Hikaru walked out yet another dead house at around 6:00 am. There was no blood on his clothes because his "clothes" were mimics. His parasitic cells were arranged into synthetic fibres with roughly the same dimensions as the fibres of the originals such as cotton, wool, polyester, linen, nylon etc. So, the texture felt close to the original.
His "clothes" absorbed any blood that fell on him. Any anti-graffiti material manufacturer would kill for this kind of technology. This was convenient as Hikaru didn't need to take off his clothes to consume his victims or replace ripped clothing.
The first person he killed was Aimi. Tentacles had ripped through his shirt to seize her. It would be queer to kill someone naked. He would have done it if it was necessary but luckily, he figured it out early.
The truth was that the fastest way to consume someone is to impale them through the mouth and the anus in whichever order and then proliferate smaller tendrils throughout the body from which even smaller roots would spread out from. This would maximise the total absorptive surface area and thus increase the absorption rate.
However, unless in a bind, Hikaru preferred to do things with style. Not for the sake of the weak. Even before the recent changes in his emotions, he had pride.
Hikaru was near the end of the corner of a block of houses. He had almost finished the round trip. The last couple of houses are the lucky survivors.
As Hikaru was about to walk to the train station, a girl around his age walked out of a house he was looking at. She seemed to have yesterday's makeup on and was carrying a black garbage bag. As she opened the bin for combustible waste, her nose crinkled at an unusual putrid odour. Hikaru could smell that rotting stench from his position despite not having super-smell.
He was strong and fast because his body's limiter was turned off and a couple of other reasons. However, in his human form, there was no such thing as a "smell limiter" as a human's ability to smell is limited by their anatomy and physiological capabilities of olfactory receptor neurons and associated nervous system.
Neko, his dead cat suddenly flashed in his memory banks. Inspiration struck him...
...
"Good morning!" The girl said after glancing at him for a moment.
The clap of a closing bin lid brought him back from his flash.
"Good morning," Hikaru returned the greeting.
He recognised that her makeup and short pink hair was that of a typical E-girl, with heavy black wing eyeliners, bright blush swept across their cheeks and nose and tiny black hearts under each of their eyes. Although she was doing a soft version of that makeup with much less eyeliner and blush.
She was wearing her outfit from last night's stream. A high cropped hoodie. One could see the underside of her huge breasts and notice that she wasn't wearing any bra. Despite wearing such a revealing outfit and having silky white baby skin, her charms fell short before Hikaru's feet.
"What are you doing up so early?" Her voice was as sweet as strawberries.
"I was going for a jog."
She took a look at Hikaru's casual tracksuit. Despite its simplicity, he looked stylish with it. While some Otaku's, shut-ins, NEETs etc. might lack social skills, her confidence and social media videoing skills more than make up for it. Although this is a peculiar situation, she was sure that she could pull it off.
"Wow, you look like you work out. Can I see?"
With that said, she walked over to feel his muscles but he lifted his track jacket, revealing steel abs.
"I gotta head off. See you later."
"How can I see you if I don't have your Line?"
Hikaru turned his back, ignoring her and said: "Don't bother, I won't be coming back here."
"Huh?"
She didn't know what he meant by that. Her flirting skills had reached a plateau as it wasn't hard for her to get almost any guy, she wants off the street. While rejection rarely happened, usually it's because of their loyalty to another.
"Wait! I'd like to invite you to something!"
Hikaru paused.
"To what?"
"My mum's cooking steak for breakfast. Please come eat with us!"
Hikaru turned back with a look of confusion.
"Do they-"
"Yes, our family welcomes lone strangers to eat with us every year. It's kind of a family tradition that's run for centuries. It's supposed to give us good luck and wealth."
"..."
"I'm not interested."
He turned back and kept walking.
"Hey!"
She was never rejected this curtly before. She was getting annoyed at his cockiness. However, Hikaru was the most good-looking person she had seen in real life. She could not let this chance slip by.
"My name's Hiromi! What's yours?"
"Hikaru."
"Hikaru, please I need to tell you something!"
"Pft," Hikaru spat and turned his upper body and head back to look at her. He was upset with how annoying she was especially when she tried persuading him with his name.
"What."
There was a murderous look in his eye. A little of Hikaru's killing intent had leaked out and sent a chill to her spine. She held back a moan.
"Please... I want you to come into my room..."
Hiromi's black crop hoodie had a metal ring attached to the centre of the chest area where several silver chains hanged from. They lay against her black pants and looped to another metal ring on the back of the neck area. She clutched onto the front ring and the chains with one hand.
"I-I'll do anything you want me to do... I'm beg - ging you."
The way she said it at the end dripped with sultry sex appeal.
Hikaru blinked. He was about to turn her down but realised it was more satisfying to take her offer.
"Fine."
Hiromi was half-surprised that she did it but reasserted with 'of course'.
"Follow me! You're going to love the steak!", she said cheerily and skipped to the front door.
Hikaru followed with a dark shadow over his eyes.
'One more house wouldn't hurt.'