“ATSUSHIIIIIII!” I screamed. This is getting ridiculous! She’s gonna kill me someday!
She zoomed through the nightly traffic. Billboards whished through. Traffic lights and people did too.
Groaning against the wind pushing me back I grabbed her waist a little tighter and used one hand to check the time. 9:10.
“How much longer!” I yelled over the blaring horns and wind.
“About 3.” She yelled back.
Three!? Three what? Three minutes? Blocks? Traffic lights? Lives?
Turns out it was three minutes before she pulled into a small strip mall in a sketchy shopping district and parked. She hopped off and shrugged her shoulders. “It wasn’t that bad.”
I bent over and grabbed my knees. Just breath, me. Breathe and calm yourself. Zen.
“Hurry, we gotta pick one out.” She waved me inside.
I looked up. The store’s sign flickered faintly in neon blue. It wasn’t the most inviting place, but it had a charm to it—the kind of place you’d find a hidden gem if you looked long enough. Well, looking hard in a rough place.
Following her lead, I entered. Inside, the air smelled faintly of old leather and metal polish. Shelves were crammed with accessories of all kinds — tarnished rings, chunky bracelets, and pendants that looked like they’d seen more than a few lifetimes. There was even a corner dedicated to belts, some with worn-out studs, others with shiny skull buckles. Beside them were the wallets.
I shuffled over to the small collection.
“Is this a second-hand boutique shop?” I muttered as I ran a finger over different cracked leather wallets.
Atsushi ignored me. I lifted my head and saw her at another shelf grabbing a necklace with a broken chain, inspecting it closely before setting it aside.
“I was hoping this could jog some memories.” She said quietly.
Damn. I winced, that was a real kicker. First Iguchi and now her. C’mon Rindo, how could ya’ leave them like this?
I didn’t know what to say so I continued browsing. It wasn’t until I found a tacky deep blue, almost grey, leather wallet that I responded.
“How about this?” I held it up.
“Pshh.” Atsushi laughed from a distance before sliding over. She came close, grabbed it, and opened it. “Tacky, but cute. Sure.”
“Were you buying anything for yourself?” I asked.
She shook her head and gestured for the shopkeeper. “I already have something from this shop.”
I squinted my eyes away from her view. Was she referencing something she did with the original Rindo?
“Just a ￥1000.” The shopkeeper said. “Ah, it’s you, Atsushi-chan. Rindo-kun, too?”
“Hi Oba-san, we’re just finding a wallet for him,” Atsushi said a smile I had never seen before.
The old woman behind the counter adjusted her glasses, giving us a warm smile. “You always bring the noisy ones, don’t you, Atsushi-chan? And Rindo-kun, it’s been a while. You’re looking...” She paused, glancing at me with a hint of confusion. “...different. Have you been eating well? You’re a little thin.”
I managed an awkward smile and a bow. “Uh, not really. Been a rough couple of days.”
Atsushi tossed the ring onto the counter along with the ￥1000 bill. “Just this today, Oba-san, nothing for me. Gotta get him started with somethin’, y’know?”
The woman chuckled, ringing it up. “Still dragging people around, huh? You’re lucky you have such a loyal friend, Rindo-kun.”
Oh right, I chose one without checking the price earlier. Damn it. I keep forgetting I’m dirt-broke.
So I didn’t respond, unsure of what the original Rindo’s reputation here had been. Atsushi took the bag and nudged me toward the exit.
As we stepped outside, a chill breeze swept through the narrow alley, making me pull my sweatshirt tighter. Atsushi was already fishing in her pockets for her keys when her head tilted slightly as if she’d heard something I hadn’t. Which she probably did.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Shh.” She motioned for me to stay quiet, her eyes narrowing as they scanned the street. Then she pulled me beside a large car to peek.
[10 Cool XP Gained!]
