chsdbacks Page 198
Page 198
Perhaps because they were born ghouls.
Even crying should not be hysterical.
When Aoba's half-faced, expressionless, calm face came into her view, an overwhelming despair washed over her like a tidal wave.
She... had no other options left.
Even their survival depended on the store manager's dignity.
Hey~
A helpless sigh escaped from the shadows.
Aoba looked at Yoshimura Kozen, who was bowing his head to apologize for Kirishima Touka, and his gaze darkened slightly, as if he was thinking of his master from his previous life.
"Mr. Yoshimura".
He spoke.
"Human kindness is not something that can be taken and used at will; it is precious and also limited."
Kindness from anyone is always precious.
Even when facing one's closest relatives, there's a saying that "a long-term illness reveals the lack of filial piety."
Moreover, it's a complete stranger to them.
"same."
"Human dignity is also included."
Aoba's eyes fell on Kirishima Touka, who was slumped in the corner.
"It's good to be alive, but don't cause trouble for those around you when you're contemplating suicide."
In response to Aoba's words.
Touka Kirishima struggled to sit up, her blue eyes filled with restraint but also with a strong sense of catharsis.
A hysterical outburst.
"You're the kind of person who doesn't understand anything at all!!"
The girl had lost her composure; half of her bangs were completely disheveled, and the blood at the corner of her mouth was still wet.
The suffocating despair in my heart transformed into an even stronger surge of emotion.
"Alive!?"
"I want to live, and Ayato wants to live too, but we were born ghouls, we were born wrong, what can we do?!"
There is a vast chasm between them and humans called the food chain.
The prey and the hunter can never truly empathize.
"Touka..."
Yoshimura Kōzen looked up at the hysterical Kirishima Touka, a deep sorrow hidden beneath his eyes.
If one could live a normal life, who wouldn't want to live openly and honestly in the sunlight?
“Mr. Yoshimura, if your shop assistant has not received an education, I think you should send her back to school for a few more years.”
Aoba's cold voice was like a bullet hitting Kirishima Touka's defenses.
"You're not even as good as your brother..."
"I don't know what his real purpose is tonight, but he is ultimately working towards his own goal."
"What about you?"
"In this hysteria, judging the world's mistakes, denying everything one was born with..."
Have you made any efforts to change the current situation?
A casual remark that the world is wrong is enough to negate everything and all ideas.
Does this also mean denying one's own life?
"effort.."
Touka Kirishima froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.
Is she really that despicable?
Aoba ignored whether the girl had broken down because of his words and instead looked at Yoshimura Kozen.
"That's all."
The words fell.
Turn around and leave.
He said enough tonight, and I don't want to cause any more trouble.
"grateful!"
Yoshimura Kōzen knelt on one knee to express his gratitude.
As the One-Eyed Owl, he was well aware of the threat posed by Aoba.
Fortunately, the other party did not pursue the matter further, which relieved him.
She stood up and turned to look at Kirishima Touka, about to say something.
But then they saw the girl with her hair all messy running towards the alleyway where Qingye had left.
Grabbing Aoba's arm as she stepped onto the street, he pushed up her sleeve and bit down hard.
"I fucking..."
This is the second time Aoba has sworn.
Chapter 96 Rapid Entry!
"Are you a dog?"
Looking at the teeth marks on her arm that had drawn blood, Aoba's impression of Kirishima Touka worsened.
This girl is not as cute as Kasumigaoka at all!
"I told you, you don't understand anything at all!"
Touka Kirishima wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. Although she looked disheveled, all her past experiences gave her a kind of messy beauty—a kind of charm.
"I can't pretend I didn't hear what you just said."
"I will show you how hard I've worked!"
The girl's sudden persistence left Aoba completely bewildered.
"Just focus on your own efforts, why do I need to see it?"
He and she were just strangers who met by chance.
If it weren't for her blocking my way, I would have gone back to the izakaya long ago.
"..."
Kirishima Touka stared intently at Aoba with her blue eyes, as if trying to etch this man she had only met twice into her heart.
Although she was about the same age as her, her words struck her like nails.
She couldn't figure out what the man in front of her was still hiding.
But Aoba gave her a sense of mystery she had never felt before.
Coupled with the power he displayed during his previous battle with Aoba and Ayato, Touka Kirishima developed even more interest in him.
A kind of awe-inspiring dependence?
She felt a sense of kinship with Aoba that was even closer to that of Yoshimura Kozen.
"I told you you'd see it!"
The girl's previous deep sense of helplessness surged back into her heart, along with her hope for herself.
Her hopes for her younger brother, and the uncertain future she faces as a ghoul.
She felt as if her life was slowly rotting away, and she had completely lost all rationality in her speech.
He stubbornly stood in front of Qingye, raising his dust-covered face and staring intently at Qingye with tearful eyes.
Her blood-stained fingertips gripped Qingye's clothes even tighter.
She has nothing left.
I just want to grasp at the last glimmer of hope I have!
No matter what, Aoba definitely possesses power that she couldn't even imagine!
Perhaps this power is the key to changing their lives.
"So, all your efforts are to pester me?"
Aoba was astonished by Kirishima Touka's thought process.
He genuinely couldn't understand why the girl was so fixated on him. He wanted to change things up by trying math and science, and researching ghoul and human cells.
Or perhaps they could develop artificial foods that ghouls could eat.
Isn't this better than pestering him?
He's just an ordinary izakaya chef!
"I..."
The girl's tear-stained face was damp with dust, making her look more like a kitten that couldn't find its home.
If we really give up on this last hope...
Kirishima Touka's fingertips, gripping Aoba's hem, turned white; she didn't know what to do.
"Once you have the desire to work hard, you should turn it into a regular effort, instead of placing your hopes on others."
Aoba gazed at the Milky Way in the night sky.