In a certain residential area, Hanley heated up a plate of braised ribs and prepared a dish of pig's head meat. He brought them to the table, ready to enjoy his meal while reading the Porter's new culinary manga.
This had become his habit. He still remembered the hunger pangs brought on by Cooking Master Boy. Although the Porter's tokusatsu was excellent, as a reader, he still preferred manga.
Hanley, who had loved culinary manga since he was a child, became an avid fan of the Porter when Cooking Master Boy was released. Watching those glowing dishes and imaginative recipes, he became a die-hard fan. He even memorized the recipes and tried making some himself.
There were many others like him. As the group leader, he even created a chat group named "Foodie Squad."
Previously, they had organized a campaign to leave comments on the Porter's Weibo, urging him to focus on culinary manga instead of being a scriptwriter.
Although they later admitted that Ultraman was great, their preference was clear.
Fortunately, after Ultraman, the Porter promised a new culinary manga: "Tokyo Ghoul."
Hanley looked at the title. "Ghoul," a character combining "mouth" and "food," clearly related to eating!
He figured "Ghoul" meant some kind of food-eating tribe.
With anticipation, Hanley opened the manga.
The opening scene showed a bustling cityscape.
"CCG headquarters contacting Unit 203, received a report of illegal entry at Akihabara Tower..."
He chuckled at the pun. "Akihabara" sounded like "eat and drink," indicating a food tower.
Next, a half-face of a woman appeared, her finger near her lips, liquid on her face—perhaps tomato sauce or soup?
"This is definitely a culinary manga! The Porter never disappoints!" Hanley smiled.
"Duang!"
His smile faded as a bloodied face suddenly appeared. Someone looked like they had been violently attacked, covered in blood.
Hanley's smile disappeared.
He felt a bad premonition.
He moved his eyes further.
A woman knelt among a pile of corpses, drinking their blood, murmuring in delight, "So delicious!"
From those lips, Hanley recognized that this was the same woman he thought was enjoying food earlier.
So, she wasn't eating food, but people?
"Whoa!"
Hanley couldn't help but curse.
Where was the promised culinary manga? How did it turn into cannibalism?
Though the woman said it was delicious, this wasn't the culinary story he expected!
"Wait, maybe there's a twist? Maybe the protagonist uses food to convert this monster into loving real food?"
Hanley clung to hope, wishing for a proper culinary story.
After the fight between the woman called "Big Eater" and another monster, the scene shifted to a more heartwarming one.
Hanley sighed in relief and continued reading.
A college student named Kaneki fell for a beautiful woman named Rize at a café called "Antique."
They bonded over their shared interest in books and decided to go on a bookstore date.
"Could this woman be the same flesh-eating monster from earlier?"
Seeing Rize, Hanley suspected because of their similar outlines.
Yet, looking at Rize's cleavage, he couldn't help but smile with a lsp expression, even if she was a monster.
He had to admit, if the Porter drew adult manga, they would be very popular.
The realism was uncanny, almost like real life! He almost felt compelled to show his respect.
As they parted, Rize revealed her true form and severely injured Kaneki.
Just as she was about to devour him, falling steel beams crushed her.
"Severe abdominal rupture."
"Emergency measures needed."
"Prepare for organ transplant."
Kaneki appeared submerged in deep water, with doctors' voices narrating.
Then Rize appeared, her naked body gradually approaching Kaneki.
"!!!!!"
Though the important parts weren't fully drawn, the glimpses of her body made Hanley widen his eyes.
What was this? The Porter had truly let loose!
However, this tantalizing scene was brief, quickly shifting back to Kaneki's story.
Post-surgery, Kaneki initially didn't notice any changes but soon lost interest in food. Even his favorite dishes made him nauseous.
As Kaneki questioned his life, a TV broadcast caught his attention. The news spoke of ghouls who could only obtain nutrients from human bodies, finding human food disgusting.
This made Kaneki's face twist in disbelief.
That's exactly how he felt!
He rushed to the food his friend brought and tried to eat.
Every bite made him run to the bathroom to vomit.
Finally, he realized he had turned into a ghoul.
Walking down the street, the smell of humans aroused his uncontrollable cravings. What kind of cravings? Hunger, of course!
One night, Kaneki decided to hunt. He suddenly smelled something delicious.
"This aroma... it's my first time smelling it, yet it feels nostalgic."
"It's like the gentle scent of my mom's cooking."
Although Kaneki described it as delicious, Hanley suspected what the scent really was.
He still held hope.
Maybe it was human food that ghouls could eat, leading Kaneki to become a ghoul chef?
But this was mere hope. Like Kyubey giving magical girls hope, the Porter gave readers hope only to plunge them into despair.
Kaneki wasn't smelling human food but ghoul food—humans!