I ignored the notification and followed her gaze. We noticed two figures moving toward the neighboring closed shop from the one we just left. They weren’t subtle, shuffling in a way that made them seem both impatient and on edge. One was tall and wiry, wearing a hoodie pulled low over his face. The other was stockier, with a scar running down his cheek.
This district was bound to have thieves. Especially now without widespread smartphones. I was skeptical that this rundown strip mall even had cameras…
Atsushi muttered under her breath, her voice low. “Both human.”
My stomach twisted regardless. “What do we do?”
“Depends. If they’re just here for trouble, we deal with it. If they’re hunting...”
Her words hung in the air as the two men reached the shop’s door. Scarface tried the handle, but it didn’t budge. He glanced around before pulling out a crowbar from his bag.
It was clear they were bound to move onto the old lady’s shop.
“It’s good you can’t use your kagune. I don’t have to worry about you accidentally revealing we’re ghouls.” She muttered.
Shit. We’re really gonna stop them.
She tugged at my arm and brought me to my feet before she took lead. “Hey!” She yelled.
Great! Let’s keep it verbal and scare them off. I’d hate for this to get viole—oh, look, they’re heading towards us.
The two men stopped in their tracks, turning their attention to Atsushi. Scarface smirked, tossing the crowbar over his shoulder. The wiry one with the hoodie darted his eyes between us.
“What do you want?” Scarface sneered. “Fuckin’ brats.”
Atsushi didn’t miss a beat. She rolled her shoulders. “Just leave. We already called the cops.”
Oh, she did!? Nice call, wicked woman!
Short hoodie frowned and pulled at the taller one. Clearly the smarter of the two.
But Scarface chuckled, his grin widening as he stepped closer. “...You two called the cops and didn’t run? Made shit easier for us. Empty your pockets. Now.”
“Atsushi,” I whispered, “I think this one’s gonna—”
“Too late for that,” She muttered, cutting me off. She took another step forward, her posture shifting. It wasn’t casual anymore. It was predatory.
Before I could blink, she closed the gap between them, her fist colliding with Scarface’s jaw. The impact was brutal—his head snapped to the side, and he crumpled to the ground like a sack of bricks.
“Ya’ fuckin’ dumass, lettin’ down your guard.” Short Hoodie let out a strangled yell for his partner. Atsushi didn’t give him the chance. She ducked low, sweeping his legs out from under him. He hit the pavement hard, the air rushing out of his lungs with a wheeze.
“Rindo-kun!” She snapped, her voice sharp.
I shook myself out of my stupor and stumbled forward. Hoodie tried to scramble to his feet, but Atsushi planted a boot on his chest, pinning him down.
“Don’t,” Her voice icy. “You try anything stupid, and I’ll make sure you can’t walk out of here.”
Scarface groaned from the ground, clutching his jaw. Blood dripped between his fingers. “You... you fuckin’ bitch!”
Atsushi glanced back at me, her expression calm but expectant. “Well? You just gonna stand there, or you gonna help?”
Help? Help with what? My hands trembled as I looked down at Short Hoodie. His eyes were wide, filled with fear.
“Atsushi,” I stammered. “I... I don’t think I can—”
“Hold him down, idiot. For the cops.” She said before pouncing on Scarface to keep him down.
I flinched and rushed Short Hoodie. As I grabbed Short Hoodie’s arm to pin him down, he thrashed under me, yelling and kicking wildly. His panicked cries mixed with the groans of his partner on the ground. I didn’t realize how strong he was despite being damaged by Atsushi who was still wrestling Scarface.
“Stay still, damn it!” I growled, struggling to keep a grip on Hoodie’s arm. He was wiry but strong, his adrenaline-fueled flailing making it harder than it should’ve been. I was also immensely weak for a ghoul.
“Get off me!” Hoodie screamed, his voice cracking as he twisted his body.
My heart pounded in my ears. Holding him down felt like trying to pin a live wire.
“Atsushi!” I called out, my voice shaky. “What am I even supposed to do here!?”
