Can you know what’s inside a box before you open it?
Perhaps you can make a guess. If the person holding the box tells you there’s a toy inside, you’ll imagine a toy.
But what if there’s something else?
What if they claim it’s a toy, but inside is a venomous snake capable of killing a person in a single bite?
Human nature is like an unopened box.
Until you actually face the contents, all you can do is shake it, listen to it, and make guesses.
And yet, there are those who can identify what’s in the box without ever opening it.
Whether that person is a psychic or a magician using tricks doesn’t matter.
The point is, they have a means of verifying the contents.
“Mr. Hitokawa is definitely not a bad person... but for some reason, he smells unpleasant.”
I recalled Eto's words.
Eto had been wary of Hitokawa because she had caught the faint scent of a fellow Ghoul’s blood on him.
Ghouls possess senses far superior to those of humans, and among them, smell plays the most critical role.
Ghouls have a distinctive body scent that only their own kind can detect. Aside from the [Kakugan], smell is the primary sense used to identify a fellow Ghoul.
To distinguish a comrade from “food” that looked identical, a Ghoul’s sensitive nose was an absolute necessity.
Now, let’s return to the matter at hand.
You’re walking down the street and run into a stranger.
That stranger tells you the contents of the box are human, just like you.
But I have no way to confirm that. I can’t know whether there’s truly a human in the box, or a monster that devours them. Neither side can be fully trusted, and neither side can be fully dismissed.
It’s an uneasy feeling.
Naturally, you would try to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
And yet, there was someone who didn't show that obvious reaction.
The police would never be ignorant of the facts regarding Ghouls.
Most of the murders occurring in the city lately were Ghoul-related incidents.
Aside from the investigators, police officers were the civilians most likely to encounter Ghouls; consequently, they received basic training on countermeasures and precautions.
As long as there was a possibility that I was a Ghoul, they wouldn't simply rely on a pair of handcuffs. They would know that a Ghoul could snap such things in an instant.
And if they couldn’t verify the contents of the box called “me,” there was no way they’d let me sit alone in the back seat. A Ghoul could silently rip the throats out of both officers before they even realized what was happening.
But the way I was being handled showed no consideration for the possibility that I was a Ghoul at all.
“Maybe he’s a Ghoul pretending to be human.”
That would be the normal reaction.
“If he were, he would’ve broken the cuffs and bolted already. Don't worry about it.”
Those words and actions showed a complete lack of concern for the danger I might pose.
That was the source of my dissonance.
The police must have viewed this as a Ghoul-related case and handed the investigation over to the CCG.
In such a situation, what basis did they have to assert that the suspect they’d apprehended was absolutely not a Ghoul?
To test this theory, I decided to act the part of a lunatic and pretend to be a Ghoul.
I watched the two officers through the rearview mirror.
The young officer tensed with anxiety, thinking, What if he really is a Ghoul?
The middle-aged officer, however, curled the corner of his mouth as if to say, What kind of ridiculous show is this? He simply mocked my antics.
I was certain now.
This middle-aged man knew I wasn’t a Ghoul.
If he couldn’t verify the contents of the box, he should have harbored at least a shred of doubt.
And yet, without any investigation, right at the moment he caught me, this man had already figured it out!
“Turn left up ahead for a second.”
“Huh? But we’re supposed to go back. That’s the completely opposite direction...”
“I’ve got somewhere to stop by.”
Drip...
Cold sweat ran down my spine. The tension spiked as the officers made it clear they weren't heading to the police station.
Maybe I was overthinking it.
Maybe this middle-aged cop just had an incredible intuition and realized I wasn’t a Ghoul.
Maybe he was just diverting the route because he’d missed lunch and wanted to grab a snack.
“Ha ha...”
Even as I thought it, the sheer optimism of the theory forced a hollow laugh from my lips.
I am human. There is no way for me to verify what is inside the box.
But even without opening the box, one can predict the contents by shaking it or listening to the sound it makes.
