eyes. His voice was cautious, but the heat in his gaze couldn't be hidden.
"Should we take care of it?"
They'd been out of the fight for years. Their strength was rustyunderfed, underused.
Still, if it was just one rule-breaking punk, they could deal with him.
Irimi looked at Yoshimura too, waiting for his decision.
Just as Yoshimura was about to speak
DING!
[You've joined the Trade Chat Group.]
A cold, robotic voice echoeddirectly inside Touka's head.
"Who said that?!" she shouted, practically on reflex.
She jumped up from the stool. Her pupils shrank to pinpoints. Her kagune almost flared up on instinct.
Her glare slashed across the room like a blade, sharp and deadly.
The atmosphere inside the caf instantly tensed.
Yomo appeared beside her in a flash, eyes cutting across the room like a predator, body tilted forward in full combat stance.
Koma's usual playful air vanished.
His coin had vanished into his fingers, and his expression turned beast-likeready to pounce.
Irimi's poise shattered. Her gaze was cold and piercing, and a heavy pressure spread from her like an invisible wave.
Even Yoshimura dropped his peaceful front. His gentle aura gave way to a terrifying presence
the kind of pressure only an SSS-class ghoul could release.
Dormantbut waiting to erupt.
"Touka?" he said, voice suddenly low and commanding. "What's going on?"
But Touka didn't answer.
She just stared at the space in front of herempty air, nothing there.
Her expression was frozen in pure shock, confusion, and disbelief.
In her vision, a floating semi-transparent screen shimmered softly.
At the top, it clearly read:
[Trade Chat Group]
Text scrolled underneath it like a digital message feed.
But it seemed only she could see it?
"You guys didn't hear or see anything?"
Her voice wavered slightly. She pointed at the empty space in front of her.
Yomo, Koma, and Irimi followed her finger.
Nothing.
Just warm lighting and air.
They exchanged confused looks.
Yoshimura studied her carefullythen looked at the spot she pointed to.
His gaze turned deeper, more serious.
Slowly, he withdrew his pressure.
The warm, calm mask returned to his face.
"Touka," he said softly, "we didn't see or hear anything.
There's nothing in front of youjust air."
Touka opened her mouth, trying to explain.
To say "chat group," "floating screen," something.
But the moment she tried, a mysterious force gripped her throat.
It was like someone reached inside and cut off her voice.
Her vocal cords wouldn't respond.
The details in her mind about the screen began to blurfuzzy, scattered.
She couldn't even form complete thoughts around it.
She was being silenced.
And that forced, unnatural silence filled her with a cold, creeping dread.
All she could do was keep pointing forward.
Her face turned pale.
Her eyes trembled with fear, panic, and the pressure of something she couldn't explaincouldn't even describe.
Inside Anteiku, a strange silence fell.
Koma and Irimi eased out of their battle stances, though both remained tense.
Touka's behavior didn't make sensebut it clearly wasn't normal.
Yomo stood beside her, still alert, his body rigid and ready.
Whatever was happeningthis wasn't over.
~~~
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Chapter 840: Fear and Curiosity to the Unknown Group Chat...
It was Yoshimura who finally broke the silence.
"Right."
He let out a soft sigh, walked over to Touka, and gently patted her shoulder with his large hand.
His voice returned to that usual calm and reassuring tone:
"Touka, looks like tonight's tracking wore you out. When you're too tense for too long, it's easy to start seeing things."
"Go on upstairs and get some rest. We'll take care of that drifter."
Touka could feel the warmth from his handand the concern hidden behind his words.
She pressed her lips together tightly.
Her indigo eyes still showed some resistance, but in the end, all she could do was nod.
That strange, invisible force she'd felt earlier she couldn't explain it at all.
"Okay, Manager," she said quietly.
She didn't look back at the bizarre screen floating in front of her anymore.
Head down, she walked silently toward the stairs.
With each step, the weight of that unspoken secret pressed heavier on her chest.
The cozy amber lights of the caf still glowed.
The jazz music kept playing softly in the background.
But in the air now, a heavy tension lingeredone that refused to go away.
Kirishima Touka disappeared around the corner of the staircase.
Downstairs, the four seasoned ghouls remained where they were, each silently lost in thought.
Upstairs Anteiku, Second Floor Bedroom
Click.
Touka locked the bedroom door behind her.
Leaning against the cold doorframe, she let out a long breath.
The warmth of the caf, and the concern from the others, felt like they'd been shut out with the turn of the lock.
All that remained was the sound of her quickened heartbeatand the faint hum of the city beyond the window.
She walked over and sat down on the bed.
Her eyes locked onto the soft, glowing virtual screen that hovered in the air right in front of her.
[Trade Chat Group]
The title looked like it had been branded into her vision.
Back downstairs, the others couldn't sense it at all.
Even when she'd tried to speak up about it, she found she couldn't say any related wordsas if something was choking her voice before it reached her throat.
That invisible pressure still haunted her.
"Was it just a hallucination?"
She whispered.
Her indigo eyes were filled with suspicion and confusion.
But deep down, she knewthis was no hallucination.
That cold system-like chime.
That perfectly clear floating screen.
It all felt too real.
After a moment of hesitation, she slowly reached out her hand.
Her fingertip passed right through it.
It was like it wasn't even thereno sensation, no temperature.
Touka frowned slightly.
She focused, and in her mind, asked: What is this?
The instant the thought formed, the screen reacted.
Under the simple group name, a new panel unfolded like digital pages flipping openline after line of text started to appear.
[Quick Overview of Chat Group Rules]
1. This group connects countless worlds across the multiverse. Members are from entirely different universes.
