12 noon.
Hayashi woke up groggily.
When he opened his eyes, neither of them were in bed.
Instead, they'd both fallen asleep on the lazy mats spread out across the carpet. The blanket had been dragged off the bed and now covered them on the floor.
His sleeping posture was okay.
Tohru, on the other hand, was sprawled sideways with her legs draped across his.
They had slept in a cross-shape.
Lying on the thick floor mat, Hayashi played on his phone for a bit before finally getting up, stretching, and heading to wash up.
If he used the bathroom inside the bedroom, he'd wake Tohru.
So he went to the public restroom outside.
Brushing his teeth, gurgle gurgle~
"Peh~!"
Water splashed loudly as Hayashi washed his face.
While he was leaning over the sink, footsteps approached from behind.
He immediately recognized who it was.
"Rize? You came to wash up too? Isn't your room supposed to have a private—"
Before he could finish, Rize came up behind him, slid her arms under his, and hugged him from behind.
Hayashi could clearly feel the soft mounds pressing against his back.
They were probably completely squished by now.
And with that texture—there was no doubt she wasn't wearing a bra.
Hayashi grabbed a towel, wiped his face, then looked up at the mirror.
In the reflection, he saw the tall Kamishiro Rize embracing him, her forehead resting against his neck. She was on tiptoe, inhaling deeply against the side of his throat.
She was only wearing a thin one-piece dress, probably her sleepwear, with nothing underneath.
It was like something out of a cheap soap opera.
Hayashi glanced at her and gave a reminder.
"If you bite me, don't blame me for hitting a wom... hmm—"
He didn't finish.
Rize had already stuck out her warm tongue and licked his neck.
No, not just once.
She kept licking like a little cat...
Which, for a guy, was somehow worse than being bitten.
"Seriously, Kamishiro Rize?"
Hayashi turned his head and pulled her off him.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Rize pulled back her tongue, her expression dazed with pleasure.
She shook her head and answered sincerely.
"Hayashi-kun, I won't hurt you. But your existence is like an unreachable treasure. I can't taste it, but it pulls me in."
"So, you're teasing me on purpose," Hayashi sighed.
Rize noticed some toothpaste foam on his chin.
She reached out, scraped it off with her finger, and popped it into her mouth.
"?"
"Hayashi-kun," Rize asked again, "don't you want to taste me too?"
"? Taste what?" Hayashi blinked, eyes instinctively glancing downward.
Not his fault. Rize's clothes were way too revealing.
Rize first offered the area around her collarbone.
Then, noticing where he was looking, her face flushed. She wrapped her arms around her chest.
"If you prefer... this area is fine too."
If she hadn't made that first move, Hayashi might've actually taken a bite.
But combined with the earlier gesture, he immediately understood.
You meant that kind of 'taste'?!
Hayashi rubbed his forehead, exasperated.
"Get lost. Go back to your room."
"Huh?" Rize was confused. "Doushite?"
"..." Hayashi took a deep breath and explained seriously. "If you want to get close to me, then learn how human women do it. I'm not a ghoul, and I'm not a demon either."
"Kamishiro Rize, try thinking from my perspective for once. Don't just act based on your own."
Rize wanting him to bite her was just her seeing things from her own worldview.
In her mind, that was a generous offer—a sign of affection, a gift, an expression of love.
But Hayashi didn't see it that way at all.
After finishing his piece, Hayashi pointed to her bedroom door and gestured for her to move along.
Rize seemed to ponder it, but still obediently returned to her room.
Seeing her puzzled face, Hayashi realized she still had a long way to go.
That's what happens when someone lacks proper social adaptation.
Although Rize could survive in human society, she wasn't really living in it.
She needed time to grow into it.
Out of all ghouls, Kirishima Touka was the most human-like.
If she weren't a ghoul, she'd be indistinguishable from a normal human.
At that moment—
Tohru came out of the bedroom, rubbing her eyes and dressed in plain pajamas.
Hayashi saw her and said, "Hurry and get ready. We're heading out for supplies."
"!" At the mention of going out together, Tohru perked up instantly.
She rushed off to wash up, moving at top speed.
A short while later—
The two of them went downstairs and filled up Pochita's food bowl.
"Pochita, take care of the house, alright?"
"Woof~!"
Then they got in the little van and drove off.
Upstairs, Kamishiro Rize watched them leave.
Then she headed out herself, planning to visit the local bookstore to buy some books and learn how to be more like a human woman.
The van rattled along.
After the rain, the city air was fresh and earthy.
Tohru, still in her maid uniform, chatted with Hayashi along the way.
But during the drive, Hayashi spotted a lot of CCG agents.
Tohru saw them too. "Did they get wind of Aogiri Tree? Just like Miss Touka said? Patrols seem to be increasing lately."
"Seems that way," Hayashi nodded.
As the van continued down the road, he spotted two familiar CCG members.
One was a middle-aged man with medium-length white hair and a bit of a hunch. The other was a tall, muscular young man.
That pairing was too familiar.
Wasn't that Kureo Mado and Koutarou Amon?
If those two were out patrolling together, it clearly meant there was a major ghoul threat in the 20th Ward.
Like Yakumo Oomori, for example—the infamous "1000 minus 7" founder.
"Now it's getting interesting," Hayashi chuckled, driving past the two and continuing toward the market.
Tohru glanced back, then turned around again.
After the van passed—
Kureo Mado suddenly stopped and looked up, watching the vehicle disappear.
"Senpai?" Amon stopped immediately as well.
Mado squinted, then shook his head. "Nothing. Probably just my imagination."
"What's wrong?"
"I felt a strong presence coming from inside that van. But come on, what kind of powerful person drives a piece-of-junk van like that?"
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