Super God: If I punch you, you will die

"...I can't wait to see the moment she is consumed by happiness."

Tsukiyama Shu laughed, and Hori Chie pressed the shutter again, taking the picture, as if she was only interested in taking pictures.

Shinkansen platform.

"Well then, it's about time for me to go."

"...Mom. I can support myself, don't worry about me." Ikuma boarded the Shinkansen and left, and the Shinkansen went further and further away, leaving behind the place he was familiar with.

"We will support you!"

"work hard!"

Momochike Ikuma is a ghoul.

"Wow! This is amazing..." Momochikame Ikuma had arrived in Kyoto, but the crowds and the overwhelming throngs of people made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. Although he had been here before, this time he felt particularly oppressed and uneasy.

From now on, this will be where Momoe Ikuma will live and work. So, unlike before, Momoe Ikuma has no way out.

Momochi Ikuma perked up and got into the car.

"We've finally arrived!" Ikuma Momochikame had chosen to live in the 20th ward, where the greenery was quite nice, making it a pleasant place to stay. There was a university nearby, and many young people lived there, making it easier to blend in and hide among them.

Momoike Ikuma was surprised by how small the houses were, yet how expensive the rent was, and how cramped they all seemed. He entered the room, intending to strum his guitar, when a voice shouted loudly.

"Noisy!"

"I'm...I'm sorry!" Momochikame Ikuma glanced at the time, a little disappointed. It was already 11 p.m. No wonder that person was so angry. He muttered to himself, still somewhat dejected. He'd certainly been dealt a blow. It seemed his neighbors weren't easy to get along with. But it was understandable; he was already exhausted from work during the day, and to be disturbed while sleeping... "...I've only just arrived and I've already been baptized by the city..."

The next morning.

Ikuma Momochi had already started looking for a job and eventually found a moving company. As a ghoul, he was strong enough to handle the job relatively easily.

"arrive!"

Momochika Ikuma bought a second-hand bicycle and set off. In front of him was a high platform known for suicides. He came here with a purpose, after all, he needed food. However, he was still somewhat disappointed. Below were lush trees, but he did not see any corpses.

"...Still not working..."

But time and time again, his hopes were dashed. Every time he got off work, Momoike Ikuma would come here to see if there was any food available.

"Ikuma Momochi said dejectedly."

"This is going to be embarrassing..." Although her mother had prepared food for her, the empty refrigerator reminded Momoike Ikuma that it was time to look for food.

"Should I go somewhere else? But what if someone goes to commit suicide if I go somewhere else? That would be really annoying... I smell it, there's the stench of a corpse." Ikuma Momochi followed the scent and rode his bicycle at breakneck speed, almost impatiently. His eyes gradually turned red, and his whole body was filled with power as he kept running wildly.

"...That's strange, there's nothing there! Why?" He had clearly followed the scent all the way here; ghouls have an excellent sense of smell, so there was absolutely no mistake. But he sat down on the ground in disappointment, looking at the sky with a sense of despair, truly despair.

Suddenly, Momochi Ikuma noticed that the other person had died a horrible death. It was a man around fifty years old who had been thrown to his death.

"What a horrible way to die... Why did they have to die? It will hurt a little, I'm sorry. Really! I'm so sorry!... We need to deal with this quickly."

This is the source of food for Momochike Ikuma. It's the first time he's found food, so he's reluctant to eat it all and has stored some up. This way, he won't have to worry about food for a while and it will at least last for some time.

"Is there no one around him who can help him?" Momochike Ikuma was still somewhat disappointed, imagining this poor man, and then muttered to himself, "I really feel like a hyena..."

Momochikame Ikuma searched for food every day but found nothing. Then, he smelled that familiar scent he'd caught yesterday. Had someone else died? Why did this person die? Were you the one causing trouble here lately? Although Momochikame Ikuma's food supply was unstable, and he hoped to find something, seeing these suicides still moved him. He desperately searched for food to survive, but some people, who could clearly live, chose death instead.

Why choose death?

Momoike Ikuma couldn't understand this at all, and was quite puzzled.

0211 Danger [Please Subscribe]

Momochi Ikuma saw the man, a man with a short beard, wearing a cloak, looking at Momochi Ikuma. He could tell at a glance, or rather, sense the man's aura, that he was a ghoul.

Before he could react, the other person punched her. Compared to the panting Momochi Ikuma, the other person was more than capable.

"what!"

Ouch—that hurts! Momoike Ikuma crashed hard to the ground.

"...I'm so sorry!"

