Dimensional Kaguya Ōtsutsuki

Having company really made a difference—especially when it was a beautiful woman. If it were a muscular hulk of a man, the feeling would be entirely different, akin to comparing a strawberry shortcake to overcooked natto.

That guy...

From a corner not far away, Koutarou Amon watched Kaguya and Akira Mado chatting and laughing. He sighed and murmured to himself, "Can I ever get along with her?"

"Hey, Amon."

A familiar voice came from behind him.

Amon turned to see his superior and colleague, Special Class Investigator Yukinori Shinohara.

"Hello, Special Class Shinohara," Amon greeted quickly.

"What are you doing here?" Shinohara asked as he walked over.

"Ah, nothing... nothing," Amon replied awkwardly, scratching his head and forcing a laugh.

"Oh?" Shinohara glanced in the direction Amon had been staring and seemed to understand. Smiling, he asked, "How's it going with your new partner? Getting along well?"

"It's alright, but it might take a bit more time," Amon replied.

"She's impressive," Shinohara said, looking in the direction Kaguya had gone. "Truly deserving of being called Tsukiyomi's sister. Her strength is remarkable. To defeat an SS-rated ghoul in that kind of situation... If she weren't still a rookie, I'd have already recommended her for Squad 143."

Amon froze and quickly asked, "Special Class Shinohara, are you saying she really defeated

Matasaka Kamishiro?"

"Well," Shinohara scratched his head, "based on the scene, that's what it looked like. But there's no definitive evidence to confirm it. Honestly, when I first heard about it, I thought there had been a mistake in the reports—she's so young, and yet she managed to take down someone like him."

Amon looked in the direction Kaguya had gone, unconsciously clenching his fists.

Does she think I'm too weak? Is that why she doesn't see me as a worthy partner?

"Oh, by the way," Shinohara said, clapping Amon on the shoulder with a smile, "if you're having trouble getting along with her, why not invite her out? Share a meal, get to know each other better. Sometimes, that's all it takes. As a man, you've got to take the initiative!"

"But..." Amon sighed. "I already invited her earlier, and she turned me down."

"Is that so?" Shinohara blinked, then chuckled. "Don't let a little rejection discourage you. Keep at it! You're someone I believe in." He gave Amon an encouraging thumbs-up.

"Thank you, Special Class Shinohara," Amon said. Though he was still feeling down, he felt a bit better than before.

Suddenly, the piercing sound of an alarm echoed throughout the CCG base, accompanied by flashing red lights.

"What's this?"

Shinohara and Amon froze, exchanging a glance. They quickly turned toward the source of the sound—it was coming from the area where ghouls were being detained.

"This isn't good, Special Class Shinohara!"

At that moment, a male investigator came running toward them, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. "Rize Kamishiro has escaped!" he shouted breathlessly.

"What?"

Yukinori Shinohara and Koutarou Amon were stunned. Shinohara quickly asked, "The prison has been under strict surveillance. Squad 3 should be stationed there. How could she escape?"

"I'm not sure," the male investigator said, gasping for breath. "Special Class, you'd better come see for yourself."

"Alright."

Shinohara and Amon immediately ran toward the prison.

Meanwhile, Kaguya was in a foul mood—being interrupted while dining with a beautiful woman was infuriating. A single phone call had summoned them back. Initially, Kaguya didn't want to bother with it, but Akira Mado's sense of duty was clearly stronger. After taking the call, Akira insisted on returning to the scene, leaving Kaguya no choice but to accompany her.

When they arrived at the scene—the prison—crowds had already gathered. Several Special Class Investigators were present, examining the area.

The prison was in shambles. The walls were riddled with cracks and gaping holes. Even the ultra-high-strength alloy gates had been completely torn apart. The jagged edges were grotesque, as though ripped open by sheer force.

Even for a ghoul like Rize Kamishiro, such destruction was shocking. The sheer level of power needed to wreak such havoc was beyond comprehension.

As Kaguya observed the scene, her brow furrowed slightly. The lingering scent in the air was a mix of Rize Kamishiro's distinctive fragrance and another, more familiar scent she couldn't quite place.

The news of Rize's escape caught Kaguya off guard.

How could she have escaped?

"Wasn't she being held under strict confinement and injected with RC suppressants?" Kaguya asked as she approached, arms crossed.

"That's correct," said Koutarou Amon, who had removed his gloves. "But for some unknown reason—or perhaps due to an error—the RC suppressant failed to work as intended."

"Failed to work?" Akira frowned slightly.

"Exactly," Amon replied, turning to look at the prison. "It could be an issue with the RC suppressant itself, or some other factor. We won't know for certain until further analysis is conducted."

"You mentioned 'other factors,'" Kaguya interjected, catching the key phrase. "What other factors could there be?"

"This might be the worst-case scenario," Amon said with a sigh. "The RC suppressant might have become ineffective."

"Ineffective?" Kaguya was momentarily stunned.

"What I mean," Amon continued in a low voice, "is that the issue may not lie with the RC suppressant itself but rather with Rize Kamishiro's body. She might have developed antibodies against it—essentially, a mutation."

At this, the atmosphere grew heavy.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of biology could grasp the implications. If Rize had indeed developed resistance to RC suppressants, it would mean that many of the CCG's specialized anti-ghoul measures—like RC gas—would become useless.

This posed a serious problem.

Kaguya pinched her chin with her fingers, deep in thought. Just then, a dark red smear on the ground caught her attention. If she wasn't mistaken, it was blood.

