He ran all the way home without stopping.

After locking the door, Furukawa Kota strode to his dining table and slammed down the stolen food. He grabbed a nearby glass, gulped down some water, and finally allowed himself to relax. As a Ghoul, he never thought he'd see the day he would rob a human of their food in the middle of the street and then run for his life.

It was utterly absurd.

A sense of ridiculousness filled his heart, but it was immediately crushed by the demon of appetite. Kota took the food box out of the bag and opened it.

Steam billowed up, and a soft light bloomed from within.

The unique, captivating aroma instantly intensified, filling his nostrils. The red and black of his kakugan immediately flooded his eyes, appearing without conscious thought. Without hesitation, Kota grabbed the disposable chopsticks from the bag, snapped them apart, and shoved a large bite of the food into his mouth.

In the next moment, Furukawa Kota was completely and utterly shaken by the incredible flavor.

What is this?!

He couldn't find the words. He couldn't describe it. He couldn't even think. All that was left was the primal instinct to feed. He became a ruthless eating machine, bowing his head and devouring the meal with frantic speed.

He stuffed his mouth until it was bulging, unable to fit even a single extra grain of rice. He chewed with wide, powerful motions, every bite an explosion of pure ecstasy. In the end, he finished the entire set—the onigiri and the bowl of soup—in what felt like three bites, taking no more than ten seconds.

After he had finished, Kota picked up the empty containers and licked every last drop of sauce and every stray vegetable fiber from their surfaces. A feeling of being utterly unsatisfied washed over him. At the same time, his reason slowly returned, which only led to an even greater shock.

"Unbelievably… delicious!"

"My body… I don't feel sick at all. In fact, I feel great…"

"This stuff… how is this glowing food even made?"

Kota was reeling, his heart pounding. He stood up and began pacing back and forth in his small apartment. After eating that meal, he could no longer look at his previous food source the same way. That stuff was garbage; even a dog wouldn't eat it. His mind was now completely occupied by the image of the glowing food.

Kota took out his phone, opened a browser, and searched for "how to make glowing food." The results were disappointing, filled with irrelevant links. The only relevant hit was about the food stall itself. Someone had posted about it online.

The title was: [The Unbelievable Food Stall and the Glowing Onigiri!]

It was accompanied by a photo that looked like it had been taken secretly. The comments below were, of course, mostly from disbelievers. "Great photoshop!" "This is so fake, how could an onigiri possibly glow!" "This isn't scientific at all!" "Why are you trying to insult my intelligence?"

However, mixed in were one or two other comments. "Whoa, you bought it too, OP?" "Just finished mine, it was amazing! So good I almost swallowed my own tongue!" "I'm officially a fan of this stall."

Kota put down his phone. He now realized that the problem wasn't the food, but the stall itself—or rather, the young man in the chef's uniform.

Greed began to fester in his heart. If I kidnap and imprison him, he thought, won't I have an endless supply of glowing food? I wouldn't even have to hunt humans anymore, which would reduce my risk of being exposed!

"Ah!"

That future… it was wonderful! It was the future he wanted!

Almost subconsciously, Furukawa Kota made his decision. He would kidnap and imprison the chef. He would make that human cook for him for the rest of his life.

Until he died.

His plain face twisted with greed, his features contorting until he looked like an evil demon.

On the other side of town.

"Hey, Subject, I'm thirsty," Jashin-chan announced, stopping in front of a bubble tea shop. She turned her head to look at Ryohei.

"Now that you mention it, I am too…" Ryohei's mouth felt a bit dry. Seeing the shop right there, he took some money from the cash box and waved the bills grandly. "One drink for everyone. My treat!"

"Ooh, you're not so bad, kid!" Jashin-chan's face lit up with a brilliant smile. She patted Ryohei on the shoulder like a wise old senior and then excitedly headed into the shop.

"I'll stay out here," Yurine said, placing a hand on her slender waist as she glanced at the food cart. "Can you get me a brown sugar bubble tea? Less ice, thirty-percent sugar."

"Got it. You're so reliable, Yurine!" Ryohei praised her with a thumbs-up, then turned and followed Jashin-chan into the shop.

"..." Yurine watched him go, a faint, almost imperceptible smile gracing her lips. She then turned her gaze to the trees lining the street, illuminated by the lampposts. Where the light touched them, the leaves were a vibrant, intoxicating green, full of life. The parts in shadow were like mysterious phantoms, providing a stark contrast that only made the illuminated green all the more beautiful.

"One brown sugar bubble tea, less ice, thirty-percent sugar."

Inside the shop, Ryohei ordered Yurine's drink first. He then looked at the menu and, after a moment's thought, ordered a kumquat lemon tea for himself. He was genuinely thirsty, and a milky tea would be too rich. A fruit tea was much more refreshing.

"Hmm…" Jashin-chan stood to the side with her arms crossed, studying the menu with intense concentration. After a long, dramatic deliberation, she ordered the Jasmine Cloud-Top Matcha—the most expensive item. Ryohei suspected she chose it for the price, not the flavor, though he had no proof.

"Here you go." Ryohei handed the drink to Yurine. She took it with both hands.

"Arigatou," she said softly. She then parted her cherry-pink lips, took a sip through the straw, and her face lit up with pleasure. "So sweet! It's nice to have one of these once in a while."

"Is thirty-percent really that sweet?" Jashin-chan asked, taking a sip of her own matcha. She had ordered seventy-percent sugar.

"This one has brown sugar, so even thirty-percent is plenty sweet," Yurine explained.

"Oh, I see! Let me try!" Jashin-chan slithered over, about to take a sip of Yurine's drink. Yurine simply pulled it away with a smile.

"I refuse."

"Tch, so stingy!" Jashin-chan huffed, turning away from her.

Yurine, unbothered, took another sip of her tea. "I'm not being stingy. I'm just disgusted by your saliva."

"...That's not stingy, that's just mean! You…!"

A fight seemed to be brewing between the girl and the demon. Ryohei stepped in, grabbing one of the cart's handles. "Jashin-chan, grab the other side. Let's pull the cart home together." Now that she was holding a drink, she couldn't pull it by herself.

"Oh, okay," Jashin-chan replied, taking her drink and moving to the other handle.

The two of them pulled the cart from the front, with Yurine following behind Ryohei. After a moment, Jashin-chan turned her head to him. "So, what are we selling tomorrow?"

"I was thinking... Katsu Sando."

"Katsu… Sando?" Jashin-chan's eyes went wide. Yurine also looked up, intrigued. "Tonkatsu from a food stall?"

"Not just any tonkatsu," Ryohei said with a grin. "We'll sell them as Katsu Sando—pork cutlet sandwiches. Easy to eat on the go. Perfectly fried, glowing pork cutlet, soft milk bread, tangy sauce… it'll be a huge hit."

"Slurp—!"

Yurine and Jashin-chan both swallowed hard, their mouths watering. They wished tomorrow would come sooner. Even if it was just a simple sandwich, Jashin-chan was sure Ryohei would make it unbelievably delicious. Though she was a capable cook herself, when it came to Ryohei's skills, she was already a blind follower. She couldn't wait.