Chapter 16: Even the Passing Ghoul was Stunned!
"Please, everyone, don't rush! Form a line!"
The crowd was getting too big, swarming the stall from all sides. The overlapping chatter was giving Ryohei a headache, and he couldn't even tell who had arrived first anymore. He clapped his hands to get their attention, asking his "fat sheep" to please line up.
To his relief, the customers were well-mannered and quickly formed an orderly queue in front of the cart. The long line made the other stall owners in the park square stare with a mixture of shock, curiosity, and pure, red-eyed envy.
That stall's business is way too good!
Why isn't that my stall?
If only my business were that good!
Unfortunately for them, not only was their business not getting better, it had gotten significantly worse. There were only so many people in the park, and this popular newcomer was snatching up a huge portion of them.
"..."
"I'm sorry, we're sold out of the specialty beef onigiri for now! The next batch will be ready in a few minutes!" Ryohei announced, handing an empty container to Jashin-chan to go prepare more rice and beef. He turned to the next customer in line.
"Oh, you're sold out?" a pretty woman in a sharp office lady outfit said with a look of disappointment. She had wanted to try both kinds. "Can I buy one of the classic ones now and pay for a beef one to get later?" she asked.
"Of course. Please wait just over here," Ryohei said, pointing to the side as he bagged a classic salmon onigiri for her.
The woman's face lit up. She took the onigiri and handed over two 1,000 yen notes. "Here's the money for both."
Several other customers in line followed her example. Before long, however, the classic onigiri had sold out too.
Ryohei, who had been busy bagging orders non-stop, finally got a moment to rest. He leaned against the cart, looking at the long line of waiting customers and the blissful expressions of those already eating his onigiri. A smile spread across his face.
For a chef, the happy faces and sheer number of his patrons—no, not fat sheep, patrons—were the greatest validation there was. His mood brightened considerably.
Terashima Sota was a Ghoul.
But even so, he had always admired the human way of life and loved going to school. He was currently a student at a public school in Ota Ward. His parents had been killed by CCG Investigators when he was very young, but he had been lucky enough to meet a kind older Ghoul named Banjo Kazuichi. Banjo wasn't the strongest, but he had a good heart and always looked out for weaker Ghouls like him.
And today was another day he was being looked after.
He was cutting through a park on his way to Banjo's place to pick up his rations for the month when he suddenly caught a scent. It was incredibly alluring, but also completely unfamiliar. He froze, his feet stopping in their tracks. He swallowed hard, his eyes cautiously scanning the area.
Is one of my kind hunting nearby? he wondered. This smell is so strange… but so tempting!
Sota had never smelled anything so special, so captivating in his life. His mouth began to water uncontrollably, and his stomach growled. The demon named 'appetite' awoke inside him, issuing a single command: EAT!
But he ignored it and quickened his pace. Other Ghouls weren't always friendly; cannibalism was common among their kind. To be safe, I should just stick to the plan and get my rations from Banjo.
As he thought this, he realized the scent was getting stronger. It seemed he was heading directly toward the hunting ground of another Ghoul…
Oh no! I hope they don't get the wrong idea!
Trespassing in another Ghoul's territory, especially while they were feeding, was considered a major provocation. If they were kind, you might get a bite. If they weren't, you'd get a brutal beating at best, or killed at worst.
Sota didn't want to gamble on a stranger's kindness. He decided to turn around and take the long way. But as he turned, he happened to glance over and see something that stopped him dead in his tracks.
He saw a group of humans, standing in front of a food stall, eating food that was glowing.
Sota was stunned for several reasons. First, the food was actually glowing! Second, his Ghoul instincts, which only reacted to human flesh, were screaming at him that the glowing food looked incredibly delicious.
Gulp!
Huh? What's going on? Sota was in shock. That's human food, right? Why do I think human food looks so tempting, so delicious? He was completely bewildered. Was there something wrong with him? Or…
Is it possible… that the glowing food is actually made of… bits of human? No, that couldn't be right. The three people running the stall didn't look like Ghouls, and neither did the people in line. Besides, what kind of Ghoul eats cooked food? He felt like something was one hundred percent wrong with this picture.
Anyway, I should just get to Banjo's place, he thought, wiping the drool from his chin with his sleeve. He was about to leave when—
"Hey! Your eye…"
"KYAAAAAAAA—!"
"IT'S A GHOUL!!"
"RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!"
Someone had spotted Sota's kakugan, which had activated from his intense hunger, and let out a terrified scream. Sota's face turned pale with panic. In perfect unison, both the humans and the Ghoul spun around and sprinted in opposite directions, each terrified of the other.
"What?! A Ghoul?!"
The entire park erupted into chaos. Yurine pulled a crowbar from under the food cart. Jashin-chan immediately looked toward the center of the commotion. The crowd of fat sheep around Ryohei's stall scattered in an instant. The women in high heels ran surprisingly fast, their heels clacking loudly on the pavement.
Ryohei, who had just been about to bag another order, froze. He looked curiously toward where the scream had come from but saw nothing.
"Where's the Ghoul?" he asked, blinking and looking around in confusion.
"Probably ran off, too," Yurine said, stuffing the crowbar back under the cart after confirming the area was clear. "It was probably an accidental reveal. Normally, Ghouls don't expose themselves in public, especially not in a crowded place like this."
"Yeah, must have been an accident," Jashin-chan agreed, her eyes darting toward the other abandoned food stalls. The owners had fled, but their stalls were still there… Hehehe! Her tail began to wriggle unconsciously.
"Ouch! That hurts!" Jashin-chan yelped as Yurine grabbed a handful of her hair. She turned and glared. "What was that for?!"
"What do you think you're doing?" Yurine asked, her eyes narrowed.
"This is a terrible situation!" Jashin-chan declared, putting on a righteous expression. She pointed at the surrounding stalls. "Those owners ran off and left their stalls unattended! I was just going to look after them!"
"And you expect me to believe that?"
"You never change, Jashin-chan!" Ryohei said, giving her a thumbs-up.
"Hehehe, thank you for the compliment!" she replied, scratching her head bashfully.
Ryohei was speechless. Can she not detect sarcasm? "I wasn't complimenting you!" he said, rolling his eyes.
"Anyway, don't even think about it," Yurine warned, staring down Jashin-chan. "I'm in a good mood today. Don't force me to punish you."
"...Tsk! You naturally evil Yurine!" Jashin-chan grumbled, resentful that a rare chance to get rich was slipping through her fingers. She hid behind Ryohei and muttered under her breath. A single glare from Yurine, however, was enough to silence her completely.