Seeing Ito Ryo walk back in a daze, Sanba Rika poked him curiously, "Eh? Did that transfer student say something to Ryo-kun just now?"
"Nothing... just talked about some past things." Ito Ryo waved his hand weakly, "If possible, I hope you can lose weight recently... eat less."
"Eat less? If Ryo-kun likes me thin, I'll agree." Sanba Rika smiled; she was very smart and completely understood what Ito Ryo was saying.
Ito Ryo's hint was extremely simple: for her to reduce her eating frequency recently, or even not eat at all, until Arima Kishou left Ward 13.
Sanba Rika pulled out an exquisite bento box from her desk drawer.
"Here! This is today's bento. If Ryo-kun doesn't come down soon, I'll probably have to bring it up..." Sanba Rika said, opening the bento box to display today's dishes.
"If Ryo-kun doesn't eat soon, the tamagoyaki in the bento will really get cold." Sanba Rika smiled and picked up a piece of tamagoyaki, offering it to Ito Ryo's mouth.
Ito Ryo naturally had no reason to refuse, opening his mouth to eat it. The tamagoyaki Sanba Rika offered was warm, with a perfect texture.
"Your cooking has improved again... Rika."
"I'm so happy Ryo-kun would say that." Sanba Rika smiled, continuing to feed Ito Ryo, "Hmm... these days with nothing happening are truly wonderful."
Ito Ryo also sighed, "Yes, a life where nothing happens... it's truly wonderful."
—————
At 7 PM, Ito Ryo parted ways with Sanba Rika and met up with Arima Kishou at a crossroads.
Arima Kishou was still the same, wearing his thin student uniform, expressionlessly looking at his watch, "Itou-senpai, you're late. This isn't like the Ito I know."
"Ahaha... well... I was accompanying my girlfriend shopping and got a little delayed." Ito Ryo scratched his head awkwardly. This was a complete accident; he really didn't mean to be late.
"Don't let it happen again. Being late isn't a good habit, Itou-senpai." Arima Kishou glanced at Ito Ryo indifferently, then led him to their target location.
The two walked silently along the road. Looking at the large instrument cases on their backs, an unfamiliar passerby would definitely assume these two were members of a stoic band.
But the truth was quite the opposite; the instrument cases on their backs contained quinque capable of hunting Ghoul.
Although one was a Second Class Investigator without a higher rank, and the other a Third Class Investigator, they shouldn't, in theory, possess quinque, only being allowed to use specialized Q-bullets.
However, both of them were genius Half-Ghoul from the White Day Garden. If you have a problem with that, take it up with the Washuu Clan.
Arriving at the alley behind the bar, the air was filled with the smell of alcohol, vomit, and trash, completely out of place with Ito Ryo and Arima Kishou, two neatly dressed students.
As soon as he walked in, Ito Ryo smelled a faint scent of blood, along with faint chewing sounds. Judging by the frequency of the chewing, there were probably around three Ghoul.
"What a headache..." Ito Ryo rubbed his head. He hadn't really investigated this area much because it was the Ghoul feeding ground he had left for Sanba Rika... he didn't expect rats to sneak in.
Arima merely glanced at him indifferently, saying nothing, and walked straight into the depths of the alley, carrying his instrument case.
Ito Ryo had long grown accustomed to Arima Kishou's cold personality, and slowly followed behind, carrying his own case.
As soon as the two entered the alley, they saw a scene that would make any ordinary person's legs go weak: three people squatting on the ground, voraciously eating the corpse of a middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man's chest was wide open, to the point of being "heartless," and the three people continued to eat.
"Itou-senpai, I'll take the left, you take the right." Arima Kishou calmly scanned the area, briefly assessed the scene, and then pulled a long sword from his instrument case.
It was Arima Kishou's quinque, Yukimura 1/3, a long sword that looked unremarkable, and in reality... it was indeed unremarkable. One couldn't expect much from a B-rank quinque.
Ito Ryo also nodded in understanding, similarly drawing his quinque from his instrument case, also in the style of a long sword.
It seemed similar to Arima's, but it was an experimental weapon from the CCG, a fusion-type quinque of Kagune and Rinkaku, capable of releasing tentacles from the hilt for movement or attack.
Hearing the commotion at the alley entrance, the three Ghoul, who were wolfing down their meal, looked up. Upon seeing Ito Ryo and Arima Kishou, the three Ghoul immediately displayed three completely different expressions.
The two Ghoul on the left were terrified upon seeing the two people with quinque appear at the alley entrance, while the one on the right was slightly more composed, its kakugan instantly flaring.
"white dove?! Why are there white dove here?! Didn't you say this place was safe?!" The Ghoul on the left turned pale with fright.
"Shut up... be quiet, you idiot!" The Ghoul on the right cursed angrily, its kagune bursting from its back, the green kagune swaying in the air.
While the two Ghoul were still arguing, Ito Ryo had already charged forward, his quinque mercilessly swinging down, instantly severing one arm of the Ghoul in front of him.
Then, with a twist of the blade, his quinque plunged directly into the Ghoul's eye socket, and red and white matter immediately fell to the ground along the blade.
Although he was the supporting attacker, Arima's movements were no slower than his. Seeing Ito Ryo make his move, Arima immediately followed, similarly slashing at the Ghoul on the right.
The Ghoul on the right barely reacted, grabbing the still-dazed Ghoul next to him and using him as a shield.
The sound of a blade sinking into flesh rang out; the Ghoul had literally used its companion to block Arima's blade.
Though blocked by flesh, Arima's strike still deeply embedded itself into the body. Arima cleanly withdrew his quinque, then, from the opposite direction, cleanly severed its neck with a single slash.
Taking this opportunity, the kagune on the Ghoul's back immediately wrapped around a nearby lamppost, and with a powerful thrust, it fled into the distance.
Arima Kishou didn't pursue, merely turning calmly to Ito Ryo, "Itou-senpai, I'll leave it to you. I can't match his speed."
"You..." Ito Ryo completely failed to understand why this guy was holding back. Although he hadn't fully matured yet, the semblance of the Death God was already emerging; he was perfectly capable of chopping that Ghoul into pieces with another strike.
"What a bother." With no time to complain, Ito Ryo immediately dragged his sword and chased in the direction the Ghoul had fled.