"Kill me…"
Staring at the ghoul whose limbs had been torn off—now begging for death through overwhelming pain—Hōjō Yoru merely smiled.
"You're in a hurry to die, huh? I know you're in a hurry, but chill. Don't rush."
As he spoke, Yoru waved Yuuki Asuna over and handed her a dagger.
"You try stabbing it. Feel it for yourself."
"Huh?"
Asuna froze for a beat, then a firm light surfaced in her eyes. She nodded hard and took the razor-sharp dagger.
"Okay. I understand."
Asuna had a strong moral compass, but she wasn't the type to overflow with indiscriminate pity. There was no way she'd sympathize with a monster that ate humans.
She took a deep breath, steadied her emotions, clenched the dagger tight in one hand—and thrust it down toward the ghoul's chest without hesitation.
"Hm? This—"
Her face flushed red with effort, teeth clenched so hard they almost squeaked. Yet the dagger only sank in a short distance, refusing to go any deeper into the ghoul's body.
Yoru crouched beside her on one knee and explained patiently.
"Ghouls have something called RC cells—like a substance that flows through them like blood. What you saw earlier, the kagune, is made out of it. RC cells make their bodies far tougher than humans', so ordinary weapons have a hard time hurting them. Even some small-caliber firearms can't do serious damage, but…"
As he spoke, Yoru pulled the dagger out of the ghoul's chest and drove it straight through the Bikaku ghoul's left eye.
The body twitched violently a few times—then finally went still.
"If you aim for fragile spots like the eyeball, even a normal-material weapon can kill them."
He stood, and after Asuna instinctively backed away to create distance, Yoru spoke softly.
"Alright. That's enough for today. Devour it all—Gluttony."
At his words, the black-and-gold serpent emerged again from the void, swept up the flesh and remains of both ghouls, and—after finishing its meal—vanished in satisfied silence.
With the fighting over, Asuna couldn't help muttering:
"You feel… really relaxed. Like you weren't even trying. And it ended so fast."
"I wasn't trying," Yoru said, leading her out of the woods in a flat tone. "Tonight was basically your lesson."
He added, as if stating a simple fact:
"If I got serious, the moment I saw those two ghouls—both of them would've already been dead."
...
A little later, at the entrance of an apartment building in Chiyoda Ward.
"Um…"
Asuna looked up at the building, then glanced at Yoru and asked cautiously:
"Hōjō-kun… why did you bring me to your place?"
"Why?"
Yoru gave her a sideways look, completely matter-of-fact.
"Obviously so we can live together."
Asuna froze, then—
"HAAAA?!"
Yoru made an impressed sound and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Oho. That's some lung capacity. You managed a truly earth-shattering 'Haa'."
Asuna lifted her chin, wearing that classic expression—smug, but trying to hide it—while she brushed her flaxen hair back and huffed.
"Of course. I work out all the time—"
Halfway through, she realized what she was doing. She shook her head rapidly.
"No, no, no—this is not the point! Why are we living together?! And at school, when I asked, you said I was—ugh, 'cringe'…"
Yoru cut in, correcting her with brutal precision.
"That was about me living at your place. I never said I'd live at your place. This is you living at mine."
Before Asuna could respond, he added:
"This is to observe your unconscious reactions while you sleep. If you have nightmares, your emotions spike, and you subconsciously summon that metal monster—without me there, can you guarantee nothing goes wrong?"
"I…"
Asuna parted her lips. She wanted to say she wouldn't have nightmares—but after thinking for just a second…
She realized the odds were actually pretty high that she would.
No matter how tough her mentality was, she'd witnessed something horrifying tonight. Dreams weren't something she could control. And if things happened the way Yoru described—if she unconsciously summoned that Devil-like thing in her sleep—an accident would be very easy.
"…You're not going to do anything weird to me, are you?"
"Don't make me laugh."
Yoru didn't indulge her for even a second.
"I'm more afraid you'll do something weird to me. Do you have any idea how much resolve it took for me to make a decision this stupid—basically inviting a wolf into my home?"
Asuna stared at him, deadpan.
"I'm the wolf?"
"Who else would it be—me?" Yoru shot back. "Cringe girls are scary."
...
After they went upstairs, Asuna followed Yoru inside.
She knew he lived alone too, but she didn't pry into why.
After all, Asuna herself had moved out after starting high school—using "it's closer to school" as an excuse—because her mother's elite-education mindset put her under too much pressure.
If she were in Yoru's position, she wouldn't want a girl she'd only just met asking a bunch of questions the first time she came over.
Asuna took off her shoes and lined them neatly on the rack. She accepted the cotton slippers Yoru offered, thanked him softly, and stepped into the living room. As she looked around with curiosity, she gave her honest impression.
"Mm… your place is pretty… normal?"
Yoru's apartment really was more ordinary than she'd expected—or rather, compared to him, it was almost too "normal."
Two bedrooms. A living room and dining area that were neither big nor small. A kitchen. The whole unit looked to be around a hundred square meters—neither luxurious nor shabby.
But in a prime, insanely expensive district like Chiyoda, even an apartment this "ordinary" would still cost a fortune.
"What do you mean, 'pretty normal'?"
Yoru stood up from the sofa, as if her words had ignited some kind of competitive spirit. With an unfathomable air, he spoke slowly:
"In that case—today I'll open your eyes."
Asuna couldn't help smiling in helpless amusement. She sighed lightly.
"You seriously… what are you even fired up about…"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 90)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 95)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter70)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter70)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter60)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 20
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 20
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