"See you tomorrow, Kamishiro-san." I say goodbye with a smile as we both leave Anteiku. I, for one, leave the district, while Rize heads to the other side, no doubt to get more food or perhaps to rest for tomorrow.
She smiles back at me with a strange emotion in her eyes, one I easily identify as *hunger*.
"I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. Please don't be late, Astrea-san." Her smile is small but genuine. I wonder if it's because she's amused by my presence or if perhaps she's imagining devouring me.
She smiles one last time before leaving. I don't turn around, but I feel her gaze, so I sway my hips a little more and hear a light cough.
I allow myself to smile a little more before the smile disappears from my face. After all, I won't need it where I'm going.
Finding the right place in Japan was harder than I expected. Of course, I knew that firearms are highly regulated in Japan.
But that wasn't what I was looking for. While researching possible meeting places for my date with Rize, I found a charming little place in the underground 24th district. Of course, I didn't go in person, having learned about it through rumors and interesting gossip.
A place where you can buy everything from weapons to perhaps people. Given that in this world there's a banquet sponsored by Shu Tsukiyama where ghouls can eat humans or other ghouls, it shouldn't surprise me that a small organization sells firearms and the like in the most dangerous district of all.
Getting there was surprisingly easy, so I was able to get what I wanted—and buy it, too. The hard part came when I left the 24th district.
Five people followed me for half an hour, all dressed in black cloaks.
So I decided to enter an alley and then a building through a broken window, standing next to it, waiting with a faint smile for them to arrive.
And so it was, just a couple of minutes later, they passed by my window, entering the long alley.
I almost laughed when they began to explain their motives as if it were some kind of shounen anime, talking about what they planned to do to me, and truthfully, I only felt disappointed.
Apparently, they were planning to rape me and then sell me. They weren't agents of the "V" organization as I had thought, just common thugs.
But since they were here, I might as well make an example of them. After all, who knows how many people they've hurt or will hurt in the future?
And if their deaths help me determine my combat level, well, it's for a good cause after all; maybe I'll save this world.
But unfortunately, they were too weak; they didn't even react when I walked toward them with one of my last purchases in hand.
The idiots scattered, searching the alley for me without even thinking to look at the buildings.
"How pathetic." I didn't even lower my voice as I spoke, but even then they didn't notice me.
"Where's that bitch gone?" mutters the man closest to me, a man with bleached hair like an NTR character. "When I find her."
Like Kaneki, he doesn't see me, and worse, his back is turned. Unfortunately for him, today he wasn't looking for a quick and quiet death; he was looking to test my skills.
He inhaled and kicked hard. My kick caught him in the right kneecap with a loud *Crack* that filled me with satisfaction.
"AAAh!" he yells, but he quickly shuts up when he sees me with a knife in my hand. He barely opens his eyes wide when my knife penetrates his left eye and plunges into his brain.
The other four come running at the scream, while I'm already twisting the knife blade inside their skull to pull it out without damaging the edge.
I exhale.
"So, who's next?" My smile widens, and they take a step back.
"Rude!" The joke escapes my lips as I approach my next target.
The remaining four are a muscular man, a fat man, a thin man, and finally, a small, screaming woman.
I inhale once more sharply as I grab the woman by the hair and use her as a shield.
The muscular man's blow connects hard with the woman's skull, and I feel something break in her head, and she stops screaming, so I let go.
"Kairi, you damn gajin!" shouts the Muscle Man. "I'm going to blurg!"
Of course, he doesn't finish speaking because I punch him in the ribs with my left fist, knocking the wind out of him.
I jump back, dodging the fat man's lunge, and raise my right hand with the knife, pointing it toward the ground. I only bring it down hard in a stab.
The blow isn't fatal; with all that fat, I don't hit anything important, but it makes him scream and back away from me, and unfortunately, he takes my knife with him.
I exhale once more.
"Takeo!" the muscular man yells at the sight of the injured fat man, only to leap at me once more. "Let's see how you manage without your knife, bitch."