“Keep him down!” she barked, slamming Scarface’s head into the pavement for emphasis. “Use your weight! Stop being such a—”
Her words were drowned out by Hoodie’s sudden, frantic movements. His hand darted into his hoodie pocket.
I didn’t catch it at first. My focus was on his other arm, which I had pinned to the pavement. But then I saw his expression shift—fear melting into something colder, more calculated.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
He squirmed and twisted over.
I didn’t have time to think. My instincts screamed at me to react, but I didn’t know how. All I could do was watch as his hand emerged, clutching a knife.
A cold dread swept over me. My mind went blank, a single, panicked thought taking over. I’m gonna die.
He swung the blade, and I felt the sting as it grazed my side. The sound of fabric ripping mixed with the metallic scent of blood that hit the air. I stumbled back, clutching at my shirt, waiting for the pain to set in.
But it didn’t.
I looked down, expecting a gaping wound. Instead, there was barely a scratch, the blade having skimmed the surface of my skin. A thin line of blood, but that was it.
I blinked, my mind struggling to process what had just happened.
Then it hit me—I’m not human anymore.
My heart pounded as Hoodie lunged again, but something deep inside me shifted. The scent of blood. This guy’s blood. My kakugan flared, and the world around me sharpened. Colors burned brighter. Sounds became deafening. My pulse thundered in my ears.
“Agh. Really?” Atsushi’s tired voice barely registered.
But I wasn’t in control anymore. My body moved on its own, a snarl ripping from my throat as I grabbed Hoodie’s wrist mid-swing.
He froze, his eyes wide with terror as I twisted his arm. The knife clattered to the ground.
“You... you’re one of them...” He stammered, his voice trembling. “Hey, hey, hey. W-we’ll go!”
His words barely registered. The scent of his blood consumed me.
I slammed him against the wall with more force than I thought I had, his head bouncing off the concrete with a sickening thud. He slumped to the ground lifelessly.
[Prey Slaughtered]
[1000 XP Gained!]
A blur of numbers, lines of text, muddled thoughts overwhelmed me, but I all I think focus on was the lifeless body beneath my feet.
[You have leveled up!]
[200 Body XP Gained!]
[You have Reached Body 2!]
[300 Cool XP Gained!]
[You have Reached Cool 1!]
[2 Attribute Points & 2 Perk Point Gained!]
“Really Rindo-kun? Should of told me you were hungry… At least do it somewhere else. Oba-san’s store is close by.” Atsushi’s voice snapped me out of it.
[10 Hand to Hand Combat XP Gained!]
[Body Skill Branch Unlocked: Hand to Hand Combat]
I blinked, my vision swimming. My hands were trembling, blood dripping from my fingertips. Short Hoodie lay crumpled at my feet.
I stumbled back, my chest heaving. My mind raced, caught between relief and horror.
“Already that time? I thought you ate already…” Atsushi muttered, pocketing the knife before crouching to Short Hoodie’s body.
“I thought...” My voice cracked. “I thought he’d kill me.”
“Huh? How? They can’t even touch ya’ without a strong gun or a dove’s suitcase.” She shot me a pointed look.
I eyed Scarface. He was already dead. His neck was crooked in an unnatural position.
Atsushi shook her head solemnly before carrying Scarface and Short Hoodie. “C’mon, I know somewhere close we could go to eat.”
“O-Oh.” I stammered awkwardly.
—
The tension was palpable as Atsushi dragged both bodies toward her bike, her movements casual, as if hauling around unconscious or dead people was just another Tuesday night.
“Hey,” I muttered. “Where... where are we even going?”
She glanced back at me, her expression almost bored. “An old warehouse. Close enough to walk, but quiet enough no one’ll see us chow down.”
My stomach churned at her nonchalant tone.
Atsushi tilted her head at me. “What’s that face for”
“I...” My words caught in my throat. “Nothin’.”
“Wimp,” She whispered.
We made our way through the back alleys in silence, Atsushi lugging the bodies like they were nothing. She didn’t even seem winded. I, on the other hand, was struggling to keep my legs steady.
