Chapter 69 – She Might Break… (Patreon)

Rize never thought the day she’d run into Kouma again would come so soon!

Ever since that little sho[ta] had utterly toyed with her without any resistance on her part, his figure kept surfacing in her mind at odd moments. Especially after she found the character 正 written on her thigh while bathing—that only deepened her humiliation.

At first she ground her teeth at him, wishing she could devour him then and there. But, wary of his power, Rize held herself back and didn’t move. The word “master” that had fallen from her own lips lingered constantly in her thoughts. And whenever she recalled that day’s events, her body would inexplicably grow hot.

What frightened Rize even more was that, late at night, her feelings about Kouma would shift. She would start to feel that the little sho[ta] hadn’t really done anything too outrageous to her.

In fact, he had given her a pleasure that far surpassed the total accumulated joy of her previous twenty years of life. The satisfaction of feeding was utterly incomparable. Eventually, every night she craved to recreate that day’s delight, but no substitute came even close.

With each passing night, his image carved itself deeper into her mind. So much so that when his figure appeared in her fantasies, her lips would unconsciously breathe out the word “master.”

That term, which at first had felt utterly humiliating, gradually became the fuel for her to chase ever-stronger stimulation. After each session, Rize would even find the thought of seeking out Kouma slipping into her heart—except that the original motive of revenge had turned into longing. Her appetite, which far exceeded that of an ordinary ghoul, had transformed into raw carnal desire.

And all that bottled-up pressure over several days erupted the instant the little sho[ta] pounced on her. That familiar voice, that familiar scent, that familiar sensation—encountering Kouma again, the boy she once wished she could devour, Rize’s whole body and soul felt nothing but sheer delight!

“You okay?”

Touka cast a puzzled glance at Rize. Rize secretly bit her lower lip; the little sho[ta]’s effect on her was still hard to resist.

“I’m… fine…”

She tried to keep her usual tone and demeanor but could barely control the tremor in her voice. Touka gave her an odd look, then shifted those blue-violet eyes to the beautiful little sho[ta] beside Rize’s feet. Their gazes met and the boy piped up with innocent sincerity:

“Onee-san, you’re so pretty!”

Touka blinked, a trace of delighted surprise flickering in her eyes. Even the coldest disposition can’t help but feel pleased at such a pure-hearted compliment from an adorable child.

At the same time, though, a deep pang of pity welled up in Touka’s heart. Rize was incapable of befriending humans. Any human who appeared near her never lasted more than a week before ending up as her meal.

Over the past week or two, Rize had unusually refrained from hunting, and Touka had thought maybe she’d had a change of heart. It turned out her tastes had simply changed—she was actually eyeing a human child…

“Little guy, when did you get to know Rize?”

Faced with such an adorable boy, Touka’s voice softened noticeably. Kouma tilted his head and replied in a crisp, childlike voice.

“About a week ago, I think…”

A week… Given Rize’s habits, she’d probably devour her prey within the next couple of days. Then Touka abruptly noticed that Rize seemed to be trembling.

“Can’t suppress your appetite anymore?”

Touka’s heart sank. Looking at the exceptionally pretty and well-behaved little sho[ta] before her, she couldn’t bear the thought of him being hunted by Rize.

Even though today was their very first meeting, Touka truly didn’t want to see him end up as food. She leaned in close to Rize and spoke in an extremely low voice:

“You should know that the human government takes the protection of children very seriously… And,” she paused, sweeping her gaze toward Ai and the others before continuing, “this child doesn’t seem to come from an ordinary family. If he vanishes without a trace, there will definitely be a full investigation. Right now, all the various factions are putting great pressure on us—you’d better not do anything reckless!”

Touka directed the warning at Rize, and everything she said was factual. In this world, too many powers and entities of overwhelming strength lay hidden.

To ghouls, ordinary humans seemed frail and weak. But from the perspective of those mighty beings, ghouls themselves were nothing more than ants to be crushed at will.

