Chapter 16.4: Ghoul’s External Affairs
Ghoul’s External Affairs: “Juncheng An? Is there such a person in our class… Hmm…”
Juncheng An…
“Ah, I remember now. He’s the guy sitting next to Li Nai.”
He’s the type who looks very honest and has an almost nonexistent presence.
Although I haven’t gotten to know him deeply, just by looking at his face, I can’t imagine him doing anything harmful.
You can’t judge a book by its cover. To think he’s actually like this?
“He’s in my class, which means he’s also an ‘Anomaly’?”
Nana shook her head, her gloomy expression improving slightly as she replied.
“No, he’s just an ordinary person.”
“Huh? An ordinary person? Then why is he in Class 2-2? Isn’t this class the ‘Anomaly Containment Class’?”
“Yes, but he’s managed to blend in as an ordinary person. He himself hasn’t noticed anything amiss, and he’s been assigned to the ‘Anomaly Containment Class’ since he enrolled in his first year of high school.”
“Whoa, whoa? You didn’t even know about this?”
An ordinary person remaining in the ‘Anomaly Containment Class’ since his first year of high school? That’s incredible. I also recall that once an anomaly is discovered, Nana personally negotiates with them before admitting them to this class.
If Juncheng An is truly an ordinary person, how could Nana possibly have assigned him to our class?
Nana also furrowed her brow deeply, biting her lower lip with a complicated expression.
“If Lily hadn’t come to me about this, I wouldn’t even have known this human existed… Someone hid him right under my nose…!”
“If he’s just an ordinary person, how did he form a contract with your daughter? Did Lily actively initiate the contract?”
Hmm, I can already tell that’s impossible. But love is such an inexplicable thing; perhaps Lily fell in love with this unremarkable man at first sight?
Nana crossed her legs, biting her thumbnail as she spoke to me.
“Lily said he recently awakened a very powerful ability, the ability to see through true names and, like us demons, perceive human emotions through colors…”
“The ability to see through true names!”
To think such an incredible ability exists! As far as I know, true names are linked to the soul. Even with mind-reading or memory searches, they won’t be exposed. To directly see through true names? This is practically the nemesis of great demons and great yokai!
All beings possessing a true name must bow before him… Could he be a Demon King!
However, if someone with such an ability is just an ordinary human, even if they hold the true name, they wouldn’t be able to do anything with their weak Spiritual Power, right?
“Lily’s true name was called out by Juncheng An in person, revealing her original form, and she ended up signing a contract, losing half of her Spiritual Power. But it seems like nothing else happened. I confirmed it secretly; Lily is still a virgin…”
At this point, Nana’s tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed. She shifted her crossed legs, picked up the wine glass on the table, and drank it down at once. Extra red wine dripped from the corner of her mouth, flowed down her neck into her valleys, and then down her abdomen…
I couldn’t bear to watch, so I picked up the wet towel hanging around my neck and wiped it for her. She seemed to realize what she was doing and apologized embarrassedly. Then, shamelessly, she placed her hands on her hips, pulled them apart, spread her legs, and tilted her head, asking me to wipe her thoroughly.
I directly threw the towel at her face.
Nana wasn’t intentionally making those suggestive gestures; she simply couldn’t shake off her seductive nature. This is what they call innate charm, right?
“Heh~ But he managed to maintain his composure in front of your daughter? I’m suddenly interested in this human.”
What would an ordinary human male do after obtaining such a naturally seductive succubus slave? Naturally, he’d do all sorts of depraved things… Even strong-willed men, or even homosexuals, wouldn’t be able to resist such temptation. This is because Lily possesses the succubi’s highest level of lustful constitution; any male who touches her will be driven into a frenzy and lose all rationality.
Yet, that man did nothing? It’s as illogical as a starving wolf not eating the little lamb presented to it.
“Hmph! This only proves he’s a spineless, useless man! I say, let’s just cut it off and turn him into a woman!”
“Pfft… Hehe, if he had actually done something, he would have probably disappeared from this world already.”
If things had gone that way, why would Nana be drinking alone at home? She would have stormed over there already. Perhaps she would have actually cut off Juncheng An’s male appendage. Nana, when she gets truly angry, is even more terrifying than I am.
“But… why has he been in the same class as us since his first year without awakening his abilities? It’s as if someone ‘foresaw that Juncheng An would awaken special abilities.'”
“…It’s still unclear. After the holiday ends, I will personally go and question this human.”
“Mhm…”
Just then, a desolate piano melody rang out. It was Requiem, which I had set as my phone’s ringtone.
I picked up my phone and swiped to answer.
A familiar, indifferent voice came from the phone.
“It’s me.”
