Kanzaki Ryoma sat across from Kurona and Nashiro Yasuhisa, feeling the heavy tension in the air.
The twins wore matching icy expressions, clearly still irritated from earlier.
Ryoma knew he had provoked them, though not out of malice—just for the system rewards.
Still, he figured an apology wouldn't hurt.
"Sorry about before. I didn't mean to offend you two."
The twins blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
They hadn't expected him to apologize so easily.
Kurona recovered quickly, folding her arms. "No point in saying that now. Nashiro and I accept your challenge."
Ryoma raised an eyebrow. Challenge?
Nashiro, usually the quieter one, muttered, "We won't lose next time."
It was clear they had taken his words seriously, determined to prove themselves.
Ryoma shrugged. "Alright. Looking forward to it."
Just as he was about to return to his meal—
"Kurona Yasuhisa," Kurona said suddenly.
Ryoma looked up.
"You better remember the name of the person who's going to beat you," she said coldly.
Nashiro hesitated before adding, "And I'm Nashiro Yasuhisa…"
The way she said it was a little awkward—like she wasn't used to introducing herself.
Ryoma smirked. "Got it. Kanzaki Ryoma. But calling you both 'Yasuhisa-san' would get confusing…"
"Just use our full names," Kurona said dismissively.
"Works for me."
After that, the three of them finished their meals without further conversation.
---
That afternoon, Ryoma endured another theory class, mostly covering Quinque combat strategies.
He left early, skipping extra physical training. Regular workouts wouldn't do much for him at this point.
Instead, he headed home to rest for a bit before making his way to Anteiku.
By the time he arrived, it was already 4 PM.
As soon as he stepped inside, he spotted two familiar figures—
Rize Kamishiro and Kaneki Ken.
Before he could go to Rize, Kaneki called out to him.
"Kanzaki-kun."
Ryoma turned. "What's up?"
Kaneki looked slightly nervous but also excited. "Have you heard about Takatsuki Izumi's fan event? It's coming up soon."
Ryoma paused. Right—that was happening around this time.
"If you're free, wanna go together?" Kaneki asked hopefully.
He clearly didn't want to go alone. His only other close friend, Nagachika Hideyoshi, wasn't into books.
Ryoma wasn't particularly excited—he already knew who Takatsuki really was—but since his academy schedule didn't clash with the event, he figured why not?
"Sure. I'm in."
Kaneki lit up immediately. "Really? That's great!"
Then, realizing he was keeping Ryoma from Rize, he quickly added, "I won't bother you any longer. See you at the event!"
"See you."
Ryoma turned back to Rize, who was already waving at him.
---
The moment he sat next to her, Rize leaned in close—too close.
She took a deep breath near his neck and shoulder, inhaling his scent.
Ryoma stayed still, already used to her strange habits.
"You're late today," she murmured.
"Had a long day. You know, being a student and all," Ryoma replied vaguely.
He wasn't about to tell her about the CCG Training Academy.
Rize narrowed her eyes, still smiling. "Really? Because…"
She leaned in even closer, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"I smell something strange on you."
Ryoma's expression didn't change, but internally—he was alert.
"What do you mean?" he asked casually.
Rize tapped her chin playfully. "It's faint, but there's a ghoul's scent on you."
Then, she tilted her head and smirked. "Or rather… the scent of kagune."
Ryoma quickly realized—she must have smelled the Q-Bullets from his earlier training session.
Q-Bullets were made from processed ghoul kagune, which explained why the scent was weak but still noticeable to her.
His mind raced. Should I make up an excuse?
Before he could say anything, Rize's smile sharpened.
"Tell me, Ryoma…"
She leaned in, her lips nearly brushing his ear.
"I forgot to remind you—you belong to me."
Her tone was sweet, but her words carried an unmistakable possessiveness.
"And I don't like other ghouls leaving their scent on you," she purred.
Possessiveness?
Ryoma nearly laughed. She's just talking about food, isn't she?
To her, he was just her "exclusive meal".
Still—he couldn't deny there was something dangerously charming about her.
With a smirk of his own, he replied, "I'll keep that in mind."
====
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