And I heard it.
The cry of the monster writhing inside the box.
I heard it through the middle-aged officer’s chilling gaze in the rearview mirror!
Think.
That look in his eyes. You’ve seen it before. Very recently.
The bandage on your right arm is still throbbing.
The marks left by “that child” chewing through your flesh.
Remember the look in “that child’s” eyes when she tore into your arm.
That is the look of someone seeing you as “prey”!
“What? Why are you laughing?”
The young officer, looking pale, asked why I was chuckling in such a strange manner.
I brushed him off and looked out the window.
The number of people on the street was gradually dwindling. I could feel the car heading toward a deserted area.
It was ominous. The worst possible scenarios flooded my mind, and I felt the onset of a panic attack.
[...!]
“!”
Just then, a reply from Hitokawa flashed on the phone screen in my hand. The faint glow of the device felt like the halo of a Buddha encountered in the depths of hell.
I glanced down to check the message.
『Where are you!?』
I moved my fingers silently and typed back.
『In a police car. Destination unknown.』
『Are you sure? That the cop is a Ghoul?』
『Nine times out of ten.』
『Why would a cop be a Ghoul! And why the hell are you being held by one!』
『How should I know! I ran into that cop from yesterday on the street! He arrested me as a suspect in that case!』
After a minute or two, Hitokawa replied.
『Could he have just gotten too into the role of a righteous officer and grabbed you for the thrill?』
『For that to be the case, it's suspicious that he's not heading straight to the station.』
This time, there was a three-minute gap.
『That means his objective is unclear. Since we don’t know his intentions, don’t do anything rash. If he realizes you’ve seen through him, he might do something desperate.』
This sounded a bit too calculated to be something Hitokawa would normally say. Was someone else with him?
『Anyway, if you see any distinctive buildings, tell me.』
I looked back out the window. No distinctive buildings were in sight.
Instead, I listed the signs of restaurants and shops flashing by from right to left and sent them to Hitokawa in sequence.
Another minute or two later, the reply came.
『I’ll try to track you based on this. If you find out anything else, contact me immediately. And absolutely do not provoke him! Keep that in mind!』
That was the end. No more messages came from Hitokawa.
Even if he told me not to provoke him...
“What’s this? Is your friend some kind of Ghoul Investigator?”
The phone was no longer in my hand.
The moment I finished reading Hitokawa’s last text, the middle-aged officer’s hand had shot out like lightning and snatched the device away. The partition that had been blocking me was suddenly wide open.
Damn it. He caught me contacting someone.
The young officer, still driving, asked the middle-aged cop as he scanned the phone.
“Huh? What is it?”
“He was messaging an acquaintance. Claiming the police are Ghouls.”
“Whaaat? Hah! That’s hilarious. Is the kid crazy? I’ve known you for how long now, senior? There’s no way I wouldn’t notice if you were a Ghoul.”
“Yeah. We have known each other for quite a while. That’s why I’m truly sorry it had to end like this.”
“Huh?”
The young officer blinked, failing to grasp the meaning.
CRAAAAACK!!
With a violent explosion, the partition behind the young officer shattered into pieces.
Along with it went the fragments of the officer’s head, who had been alive and talking just a second ago.
..............
For a fleeting moment, it felt as if time had stopped.
The sight of the young officer’s missing head in the front seat, and the middle-aged officer shaking his head with a sigh of genuine regret... everything was seared into my mind in slow motion.
“Of all the people to catch, why did I pick one this annoyingly perceptive? I chose the wrong target.”
The officer’s lament didn’t even register in my ears.
Seeing his eyes in the rearview mirror transform into dark red [Kakugan], only one thought crossed my mind.
...I’m screwed.
Sshhhaaaah!!
A fountain of blood erupted spectacularly from the young officer’s severed neck.
The officer’s arms slumped away from the steering wheel, and the police car, now devoid of control, lurched violently and raced headlong into chaos.
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