The feeling, as if her very soul was experiencing pleasure, was something Takatsuki Sen had never felt in her entire life. Her body was changing. By the time she regained her senses, the entire world had become different from before.
The freshness in the air, the scent from flowers and birds, the cooking smells from the neighbor's house...
Gulp.
She inexplicably felt a sense of hunger. Smelling the unknown aroma of food drifting over, Takatsuki Sen froze.
"I actually... feel hungry? How is this possible?"
As a half-Ghoul, Takatsuki Sen was slightly better off than Kaneki Ken, as she could eat human food and digest it. But leaving aside the fact that human food's energy was completely insufficient for her consumption, the taste alone was nauseating to her.
It was like a person eating feces. Can you eat it? Yes. Can you digest it? Yes. But both the nutrition and the taste are unacceptable.
She's previously disgusted by many smells in human society, but now, smelling those food aromas, Takatsuki Sen actually felt hungry. This was truly...
"What I gave you was my blood. It can help fix your defective... nutritional intake, let's say."
As the Earth King, King of Myriad Races, Master of Youkai, Beast of the End, Ryuya's blood could naturally repair the defects of Ghouls.
In fact, whether it's Ghouls, vampires, Jujutsu Sorcerers, Onmyoji, etc., they could all be classified as a kind of pathological change caused by human genetic defects.
Back when Ryuya hadn't yet become a Star God, in the Eternal Night Empire, his blood could already alleviate the True Ancestors' blood-sucking impulse. So for mere Ghouls, what difficulty did it pose for him?
Easily repairing Takatsuki Sen's Ghoul craving for blood and dietary defect, Ryuya appeared very matter-of-fact, "Takatsuki Sen, your body is now no different from a normal human's, except for having a Ghoul's Kagune, the ability to transform, to fight, and an extra Ghoul organ."
"You can eat human food and drink human beverages. From now on, you are no longer a monster."
"Of course, given your physical constitution, if you engage in high-intensity combat, I imagine you'll need to eat a lot more to make up for the consumption, as ordinary food contains too little energy."
Speculating that Takatsuki Sen might become a big eater like Artoria in the future, Ryuya's voice unconsciously softened a bit as he said this.
"Fix the Ghouls' defect? With just one drop of your blood? This... how is it possible?"
What is the biggest conflict between Ghouls and humans? It's precisely the issue of diet.
As two races very similar in appearance, intelligence, and aesthetics, there are many examples of Ghouls and humans falling in love, and many Ghouls don't want to harm humans.
However, because the only source of energy is human flesh, no matter how much a Ghoul resists internally, they ultimately can only become beasts of desire.
The more a Ghoul is reluctant to harm humans, the more terrifying they become when they lose control.
Her dream was to create a world where humans and Ghouls could live together. She had always been searching for a King who could lead humans and Ghouls to coexist.
It's not that Takatsuki Sen hadn't never thought about fundamentally eliminating the Ghouls' appetite, but it was simply impossible.
Now, having drunk Ryuya's blood, she suddenly realized that the answer to resolving all conflicts had emerged. So what exactly did the man before her want...
"Don't look at me like that. What I want is actually quite similar to you."
Taking out another bottle, he placed his processed blood inside, which is enough to restore about ten thousand Ghouls to health, Ryuya continued, "For an SSS-rank Ghoul like you, one drop of blood is enough to turn you human. For SS and S-rank, roughly ten Ghouls consume one drop of blood. For ranks below S, one hundred Ghouls consume one drop."
"You can mix the blood in water, stir it well, and distribute it according to the numbers. As for money, personnel, and equipment… I'll send people to contact you. In short, I don't want much. Just quickly suppress and bring all the Ghoul-related organizations you know about under control."
Checking the time, Ryuya stood up, "As for other Ghouls, I have no intention of dictating their fate. You decide yourself whether to kill them or offer them redemption."
After saying this, Ryuya was about to leave.
"Eh? Eh eh eh eh eh?????"
Thoroughly confused by Ryuya's series of actions, Takatsuki Sen clearly couldn't comprehend.
"Ryuya, what is your goal?"
Even dropping the polite 'Ryuya-sama', it was evident Takatsuki Sen was truly anxious.
"Ah? Didn't I already say? My goal is similar to yours. You want to create a world where humans and Ghouls live together. I want to create a world where humans, vampires, Ghouls, mages, Cursed Spirits, Denizens of the Crimson Realm, etc., all coexist harmoniously."
"Right now, the Ghoul part is handed over to you. I'll handle the rest."
Casually saying things ordinary people wouldn't dare imagine, Ryuya left after speaking.
"This guy... is he serious?"
Looking at the large bottle of blood Ryuya left behind, as the deep red blood flowed, its fragrance seemed to permeate through the glass.
Thinking about how Ryuya said he wanted to make everything in the entire world coexist harmoniously, she had thought her and Arima's idea of humans and Ghouls living together was absurd enough, but now, hearing Ryuya's even more unrealistic idea, Takatsuki Sen instantly felt she was truly a normal person.
But...
"Perhaps it's precisely because the world is so unbelievable that all things yearn for the light even more."
"If everything you said is true, then what does it matter even if I stake my entire self on it?"
As an absolute idealist, Takatsuki Sen was the type who marched towards her dream, never regretting or hesitating even if it meant sacrificing everything.
Taking a deep breath, expressing her willingness to try the future world Ryuya described, she made up her mind and picked up the blood Ryuya left behind.
Inexplicably, a bit of drool trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"Speaking of which... shouldn't I test this blood he left a little, in case it's poisonous, right?"
Her self-consolation lacked any conviction. It was less about testing and more about giving herself an excuse to sneak a taste.
Just as Takatsuki Sen unscrewed the bottle cap, dipped her fingertip in, and prepared to taste a drop...
"Ah, right, Takatsuki Sen, I forgot to tell you. Besides restoring Ghouls' bodies, my blood also acts as a nutritional supplement. If you're seriously injured or out of stamina, you can also drink a drop."
Accompanied by Ryuya's vanished figure reappearing, Takatsuki Sen, holding that drop of blood, froze in her movement.
"Ryuya, why are you back?"
Stiffly looking at Ryuya, seemingly not yet recovered, Takatsuki Sen's face was covered in awkwardness.
"Hmm... then pretend I didn't come back."
Unable to respond to Takatsuki Sen's obsessed fan girl-like expression, Ryuya chose to leave.
"Ahhhhhhh, I'm too embarrassed to see anyone!"
After Ryuya really left this time, she double-checked if he was gone. With her face full of mixed feelings, Takatsuki Sen returned home and began, for the first time in her life, to seriously plan and scheme for a man's sake.