“Yes, I know. Is it my turn to clean up the scene?”
“Mm, but…”
“Hmm?”
“One escaped.”
“Two appeared today? It seems those guys are getting restless… Alright, Xue’er, tell me the location of the first one. I’ll be there right away.”
I didn’t press for details. Even if I asked, Xue’er probably wouldn’t be able to explain. Her voice was so faint that even I, a Ghoul, could barely hear it.
“Beishan, Park.”
Beishan Park? I remember that’s one of the entrances to ‘Black Street.’ Could it be that a serial killer would actively approach there?
It seems today’s serial killer isn’t your typical minion but came prepared…
However, they still ended up dead by Xue’er’s hand (laughs).
“No problem. Wait for me there, I’ll be there in three minutes.”
“Mm.”
She hung up after speaking. This child is as usual… so cold.
After hanging up, I glanced at the time on my phone. It was just past eleven at night… Speaking of which, the call for assignment notification hasn’t come yet. Did it get lost somewhere?
Instead, the call for ‘work’ came first.
There’s no other way, I have to go.
I walked into the room, grabbed a loose raincoat, and put it on. My underwear… hmm, I should take it off. It’s all wet. It’s all Nana’s fault for being so handsy. I guess I’ll have to tie her up next time I bite her.
Nana poked half of her body out from the side of the sofa, her breasts resting against her chin due to gravity.
“Are you going?”
“Yes. If the assignment notification call comes, please take it for me. Also, immediately notify the HR department to dispatch the ‘Troupe.’ The location is Beishan Park. Don’t let any ordinary people get close. If there aren’t enough personnel, have them set up isolation barriers.”
“I know all that.”
“I’m just saying. You’ve had quite a lot to drink today, haven’t you? I’m afraid you might suddenly fall asleep.”
Nana looked a bit sad and said apologetically.
“I’m sorry, Xunxun, always making you do this kind of work…”
“Well… the compensation is very generous, so it’s not all bad. Besides, Ghouls eat people; it’s only natural. I can’t be an exception…”
There are no demons that don’t eat people, none at all…
I’m not like Yūsusuke Urameshi’s father (Raizen); I don’t have that much willpower.
“But you…”
“Well, although I said I wouldn’t eat people anymore, there’s room for flexibility. I told you before not to worry about it. Moreover, the ones I have to deal with are all people who can no longer be considered human, aren’t they? Those who have abandoned their humanity can generally be called ‘murderous spirits.’ So, this isn’t considered eating people… it’s just disposing of garbage.”
Yes, those pieces of trash can’t even be called ‘human.’
The fact that they can be possessed by demons is enough to prove that they have fundamentally lost their humanity.
And the taste of those guys is truly terrible; calling them garbage is giving them too much credit.
“Xunxun, you’re so strange… A Ghoul who doesn’t eat people…”
“Oh ho, you dare to say that to me? You’re also a succubus who refuses men. I bet you’re the only ‘virtuous’ succubus in the world.”
Nana puffed out her cheeks, making a huffy face. Her chest trembled, and she raised her hands in protest.
“Who said that? Look at my daughter, Lily, she’s still a virgin! A virgin succubus, can you believe it? It’s practically a miracle!”
“Hmph, she still has a master, though…”
“Mmmph… Jun… Cheng… An! I want to see what kind of person he is to have my daughter as a slave and have Lily willingly come to me to beg for him!”
Hmm, that’s a scary aura… It’s probably best not to mention it in front of her, or she’ll definitely lose her temper.
If I had to say, perhaps we are indeed very strange…
A succubus who refuses to mate with men.
And a Ghoul who refuses to eat people.
We are a pair of freaks, going against our racial instincts, stubbornly adhering to meaningless principles…
Perhaps it’s precisely because of this that we can be good friends who comfort each other.
I walked to the entrance, took out a pair of rain boots from the shoe cabinet, put them on, and opened the door to leave.
“I’m leaving.”
“Okay~ Be careful on your way~ Want to go for round two when you get back?”
“Hurry up and wash up and go to sleep, you slut! I’m not going to play with you!”
After closing the door, I put on my hat and jumped onto the rooftop of the opposite apartment building.
At this hour, there’s no need to be too careful. I can just jump from rooftop to rooftop in a straight line.
If I weren’t wearing this unsightly raincoat, but a magical girl outfit, I would be like ‘Magical Girl ★ Little Xunxun,’ fighting evil and representing love and justice!
The outfit would be in a pink color scheme, representing flesh and blood, and my catchphrase would be ‘I’ll gobble you up~,’ with a spell…
Ah, no, what am I thinking? I can’t think about these things during work hours.
