In the kitchen, Hayashi held a kitchen knife in one hand and a spatula in the other. Today, he planned to try cooking some traditional Eastern dishes.
Although he wasn't particularly skilled in cooking, he had some experience from part-time work in the school cafeteria back in the day, so he knew at least a little.
For example—when serving food, you had to shake your hand just slightly. That was the essence and the key.
He pulled ingredients from the fridge, defrosted them, and started cooking. Before long, a rich aroma spread out from the kitchen.
A short while later, Hayashi carried out several steaming dishes and placed them on the table.
"What are these dishes?" Rize's eyes gleamed with curiosity as she looked at the unfamiliar plates.
She had never eaten them before. Then again, she had never even seen such dishes in any restaurant.
"Allow me to give you a proper introduction. These are my hometown dishes." Hayashi nodded with pride and confidence, clearly satisfied with her wide-eyed look.
"First, this is Chicken Stew with Mushrooms. This one is Twice-Cooked Pork. This is Kung Pao Chicken. And this one—Mapo Tofu…" He pointed to each dish one by one as he introduced them.
Gulp~
Maybe because of her earlier experience with the Swiss Roll, seeing a whole table filled with fragrant dishes made Rize swallow hard, her hunger growing stronger.
"Wait—you can't eat yet. Just like before, I need to touch you first." Hayashi quickly stopped her as she reached for the chopsticks.
"So the reason I was able to eat human food earlier… was because of the power you transferred into my body?" Holding her chopsticks, Rize lifted her gaze slightly, eyes flickering with curiosity.
"That's right." Hayashi nodded.
The only reason Rize could eat was because he forcibly used the Horse Talisman's power to turn her into a human.
Both humans and ghouls possessed RC cells. But humans only had very few, usually between 200 and 500.Ghouls, on the other hand, had levels ten times higher, always above 1000.
So Hayashi had suppressed Rize's RC cells down to human levels, essentially transforming her into a human.That meant she was now just an ordinary person — no kagune, no ghoul abilities, nothing special.
Strictly speaking, the Horse Talisman could only dispel external influences; it wasn't supposed to alter a person's body. But the "principle" was in his hands now — he had become one with the Horse Talisman.
Since fusing with it, he was the Horse Talisman. Its power was completely under his control. And so, rewriting the rules had become as easy as breathing.
The only limitation was that the change worked through physical contact. Once he let go, her RC cells would return to normal and she would once again be a ghoul.
"I see…" Rize nodded slowly, eyes thoughtful.
That soothing sensation she'd felt earlier—that must have been her body being reshaped. At that moment, she couldn't sense her kakuhou at all, nor could she summon her kagune.
She didn't understand the mechanics of it, but she found it mysterious and fascinating. This wasn't a power that belonged to either ghouls or humans.
Still, Rize didn't press Hayashi for answers. Everyone had their secrets. She had already known from the night he saved her that he was no ordinary person.
Now, it seemed she had still underestimated him. His abilities were far beyond her imagination.
A small smile tugged at her lips as she looked at him. She found herself more and more drawn to him… even a little enchanted.
"Then I'll leave it to you." Rize stretched out her pale, slender arm with quiet elegance.
"Same as before. Don't move." Hayashi grasped her wrist again, just as before.
He couldn't help but be a little surprised, though. He had expected her to question him, maybe even demand an explanation. He had already prepared a flawless excuse, too.
If she had asked, he was going to say: "I'm actually a superhero who protects world peace. I'm just living in hiding right now, only emerging at night to punish evil and fight crime!"
He was sure Rize would instantly believe it—and maybe even become his number-one fangirl. Unfortunately, she didn't ask, and the opportunity slipped by.
Hayashi sighed in mild regret. Maybe next time.
As the Horse Talisman's power flowed into her again, Rize felt that same comfort and relaxation spread through her body. Her refined, delicate face showed pure enjoyment and contentment.
The moment she could no longer feel her kagune, she eagerly picked up her chopsticks. But then she realized her wrist was still held by Hayashi.
And Hayashi, realizing the same, instinctively reached out and took hold of her other wrist as well.
That left her with one hand holding chopsticks and the other holding a bowl—awkward and inconvenient.
The two of them stared at each other for a long moment.
"…Maybe I should change positions." Hayashi nodded, awkwardly trying to slip an arm around her slim waist—but it felt unnatural.
"Why don't we try this instead?" Rize smiled, then rose and sat directly in Hayashi's lap, shifting her hips slightly to adjust.
"Hsss—" Hayashi inhaled sharply as her warmth and softness pressed against him, like a cushion of heated cotton candy.
If not for his ten years of "trigger discipline" he might have completely lost control.
"How does this position feel?" Rize turned her head, her flawless profile tilted with a teasing smile.
"Doesn't it feel… much more comfortable now?"