The lights in the hospital were being turned off one by one; it was time to turn them off.

The corridor was deserted.

Chie endured another half hour in the toilet stall. She looked around and saw no one. Apart from a few rooms where the lights were still on, the rest of the place was quiet.

"arrive."

"...?"

A sweet, cloying aroma wafted over, and Chie Hori entered a room, where she saw the old man with the salted pig's trotters, snoring loudly.

"...Ah, asleep." Hori Chie even made a slight noise, but the old man remained completely still, continuing to snore loudly. Hori Chie waved her hand again, "...Hello~"

She even poked his face, which looked like it was covered in a layer of lard. Chie Hori wiped her hand in disgust.

"...slept like a log."

Chie glanced around the room, even taking the time to observe its furnishings, and was quite surprised by its luxurious amenities. The ensuite bathroom, sofa, coffee table, and refrigerator were all present and accounted for – a truly opulent setup.

"Amazing."

"This is much better than the amenities of a regular hotel," Chie Hori exclaimed.

Hori Chie slumped onto the sofa, lounging like a Ge You, watching the old man sleeping soundly in bed. This old man must have some kind of background, otherwise he wouldn't be receiving such treatment. Tsukiyama Shuu had also said that this lecherous old man must be quite wealthy, and there were many high-end desserts in this ward. She greedily picked up a mango and sniffed it.

The aroma of mangoes is very enticing.

However, the other side was already rotten. It seems that this old guy has plenty of food and drink, which is why it rotted like this.

"Humph……"

Hori Chie snorted coldly, then took out her camera and took a picture of the old man.

"Almost?"

It was already 11:55 PM, almost midnight, the time Kazuya had arranged with Tsukiyama Shuu. At that moment, Hori Chie lazily stretched on the sofa, the moonlight streaming in through the window, the moonlight beautiful.

"...?"

Light footsteps echoed in the corridor, moving back and forth between the corridor and the rooms, as if they were a nurse making her rounds.

"Let me think..." If it really is a nurse making rounds, then Hori Chie's room will definitely be checked as well, and then wouldn't she be discovered? Hori Chie wanted to find a secluded place, and after observing for a week, she decided to hide under the bed. Fortunately, she was very petite.

Although I was very unwilling, it was too late; the footsteps were already getting closer.

"no way."

The room door was now open, and the beam of a flashlight filled the entire ward. Hiding under the bed, Chie was still a little uneasy, but she figured it shouldn't be anything serious. After all, it was just a routine check-up, and the nurse should leave soon. However, the nurse remained motionless, showing no sign of leaving.

Chie Hori was filled with doubt when she heard the sound of a cardboard box and a chilling chewing sound.

dessert?

The nurse ate the snacks, then went to the old man's bedside and slapped him hard across the face, making a loud noise.

"Hey, are you still alive?"

Another slap.

"Hurry up and give me some feedback. How am I supposed to go to the next ward to check on you if I can't confirm you're still alive?"

"Um..."

The old man groaned, but the nurse not only didn't stop slapping him, but also spoke to him with disgust.

"What? You're still alive? How disgusting. There's no point in you living. Why don't you just die? Everyone's wondering why you're still alive. What's the point of living? It's disgusting, just die! So for everyone's sake, just die!"

Although Chie Hori couldn't see the nurse's face, she still remembered her voice. This was the nurse who had been harassed by this lecherous old man during the day.

"...Aren't you an excellent nurse?" Suddenly, Tsukiyama Shuu's voice rang out, and the nurse was clearly startled.

"what? What?"

The nurse collapsed to the ground, and only then did Chie Hori see what the nurse looked like—it was indeed the nurse.

"Why... Yueshan? Wait, this is the eighth floor!"

"Sorry, I broke the window. I clearly told them to open the window for me first, but littlemouse doesn't seem to care."

Tsukiyama Shuu lightly leaped into the room, and Hori Chie crawled out from under the bed. The nurse was so shocked when she saw Hori Chie that her jaw almost dropped.