"Your yelling is very annoying, you know?" My smile doesn't diminish during this little game; in fact, I feel it growing even wider; after all, I've never trained with a knife.
The muscular man attacks me with his right hand clenched into a fist, but it's hard not to notice he relies on his size, not his strength, for his job.
"Hahaha!" A laugh escapes me as I catch his fist, and another satisfying crunch comes from his hand. "Hey, when you want to hit something, you don't put your thumb under your fingers, see?"
Unlike him, my blow connects hard with his jaw, and he falls backward, still conscious but disoriented.
As I busily approach the fallen woman, I stomp on her neck before she can get up. I don't hear anything break, but I do feel something slide around her neck, and when I lift my foot, she doesn't try to get up again, she doesn't even move.
I inhale for the third time and keep walking. The short guy takes a step back and turns, trying to escape.
Unfortunately for him, I'm much faster, so before he can react, I grab his arm and, using his own weight, throw him back into the alley, where he falls on top of the woman's likely corpse.
The fat guy, on the other hand, manages to pull the knife from behind his back and jumps at me, brandishing it in his right hand like a true amateur.
"Take this!" he shouts as if we were in an anime.
"Wait a minute!" I think before realizing something very important.
"We're in an anime," I laugh a little more at the memory as I twist slightly to the left, letting his stab pass by and his arm brush against my breasts.
In this position, he can't hit me with his left arm, as I'm on his right, and with that, I just have to retrieve my knife.
I grab his wrist with my right hand and twist it outward while my left hand catches the falling knife by the handle.
I hold it in a reverse grip and stab it toward his chest.
I exhale as I easily feel the knife penetrating his chest. My "intuitive aptitude" allows me to learn in real time, so directing the blade toward the approximate location of his heart is easy.
I inhale as I feel a slight "pop" vibrate through the knife blade and into my hand.
Something I discovered during my medical research is that the heart, when cut inside the chest, doesn't split like other muscles.
The heart, while actually a muscle, isn't very solid, more like a water balloon or jelly. So when I stabbed the fat man, it was easy to see his heart exploded when my knife entered just a few centimeters of said muscle.
I exhale as I do a ballerina spin, pulling the knife from the falling corpse and bringing it down hard on the skinny man. The blade flies in a perfect arc until it plunges hard into his stomach as he barely tries to get up.
I exhale one last time as I grab the knife's handle before twisting the blade inside his stomach.
"No, no, stop, aaaah, please," he pleads, but I ignore him as I twist the blade upward to slice into his body. I feel the blade travel up his insides until it reaches his ribcage. Only then do I forcefully pull the knife out and wipe it clean with a shake and a wipe on his clothes before putting it back in its sheath.
I ignore his last gurgles and walk over to Muscle Man.
"So tell me, who were you planning to sell?" Only when I ask does my smile fade as he stares in horror at the bodies of his friends. "After all, I hate rapists, you know?"
He shouts, and soon the alley falls silent.
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The next day, Celestia was fast asleep in her bed, dressed only in a simple white sleeveless T-shirt that didn't leave much to the imagination, as a good portion of her pink areolas were visible. She was also wearing a red thong that reached her hips. The blanket, however, was forgotten at the edge of the bed, almost touching the floor.
Sunlight streamed through the window and hit her full face. Celestia rolled over to try to get some more sleep.
Only a few seconds later, she opened her eyes when she heard her phone alarm.
Defeated, Celestia slowly sat up on the edge of the bed before stretching out her arms to stretch her back, which produced a satisfying crunch.
With one last yawn, she got out of bed and went to the bathroom to get ready; after all, today was an important day.
"Mmm, nothing like a bath to start the day." That's my idea, and I'm sticking to it. To be honest, I thought getting a date with *Glutton* would be harder, but it was strangely easy. The conversation flowed naturally, and she had a ready answer for every topic she touched on, so I settled for listening to her ramble about some book she'd read, absorbed in her beautiful voice.
"Now I understand why Kaneki fell for her so quickly. I almost want to change a couple of plans to save her from Kanou's experiments." I think about it for a moment, but decide to leave it for later. "I almost feel bad about knowing how our date is going to end."