"What's wrong?" Akira noticed Kaguya in a daze and walked over, asking with concern, "Are you tired? If you're feeling worn out, you should go home and rest."

Akira's words brought Kaguya back to her senses. She shook her head and said, "It's nothing. I just suddenly thought of something interesting."

"Something interesting?" Akira's eyes lit up with curiosity. "What is it?"

"You'll find out later," Kaguya replied with a sly smile as she turned away, gazing into the distance.

"It doesn't seem like we'll find any results here tonight," Akira said as she glanced around at the busy investigators examining the scene. "It's getting late, so I'm heading home. What about you?"

"Eh?" Kaguya turned to her abruptly. "Aren't we going to eat dinner? We barely had anything earlier—I'm sure you're still hungry."

Akira lifted her arm and glanced at the watch on her wrist. Smiling, she said, "Sorry, but I have a habit of not eating anything after nine o'clock."

"Ah, I see..." Kaguya said, a little disappointed. "In that case, let me walk you home."

"No need for that," Akira replied, shaking her head with a smile. "I live very close—only about ten minutes from here. Anyway, I'll be heading off now. You should rest early too. See you tomorrow." She waved with a smile and turned to leave.

Watching Akira walk away, Kaguya felt a pang of disappointment. She had hoped to strengthen their bond tonight, but it didn't matter—there would be plenty of opportunities in the future. What preoccupied her now was Rize Kamishiro: how had she managed to break out of her cell and escape the prison?

In fact, Kaguya already had a vague theory. If her idea was correct...

"Excuse me..."

A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. Kaguya turned to see Koutarou Amon standing behind her.

"What is it?" Kaguya asked irritably, annoyed at being disturbed.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you..." Koutarou scratched his head and forced a laugh.

"No need, thank you. I have other things to do," Kaguya cut him off bluntly. "And please don't bother with trivial matters like this—focus on the investigation, Investigator Amon." Without waiting for his response, she turned and left.

Amon stood there awkwardly, rejected again. It was bad enough to be turned down once, but now he'd been rejected twice. What's worse, this time he wasn't even inviting her to dinner—he wanted to discuss a case with her. After all, she was his partner on paper.

But it seemed she had misunderstood.

Did he really come across as that unlikable?

Amon sighed inwardly.

"She really is an independent young woman," Shinohara remarked as he approached, watching Kaguya's departing figure.

"Special Class Shinohara," Amon sighed. "Maybe I'm just not handling things the right way."

"Don't be discouraged—keep trying. I believe in you," Shinohara said, clapping Amon on the shoulder sympathetically.

Kaguya didn't head home immediately. Instead, she sprinted along the street toward the southeast. The sky had darkened, and the streets were quiet, illuminated by neon lights. She encountered almost no one along the way.

Suddenly, she stopped. By the side of the street, near a tree, she crouched down and extended her finger to touch the ground. What she found on her fingertip was a smear of dark red, slightly dried, with only a faint metallic scent of blood remaining.

It was blood. And it resembled the traces she had found near the prison earlier. The timing seemed to match. However, whether it was the same blood remained uncertain. After all, Kaguya wasn't a DNA analyzer. No matter how sharp her abilities or vision, she couldn't determine that on her own.

Judging by the drying time of the bloodstains, it seemed to match her deductions.

Kaguya looked up toward the depths of the alley. A faint scent of blood wafted from within. Wasting no time, she dashed further into the alley.

When she arrived, the scene before her was a mess. The alley was littered with signs of an intense fight. The walls were marked with deep scratches, and the ground was riddled with dents and craters.

As I thought, Kaguya mused. This is definitely where Rize Kamishiro passed through. The distinctive and intoxicating scent of her presence was unmistakable. The scratch marks on the walls, likely caused by her kagune, further confirmed it.

But who was she fighting?

Kaguya followed the trail, moving quickly in the direction of the scent. However, the path wasn't straightforward. It twisted and turned between streets and alleys, often looping back on itself. It was a maze of erratic movements, as though deliberately avoiding pursuit.

Just as she stopped in her tracks, a familiar storefront appeared in front of her, leaving her momentarily stunned. Looking up at the shop's signboard, Kaguya realized why it seemed familiar—it was none other than Anteiku Café.

Why here?

Kaguya's brow furrowed slightly. While Anteiku was a gathering place for ghouls, it was far from a neutral ground. Ghouls would congregate here, but its reputation as a safe haven was limited to those it chose to shelter. Rize Kamishiro's relationship with Anteiku was complicated—while she had occasionally helped them procure "supplies," her volatile personality and insatiable appetite had made her a source of frustration.

Could it be because the manager, Yoshimura Kuzen, once promised Matasaka Kamishiro to look after his adoptive daughter?

Kaguya pondered.

Regardless of the reason, it seemed Rize Kamishiro had temporarily sought refuge here. Anteiku was one of the few places that could still be considered relatively safe.

Inside Anteiku Café.

"How is she?" Yoshimura sat on the sofa, sipping a cup of coffee.

"She's asleep," Touka Kirishima replied as she walked over. "Her recovery speed is astonishing. No, even for a ghoul, it's ridiculously fast."

"Oh?" Yoshimura looked up.

"Since she arrived, her injuries have completely healed," Touka said, her face serious. "But there's something odd."

"What do you mean?" Yoshimura put down his coffee cup.

"She was starving—completely famished. I gave her food, but..." Touka hesitated.

"But what?" Yoshimura asked casually.

Touka hesitated for a moment before continuing. "She threw it all up. It seemed like she couldn't eat anything."

Yoshimura froze at her words, his brow furrowing slightly.

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