I accidentally drifted off into role-playing. It must be that I’m too hungry, which is making my head fuzzy. The two-hour ‘interaction’ I had with Nana earlier also consumed a lot of energy, making me hungrier…
Cosplay is my most passionate hobby.
Part of the money I earn from work is spent on food, and the other part is spent on buying high-quality cosplay outfits. It’s really more fulfilling to order custom-made cosplay outfits and props with my own earnings.
I’ve decided! Next time, I’ll order a magical girl cosplay outfit!
When I arrived at the designated location from the phone call, Beishan Park, I saw Xue’er waiting for me at the entrance.
Her school uniform was splattered with blood, she wasn’t wearing a jacket, her shirt was a little messy, and her skirt was torn.
She wasn’t injured, but her clothes were in this state…
“Xue’er.”
“Mm.”
“Was today’s a tough one?”
“A little… powerful.”
Oh…
So it was a pretty strong opponent today. If it were just a minion, Xue’er would only shake her head. If it were a mid-level opponent, Xue’er would say ‘It was okay.’ Since she said ‘a little powerful,’ it must be quite a formidable enemy.
Did one of the ‘Great Demons’ come out to play…
“There’s… one more.”
“Are you going to chase after it?”
“Mm.”
It seems like stopping her is useless now; she’s already in full-power mode. It looks like Xue’er won’t rest until that escaped serial killer is dealt with tonight.
“Ah, then be careful. If it gets dangerous, don’t worry about me. Feel free to use your full power. You don’t need to bring them back once you kill them, just tell me when you get here. I’ll be waiting here the whole time.”
“Mm.”
Xue’er nodded and ran off to chase the escaped serial killer.
Watching her back slip away, I sighed and walked into Beishan Park with a sense of helplessness.
Just like Gou Xiawen and Li Nai are partners, Xue’er is also my partner.
However, despite being partners for so long, I still can’t quite read her mind…
The isolation barrier has already been set up. The people from the logistics department are quite fast.
I sniff the air… The scent of blood is drifting from over there.
With my hands in the pockets of my raincoat, I walked over slowly. Since Xue’er won’t be back anytime soon, I’ll take my time dealing with this.
In front of a vending machine, I found tonight’s ‘work content.’
Huh? It’s still moving?
Oh, impressive. Were you faking death just now?
You managed to fool Xue’er… But fooling me isn’t that easy.
I walked over and kicked the man who was faking death.
“Hey, hey, stop playing dead. I know you’re still alive.”
The man, covered in blood, suddenly began to tremble, and then, like a beaten dog, he supported himself on the edge of the vending machine and slowly got up.
His knees were cut off, so he couldn’t stand at all. He could only lean against the vending machine with great difficulty.
Xue’er, as expected, still can’t deliver a fatal blow to her target… As expected, she didn’t intend to kill from the start… Is it really okay to choose her…
The man gasped for air for a long time. After finally stabilizing his breathing, he called out with surprise and emotion.
“You… you’re… a Ghoul! You’re a Ghoul, aren’t you!”
“Oh?”
I should have hidden my aura? How did he know? His eyeballs were gouged out…
“No mistake! Your aura is very similar to that of the Master. You, no, you must be a Ghoul too!”
“Mm, that’s right. I’m a Ghoul.”
The man collapsed into a pool of blood with a thud, crawled to my feet with all his might, clutched my rain boots, and began to beg me tearfully for salvation.
“Please… Hiss… Please… Please, save me…!”
He kowtowed frantically in front of me, his head bleeding profusely.
“Please! As long as you save me, I’ll be your loyal servant! Please, save me… Wuwuwu…”
“You… time is almost up. I can’t save you. Unless the demon possessing you is willing to let you go, no one can save you… even a Ghoul can’t save you.”
This person’s ‘time’ is running out. It seems the portion for today will be smaller, which will be easier.
Ah, if I had known, I should have agreed to go eat spicy crayfish with Li Nai and the others. Now I might even go hungry. How annoying…
“Ah, ahhh! Please! Please save me! As long as you plead on my behalf, the Master might let me go…”
“…”
“Time, time is almost up! Stop! Stop it! Don’t go anymore, ahhhhhh!”
“…”
Save him? That’s a joke. Such a guy deserves to die.
Then, time was up.
His destined time had arrived.
Suddenly, the man trembled, and his shadow ‘crawled’ out from the ground, transforming into the ‘Ghost Shadow’ that would execute him.
The Ghost Shadow looked exactly like him, a faded black, but devoid of life…
The man let out a piercing scream.
“Eeeeeeeeek! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts so much, ahhhhhh!”
His mournful cries echoed endlessly.