It's a shame; she's so much fun. If it weren't for her trying to kill me in a few hours, I would have been happy to start a slightly more serious relationship with her.
"She's really my type, intelligent and unafraid to go after what she wants." She smiled at the thought. "Also, a little crazy."
"I'm desperate. Well, I still have a few preparations to make for our date." She didn't smile, but I thought about the combat knife I'd bought yesterday. "After all, it'd be a shame not to give her an unforgettable dance, wouldn't it?"
Getting out of the shower and getting dressed is a slow and methodical process. I put on the clothes I'd laid out for the occasion: lace panties with a small bra, white pants with pockets (a lucky find) with a small black belt, and finally one of the black leather corsets I bought a few days ago. It completely covers my chest and back, but leaves a diamond-shaped window that shows off some nice cleavage and my collarbones.
By the time I finished dressing, it was already 2:00 p.m. Today I had the luxury of sleeping half a day to be ready for tonight. The super-sharp knife is tucked into a sheath on my back, under the corset.
The last thing I decide to bring is a small bag where I keep my wallet and cell phone.
But on impulse, I also throw in yesterday's book; who knows, maybe it'll come in handy.
With one last glance at my reflection, I smile and leave the house.
Our appointment was scheduled for 3:00 PM, but arriving early is polite.
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I arrived at our meeting point just twenty minutes later, still with 40 minutes to spare, so I sat down to wait for her in a small restaurant.
Once again, I only ordered a cappuccino, which I sipped occasionally while I waited. I also read a bit of my book, this time finding passages similar to a certain visual novel.
Saya no Uta was an interesting visual novel, one I'll definitely keep away from me until I'm much stronger, or maybe I'll simply never visit it.
"Saya's species can travel between dimensions, just like me." I can't help but grimace at the thought. "Well, I'll send that fear along with Lovecraft's."
"What's a Lovecraftian?" The question stumps me for a moment before I feel someone move their head closer to mine. "Is he a writer too?"
It turns out my date asked me the question, though I'm not complaining because when she put her head next to mine, I could feel her breasts against the back of my neck.
So, like a good gentleman, I let her know by leaning my head deeper into her cleavage. She blushes deliciously, but I answer before she can speak in a conspiratorial whisper.
"He's a very good writer; he specializes especially in a new genre that bears his name." I don't move away, but I don't get close to her either, waiting for her reaction. "They called him the father of cosmic horror, or, as it's more commonly known, Lovecraftian horror."
She smiled when Rize blushed even more, and I felt a slight rumble in her stomach.
"Hahaha, looks like someone's hungry, and I was preparing a mysterious atmosphere." My sudden laughter only made her blush a little more, at which point she took the opportunity to move away a little and sit next to me.
"Funny, Astrea-san," she replies dryly as she settles into her seat. "I've never heard of that author or that genre. You're not making this up, are you?"
I laugh a little more at the ignorant people of this world. From what I've learned so far, it has its own culture, and very few things are the same as those in my original world, so I'm not surprised she doesn't know Lovecraft, although it's a little sad.
"I didn't make that up. Lovecraft really exists," I promise with a smile before taking a sip of my coffee. "You're early, Kamishiro-san. Since we have time, would you like me to tell you a little about one of my favorite books?"
She smiles, and it's a truly beautiful smile. "I'd like to. Let's see if this genre deserves the name."
I move a little closer to her, and she, in turn, presses her leg against mine.
"Well, the classic would be *Call of Cthulhu*," I say as I watch my coffee take strange shapes, "but I think you'd like *The Thing in the Doorway* better."
She blinks in confusion. "And why do you think I'd like it more?"
My smile widens, taking on a predatory quality. "You can call it a feeling."
And then I tell her a story about a man named Edward Derby and his mysterious wife, Asenath Waite, whose marriage is torn apart by supernatural forces.
I'm not mistaken; the story captivates her almost from the beginning. After all, I chose her to connect with our current situation: she's the monster, and I'm the unsuspecting person who fell into its clutches.
