Tokyo Ghoul: King

Chapter 4: An Experiment

  Several weeks later after your training with Eto started, you had become notably stronger, but Eto's training method of fighting until one of you could no longer continue had started to put its strain on your mind. The first time felt almost possible, but it soon proved impossible due to her vastly superior speed and power.

You had quickly remembered her suggestion on cannibalism, as it apparently could increase your strength with relative ease. But then other thoughts popped up: How could you bring yourself to eat your own kind? You were already used to eating humans, but eating other ghouls felt wrong somehow. And even if you'd actually start cannibalizing, where should you go to do that? Could you die in this pursuit for power? And if so would it be worth the risk? These thoughts combined with Eto's training had made you restless, and you were suffering from mild sleep deprivation.

You were currently lying on the couch, thinking of these things while reading a book. The book provided a small distraction from the questions in your head. They had bothered you so much that you had chosen to talk to Eto about them once he came back from a small meeting with his manager. But for now, you were reading a book and calming your nerves. When Eto arrived some time later, you had read a hefty portion of the book, and had calmed down slightly.

Later that day, the two of you were having coffee in the kitchen.

"Eto, I'd like to ask you something." you told her, getting straight to the point.

"What is it then, (First)?" she asked, seemingly surprised by the suddenness of your question.

"I remember that you told me that by eating other ghouls, I could become stronger. Could you tell me more about it?" you replied.

"Well, do you know how we ghouls form our kagune?" she asked.

"I know that." you replied, "Even though my mother kept some things from me, I came to know about the kakuhou, kagune and Rc cells by myself. It is common knowledge, is it not?"

"That's true." she added, "And I assume you already came to the conclusion that if a ghoul eats other ghouls, the amount of Rc cells in their body increases, therefore empowering their kagune?"

"Yup." you said, "Figured that out pretty quick once I thought about it."

"Well, good. But what did you want to ask about it then?" she asked you.

"Could you help me with it?" you replied, "I wish to see if it could help with my training."

"About time you asked." she said with a pleased look.

"You planned this?" you reacted in a slightly irritated tone.

"Yes, yes I did." she replied to you. After hearing her reply, it made sense; she most likely told you about ghoul cannibalism in order to peak your interest.

"You're full of surprises, Eto." you replied, "But how will I do it anyway? Even if I'm ready to to make some sacrifices and have already killed several other ghouls, I don't think I have the guts for massacring my own kind."