But even though he had sustained fatal injuries, the man continued to wail.
As if trying to shriek his throat raw, he unleashed the final sounds of his life.
“Ahhhhh! It hurts so much! No! No! My heart, my heart is gone! All my blood is gone! It hurts, it hurts, my body, stop biting my body, ahhhhhhhhhhhahahahaha… Ahahahahaha!”
The wailing and cries gradually turned into laughter.
The corners of the man’s mouth turned up, and he burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Blood flowed from his eye sockets, which no longer had eyeballs, but the laughter wouldn’t stop. He was crying and laughing… like a madman howling in grief and ecstasy.
“Ahahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha! It hurts so much! Hahahaha! I’m gonna die! I’m gonna die! Hahahaha! Finally, I can die! Finally, I can die!”
“…”
“Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahaha… Ha… Ha…”
He finally died.
I have witnessed scenes of such madness countless times.
Ghouls like me, who refuse to eat people, are extremely rare. Most Ghouls eat people. After all, eating people can enhance one’s strength, representing the quickest path to becoming stronger for them.
However, in this world dominated by humans, most Ghouls dare not openly eat humans. Hence, this method that ‘won’t cause trouble’ has emerged.
Possess a human and exchange power for their ‘offerings.’
The possessed human will henceforth become a ‘murderous spirit,’ gaining strength far beyond that of an ordinary human, but they must kill a specified number of people within a set time limit to satisfy the Ghoul’s hunger.
Those who fail to kill the specified number of people within the given time… will face the same end as just witnessed, being devoured alive and skinned by the demon possessing them.
But they wouldn’t die during the process of being eaten; they would experience the extreme pain of their flesh being torn and gnawed on until the moment of death.
While it seems horrifying, they are not to be pitied.
After all, those who are possessed by demons are people with a strong aura of killing intent. They have either already killed or are twisted individuals preparing to kill.
Humans possessed by demons are beyond saving.
Only by killing them… and then by me, their Ghoul, eating them.
This is my job.
The Ghoul, after finishing its meal, turned back to look at me and said.
“Kaoru Tsukiyose.”
Oh~ So it’s this guy. As expected, he’s a Great Demon.
“Oh? Isn’t this Lord Yaksha? I didn’t expect a Great Demon like you to possess a human. This would tarnish your reputation as a Yaksha Ghoul, wouldn’t it?”
“Hmph… This is the safest approach. As for you, aren’t you going to join us?”
“I’m just a Ghoul of the lowest rank, not qualified to be your companion~”
“Don’t underestimate yourself. Although your origin is indeed low, surviving for five hundred years is proof enough of your strength.”
“No, no, no, a little Ghoul like me, look at me, I can only pick at your leftovers. How pathetic~”
“Hmph… You’re on your own.”
With that, the Ghost Shadow dispersed.
“Tch, so arrogant…”
I took a sip and walked over to the pile of messy body parts, sat down, and picked up an arm to start gnawing on.
Sigh… It’s messy everywhere I eat, disgusting. Am I a child?
After eating slowly for a while, the midnight bell chimed. Because it was too unappetizing, I had been eating for so long yet there were still some leftovers.
At this moment, I suddenly felt a fluctuation in the barrier.
Oh my?
It seems someone has broken through?
Strange, how did he get in?
This park should have already had an isolation barrier set up, ordinary people would unconsciously stay away from this place…
I didn’t move, continuing to eat the last few pieces, waiting for him to come over himself.
Soon, he appeared within my field of vision.
Huh? Isn’t this Juncheng An? I was just talking about him with Nana earlier and now I’ve encountered him. What a coincidence.
Perhaps it’s good that I can question him on Nana’s behalf.
Perhaps seeing me eat a human made him afraid. His Spiritual Power radiated outwards, affecting me as well.
Then, through his spirit, I felt his soul…
It felt incredibly familiar.
I opened my mouth wide, feeling a sense of daze.
Ah, so that’s how it is…
So it was you…
I’ve been looking for you for so many years, and I never expected you to be right beside me…
I don’t know whether to resent you or thank you…
When I was in the underworld, you guided me to the human world to experience the bittersweetness of life… It’s all because of you that I’ve become who I am today… I have so many things I want to tell you. Although you, reborn, might not remember, I still want to tell you.
I want to tell you about everything I’ve experienced over the years.
Hehe~ To be able to connect with you again… Is this fate?
I’ve always thought Heaven’s work was unreliable, but this time, it’s done something good~
“Oh?”
I put down the food in my hands, stood up, and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. An involuntary smile of joy appeared on my face.
“Unexpectedly, I have a guest~”
Then, let’s start by getting reacquainted.
