On the bustling streets, traffic flowed endlessly. Car horns and the footsteps of pedestrians intertwined.
Raize walked along the street, holding his phone and checking the directions.
After all, he had never been to the meeting location before. He moved through the crowded road, weaving past passersby.
Fortunately, the place wasn't far. With his abnormal leg strength, it would only take a few minutes to walk there.
Raize put away his phone and quickened his pace, but while walking, he suddenly noticed a scene that made his gaze and mood turn icy. Not far away on a side path, several young men and women were following a silver-haired girl with exotic features.
"You perverted stalkers, how long are you planning to follow me? If you keep this up, I'm calling the police!!"
She shouted angrily, her voice full of vigilance, and took out her phone. In Raize's eyes, she was clearly trying to draw attention and seek help, hoping to scare off these ill-intentioned people.
Several adult men were already forcing her toward the side path. The girl's sapphire-blue eyes were tense and flustered, leaving her no choice but to act this way.
The girl was extremely attractive. Her figure was slender and graceful, and though she was young, she already carried a hint of mature feminine charm. Her skin was as radiant as moonlight, delicate and snow-white. Her silver-snow hair fell naturally, giving her a translucent, ethereal beauty.
Her temperament was refined, like that of a sheltered young lady from a wealthy family.
Hearing her angry voice, the busy passersby around them turned their gazes toward the girl, Natsukawa Masuzu.
Seeing such a beautiful girl, some people's eyes lit up. Combined with what she had just said and her guarded stare toward the young men and women, it was easy to imagine that she was in trouble.
However, people in this country strongly disliked getting involved in trouble, and they also hated causing it.
After glancing at the burly men who swept the area with fierce looks, those who had initially wanted to step forward and play the hero subconsciously shrank their necks, pretending they had seen nothing and walking away.
"Little sister, you shouldn't talk nonsense. We're just walking where we're supposed to. Who's stalking you? I already have a girlfriend, okay!!"
A young man with a fake smile wrapped an arm around the mature, glamorous woman beside him. His narrowed eyes subtly swept over the exposed, pale skin of Masuzu, a flash of greedy desire passing through his gaze.
This tender little girl, just the scent of her was enough to drive him crazy. He absolutely had to savor her properly.
That's right. This guy and the companions around him were all ghouls.
Their purpose in following this silver-haired beauty was obvious.
"Then you go first!!"
Masuzu's expression was cold and disgusted, showing not the slightest belief in his nonsense. She stepped aside to clear the way, holding her phone up with her finger hovering over the emergency call button.
"Don't think just because you're pretty that anyone walking behind you is stalking you. Fine, we'll go. Psycho!!"
Glancing at the looks from the surrounding humans, the male ghoul gave his companions a look. He then glanced toward a taxi not far away, a strange smile flashing in his eyes.
Passing by the extremely wary Masuzu, he walked off with his companion without looking back, disappearing around a corner moments later.
Masuzu snorted coldly, glanced at the onlookers who had merely watched without acting, then immediately broke into a quick jog toward a taxi. She opened the door and slipped inside.
The taxi immediately started its engine and drove off, soon vanishing from sight.
Seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, the others shook their heads and dispersed.
Raize stopped walking, his expression strange as he stared at the taxi that had already driven away. He murmured softly, "You worms really know how to play. Looks like a group operation too~"
He took out his phone and checked the time. There was still some time left, more than enough for a round trip.
Those male and female ghouls who had been closely tailing the silver-haired girl were clearly following her with a purpose. Even her outburst midway had been part of their calculations.
They had already anticipated that the refined girl would lose her temper in a crowded area, trying to use the attention of others to force them back.
The taxi Masuzu boarded in her rush to leave had likely been waiting there all along, which was highly suspicious.
Raize's eyesight was exceptional now. When Masuzu approached the taxi, the slightly overweight male driver inside seemed to reveal a triumphant smile.
That was why Raize said it was a group operation. The taxi she boarded probably wasn't meant to take her away, but to bring her to the dining table.
Yes, the ghouls' dining table.
"Looks like there'll be quite a few ghouls. Hehe~"
A cold smile appeared on Raize's face. The icy aura he unconsciously released made passersby shiver as they walked by.
He headed in another direction with no people around, his figure quickly disappearing from sight as well.