"Ahhhh! How will I ever look at my mom's cooking the same way again? Damn you, author!!"
------
Hanley's sadness was beyond words.
Where was the promised culinary manga?
There was food, but...
Feeling deceived, Hanley took out his phone and checked his chat group.
User "Tongue-Out White-Eyed Ah Hei Smoke": "Brothers, we got tricked by this dog author."
User "Housekeeper Looking for a Plumber": "Hmm... but I have to admit, when I saw Rize's body, my hand automatically went under the table. I've watched countless films, but this manga made me kneel."
User "Cute Little Pine Tree": "Tui, there are girls in this group!!!"
User "Porter Grandpa Go Away": "But I'm curious about the plot. What will happen to Kaneki next?"
After finishing this issue of the manga, readers started discussing it in the group. Some debated the storyline, others complained it wasn't a proper culinary manga, but most were upset about being tricked by the author.
"Guys, I have a suggestion. Let's flood Douzi Net and the Porter's Weibo with positive reviews. We got tricked into reading it, so let's share the love with others," Hanley typed in the group chat.
The others agreed with Hanley's proposal.
They had been tricked, so why warn others? It's better if everyone got tricked together.
So, they quickly went to Douzi Net and the Porter's Weibo to post positive reviews.
Since this issue had just been released, there weren't many comments and ratings yet. As a result, Douzi Net's score for the manga quickly rose to 9.1, with mostly four- and five-star reviews.
"This is the best and most unique culinary manga I've ever read! The food inside is even more unimaginable than in Cooking Master Boy! And the female characters are so well drawn! I love Rize! (naked Rize.jpg)"
This review was accompanied by several screenshots of Rize, including one with her finger on her lips and another hugging Kaneki.
Normally, such reviews would be ignored, but this one quickly gained traction.
User "Squid": "Yeah, made me super hungry."
User "I'm Not a Foodie": "I read it too. The first chapter had extremely delicious food!!"
User "Landlord Peppa": "Missing this culinary manga is the biggest loss for any culinary manga fan!"
Consequently, more curious readers were lured into buying the new issue of "Tokyo Ghoul."
One by one, these food lovers experienced the same disappointment, but they chose to stay silent and upvote the review.
Thus, another wave of deceived readers bought the manga.
This cycle continued, each layer deceiving the next.
The tricked readers felt that they shouldn't be the only ones deceived, so they posted positive reviews, leading more curious readers to buy the manga. This increased both sales and Douzi Net's ratings.
Three days later, the truth finally came out.
User "Han Sanshi": "We've come this far, so I need to be honest. This is actually a grotesque culinary manga."
User "Pit Sanshi": "Whoa, finally someone says it!"
User "Porter Has No Skills": "Hah, it feels great watching more people get tricked."
The comments section exploded when the truth was revealed.
The tricksters were amused, while the tricked were furious, cursing Hanley.
Ren, however, laughed heartily as he read the comments on his phone.
This world's manga readers were so adorable. In his past life, he would have been cursed out immediately. But not here.
Instead, sales soared.
In fact, the "grotesque culinary manga" label even attracted fans of that genre.
Douzi Net's rating for the manga climbed to an impressive 8.8.
This issue's sales were ten percent higher than the last.
But aside from sales, there was something even more important.
...
In the studio.
Claire was busy drawing when Ren suddenly approached her.
"Claire, starting tomorrow, you don't need to come in," Ren said suddenly, making Claire freeze. Panic appeared on her face, and she stuttered, "T-teacher, d-did I do something wrong?"
She quickly recalled everything she had drawn recently.
There shouldn't be any problems. Was it because she was late this morning?
But that was beyond her control. The bus broke down, and she had already explained it to the teacher.
"Yeah, teacher, if Claire did something wrong, tell her. Don't just send her away," Jaz said worriedly.
They all liked this young girl. She was eager to learn, motivated, and sometimes helped with unfinished tasks.
"But she has to take the college entrance exam," Ren said, waving his hand. "It's already mid-May, and the exam is at the end of June. I've told her before to go home and study, but she kept saying it's not urgent. Now, with only a month left, she needs to study at home!"
Although Claire had great talent in drawing, Ren didn't want to hinder her education.
Even though it seemed like college graduates were everywhere, a degree was still very important in this society.
Ren didn't overly emphasize or dismiss the importance of a degree.
Having a degree made many things easier.
For instance, when applying to big companies, a lack of a degree would cause your resume to be filtered out before the HR even saw it.
Or, for government jobs, leaving aside connections, the job requirements often called for graduate or doctoral degrees. At minimum, you needed an associate degree.
After hearing Ren's words, Jaz and the others realized and agreed. "The teacher's right, Claire. You need to study! I regret not studying well back then. Otherwise, I might be in an office building now."