Momochi Ikuma knew that his opponent's abilities were far beyond his capabilities, so he quickly kowtowed and begged for mercy. This was the best course of action. A true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm, and a wise man doesn't suffer losses in front of him. No matter what, he couldn't invite trouble upon himself, which is why he was so eager to beg for mercy.

"I've just arrived in Tokyo and I don't know the rules here! I didn't know this was someone else's territory! I promise I won't do it again! I'm so sorry! Please, please let me go!"

"...Don't you know the rules here? When did you arrive?"

"About three months ago."

"Three months...? During this period, you didn't have any contact with other 'ghouls' at all?"

When asked this, Momochi Ikuma nodded honestly. He truly had no contact with other ghouls, nor any means to do so, and had been constantly busy working and searching for food sources in order to survive here.

“Since I came here, you are the first ghoul I’ve ever crossed paths with. You might not believe it, but I desperately want to live in the human world… so I don’t want to have too much involvement with ghouls…”

The man's expression suddenly changed, and a strange glint flashed in his eyes. He thought for a moment, while Momochi Ikuma waited anxiously, wondering how the other party would treat him.

The man thought for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

"I see. You and Yan might get along well."

""inflammation"?"

Ikuma Momochi pondered who this person was, regarding that Yan. The man didn't answer, but instead handed him a flyer. It listed a coffee shop in Anteiku, along with its detailed address. What was the flyer's purpose?

"This is……"

"This place is in charge of everything in the 20th ward. It's also where 'ghouls' exchange information. It'll be better for you to go there first. I'll let you go for today."

After saying that, the man left on his own.

Momochi Ikuma glanced at the flyer and didn't react for a long time. The other party's pressure was too strong, so he immediately fled after his body reacted.

A few weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

The horse breeding farm in Taochi has run out of food reserves again.

For weeks after encountering the mysterious man, Ikuma went hungry. His food supplies were nearly depleted, leaving only scraps. He hadn't been paid for his job, so he had no money to buy the only edible food available – human coffee. However, Ikuma didn't go to the 'Antei Ward' as the man had given him; in truth, Ikuma was genuinely afraid of being associated with ghouls.

"This is terrible... Are all the guys in Tokyo like that...?"

Ever since meeting that strange man, Momochike Ikuma has become even more terrified of ghouls. He doesn't want to get close to ghouls at all.

Even though he was starving, Ikuma Momoike did not want to have anything to do with ghouls.

"……Mother."

Momochika Ikuma was extremely disappointed. Should he ask his mother for help now? If so, he might still be able to survive here. However, he didn't really want to ask his mother for help, which meant that coming out was a mistake and that his abilities would be negated.

sunset.

Six o'clock in the evening.

Everywhere was filled with crowds, and the square was teeming with humans. Momoichi Ikuma longed to be an ordinary human, not a monster who depended on humans for survival. Struggling against fate, Momoichi Ikuma felt only exhaustion; he was utterly drained, both physically and mentally, and had almost given up.

but--

Are we really going to admit defeat?

No, I have to keep going, I have to overcome the difficulties, I have to live well, I have to live well. If I can live, who would want to die? Even though Momouchi Ikuma is a ghoul, he doesn't hate humans and hopes to get along well with them.

At that moment, a guest arrived.

"My best friend is in trouble right now, and I really want to help him, but I can't do anything to help," the stranger suddenly said to him. Perhaps he thought that Ikuma Momoike was all alone, which is why he suddenly struck up a conversation with him, since he was already at his wit's end.

Friends? Ikuma Momochi also thought of his friends back home.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this. You don’t necessarily have to help in any way. I think having friends around makes me feel at ease, and there’s nothing better than that.”

"I feel more energized now!" the young man said with a smile.

This is because Ikuma Momoike finds satisfaction in helping others.

At that moment, the man suddenly took something out of his bag and handed it to Momoike Ikuma.

"Ah! That's right!"

The young man handed him a can of coffee, and it was unsweetened black coffee.

"You really helped me a lot! You are my god!" Momochike Ikuma was really grateful. He was so hungry that he was about to faint. This can of coffee was a lifesaver.

After saying that, the young man disappeared.

"I'll come hear you sing again! Next time I'll bring my best friend!"

In a secluded place, Ikuma Momoike opened the coffee can, the rich aroma of which was invigorating, but he then heard the voice of a stranger.

"To encounter a ghoul in a place like this, I'm so lucky! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I'm a blessed person!"

