After hearing Kureo Mado's report, every Special Class Investigator wore the same look of shock and disbelief.
This was far beyond anything they understood a ghoul could do.
Aside from successfully capturing the extremely dangerous "Binge Eater," Rize Kamishiro, their high-profile sweep tonight had been a complete fiasco.
Multiple key targets escaped.
Special Class Arima suddenly vanished.
And an incomprehensibly powerful unknown entity had appeared.
The gloom of failure and the dread of the unknown weighed heavily on every member of the CCG.
Yet in the depths of that suffocating confusion—
something changed.
Though it was still the middle of the night, the world outside the windows suddenly blazed with light—without the slightest warning!
"W-what is that?!"
"Sunrise?"
"No, it's only three in the morning!"
Everyone in the command room—indeed, everyone awake in Tokyo, across the entire world—stared in astonishment out the window, up at the sky.
There, in the pitch-black night, a… sun was slowly rising?!
A "sun" pouring out a dazzling, comforting radiance—warm, yet without any scorching heat.
Its light swept away the darkness in an instant, making the whole world bright as day.
"Is… is this a miracle?!"
"What on earth is happening?!"
People reeled, stunned and at a loss.
And that was only the beginning.
Next, three vast, steady voices—each seeming to carry the power of supreme law—rang out clearly in the depths of every human mind across the globe.
No matter the language, no matter the place, everyone understood at once:
[Rule One: RC cells shall now cease to exist. All ghouls shall be transformed into human bodies.]
[Rule Two: All knowledge of the existence of ghouls and the CCG shall now be erased. The world shall return to the ordinary.]
[Rule Three: Among the forces of ghouls and the CCG, those whose hearts incline toward evil shall receive the judgment they are due.]
As the final words fell, that sun hanging in the night sky flared once more—one last gentle yet irresistible light—spilling like liquid silver over every corner of the world.
For a moment, time itself seemed to stop.
An invisible, sovereign power of rules began to turn, rewriting the foundations of reality.
…
Inside Anteiku.
Kuzen Yoshimura, Renji Yomo, Kaya Irimi, and Enji Koma all felt their bodies change—clearly.
The ever-present craving for flesh… was gone.
The power of the ghoul within them ebbed like a retreating tide.
Their kakugan faded back to normal; the faint swelling of rc sacs beneath the skin vanished entirely.
They… were becoming human again.
At the same time, their memories of ghouls, the CCG, those bloody battles began to blur—as if gently rubbed out by an eraser…
Only their deepest bonds, and the trust they felt toward the manager and others, remained.
Kuzen stared at his hands, now the color of a human's once more, and tears streamed down his face.
"Ukina… we… finally…"
Eto Yoshimura and Kishou Arima, as they felt the power of the rules pass over them,
also sensed a second force—cold, targeted—an adjudication sweeping through.
But it seemed they were not deemed "hearts inclined toward evil."
The power only probed them, and did not deliver punishment.
A brilliant excitement flashed in Eto's eye.
It worked!
The wish from the Grail had truly been granted—like something done by a god.
…
Time skip: the next day… afternoon.
In Touka Kirishima's room.
Sunlight spilled through the gap in the curtains; the air held the faint scent of what had passed.
Touka lay limp on the bed,
her throat a little hoarse, dried tear tracks at the corners of her eyes.
Rei Ao stood by the window, refreshed, sipping water.
"I-is it… over…?"
Touka asked weakly, with a hint of post-ordeal pleading.
Rei Ao set down the glass, turned, a mischievous smile on his face as he walked toward her step by step.
"Over?"
"Touka, it seems you still don't quite grasp what I'm capable of."
As he spoke, he reached toward the pale ankle peeking from the covers.
Touka's expression collapsed into one of utter despair.
How long was this going to go on…?
Just then—
Knock, knock, knock.
A crisp rapping at the door.
A cool, slightly husky woman's voice followed, cutting through the charged, tender air.
"Rei Ao-sama, it's me—Eto Yoshimura."
"I've come to pay the price for our deal."
Rei Ao paused,
the corner of his mouth curving as if he'd expected it. "Come in," he called.
"!!!"
At the words, Touka snapped fully awake, color draining from her face.
Miss Eto?
She—she was coming in?
How could that possibly be okay?!
Flustered, Touka scrambled to yank the blanket up around herself—
but too late.
Click—
The door swung open.
Eto Yoshimura stepped in, freshly changed into everyday clothes (no longer the bandage getup), her short green hair giving her a sharper look.
Her eyes swept the room—the scene, Touka's panic and clumsy attempt to hide under the covers.
She showed neither surprise nor shyness,
only a faint, knowing smile.
"So… even gods like to indulge in human pleasures, hm?"
Her tone carried the lightest trace of teasing.
Clearly, after the world's rules had been rewritten, her understanding of Rei Ao had risen to that of a "god."
Rei Ao merely smiled and waved a hand.
"Call it what you like—lovemaking is one of the few interests I plan to keep for life."
Thump—
At a flick of his will, the door swung shut.
He beckoned to Eto, casual as greeting an old friend.
"And you're just in time."
Pointing at Touka—who looked ready to bury herself—he said with a cheerful squint,
"Perfect. Touka needs a good, long rest."
Touka: "Eh?!"
Touka was stunned.
What happened next left her even more bewildered.