Engrossed, she doesn't notice how she leans closer to me the more she listens.
Our snack only pauses for a moment while we order: a piece of steak for me (a little charred around the edges for me). And two sandwiches for her.
Of course, I pretend not to notice how quickly she eats before going to the bathroom to throw up.
We leave the restaurant around 5:00 PM. I smiled at being able to talk about one of my favorite books, and she was delighted to listen attentively.
I avoided noticing her hungry face as we walked through the plaza, and I also ignored the way she licked her lips when I got too close.
I didn't buy anything; after all, it might get lost during our fight later.
But I did buy Rize a pretty necklace with a small blue gem.
But all good things come to an end, and our date was almost over when the clock struck 7:15 and she spoke.
"My house is over there." She pointed to a dark alley. I smiled at her and followed her, though I noticed the destination was a little strange; after all, it was the same alley from the anime, and Touka Kirishima walked past us just like in the anime. I smiled at her and followed her *Glutton* into the darkness of the alley.
We walked for a long time in silence, the construction zone less than two blocks away from us.
"I had a lot of fun today, Astrea-san," she begins, but I interrupt her, asking her to call me Celestia.
After all, formality has no place in combat.
"Then I'll call you Celestia. I had a lot of fun today, your story was very interesting, and I'll look up that author someday, but..." she interrupts as she hugs me tightly. Her bust is beneath mine, her face buried in my cleavage.
"Ugh," I snort as I feel the third star move slightly, but I decide to ignore it and hug Rize tightly as I smile sadly, looking down at her between my breasts.
"Celestia, I..." She stops again when I kiss her softly, and I smile as I speak as we separate.
"Rize, are you going to eat me?" I ask, loosening our embrace slightly.
She, for her part, freezes before her eyes fill with black and red with her kakugan. She doesn't smile, but asks, "How did you notice?"
"Every time you glanced at me, or when you thought I wasn't looking, you licked your lips," I reply with a laugh, and she blushes a little as she continues. "It was pretty sexy, actually."
"Why didn't you run away?" I shrug at her question. I couldn't tell her I'd been waiting for this moment all week, could I?
"I had a great time today, Celestial," she reaffirms, gently biting my left breast, almost affectionately, a trickle of blood falling from where she bites. "You're very interesting. If you had been born a ghoul, things would be different now."
I ignore her comment. After all, if all goes well tonight, I'll be a ghoul in the next few days, at the latest.
But what I pay attention to is how the magenta star next to my heart vibrates, almost as if it were purring.
"Gulp!" She swallows the small piece of flesh she had in her mouth from my breast and with a moan says, "Mmm, you're really delicious, Celestia."
"But please, run. I won't follow you for ten seconds out of gratitude for the wonderful afternoon you've given me." She smiles, but it's no longer tender; now it has a predatory quality filled with an insatiable hunger.
With my right hand, I play with the necklace I gave her. It was between her breasts, and I can only sigh at the feel of her soft skin.
"One," I count softly before running toward the construction site.
"Two," I hear her counting behind me before we enter the construction zone. "Three."
I look to the side and then up, trying to look disoriented.
"(There)" Right above the crane, I see a person standing with a wrench in his hand, and I try not to smile or look obvious as I watch him. -(Jason Yamori)-
And just in time, because I count to ten when I'm almost under the steel beams.
"I'm sorry you couldn't escape, Celestia." He quietly enters through the same entrance as me, his face and voice genuinely sorry.
And then I take a step to the right, stepping out from under the beams. I also drop my backpack and pull the knife out from under my corset.
"Yeah, well, ten seconds wasn't that long to begin with, Rize," I reply, and she looks at the knife in my hand in confusion. "Celestia, did you always have that?"
I smile back, and she laughs delightedly as her Rinkaku tentacles emerge from her back.
"Unfortunately, I couldn't find a good place to dance, so, Rize, may I have this dance?" I make a small gesture, extending my right hand.
She blinks and nods before leaping at me.
