"Jason."
His real name was Yakumo Oomori
a terrifying S-rank ghoul, a Half-Kakuja, and a core member of the Aogiri Tree.
Twisted to the extreme, he preferred torture and slaughter over simple hunting.
Within the CCG, he was known by one name alone
Jason.
"I can't believe I ran into this lunatic today."
"So he already fought Rize… and came to this little clinic to have that doctor remake his pincers."
"It looks like because of me, some details in this world have changed but the overall direction of events hasn't shifted much."
Fushimi Kyo watched Jason approach, thoughts racing.
Suddenly
"Grrrr…"
That familiar hunger surged again.
The unique scent that made his taste buds explode grew thicker and thicker as Jason drew closer.
Unconsciously, Kyo's gaze turned greedy.
Touka, standing beside him, noticed nothing unusual.
All of her attention was focused on Jason.
"Damn it… Rize was already enough trouble," she cursed inwardly.
"And now even this psycho shows up. Since when did the 20th Ward become this popular?"
The distance between them rapidly closed.
Just as they were about to pass by Jason
He suddenly stopped.
Turning his head sharply, he stared at Kyo.
"Heh… kid."
"There's a familiar scent on you."
Slowly, Jason turned fully around.
The cruelty in his eyes intensified.
"So it is Rize's scent."
"Tell me," he growled.
"Where is that woman?"
Aogiri had ordered him to capture Rize alive.
But during their last clash, a moment of carelessness had cost him dearly
He'd even lost his favorite tool.
That humiliation left him seething.
Kyo looked at him coldly.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I don't even know who this 'Rize' you mentioned is."
It was broad daylight, with people constantly passing by.
Though Kyo desperately wanted to slaughter Jason on the spot and devour his Kakuhou
His rational mind knew the consequences would be catastrophic.
"It's been a long time since anyone dared speak to me like that," Jason sneered.
"Kid… are you looking for death?"
Crack.
He snapped one of his own fingers.
His bloodthirsty eyes locked onto Kyo in open threat.
"Shit !"
Touka's heart sank.
Jason was completely unhinged.
He was absolutely capable of revealing his ghoul nature and attacking humans in public.
If Kyo fought him here, everything would spiral out of control.
She stepped in immediately.
"If you're looking for Rize, go find her yourself," Touka said icily.
"Don't block our way."
As expected, her words caught Jason's attention.
"Heh… interesting."
"Are you playing house with humans now?"
"To think there's still trash like you in the 20th Ward."
"But your face…"
"It reminds me of a brat I know."
Jason didn't directly expose Touka's ghoul identity
But his contempt for her closeness to humans was obvious.
The person he referred to was clearly Ayato Kirishima, Touka's younger brother and a fellow Aogiri member.
"My business isn't yours," Touka snapped.
She grabbed a still-confused Yoriko and walked away.
Kyo followed lazily, hands clasped behind his head.
"Kid," Jason muttered quietly,
"I'll come find you tonight."
"I hope you'll still talk this tough then."
"Otherwise… it'll be boring."
"I'll be waiting, Mr. Jason," Kyo replied calmly.
Then he walked straight past him.
Jason's pupils shrank.
"This guy… he knows who I really am."
"Then why does he dare speak to me like this?"
"He looks like nothing more than a weak human brat."
After a moment of thought, Jason's grin twisted wider.
"Hehehe…"
"Trash like this is even better."
"More fun to play with."
At the same time
Inside CCG Headquarters, a monthly strategic meeting was underway.
"Last month, ghoul predation caused 358 civilian deaths,"
"And 1,581 people encountered ghouls."
"That is the current state of the 11th Ward."
"Their activities show clear organizational structure."
"If this continues, war is only a matter of time."
"I've finished my report. Does anyone else have something to add?"
At the head of the table, Kijima Matō spoke loudly.
"Reporting."
"I'm First-Class Investigator Kōtarō Amon."
"Recently, while searching the 20th Ward with Investigator Mado, we confirmed contact between Binge Eater and Jason."
"We also recovered a pair of pincers made from Quinque steel at the scene."
As he spoke, an image of the pincers appeared on the large screen.
"In addition," Amon continued,
"We've discovered an unknown individual in the 20th Ward who specializes in hunting ghouls and cutting out their Kakuhou."
"We're still investigating their identity."
"Well, well," Matō chuckled.
"Mado, looks like your partner's doing great."
"It seems quite a lot is happening in the 20th Ward."
"How about this let you and Amon handle the 20th Ward investigation exclusively?"
"What do you think?"
"Heh," Kureo Mado sneered.
"If you talked less, I'd probably be stepping on some bastard's head right now."
"You really don't hold back," Matō laughed.
"But leaving the 20th Ward to you puts my mind at ease."
"If you run into trouble or need manpower, request backup immediately."
"There are several S-rank ghouls there."
"Don't get yourself killed."
Time passed swiftly.
Night fell.
A silver moon hung high in the sky.
Kyo lay on his bed, annoyed.
"…Strange."
"Is this system only capable of letting me learn Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu?"
Over the past few days, he'd watched many action movies beyond the Rurouni Kenshin series
Yet gained no new skills.
That realization left him deep in thought.