Capítulo 42: Pacifist

"The thing you just added to the coffee... what was it?"

Minami quickly realized what the small granules were made of.

"That's right. It's human flesh, concentrated into small granules. When dissolved in coffee and consumed, it temporarily eliminates hunger. Even in front of humans, it won't raise suspicion" Yoshimura explained with a calm nod.

Of course, the source of the human flesh was those who had died by suicide or in accidents.

"I see..."

Minami immediately drank the entire cup of coffee.

Her body felt much better, and the hunger that had plagued her was nearly gone.

However, as the manager mentioned, the effect of the concentrated granules was temporary. It was too early to feel relieved.

"I'll give you some of these, but they'll only last you a few days. After that, you'll still need to consume a proper amount of human flesh" Yoshimura said, wrapping several granules in paper and handing them to Minami.

He also gave her several packets of instant coffee.

"Thank you so much!"

Minami expressed her gratitude sincerely.

Even if it was just a few days of reprieve, it was enough for her.

As long as she could make it through next week's exams, what happened afterward didn't matter. After all, once she entered Cochlea, she would likely never leave.

"Judging by your uniform, you're not a student from the 20th Ward, are you?"

Yoshimura inquired.

"No, I'm not" Minami admitted. "I actually came from the 13th Ward."

Fortunately, both Byakuya and Arima had changed out of their uniforms before coming here. If they had worn them, it would have raised suspicion.

"No matter where you're from, we're always willing to help, as long as you follow the rules while you're in the 20th Ward" Yoshimura said with his characteristic gentle smile.

"Understood..."

Minami nodded in agreement.

She felt a pang of sorrow, knowing that she might not have the chance to accept his help again.

She regretted not coming to the 20th Ward earlier. Never in her wildest imagination had she thought ghouls here could be so kind. But it was too late for regrets.

If only... If only she had come sooner, she might not have forced herself to prey on humans.

The wards she had been in before, not just the 13th, were places where ghouls competed fiercely. Finding human corpses was difficult, she had no choice but to rely on her own abilities to hunt.

However, she never hunted just anyone. She avoided preying on humans she knew — her classmates or friends.

Instead, her targets were strangers. While she never killed them outright, she did take their limbs — arms or thighs. But even this was an unforgivable crime that would inevitably attract the attention of the CCG.

The only exception was Taishi and his gang of delinquents. Even though they were classmates, she despised them enough to make an exception.

"By the way, Manager, are you the 'Administrator' of the 20th Ward?"

Minami asked curiously.

"Yes, I'm Yoshimura. If you ever need anything, feel free to come back to the café in the 20th Ward" Yoshimura said.

"Got it" Minami said, bowing deeply in gratitude.

Then, she left the café with the granules.

Before leaving, she politely bowed to Koma, Irimi, and the ghoul patrons. "Sorry to have disturbed you all"

"What a polite and well-mannered child. No wonder she can integrate into human society so seamlessly" Koma remarked with a sigh.

...

Not far from the café, Minami found Byakuya and Arima waiting for her at the corner.

"How did it go?" Arima asked.

"Manager Yoshimura gave me something to suppress my hunger. I'll definitely be fine until the exams are over" Minami replied, taking out the granules from her pocket.

Although she didn't explicitly state what they were, Arima understood immediately.

"So, what happens after the exams? You should think about your future, Minami" Byakuya said.

"After the exams? I'll just end up in Cochlea. There's no need to think beyond that..." Minami replied with a wry smile.

Cochlea, the ghoul detention center in the 23rd Ward.

"Not necessarily. That decision hasn't been finalized. If you're willing to follow the rules here in the 20th Ward, we might reconsider taking you to Cochlea" Byakuya said. "The details can be worked out with Arima. For now, I have other matters to attend to."

With that, Byakuya left, leaving Minami in Arima's hands.

...

2nd Ward CCG Branch.

Byakuya had returned to report on their progress.

"Investigator Byakuya, I hear you've identified the suspect behind 'Lantern'?"

Seated in the 2nd Ward was an Associate Special Class Investigator named Kimura Yano, Byakuya's superior.

"Yes, we've basically confirmed their identity" Byakuya replied.

"Then it should be easy to apprehend it, right? I'm not familiar with Arima's skills, but you've gone toe-to-toe with the One-Eyed Owl. Surely dealing with an A+ ghoul like 'Lantern' would be simple" Kimura remarked.

"Perhaps. But given their cooperative attitude, we've decided to grant 'Lantern' an observation period. As long as they stay out of trouble, there's no need to apprehend them" Byakuya said matter-of-factly.

"This... Uchiha, isn't that akin to harboring a ghoul?" Kimura's expression turned skeptical.

Byakuya responded calmly, "Because I'm a pacifist"