Can one truly know the contents of a box before it is opened?
One might make a guess. If the person holding the box tells you there is a toy inside, you will likely envision a toy. But what if it were something else? What if, despite the promise of a toy, the box contained a venomous snake capable of killing a person in a single strike?
Human nature is much like an unopened box. Until you actually face what lies within, you can do little more than shake it or listen to the sounds it makes—mere predictions.
Yet, there are those who can discern the contents of a box without ever opening it. Whether they possess supernatural powers or are merely magicians employing a clever trick is irrelevant. The fact remains: they have a means of verifying what is inside.
—"Mr. Hitokawa isn't necessarily a bad person… but for some reason, he has a revolting scent."
I recall Eto's words. The reason she had been wary of Hitokawa was that she had caught the faint, lingering scent of "kin's blood" clinging to him. Ghouls possess physical senses far superior to those of humans, and among them, the sense of smell plays the most vital role. There is a distinct scent that only Ghouls can perceive. Aside from the Kakugan, the most crucial sense for identifying one's own kind is smell.
To distinguish "kin" from "prey"—when both look identical—a sensitive nose was a Ghoul's mandatory survival tool.
Now, let us return to the present.
Imagine you encounter a stranger on the street. That stranger tells you the contents of the "box" are human, just like you. But I have no way to verify that. I cannot know for certain if there is truly a human inside that box, or a monster that devours them. I cannot fully believe either possibility, nor can I completely erase my suspicion.
It is only natural to feel anxious. It is only natural to imagine the worst-case scenario and prepare for it.
Yet, there was someone here who showed no such reaction.
If they are police officers, there is no way they are ignorant of Ghouls. Most of the recent murders in this city have been linked to them. Outside of the CCG investigators, police officers are the professionals most likely to encounter a Ghoul; consequently, they receive basic training on Ghoul countermeasures and protocols.
As long as the possibility exists that I am a Ghoul, they would never stop at a simple pair of handcuffs. They should know that a Ghoul could snap these things in an instant. As long as they couldn't verify the contents of the box labeled "Me," they would never leave me sitting alone in the backseat. A Ghoul could tear the throats out of two officers from behind before they even knew what hit them.
And yet, the treatment I was receiving was entirely devoid of such caution. It was as if the possibility of me being a Ghoul hadn't even crossed their minds.
—"What if he's a Ghoul pretending to be human?"
That was the normal response. That was what the younger officer had asked.
—"Then he would have broken those cuffs and bolted a long time ago. Don't worry about it."
Words and actions that completely disregarded the lethal risk I might pose. This was the source of the cognitive dissonance I felt.
The police would have already handed over the jurisdiction of this case to the CCG, suspecting Ghoul involvement. In such a situation, what grounds could this man possibly have to be so certain that the suspect he just apprehended was absolutely not a Ghoul?
To confirm my suspicion, I decided to act the part of a crazed Ghoul. I watched the two officers through the rearview mirror.
The younger officer tensed up, his face clouded with the anxiety of 'Wait, is he actually a Ghoul?'
The middle-aged officer, however, merely curled the corner of his lip into a smirk, as if mocking my pathetic performance. 'What kind of show is he trying to put on?' his expression seemed to say.
Then, I was certain. This middle-aged man knew I wasn't a Ghoul.
If the contents of a box cannot be verified, one should harbor at least a sliver of doubt. Yet, without a single investigation, right there at the spot where he apprehended me, this man had recognized me for what I was!
"Take a left up there."
"Huh? Sir? We have to go back to the station. That's the complete opposite direction…"
"There's a place I need to stop by for a moment."
𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦.
A cold sweat ran down my face. My heart hammered against my ribs as I listened to the two officers discuss how we weren't heading to the station. This could all be a misunderstanding. Perhaps this middle-aged cop just had an incredible intuition. Perhaps he wanted to stop somewhere else just to grab a quick bite because he'd missed lunch.
"Haha..."
A hollow laugh escaped me at my own desperately optimistic delusions. I am human. There is no way for me to know what is inside the "box." But even without opening it, I can predict its contents. By shaking it, or by listening to the sounds within.