At present, undercurrents were stirring everywhere, the CCG was relentlessly pursuing ghouls, and their territory was shrinking more and more. If Rize ate someone she shouldn’t and brought major trouble down on them, then everyone in Anteiku would be scattered and left with nothing.

After that grim speech, Touka noticed that Rize hadn’t reacted in the slightest. No—she was actually trembling even harder, as if she couldn’t hold back her surging appetite, and a glistening thread of saliva was seeping from the corner of her mouth.

“She’s already itching to eat this kid…”

Touka had never seen Rize’s hunger flare up so intensely.

“Rize-nee-san, do you know where the restroom is?”

Rize took a deep breath and managed to reply with as much calm as she could muster: “I’ll take you…”

Every ghoul in Anteiku was secretly watching the scene, casting pitying glances at the little sho[ta]’s departing back.

What a miserable human brat—about to be devoured alive by the Binge Eater at such a young age. Touka watched Rize lead the boy away, her slender fingers gradually clenching into fists.

“This woman isn’t taking my words seriously at all!”

Hesitating for a moment, and with the boy’s sweet, innocent face flashing in her mind, Touka ultimately decided to stop Rize. Setting down her tray, she quickly followed toward the restroom.

She hadn’t even reached the door when she heard Rize’s aroused sighs, consumed with barely contained excitement.

Touka had once heard, purely by chance, that Rize’s favorite thing during feeding was watching her victims’ expressions of terror and their wails of agony. It stimulated her appetite, she said, making the meal all the more delicious.

“Make me more excited…!”

Touka caught Rize’s voice. She knew this was the critical moment!

“…Master.”

Just as Touka was about to simply rip the stall door open by force, Rize’s sultry, reverent address reached her ears. Touka froze on the spot in shock.

“…Master? Rize calls this little sho[ta] master…?”

Rize was known as the Binge Eater—gluttonous, uncontrollable, a woman every peer regarded as utterly ungovernable. And now she was addressing a human little boy as “master”?

Before Touka’s mind could even process the implications, an intensely seductive moan reached her. Touka’s eyes flew wide, a rosy blush rising to her cheeks.

Unable to make up her mind, she instinctively slipped into the neighboring stall. Here she could hear even more clearly—and, by certain means, see exactly what was going on next door.

From the sound alone, she was certain this wasn’t feeding; there was no sign of the boy’s screams at all. The one making all the noise was, in fact…

This bewildering, utterly incongruous scene made Touka’s heart itch unbearably. She could vaguely guess what was happening, but hearing wasn’t believing—especially when it involved Rize.

A woman who used her beauty to lure human males, solely for the purpose of consuming them in the end. To… do that kind of thing with a human… Touka had heard of such cases, but they were exceedingly rare. And for it to happen with Rize—and with a little sho[ta], no less—she found it nearly impossible to accept.

“Just one look and I’ll leave!”

Taking a deep breath, Touka lightly leaped up, instantly clearing the height of the partition. She took in the entire scene with those blue-violet eyes, and the shock of what she witnessed completely fried her train of thought. At the same moment, she seemed to meet the little sho[ta]’s gaze.

Then, time stopped.

Touka abruptly lost all her senses. By the time she realized what was happening, an irresistible sensation surged through her body. In her ear, she faintly caught the boy’s childish voice:

“You know, Onee-san, curiosity is pretty dangerous.”

Half an hour later, Kouma came out of the restroom after receiving a call from Ai Hoshino.

“Kouma-kun, are you going back to the apartment tonight?”

Ai looked at him with hopeful eyes. Kouma replied apologetically:

“Sorry, Ai-nee—today I promised Miyuki-nee I’d go home.”

Disappointment swept across Ai’s face. “Oh, okay…”

Then she turned to Miyako Saitou. “Miyako-nee, I’ll leave it to you to send Kouma-kun home. It’s not far to the apartment—I can walk back myself!”