"You came with Tsukiyama yesterday... What's going on! How did you get here!"

"Excuse me, let's finish what we're saying. What's her work attitude like, littlemouse? She's always like this, abusing patients she doesn't like every night!"

Tsukiyama explained to Hori Chie, then lifted the covers, looked at the elderly man lying there, and said casually.

"There are signs of internal bleeding."

The nurse was clearly startled. First, it was impossible for someone to suddenly appear on the eighth floor, especially not alone, and for their secret to be discovered. What would they do? The nurse was obviously at a loss, completely unsure how to deal with Hori Chie and Tsukiyama Shuu, which is why she trembled and frowned as she looked at Tsukiyama Shuu.

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"But he forgets what others have done to him, just as he doesn't remember what he's done to others. He doesn't know why he got hurt, and he doesn't remember. So everyone around him assumes he hurt himself accidentally, and that's the end of it. What a great script! Absolutely brilliant! Bravo!"

Yueshan suddenly clapped.

The applause stopped abruptly.

Tsukiyama Shuu pinched the old man's skin, revealing a strange and eerie smile.

"Well then, it's time for dinner."

"Clap!"

The sound was crisp and clear, while Tsukiyama Shuu calmly watched everything unfold. The nurse screamed and backed away, as if she had seen a demon. The demon's laughter was so terrifying that it instantly rendered the nurse incapable of thought, leaving only fear.

Even more fear.

Regressing, and regressing again.

"Ahhh!"

"It is said that the skin of the elderly is a delicacy. Its unique odor and texture are addictive and loved by some gourmets. The thoroughly dry and rough skin, and the blood-soaked inner skin, two completely opposite textures intertwine, along with the unique astringent taste that stimulates the tongue, creating a supreme harmony!"

"Liar, lie, lie, lie... What happened! It hurts! It hurts so much—!"

"Compared to women, men have a shorter average lifespan, and the number of men over ninety is drastically decreasing! Living fossils like you are extremely rare and very valuable! The white flakes on your skin are practically like powder! Truly a delicacy!"

"Stop, stop! Please stop right now..."

"Tsukiyama...you...you're a ghoul...?"

"Hmph, I am the 'Gourmet'! The seeker of the ultimate gourmet!"

"Help, help me... help me... help me! I'll do anything! I'll give you anything! I have money! And land! Please! I beg you..."

"Eccentric! Let me amaze you until the very last moment!"

"I don't dislike your self-centeredness, your indifference to the suffering of others! I believe that humanity's prosperity stems from its tenacity for survival, and from its cruelty in wearing the mask of kindness, deceiving others to protect itself, and readily choosing betrayal! But..."

"The game ends here...!!"

At this moment, Tsukiyama was gripping Hori Chie's body. If he let go, Hori Chie would truly die. The room was in complete chaos.

"Answer me, what is reflected in your eyes right now?"

"A surge of fear and unbearable despair. The world instantly loses its color, and your heart begins to grow cold..."

But Tsukiyama didn't receive any of the expected responses. Horie Chie quickly looked up at the sky, then picked up her camera and aimed it at Tsukiyama's line of sight.

Tsukiyama Shuu imagined fear, endless fear, but Hori Chie actually pressed the shutter button, seemingly indifferent to her own life and death.

"Hmm...that's really good."

Is this woman so indifferent to death? Even the ghoul Tsukiyama Shuu is only so calm and arrogant when his life is not threatened. Sometimes he is much more restrained. For example, when Yoshimura warns him, or when he senses danger, Tsukiyama Shuu still follows the principle of "a wise man doesn't fight a losing battle" and runs away if he can.

I would never joke about my own life.

But the woman in front of him was so calm, and this calmness gave Yue Shan a chill down his spine and made him feel goosebumps all over.

This kind of morbid mentality is simply incomprehensible. How can anyone be so indifferent to their own life? Especially when facing a ghoul like him.

“…This is interesting! Oh dear!” Tsukiyama Shu pulled Hori Chie into the room, and Hori Chie swayed and almost fell. After regaining her footing, she even said with a smile on her face, “I’m still alive. I’m so lucky, so very lucky.”