---
Sitting in the back seat of the taxi with her seatbelt fastened, Masuzu let out a sigh of relief. She raised her delicate hand to brush her hair by her ear, but when her beautiful eyes glanced at the scenery outside the window, she frowned.
Buildings and pedestrians along the road continued to pass by, but the number of people was steadily decreasing.
"Sir, the direction you're driving seems a bit off."
Masuzu frowned as she looked toward the front windshield. In the rearview mirror, she could only see the slightly weathered forehead of the driver.
Judging by his age, he didn't seem like a novice driver. Was he taking a shortcut she didn't know about?
"The direction isn't wrong, it's just not taking you home, miss."
The slightly strange and hurried tone from the driver's mouth gave Masuzu a bad feeling. Then she saw the middle-aged, slightly overweight man suddenly lift his head in the rearview mirror. His jet-black sclera and blood-red pupils met her sapphire-blue eyes filled with terror.
"Your destination is inside our stomachs. Hehehe… Just smelling your fragrance makes me unable to restrain myself. Such a beautiful little lady like you—before eating you, I can have some fun first!"
The middle-aged ghoul's perverted grin and ferocious greed terrified Masuzu. She immediately understood that she had encountered a ghoul, and that she was already right by its mouth, about to be eaten.
"Y-you… you! Let me out of the car! I'm calling the police!!"
Her face pale with panic and her heart overflowing with extreme fear, Masuzu unbuckled her seatbelt and desperately tried to open the door. However, the doors were tightly locked, and only the driver could unlock them.
Tears streaming down her face from fear, she pulled out her phone. But in the next instant, a crimson, snake-like tentacle shot out rapidly from behind the middle-aged ghoul.
With a sharp crack, the flexible, whip-like kagune struck her phone, smashing it into scattered pieces. The immense power of the ghoul's predatory organ also injured her wrist.
"Ah!!"
The sudden pain in her wrist made Masuzu cry out, her face turning deathly pale. She instinctively clutched her wrist with her other hand, staring in terror at the crimson snake-like kagune swaying before her.
As the eldest daughter of the Natsukawa family, aside from the father she despised, there was truly no one who had ever made her experience the pain of being struck.
"Beautiful, lovely miss, don't do anything unnecessary. In a bit, I can mercifully let you experience an addicting sensation, and then slowly savor your flesh and blood~"
The crimson scaled kagune lightly brushed against Masuzu's pale, rosy cheek. She felt as if a venomous snake was flicking its tongue beside her face, making her delicate body tremble uncontrollably.
Watching the girl's terrified, shaking body in the rearview mirror, the middle-aged ghoul nodded in satisfaction and retracted the crimson kagune. He then placed the tip that had touched her cheek into his mouth under her horrified gaze, savoring it slowly.
"Mmm~ This prey is truly top-tier quality~"
The middle-aged ghoul licked the lingering fragrance from the kagune tip with extreme perversity, an intoxicated expression spreading across his face.
His disgusting behavior made Masuzu feel both nauseous and terrified. Cold sweat poured down her face as she desperately thought of ways to save herself.
But comparing their combat strength and her current hopeless situation, she simply couldn't think of any way to escape.
Am I really going to be eaten alive by a ghoul…
Amid her sorrowful thoughts, the taxi suddenly braked to a stop. That instant made her heart feel as if it had stopped beating.
"Hi~ beautiful miss, we meet again."
The car door beside Masuzu was opened. Her stiff gaze fell on a familiar group—more than a dozen people, the same young men and women who had followed her earlier.
Only now, their eyes all bore the ghoul's signature black sclera and crimson pupils.
Among the pair from before, the male ghoul wore a teasing smile, while the female ghoul in his arms licked her lips, staring at her like food.
"W-waaah…"
Surrounded by ghouls who scanned her body with greedy, ferocious eyes, the young lady shrank deeper into the car, curling up into a ball. Tears streamed down her face as she looked despairingly and fearfully at the grinning ghouls outside.
She knew she had fallen into their trap, caught in the ghouls' hunting scheme. She should never have gotten into that taxi.
Having often seen news reports, she knew exactly how miserable the victims eaten by ghouls ended up. If you were lucky, there might be remains left. If not, you wouldn't even leave a corpse behind.
With so many ghouls here, they would definitely devour her without leaving even a scrap of skin.
Why… why did I have to run into ghouls? I don't want to be eaten.
f only I hadn't gone out today!
Masuzu sorrowfully blamed her current situation in her heart.