And I heard it.
The roar of the monster writhing inside the box.
I saw it through the chilling, predatory gaze of the middle-aged officer staring at me in the rearview mirror!
Think. That look in his eyes. I've seen it before. Very recently.
Even now, the bandages on my right arm throbbed with pain.
The mark where "that child" had chewed into me.
Remember the look in her eyes when she was tearing into my flesh.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴 '𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥'!
"What's the matter? Why are you laughing?"
The younger officer asked, looking at me with concern as my face turned pale despite the laughter leaking from my lips. I muttered a vague excuse and looked out the window. The number of people on the streets was thinning out. I could feel the car heading toward a more secluded area.
It was ominous. Nothing but the darkest thoughts flooded my mind, threatening to trigger a panic attack.
[…!]
"!"
At that moment, the screen of the phone gripped in my hand lit up with a reply from Hitokawa. The faint glow of the smartphone felt like the halo of a Buddha appearing in the depths of hell. I stole a glance downward to check the message.
『Where are you!?』
My fingers moved silently across the screen.
『Inside a police car. Destination unknown.』
『Are you sure? About the cop being a Ghoul?』
『Ninety percent.』
『Why would a cop be a Ghoul?! And why the hell are you caught by one!』
『How should I know! I just happened to run right into that cop from yesterday! He arrested me as a suspect in the case!』
A minute or two passed before Hitokawa's reply came back.
『He didn't just arrest you because he's playing the role of a justice-driven officer, did he?』
『If that were the case, it's suspicious that we aren't heading straight to the station.』
This time, there was a three-minute gap.
『So his objective is unclear. Don't do anything reckless since we don't know his intentions. If he realizes his identity is compromised, there's no telling what he'll do out of desperation.』
I felt a twinge of doubt—these didn't sound like the kind of words that would come from Hitokawa's head. Was someone else with him?
『Anyway, tell me if you see any landmark buildings nearby. Anything.』
I looked out the window again. No landmarks were in sight. Instead, I listed the signs for restaurants and general stores that were blurring past from right to left and sent them to Hitokawa. After another minute or two, a reply arrived.
『I'll try to track you based on this. Contact me immediately if you find out anything else. And whatever you do, do NOT provoke him! Keep that in mind!』
That was the last message from Hitokawa.
Not provoke him? Even if I wanted to follow that advice...
"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 through the gap like a lightning strike, snatching the device away. The partition that had been closed was now wide open.
Damn it. He saw the messages. He knew I was onto him.
The younger officer, still driving, glanced at his partner as the older man inspected the stolen phone.
"Sir? What is it?"
"He was talking to an acquaintance. Said the police are Ghouls."
"Wha—? Hahaha! Well, that's a good one. Is this kid losing his mind? Senior, we've worked together for ages; there's no way I wouldn't know if you were a Ghoul."
"You're right. We have been together for quite a while. That's why... I'm truly sorry it has to end like this."
"Sir?"
The younger officer blinked, failing to grasp the meaning behind the words.
𝘗𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘯𝘨!!
With the sound of something bursting, the partition behind the younger officer's back shattered into a million pieces. Along with it, so did the head of the officer who had been alive and speaking only a second ago.
...….
It was only an instant, but time seemed to freeze.
The sight of the driver's seat where the younger officer's head should have been... the sight of the middle-aged officer shaking his head with a sigh as if he truly were disappointed... everything was burned into my mind in slow motion.
"Of all the humans to pick up, I had to pick one with such an unnecessarily sharp intuition. I chose the wrong prey."
The officer's lamenting voice didn't even reach my ears. Seeing his eyes through the rearview mirror—now transformed into the black and crimson of the Kakugan—there was only one thought left in my mind.
...I'm dead.
𝘗𝘴𝘩𝘩𝘩𝘩𝘩𝘬𝘬𝘬!!!
A brilliant, macabre spray of blood erupted from the headless neck of the younger officer like a fountain. His arms fell away from the steering wheel. Having lost its master, the police car began to swerve violently, hurtling forward into the heart of chaos.