“Thank you, Auntie Miyako!”

The little sho[ta] took Miyako’s hand. Miyako’s body gave an almost imperceptible quiver. On the surface, she remained composed, turning to Mrs. Sakurajima with a smile.

“Then, Mrs. Sakurajima, I hope our partnership goes smoothly!”

“Here’s to a good partnership!”

The two mature beauties shook hands. Mrs. Sakurajima bent her slender waist and waved to Kouma.

“See you next time, Kouma-kun!”

“Bye-bye, Auntie Sakurajima!”

When the little sho[ta] reappeared inside the shop, the other ghouls stared in astonishment.

“That brat didn’t get eaten by the Binge Eater?”

“Well, this is rare—a Binge Eater who doesn’t eat a human!”

“Heh heh, if she won’t eat him, don’t blame me for helping myself!”

“Are you insane? You’d dare steal the prey of that crazy woman?”

“Steal? Humans are so weak—it’s perfectly normal for accidents to happen on the street…”

A few ghouls let their ravenous gazes roam over Kouma and his group, clearly itching to swallow them on the spot.

Anteiku staff member Kaya Irimi took note of the ghouls’ stirrings, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes. “What’s going on with Touka Kirishima and Rize—why haven’t they come out yet?”

Puzzled, she looked toward the restroom, set down her plate, and walked over. She found both Touka and Rize leaning against the sink, each looking a little unsteady and drained. Seeing their disheveled hair and flushed cheeks, Kaya was astonished.

“What were you two doing in there? Did you get into a fight?”

Earlier, when she saw Touka follow Rize inside, she’d had a vague idea that Touka meant to stop her; after all, the manager had never approved of Rize’s behavior. Touka, hearing the question, felt a flash of mortified redness in her eyes—the kind she could hardly speak of.

She hadn’t imagined that Rize’s relationship with Kouma was far more topsy-turvy than she’d ever guessed. It was exactly the reverse of food-chain logic—“food” and “consumer” swapped.

And most crucially, she herself had ended up giving herself away. Of course, Kouma hadn’t done anything excessive to her. He had merely inscribed the same 正 character on her body that Rize bore, then made her observe—from up close—a side of Rize she’d never seen. Just recalling that image made Touka’s legs unconsciously press together.

She turned to glance at Rize beside her. I only experienced a tiny taste and it was already… Well, that’s the Binge Eater for you—not only does her appetite for food run ravenous, but even… that… far surpasses the norm. Touka thought that if she’d had to trade places with Rize, she really might break…

Kaya watched the two of them, silent and wearing completely different expressions, and shook her head in resignation.

“What was the deal with that little sho[ta] just now? It looked like some of the other ghouls in the shop had their eyes on him.”

The moment Kaya’s words fell, she saw Rize suddenly lift her head. Her whole aura shifted in an instant, a cold glint flashing through those violet eyes.

“They dare touch…”

Watching Rize hurry away, Kaya chuckled. “As expected of the Binge Eater—she guards her food more fiercely than anything. The killing intent flared right up.”

Touka stood to the side, silent. Food? She knew perfectly well that the word Rize hadn’t finished saying earlier should have been “master.”

Then what about me… Touka bit her lip, her slender fingers secretly brushing over the character on her body. The little sho[ta]’s face surfaced unbidden in her mind, and a strange, unsteady feeling stirred in her chest.

…

In the parking lot, Miyako was leading Kouma toward her car. Suddenly a woman clutching a suitcase burst out from beside a shipping container and crashed straight into them.

“Ah—mmph!”

The three of them tumbled to the ground. Two soft cries rang out. The suitcase hit the ground with a snap and fell open, revealing bundle after bundle of neatly wrapped cash.

Kouma barely had time to register it before a car screeched to a halt right in front of them. Two men in black coats and black hats stepped out of the vehicle.

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