"Looks like we can have a good feast today!"
The male ghoul who seemed to be the leader extended black-red kagune from his back, reaching into the car to bind Masuzu's struggling body and easily pull her out.
With her arms and body bound by kagune and suspended in midair, Masuzu struggled weakly.
"Boss, this little beauty is really top quality. How about we… hehe."
The middle-aged ghoul driver grinned in front of his leader, leering at the helplessly bound Masuzu, his gaze lingering especially on her slender figure and pale thighs.
"Sure. Let's have our fun first, then savor her properly. Move!"
Holding Masuzu with kagune, dozens of ghouls headed toward an abandoned high-rise in this deserted area. That place was both their base and their feeding ground.
"Someone help! Save me!!"
Panic-stricken, seeing that the ghouls were about to drag her into a deserted area, Masuzu completely gave up appearances and screamed for help at the top of her lungs.
The other ghouls watched her futile struggle with interest, enjoying the sight of her expression gradually turning to despair as she was taken into the abandoned building.
Watching prey struggle helplessly was something some ghouls, who fancied themselves superior to humans, often enjoyed.
"Give it up, lovely miss. This abandoned place once had a murder and a suicide, so no idiot hero is going to suddenly appear here to save you."
"Or rather, if you manage to shout someone over, that'll just add another dish for us!"
The young ghoul spoke with a teasing smile, his words filled with confidence in his group and mockery of the beautiful prey's futile resistance.
The other ghouls wore similarly contemptuous smiles as they looked at the despairing Masuzu.
"Sorry for being such an idiot who comes to a deserted place like this"
Suddenly, a calm yet youthful voice rang out from the darkness inside the abandoned building.
The unexpected voice caused all the ghouls' expressions to change. Even Masuzu's despairing, hollow eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope for survival.
"Who's there!? Get out here!!"
The ghoul leader shouted angrily, his crimson eyes glaring toward the source of the sound. The other ghouls tensed as well, muscles tightening as they revealed their kagune.
"As you said, the one adding to your meal…"
Under the ghouls' wary gazes, something surprising emerged from the dark shadows ahead. It was a pink, spherical creature only slightly larger than a basketball. With its cute black-and-blue eyes, it tilted its head slightly and calmly looked at the stunned ghouls, saying indifferently,
"…is just that I don't know whether I'm on your menu."
What the hell is this thing!?
Bright red feet, a round pink body, tiny pink arms at its sides, and a youthful, pleasant voice made all the ghouls' expressions extremely strange.
Strange appearance, and it can talk. Did we run into an alien or something!?
"What kind of monster is this!?"
The young ghoul leader stared at the small, cute creature ahead with a baffled expression, blurting out what all the ghouls were wondering.
Masuzu also stared at the little pink ball in astonishment. It looked so cute and adorable that, if the situation weren't so wrong, she would have wanted to hug its chubby, round body.
After a young ghoul came to his senses, he directly stepped past the other ghouls. An gauntlet-armored type kagune coiled around his arm as he strode toward Raize with interest, looking down and sizing up the short pink ball on the ground.
Under Raize's calm expression and the gaze of someone looking at a corpse, the young ghoul circled him with curiosity, then casually stopped beside him and looked toward his leader.
"Boss, what's so scary about this little pink ball? I think it—"
Crack, crack…
The young ghoul never finished his sentence. In his field of vision, his companions suddenly showed looks of terror. An extremely frigid aura swept through his body inside and out, freezing every last trace of vitality within him.
An ice sculpture, still wearing an indifferent expression, appeared before the ghouls. The freezing air that blew over made every ghoul present—including Masuzu—shiver slightly.
Under the stiff gazes of all the living, the Kirby-like Raize expressionlessly placed his small pink stubby hand lightly on the ice sculpture beside him and applied a little force.
Crack!
A grating sound of shattering rang out as dense cracks rapidly spread across the entire ice sculpture.
Boom!!
The ice and the young ghoul within shattered together into countless fragments of ice crystal, scattering directly across the dust-covered ground.
"You—!!"
The leader ghoul was just about to say something when the little pink ball suddenly vanished from his sight.
Raize activated his chaos mode and moved at ultra-high speed. None of his actions could be captured by the ghouls' vision—his speed even surpassed their thoughts.
