A basin of cold water seemed to fall from the top of Touka’s head.
Even the kind of cold that could freeze someone could not compare to the chill Touka felt at this moment.
She knew.
She had always known.
As a ghoul and a human, they were naturally opposing sides, and conflict was inevitable.
She just never expected it to happen so soon.
She had developed favorable feelings toward Gao Yu, but they had not reached that point yet.
Rather, she had always been controlling her emotions, preventing her feelings from following the beating of her heart.
She had also been doing her best to avoid getting involved with humans, precisely because she did not want to face a situation like this.
She had no choice with Yoriko.
From the moment she entered school, Yoriko had clung to her.
Yoriko was always thinking about her, and gradually, Touka came to regard Yoriko as a friend.
Occasionally, Yoriko would bring her snacks and take her out to eat.
She would reluctantly eat them before turning around and throwing them up, unwilling to disappoint Yoriko’s kindness.
Gao Yu was the first opposite sex toward whom Touka’s favorable feelings had continuously grown, but the situation she could accept the least often happened unintentionally.
Gao Yu’s observation skills were sharp, and it was difficult for Touka to believe that he would not notice something abnormal about her.
Would Gao Yu associate it with ghouls then?
What would he do after learning that she was a ghoul?
She had always wanted to avoid it.
She was not prepared.
Besides, how long could she avoid something as ordinary as eating together?
Was she supposed to hide it forever?
Touka pursed her lips.
Her palm was wrapped in Gao Yu’s large hand, yet she felt as though she was very far away from him.
“Ah, why isn’t anyone saying anything?”
Yoriko was completely confused.
Why had the atmosphere suddenly changed from pink bubbles to oppression?
She inexplicably shivered.
Gao Yu took in Touka’s expression completely.
She lowered her head slightly, and the upper half of her face seemed to be shrouded in darkness.
He had also been avoiding eating together with Touka.
The feeling of eating something and then throwing it up was unpleasant.
Touka had never mentioned her identity, and trying to make two opposing sides coexist had never been a simple matter.
But Gao Yu would not selfishly go and say anything.
Touka had been born a ghoul, and she had her own way of surviving.
The little hand in his was trembling slightly.
Gao Yu regretfully patted Touka’s hand.
“I also wanted to eat with you two, but unfortunately, I have something else to do later.”
“I can’t accompany you two this time.”
Gao Yu shrugged.
From the moment he noticed Yoriko following them, he knew this situation would happen.
With Yoriko’s lively and outgoing personality, she would naturally invite her good friend to eat together.
So he had prepared for it long ago.
Since Touka could not cross the barrier of their different races right now, then he would temporarily avoid confronting their racial differences directly.
She would eventually stand back up on her own.
Compared to forcibly making decisions for Touka himself, Gao Yu would rather see Touka figure everything out on her own.
That would be the real Touka.
“Eh? Why? Can’t you just put whatever you have to do aside?”
Yoriko was incredulous.
This was such a good opportunity to increase their affection.
“My sister needs me for something.” Gao Yu waved his phone.
From the moment Yoriko joined them, he had already made plans with Kiyoko.
Kiyoko had been free recently, and Gao Yu had also planned to go visit her.
“That’s such a shame.”
Yoriko’s face was full of regret.
She had originally wanted their senpai to take them to the arcade to have some fun.
“N-not going?”
Touka pressed down the weight in her heart and asked blankly.
“Maybe next time.”
Gao Yu pinched her fingers.
He had just felt that Touka’s hand had become more than a little cold.
Touka suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
When she came back to her senses, she felt her legs go weak.
If Gao Yu had not been holding her hand, she might have collapsed onto the rooftop.
“Yeah, next time… definitely.”
Touka did not even know whether she should feel relieved.
“Okay, okay. Such a rare opportunity.”
Yoriko was still full of regret.
The atmosphere had been so good today, and it was a shame not to have a meal together as well.
If they were an ordinary couple, Yoriko’s assists would have been incredibly sharp.
Unfortunately, Gao Yu and Touka were not an ordinary situation.
The three of them left the school, and not long afterward, Yoriko ran home on her own.
Gao Yu accompanied Touka back to Anteiku and squeezed her little hand.
“Get some rest early. Tell me if you’re feeling uncomfortable.”
“Mm, be careful on your way.”
Touka walked into the shop and looked back to see Gao Yu gently waving.
Gao Yu picked up his phone.
Kiyoko was asking where he was.
Gao Yu: [I’m on the way. I’ll be there soon.]
Gao Yu opened the navigation and followed the address Kiyoko had given him.
“System.”
Gao Yu summoned the system panel and checked his recent evolution.
[Gao Yu]
[Evolution Value: 75/100]
[Note: You are walking upon the great path of evolution. The path of evolution has no end. Carry a great heart and embark upon the path of evolution.]
The system really had the ability to manipulate people, throwing around words like great and endless.
He had not done nothing during this period either.
He had randomly found a few unlucky ghouls and killed them, absorbing the energy of heaven and earth to speed up his evolution.
Now, his body was filled with enough energy for him to punch a hole through a wall with one punch, and he could punch straight through a ghoul’s body.
His current direction of evolution was toward the limits of the human body.
Gao Yu had consciously been moving toward the direction of utilizing the energy of heaven and earth, but so far, he had not found a clue.
What he wanted was to evolve the ability to allow ghouls to normally consume human food, but unfortunately, he had not reached that level yet.
“Perhaps I need to speed things up a little.”
Gao Yu thought about it and decided to kill more ghouls first.
There were hardly any bug-level ghouls in this world, and the amount of energy of heaven and earth within ghouls was not much.
He could only rely on quantity.
Of course, if it were Dragon Kaneki, the amount of energy of heaven and earth would still be quite considerable.
“I’ll ask Sis Kiyoko about it.”
…
Night.
The lights inside the room were turned off, leaving the entire room in darkness.
Only a trace of moonlight seeped in from the edge of the curtains.
In a room decorated with a rather girlish atmosphere, a figure hugged her legs and curled up in the corner.
Touka’s eyes were slightly red.
She hugged her legs, at a loss.
Her thin pajamas could not completely conceal her beauty.
Her snow-white skin showed through the sleepwear, and from the side, the changing curves of her body could be clearly seen.
Spring scenery was revealed, unseen by anyone in the dim room.
No one knew how long she had been sitting there.
Touka fell backward and stared blankly at the ceiling.
She had been stopped from eating together today.
What about in the future?
Was she supposed to keep hiding her identity as a ghoul forever?
One arm covered her cheek, and a patch of snow-white skin showed from the loose sleeve.
Until now, Gao Yu had never invited her to eat together.
Before, the relationship between the two of them had not been that close, but today, their relationship had clearly warmed up.
Thinking of her hand being held by Gao Yu, Touka seemed to be able to feel the warmth that had been transmitted through her hand.
They had held hands.
Touka smiled lightly, but then the corners of her lips drooped.
It was impossible for her to never eat with Gao Yu, right?
What would he think?
Or perhaps, he would find out.
Ghouls…
Only after experiencing it herself did Touka understand that what the others said was true.
There were too many restrictions on ghouls and humans being together.
Conflict was hidden beneath the calm surface, and the balance could be broken at any time.
When that day came, would Gao Yu stare at her in disbelief, scold her and angrily accuse her of deceiving him?
“I’ll tell him.”
Touka thought to herself, I will tell him.
When that time came, no matter how Gao Yu reacted, she would accept it.