"Welcome home."
When Lancer opened the door and switched on the lights, he froze momentarily at the sudden greeting. Clearly, he still wasn't used to certain Japanese traditions. Besides, logically speaking, shouldn't she refrain from such gestures?
"I've prepared dinner. Would you like to eat now?"
"Uh... sure."
Seeing the miso soup, grilled fish, and pickles before him, Lancer's expression grew odd. In his mind, Ghouls' special constitution typically made their "ingredients" quite peculiar. It didn't seem to matter much whether their meals were cooked or raw, which meant they usually didn't cook at all.
Noticing Lancer's awkward movements, Fueguchi Ryouko sighed softly.
"To interact with the other housewives, I learned some cooking before. I may not be very good, but according to their feedback, it should be... passable."
After repeatedly confirming nothing suspicious had been added, Lancer cautiously took his first-ever standard Japanese dinner. Previously, he'd always eaten ready-made meals from work. Standing quietly nearby, Ryouko felt herself finally relax a little upon seeing him eat normally.
Touka was right after all.
...
Several hours earlier.
Unsure whether Lancer had installed surveillance in the apartment, Fueguchi Ryouko specifically instructed Kirishima Touka not to remove her mask when inviting her inside. On the other hand, Touka herself was still hesitant.
Could this be a trap?
But before she could think it through clearly, Ryouko had already pulled her into the apartment. Luckily, there was no trap, nor did she see any torture instruments. In fact, the living room looked perfectly ordinary.
Just then, a figure peeking out from another room suddenly exclaimed—
"Touka-neechan!!"
Hinami had always been mature for her age. Even after losing her father and being captured alongside her mother, she'd never cried or fussed—well, excluding this morning's incident when she'd just awoken to a shocking scene and momentarily lost control. At the very least, she didn't want to further burden her grieving mother.
But no matter how mature she was, she remained just a child, experiencing tragedies most normal people would never face. Unable to vent to her mother, she bottled everything inside. Seeing Touka suddenly appear before her, Hinami could no longer suppress her emotions.
Holding Hinami tightly as she cried silently, Touka's confusion deepened further. Why didn't Ryouko-san want to leave with her?
Even the so-called "explosive collar" wasn't an impossible obstacle. If the collar contained strong explosives, an S-rated Ghoul's Kagune could shield the wearer without issue; after all, there were still gaps between the neck and the collar.
"According to Investigator Lancer, tracking chips were implanted in our bodies. If we go with you, it might cause trouble for Anteiku. And if we don't leave together, having lost my Kakuhou, I can't even protect Hinami against regular humans..."
Completely unaware of the details, Touka froze upon hearing that Fueguchi Ryouko had lost her Kakuhou. Although a Ghoul theoretically could regenerate their Kakuhou by replenishing RC cells, that was an extremely lengthy process.
Realizing she wouldn't be able to protect the pair even if she rescued them, Touka suddenly felt deeply defeated. But just then, Ryouko softly patted her on the back.
"Don't worry. Investigator Lancer hasn't done anything excessive to us. At least for now… there shouldn't be any danger."
Although appearing delicate, Ryouko was tough inside, comforting Touka instead. Not just because she was older, but also because with her husband gone, she was now her family's sole pillar of strength. Just like when she first encountered Lancer, she'd instantly decided to sacrifice herself if necessary to protect her daughter.
Once she understood the Fueguchis couldn't leave immediately, Touka began thinking about ways to help them.
Secretly bringing them food wasn't an option—or at least not unless absolutely necessary. Eating would drastically increase the amount and activity of RC cells, essentially revealing her involvement. What else could she do?
She began recalling every piece of information she knew about Lancer, along with his personality shown throughout their month-long interactions—
"Ryouko-san, since you can't leave yet, maybe you should take some initiative."
"What do you… mean?"
"Well... simply put, this 'Investigator Lancer' seems like someone with a strong sense of male pride and self-control. Since he didn't hurt you from the start, as long as no accidents happen, he probably won't do anything aggressive in the future either. If you position yourself clearly as the 'weaker' side, then there shouldn't be much problem."
Essentially, the idea was to "show weakness to the enemy." After thinking for a moment, Fueguchi Ryouko nodded slowly.
When she considered it carefully, Touka's suggestion did make sense. When he'd aimed his gun at her, she vividly remembered the feeling that he genuinely intended to kill her—but inexplicably he'd held back in the end. And since then, he hadn't mistreated her or Hinami either.
She recalled clearly when he'd brought her home after removing her Kakuhou, she had already resolved to sacrifice herself. Moreover, she was certain he'd been seriously tempted last night—but again, he had forcibly restrained himself…
In a sense, this could be considered a "weakness." Yet Ryouko silently felt immensely thankful for this particular "weakness."
...
After dinner, as Ryouko quietly cleared the dishes, Lancer opened his mouth several times, wanting to ask her something, but ultimately gave up.
Watching him retreat into his room with his white suitcase, Ryouko, still standing in the kitchen, finally allowed a smile to appear on her face. She seemed to have figured out a way to peacefully coexist with Lancer.
Meanwhile, in his room, Lancer opened the suitcase and removed his new weapon.
If the previous spear he'd wielded was merely a "green-tier" Quinque made from a common Ghoul's Kakuhou, lacking even a name, then this new spear crafted from Kamishiro Rize's Kakuhou, named "Kamishiro 1/4," was undoubtedly at least "purple-tier."
Next, he'd have to deal with the completely unknown "Tsukiyama Family." At least the new equipment gave him some confidence—but it still wasn't enough.
I wonder if I can gather enough points to acquire more trump cards before Tsukiyama Shuu reveals his hand…
---
T/N: hes using green tier and purple tier as a reference to mmos, green is uncommon, purple is uhhh unique
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