"(She's very fast)." And she is. In the blink of an eye, she's already upon me, with one of her Rinkaku in my face, aiming straight for my right eye.
I barely manage to dodge it by turning my head while I manage to slightly deflect another of her Rinkaku with my knife. The sound of a sharp "Shhh" makes me spit out the edge of my knife, without even scratching her.
"-(If I want to hit her, I'll have to get close)-" I muse as I dodge the first Rinkaku again, and I'm lucky because she only attacks with two, while she keeps three more behind her back that in turn keep her in the air.
I bend my knees slightly to gain speed before running at her, letting one of her Rinkaku hit me, leaving only a minor wound on my side. I surprise her by using her other Rinkaku as a makeshift path, running over it.
She opens her eyes wide when my knife hits her neck, right on the carotid artery. Sure, my knife doesn't do anything to her, but that's not the point, and she knows it.
Two more Rinkaku join the first two in the aftermath and attack me with much greater speed and force. This time, I fail to dodge one that hits me like a whiplash to the stomach and throws me against a support, which means our dance is coming to an end.
"Cough." The blood I spit out isn't like in the movies. It's actually less, but it burns as it leaves my throat, leaving a strong taste of iron.
The last blow broke two ribs on my right side, one of which pierced my lung.
But, with my last bit of strength, I manage to get up and walk toward Rize, who's a step away from being under the beams.
I get up and walk to stand in front of her and swing at her with my left arm. She dodges, of course, but she doesn't see me swing the knife at her with my right hand, and unexpectedly, it hits her again in the neck.
"Two for two, Rize, you're lucky I couldn't hurt you." Blood spurts from my mouth again as her Rinkaku pierces my stomach and lifts me up like a trophy.
"Celestia, you're truly amazing. Did you know that?" She doesn't smile as she throws me once more against the support beam.
And once again I feel something break inside me, only this time I think it's something a little more important.
Rize, for her part, takes the last step to stand directly beneath the steel beams.
"I almost don't want to eat you, Celestia, but you smell so good." She takes another step, and I hear it, the supports breaking.
I look up and see the steel beams fall on a surprised Rize, who tries to dodge them, but fails. When the dust settles, she finds herself crushed beneath the beams, still conscious, staring at me. She says something, but I don't understand her; my ears are occupied by the pounding of my heart.
And it's just as I'm about to lose consciousness that I see them again, as bright and clear as the first time.
The chains of my magenta star emerge from my body and pierce Rize's body, making her scream.
I spit blood once more as I crawl toward her. The more I do, the more the star in my chest moves. Only when I touch her bloody hand do I hear a voice.
[Link]
I close my eyes, but without completely losing consciousness, I find myself in limbo.
"Haha, so the human survived. What do I do with you?" Someone speaks. I know who it is, but I can't concentrate.
"Well, the good doctor might find you useful." I hear footsteps fading away and sink deeper into the darkness.
When I come back to my senses a little, I hear voices.
"Her organs are severely damaged." The voice is difficult to hear; the rattling of the chains is much louder.
"Prepare for an organ transplant," a loud voice orders, and the chains pause for a moment before rattling even louder.
"Dr. Kanou, we don't have the family's consent," a woman replies.
"I'll take responsibility," the man decides.
"We don't have the organs ready, Dr. Kanou," another voice pleads.
"There are some ready," the man replies. "I'll transplant the other girl's organs according to her credentials. They're both blood compatible," he orders. Then I feel warmth.
The chains stop completely, but I feel them connecting to something else.
I feel someone hugging me. I also feel breasts on my back and breathing on my neck.
Then nothing. I fall asleep and don't know anything else.
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With Celestia unconscious, no one else can see how the chains wrap around Rize's body.
Let alone see how they enter the ghoul's body, taking part of her soul and depositing it into Celestia's body.
No one can notice how the chains also take a bit of Celestia's multicolored light and deposit it into Rize's body.
But what's the worst that could happen?
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And the last star appears. 🥳
Well, it's not like a small interaction with said star will ruin Celestia's plans, right? ☺️☺️