The warehouse was exactly what I expected—rusted metal siding shattered windows, and the faint scent of mildew and decay. The kind of place you’d expect to find rats the size of small dogs or maybe a crime scene tape or two.
“Here we are,” Atsushi announced, kicking open the creaky door. The sound echoed through the empty space, sending a shiver down my spine.
She dumped the bodies unceremoniously onto the concrete floor, then turned to me, hands on her hips. “Well? You gonna keep starvin’, or are you finally gonna eat?” She said. Her eyes… a striking black, crisscrossed with red leading to a scarlet pupil.
I hesitated, staring at the still forms in front of me. Scarface’s head lolled unnaturally, his lifeless eyes staring into nothing. Short Hoodie’s mangled skull. It was different from the meals delivered to me by Iguchi. Much different.
My gaze flicked to her, then back to the bodies. The hunger clawed at my insides, and the scent of blood was suffocating. My throat tightened as my kakugan flared involuntarily.
Atsushi crouched beside Short Hoodie, her expression softening just slightly. “Y’know. All this time I wanted to hear you apologize. For leaving without a word. I don’t know why the other guys just buried it and glossed it over.”
I stood motionless.
“I just thought after you chose that mask at Kashiwagi’s that I could maybe hear it from the old Rindo-kun.” She muttered as she tore Scarface’s left arm off jaggedly. The place was dark. Faintly illuminated by the streetlights outside the unfinished window space. Even so, I swear I could’ve saw a glimmer run down her cheek as she ate.
“I don’t know if it makes you feel any better but… I’m sorry. With trembling hands, I knelt beside Scarface’s body across from her.
“Heh,” Atsushi said quietly, her voice almost gentle. “Just close your eyes and let instinct take over. You used to scarf it all down without chewing.”
I didn’t close my eyes. I couldn’t. Instead, I leaned down, my teeth bared, and took a massive chomp. For better or for worse… it tasted good. Better than any other meal.
Eerie sounds of flesh being torn, ripped, and chewed faintly echoed as we finished Scarface together.
“Can you tell me more? About… me?” I asked quietly, trying to distract myself.
“Hmm…” She muttered before dragging Short Hoodie closer and stripping him. “When you and Iguchi-san were first picked up into Kurokumo, you two were half-dead. I helped feed you back then to recover.”
“Is that the first we met?” I asked.
“It was. You didn’t trust me even when I handed you an ear to feed on.” She sighed. “Eventually you warmed up to me. I want to say Iguchi too, but he was…drooling the first day we met.”
I chuckled, wiping the blood dripping from my lips and chin. “Then eating together is normal for us?”
“It is.” She replied before ripping an ear and offering it to me.
I obliged.
Even though tonight was spent indulging in an act I never once would’ve considered in my previous life, together with another person no less… Atsushi wasn’t that bad. Her driving and attitude aside of course.
—-
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; overflow: hidden; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<h2 style="color: rgba(255, 80, 80, 1); text-shadow: 2px 2px 5px rgba(255, 0, 0, 1)">Status Screen</h2>
Name: Rindo Shirogane
Level: 1
Faction: Kurokumo Gang
Kagune Class: Ukaku
RC Cells: 570/570
Hunger: Content
RC Matrix: 4.450848%
<h4 style="color: rgba(255, 77, 77, 1)"> </h4>
<h4 style="color: rgba(255, 77, 77, 1)">Core Attributes:</h4>
[Athlete: 0]
[Head Hunter: 0]
[Engineer: 0]
[Meanuver: 0]
[Scholar: 0]
[Available Attribute Point[s]: 2]
<h4 style="color: rgba(255, 77, 77, 1)"> </h4>
<h4 style="color: rgba(255, 77, 77, 1)">Core Skill Levels:</h4>
[Body: 2]
[Cool: 1]
[Technical Ability: 0]
[Reflexes: 0]
[Intelligence: 0]
Kakuhou Sac Count: 1
Type[s]: [Ukaku]
<h4 style="color: rgba(255, 77, 77, 1)">Perks:</h4>
Body — N/A
Cool — N/A
Technical Ability — N/A
Reflexes — N/A
Intelligence — N/A
[Available Perk Point[s]: ]
Kakuja: [???]