After everything around him slowed to a crawl, he appeared directly in front of the young leader ghoul. A sharp glint flashed across his pink stubby hand as he swung it at the leader's scaled kagune that was binding Masuzu, severing it cleanly.
Droplets of blood sprayed from the severed wound. Because time had slowed drastically from Raize's perspective, each bead of blood could be clearly seen splashing outward.
Then Raize wrapped Masuzu—whose face still showed shock—in his chaotic energy, protecting her as he carried her away at high speed and set her down safely to one side.
In his eyes, the movements of these ghouls were no faster than crawling snails. And to avoid frightening the girl, he didn't use any particularly bloody methods.
He simply opened his mouth and exhaled an extremely icy cold current that swept over all the clustered ghouls, freezing them into ice sculptures just like the young ghoul before.
"Huh!? I'm…?"
Suddenly realizing she had been freed, Masuzu looked around in surprise at her changed surroundings. She had landed firmly on the ground, and the angle of her surroundings had clearly shifted.
Looking ahead at the ghouls—now all turned into ice sculptures emitting visible cold air—she finally realized that she had been saved.
Bang bang bang bang!!!
Suddenly, the ghoul ice sculptures in her astonished field of view shattered one after another into icy debris, exploding into fragments that scattered across the ground.
"What are you still staring at? Aren't you leaving?"
All of a sudden, Masuzu felt something soft gently poking her fair calf, accompanied by a young and familiar voice.
She took a small step back, lowered her head, and saw the little pink ball from before right by her feet, looking up at her with a blankly adorable expression.
It was hard to imagine that this cute little pink thing had just taken care of all those ghouls.
"Um… thank you. May I ask who you are…?"
Masuzu held the hand that had been slightly injured earlier and, after realizing that this adorable little creature meant her no harm, quickly thanked the pink ball.
Although freezing those hateful ghouls so effortlessly had shocked her, and this strange yet cute creature had saved her in a moment of crisis.
It felt just like something out of a manga. Had she encountered a strange and adorable pink mascot? What would happen next—would she become a magical girl, or was she about to glimpse the truth of an unfamiliar world?
Excitement sparkled in Masuzu's eyes as she thanked Raize and tried to learn his name, showing no fear toward him at all.
It was clear that this girl was a bit broad-minded. That, too, was thanks to Raize's current adorable appearance.
He had chosen the Kirby-like pink ball form precisely because he didn't want to expose his identity. Killing ghouls was his purpose, and he didn't want to see anyone else end up being devoured like his family.
"You're hurt?"
Raize looked up calmly at Masuzu and immediately noticed that her wrist seemed to be injured.
"This? I'll be fine once I go to the hospital. If it weren't for you, I might've lost my life. It's nothing."
Masuzu looked down at her bruised wrist and smiled, saying it wasn't a big deal. Being saved from man-eating ghouls at the cost of a small injury was already a good outcome.
Raize took a deep breath. His pink ball body puffed up slightly like a balloon, his pink cheeks bulging out.
With his mouth tightly closed, he floated up, paddling the air with his hands and feet. Under Masuzu's "so cute" gaze, he approached her and gently touched her wrist with his small pink hand.
In the Kirby game he had played, Kirby could restore allies by touching them, transferring energy to enchant or heal their wounds.
After gaining Kirby's power, Raize had inherited that gentle strength—one that possessed both offensive energy and healing ability.
As he infused the injured area with star energy, Masuzu felt a comfortable warmth flash across her wrist.
The faint stinging sensation disappeared, and when she opened her hand to look, the bruising on her wrist was gone as well.
"It's better now! Thank you!"
Masuzu moved her wrist, finding the pain completely gone. The careful and gentle action of this pink cutie only deepened her gratitude and fondness for the little creature.
She even felt the urge to hug him and keep him as a pet.
Seeing the silver-haired girl's sparkling eyes, Raize's round body settled steadily onto the ground. He urged her, "Since you're healed, leave this place quickly. Be more careful in the future."
Before Masuzu could say anything else, Raize's small figure turned around and leapt straight toward the window of a nearby building.
As he passed through the window, his figure vanished without a trace.
"Hey! Wait! You haven't told me your name yet!!"
Masuzu's expression changed as she rushed to the window Raize had jumped through, but the pink figure was nowhere to be seen.
She bit her lip slightly in disappointment, a trace of regret flashing through her sapphire-blue eyes.
"What the heck… you didn't even give me a chance to properly thank you."