Momochi Ikuma was attacked before he could even react. His right hand felt like it was about to be shattered, and then a sharp pain shot through his abdomen. He was completely powerless to fight back and just collapsed.

"What……"

It was only then that Momochi Ikuma realized that his body had been kicked away, and he had been knocked down before he could even react.

"Since they are 'ghouls,' they shouldn't drink that kind of cheap coffee. It's better to drink something carefully brewed with a siphon coffee maker."

Momochikame Ikuma realized the danger, but he didn't even have the ability to run away. He was kicked away again, rolling on the ground. Only then did he see the face of the person in front of him clearly.

0212 Anding District [Please Subscribe]

He was a handsome man, but his bloodthirstiness and violence were completely different from his appearance.

"Why……"

"I hope you can listen to me! Actually, I'll be able to taste the delicious food I've been looking forward to tomorrow! I've spent so much time and effort to bring it to its best state! Did I convey my excitement to you? I really want to share this with you!"

As the elegant man spoke, he beat Momoike Ikuma, who let out cries of pain, already pitiful and seriously injured.

"You understand! This burst of pathos from me! But humans are far too fragile to share with me... Only ghouls don't easily break down! ...Excuse me, I'm only introducing myself now. My name is Tsukiyama Shuu, but you don't need to remember it!"

Tsukiyama Shuu did not stop beating Momochi Ikuma, who was bleeding from many places all over his body. A thick, tortoise-shell-like kagune appeared on his left arm, which finally blocked Tsukiyama's attack.

"I see, you're a kagune too. Well then, let me show you my kagune—! How about it!" Tsukiyama's kagune was like a drill, inspiring awe.

Momochike Ikuma was almost in despair.

This is overwhelming; it is absolutely invincible.

The opponent is undoubtedly stronger, while I am just a fish on a chopping board, at their mercy. So, only my life is left.

At this point, Momoike Ikuma had completely given up hope. Faced with such a disparity in strength, he knew he was doomed. But even ants cling to life. No matter the circumstances, the human desire to survive is an irresistible force written in our genes.

"watch out!"

Tsukiyama Shuu had already begun his attack, and Momoike Ikuma managed to defend himself, but his shoulder was still pierced through, his body was thrown into the air, and then fell heavily to the ground.

"My guitar—...!"

"...Guitar? Is this your guitar?"

"That's enough!!"

Momoike Ikuma didn't want to see his guitar damaged; it was his most precious possession. Enraged, Momoike Ikuma began to attack Tsukiyama Shuu.

"Calm down, I'm assessing the situation too!" Tsukiyama Shuu said while dodging.

"Yukiyama, did you break someone's musical instrument?"

A soft, sweet girl's voice rang out. This girl was Hori Chie. This time, Hori Chie was also following Tsukiyama Shu. She examined the guitar and said, "This guitar feels like it's been used for a long time. I wonder what kind of songs it used to play."

"Jesus! I...I actually destroyed the instrument!" Tsukiyama's kagune suddenly disappeared, and he said to Hori Chie, "Hori, thank you. You always bring me back to my senses. And only you dare to stay by my side like a close family member..."

"I wasn't by your side."

"Hahaha, your jokes are getting funnier and funnier! Unique!"

"I've done something I'm sorry for. I didn't expect you to be a music lover like me..." Tsukiyama Shuu even bowed his head to apologize to Momochike Ikuma, a complete reversal that no one had anticipated. Just moments ago, Tsukiyama Shuu was trying to kill him, but now he was saying such things, even continuing with a smile, "I'm also sorry about this instrument. By the way! I'll contact a music store I know. If you go there, they should be able to help you. Just give them my name when you go there."

Tsukiyama Shu even handed Momoi Ikuma a business card.

"Although you are seriously injured and on the verge of death, you should feel better after eating something. I was supposed to help you prepare food, but unfortunately, I have to prepare for tomorrow. I hope to have the opportunity to hear you play a melody after you get better. Well then, I'll take my leave now."

After saying these words, Tsukiyama Shuu and the girl disappeared, leaving Momoichi Ikuma alone for a long time before he realized what had happened; he was seriously injured.

“…It’s over…it’s over…what should I…do…Antei…ward…” Momochike Ikuma was at his wit’s end. He was seriously injured and starving, which was not conducive to his recovery. At this moment, he thought of the coffee shop in Anteiku.

"Why...why...why do we...why do we have to eat people...!" Momochike Ikuma was even somewhat desperate because he found that his injuries seemed to be very serious and could not support him to go to Anteiku, his only hope.

At that moment, a voice rang out.