Affinity: [???]
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
“Huh,” I muttered, kicking my legs up and down from my bed. I couldn’t sleep after a long night so my attention flowed through the available perks to me. Also that branch skill under Body I unlocked after Short Hoodie’s head… yeah, I don’t wanna think about it. I’ll deal with the branch skill later.
Curious about how attribute points would work, I put them into Athlete. Turns out I had quite the selection of Athlete’s respective perks available with just a single attribute point set in. This was good news. In Cyberpunk I had to put at least 4 points just to see those first few perks.
For Athlete, I had a whopping four options, both costing just 1 perk point to obtain.
One is called [Painkiller]. A 5% enhanced natural recovery on top of my base regenerative powers as a ghoul. Pretty good. It’s a valuable perk considering it’s levelable. I have a feeling that if it maxes out, I’ll be a monster regenerator amongst ghouls like Noro. A shiver ran down my back as I thought of that ghoul… I do not want to run into the young Noro at all.
The second perk under Athlete is called [Red Brawler]. It gives a 1% Health Regen Rate for each percent of missing health but rapidly depletes my hunger bar. Nonlevelable. No complaints there. It’ll work well with Painkiller when I have another perk point available.
The third was called [Knockout King]. It enhances critical [2x Damage] hit chance by 5% when striking the head with fists. Nonlevelable. Huh. Is it because I used my hands to kill Short Hoodie? I tried skimming around the perks, but unlike the game, I can only see the choices available to me.
The last for Athlete was called [Ground ‘N Pound!] I grimaced at the name. It gives me better knowledge when pummeling a grounded enemy and a 5% increase in critical blow chance. Levelable too. I watched quite a bit of MMA in my last life, so I guess it will help with strikes and weight distribution to keep them down.
Yeah. Moving on. Satisfied with the slight tweak in the system, I put my last attribute point into Cold Blooded so I could see what I could obtain there.
For Cold Blooded, I had just one perk available. It also costs one perk point to get.
[Hunter]. After killing a human or ghoul enemy, feel a cold wave of relief wash over my mind for five seconds and increase movement speed by 2% for the same duration. Stackable. Levelable.
It was tempting. While the speed sounded nice, that cold wave of relief was equally or if not greater than it. I needed a placid mind in those situations.
I blinked away for a while. Five options. Automatically I’m just gonna strike off [Knockout King] and [Ground ‘N Pound]. Sounded helpful but it’ll just be a wasted point at this stage and too focused.
Almost the same thing with [Red Brawler] in that it’ll be better later once I have [Painkiller] locked in.
But between [Painkiller] and [Hunter] as of now? Why not both?
I affirmed myself and selected those two.
Immediately, I felt a tingly wave ripple throughout my body for a few seconds before I felt… a little rejuvenated? Like I had stepped out of a hot shower or something.
I decided to go with [Painkiller] because it’ll help me with everything leading up to when I need [Cold Blood], as in killing an enemy. Plus it’s levelable. Plus it will help with exercise recovery which will speed up my Body XP. Lots a’ pluses. Nice.
With my level up settled I dismissed the status screen and rolled over. I eyed my cabinet. It held my flip phone, new wallet, spare jewelry, and Short Hoodie’s knife.
On the ride back I asked Atsushi for it. Although she did look at me weirdly, she didn’t ask why. Which was great because honestly, I don’t even know why I wanted it. I just killed my first human today. I even ate him not long later. It''s a cruel world, but I can’t be complacent. So I guess it could be a memento of today.
I shivered a little and pulled my raggy blanket tighter.
I needed sleep.