Having nearly lost her life, it seems that it doesn't make much difference whether Hori Chie was mentally strong or abnormally twisted to maintain such a mindset under these circumstances. However, Tsukiyama Shuu still recognized Hori Chie's special qualities.

Even ants cherish life, let alone humans.

"I see, I understand now! You're my pet! I've always found it incredible that you don't arouse my appetite at all, but it makes sense if we explain it using the concept of humans keeping pets! Littlemouse, from today onwards, I'll make you my pet!"

"Huh? I don't want to." Chie Hori refused outright, looking quite disdainful, while leisurely checking her own photo.

He doesn't care about life, not even his own, but he cares about whether his photos are good or not. What a strange person.

"Is this what it feels like for humans to be attracted to cats that don't want to get close? How interesting!"

"By the way, Tsukiyama, do you know what a blog reservation publication is?" Even though she was almost killed by Tsukiyama Shu, Horie Chie was still able to change the subject so leisurely, which only aroused Tsukiyama Shu's curiosity.

"Of course I know. It's the function of writing the article in advance and setting the publication time, right?"

"That's right, that's right. Actually, I already set the upload time for 1 a.m. sharp on the photo I took of you eating."

Do you want to upload it to the internet?

If the intention was to frame Tsukiyama Shuu, then Hori Chie wouldn't have spoken so openly and without any guard up in front of him. What exactly is this woman planning?

Tsukiyama Shuu could never figure out what this woman was thinking; she was truly a strange person the more you got to know her.

"If I were to die, I really don't want to end up with nothing but a corpse, so I wrote in advance, 'The culprit is Tsukiyama Shuu, a student at Harunan Gakuin University Affiliated High School. Please help me dox him.' But now that I've been given a second chance at life, I have to cancel the scheduled announcement."

Chie Hori's way of thinking is so unique; most people wouldn't do it this way, but it seems perfectly normal to Chie Hori.

Chie pointed out the window; her luggage was hidden there.

"But how are we going to leave here? We can't just walk out of the hospital like that."

Tsukiyama Shuu couldn't help but burst out laughing. It was so funny! Hori Chie was truly different from everyone else; she must be a special species.

"Then we'll take our leave here."

"Oh?"

Tsukiyama Shuu grabbed Hori Chie and jumped out of the window. The nurse was almost scared to death, but the moment Tsukiyama Shuu jumped, he even turned back to look at the nurse.

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"You seem like you could become a good 'friend' with us."

"what?"

The nurse heard this but couldn't understand it. Why would Tsukiyama Shuu say such strange things to her? What did he mean by "you seem like you can become good 'friends' with us"? What exactly did "friends" mean? This monster had done such cruel things in front of her, and she never wanted to see this monster again.

"What exactly is going on...?"

"It hurts! It hurts...!" the old man was still shouting. She was about to go out when she heard the old man shouting again.

"I will never forget...!" I will never forget everything you've done to me...! I will also expose how you've been beating me all this time! You wretched girl who can't even take care of a sick person... what are you going to do..."

These were the last words he uttered.

Several weeks have passed in the blink of an eye. Inside the coffee shop, Horie Chie is still eating non-stop, while Tsukiyama Shuu is drinking coffee.

"By the way, do you know what happened after that?"

Horie handed him the notebook. The old man had been murdered, and Tsukiyama Shu was the one who was framed. It was obvious that the nurse had killed the old man.

"It seems I've been framed. I'm so pathetic."

"It was your fault to begin with."

“I sensed that cruelty was always lurking deep inside her.”

"So I went back to find that nurse."

"Your hobbies are pretty strange too."

"No matter what, she was a 'brave tragic nurse,' so everyone in the hospital felt great sympathy for her."

"Oh?"

"Thanks to this, she finally started dating the doctor she had always had a crush on. She was very grateful to you and said you were like a god."

"There is no more compelling subject than the tragic queen."

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