Ghouls consumed human flesh for the RC cells within, not the meat itself. Without RC cells, the flesh was revolting to them, inducing nausea. The higher the RC cell concentration in a human, the more enticing they smelled to ghouls. Ghouls devoured each other for the same reason, another ghoul's RC cells were far richer than a human's. A human with an unusually potent scent likely had high RC cell levels, potentially even enough to awaken as a ghoul.
Altair's suppressant eradicated all RC cells in the body and created antibodies that neutralized any new ones introduced, rendering the user permanently human. To ghouls, someone treated with the suppressant lost all appeal, no scent, no temptation.
"There's no trace of that scent anymore. I don't even feel the urge to eat you, Touka." The owner said, astonished. "This suppressant might be even more powerful than we thought."
The others in Anteiku nodded, grasping the implications. "Touka's human now, but she's safe." One said. "No ghoul will target her."
"Hey, what do you mean 'undesirable'?" Touka protested.
Laughter filled the small cafe, breaking the tension.
Outside, the green-haired girl, Eto, and her towering companion trailed Altair and Amon. She needed the suppressant he'd given the owner. If it was as potent as he claimed, she had to have it. Since the owner refused her, she'd go straight to the source.
Altair strolled along the busy main road, Amon at his side. The crowd made it impossible for Eto to act. She and her ally followed, waiting for a chance, but Altair stuck to the main streets, frustrating them. Worse, he knew they were tailing him, he even turned and flashed a smile.
If you know I'm following, shouldn't you duck into an alley to shake me off? Eto fumed. Why just smile and keep walking? Are you actually just sightseeing?
In any typical scenario, someone aware of a tail would get nervous, slip into a side street, and try to lose their pursuer, only to get cornered. Eto, growing impatient, was no ordinary pursuer. She was Eto Yoshimura, alias Takatsume, a half-human, half-ghoul and the One-Eyed Owl, leader of the ghoul organization Aogiri Tree. An SSS-rank ghoul, she was far stronger than most, driven by a dream to change the world, much like a certain group in another story. Her goal was coexistence between ghouls and humans, ending their cycle of violence.
Eto's plan was to crown a One-Eyed King to rule both sides, easing tensions. It sounded noble, but like many grand dreams, it led to fleeting peace, propped up by the threat of overwhelming power. Once that power faded, chaos would return. And she overlooked a key issue: attempting such a revolution in Japan without considering its global ties. Would external powers allow a unified Japan filled with enhanced humans or ghouls? The notion was naive in a functioning human society.
Altair knew exactly who Eto was. Tokyo Ghoul wasn't that old, and he remembered the key players and plot points. Just as he'd known Anteiku was a ghoul den, he recognized Eto's identity. That's why he'd said so much in the cafe and now toyed with her, keeping her on edge.
Deciding the game had gone on long enough, he led Amon into an alley.
Eto's eyes lit up. Finally, he's trying to lose me! She and her companion followed.
They found Altair waiting, arms crossed. "Must've been tiring, tailing me this whole time." He said with a smile. "You're a busy person. What a waste of your day."
Eto's surprise showed. "You seem to know a lot." She said, her tone darkening.
"I'm investigating a foreign country." Altair replied. "You've got to come prepared. Information is everything in a fight."
"How much do you know about me?" She asked.
"Eto Yoshimura, half-human, half-ghoul. The One-Eyed Owl, SSS-rank, tied to Kishou Arima, and searching for a new One-Eyed King. Enough?" Altair laid out her secrets, stunning Eto and her companion.
"One-Eyed King!" Amon gasped, his jaw dropping. Today was overwhelming, CCG conspiracies, a cafe full of ghouls, and now the strongest ghoul of all. What next? Was Arima, the top investigator, a ghoul too? Amon's heart couldn't take much more.
Altair ignored Amon's shock, smiling at Eto. "So, One-Eyed Owl, what do you want with me?"
Caught off-guard, Eto bristled. Her secrets exposed, she was at a disadvantage, and his American status made her wary. Still, she needed that suppressant.
"I want the suppressant you mentioned. Can you give it to me?"
"You want that? Why didn't you just ask?" To her shock, Altair pulled out a syringe and tossed it to her. "One enough?"
"Uh…" Eto blinked, thrown off by how easily he complied.
"Need more?" He asked, tossing a few more syringes her way.
Eto caught them, stunned. It was that simple?
***
Every 5 reviews and 200 power stones, a bonus chapter will be dropped.
(5,10,15, 200, 400, 600, and so on then two bonus chapters will be dropped, 1 for 5 reviews and 1 for 200 power stones, so that's 2 bonus chapters!)
And if you want to read more than 50 chapters early, feel free to visit pat re on. com / Xelenea (remove space).