"That's definitely not the case—just a coincidence."
Amaha Byakuya immediately dismissed the notion.
Had Eto Yoshimura not brought it up, he really wouldn't have noticed the coincidence at all.
Of course, Eto knew perfectly well that Byakuya wasn't so shallow or predictable. She was merely teasing him.
"Is that so? Though I suppose compared to humans, ghoul girls are more to your taste anyway?"
Eto shifted angles in her teasing.
"Enough with the nonsense."
Byakuya couldn't be bothered to continue this banter.
"Fine, fine~" Eto's expression turned cheerful. "But once we merge our organizations, we'll definitely have to give the 'Washuu' a nice surprise..."
"I really want to see the looks on those Washuu bastards' faces when the time comes~"
"What kind of 'surprise' are you planning for them?"
Byakuya asked with some curiosity.
Eto promptly moved close to Byakuya's side, whispering something in his ear with an air of great mystery.
...
Ward 1, CCG Main Office.
Byakuya, Kureo Mado, and Akira Mado were currently discussing the recent Owl Suppression Operation.
"The 'Non-Killing Owl' and... the 'One-Eyed Owl,' huh?" Kureo sighed. "I never imagined there would be two 'Owls'..."
When he'd helped the Special Class investigators defeat the "Owl," he thought he'd finally achieved his revenge. But it turned out his target had been completely wrong all along...
The one they'd defeated was the Non-Killing Owl, not the true One-Eyed Owl. The real One-Eyed Owl had descended and defeated them all within moments—Kureo himself had blacked out immediately.
"The one who really killed Mom... should be that One-Eyed Owl who appeared afterward," Akira said.
"Most likely..." Byakuya agreed.
Discussing this matter with the Mado father and daughter left him feeling somewhat conflicted.
"But... I think I'm about ready to give up," Kureo said, his expression tinged with sorrow. "Just defeating the Non-Killing Owl cost us dearly—we threw nearly everything CCG had at it and barely succeeded. And honestly, I could tell during the fight that he didn't want to battle us. He had more than one opportunity to kill any of us, yet he didn't..."
His instincts were sharp, and they hadn't dulled during combat. He could sense that the one called the "Non-Killing Owl"... rather than fighting them, seemed to be seeking death.
He didn't know why the Non-Killing Owl would act that way, but his point was this: they'd barely won against an opponent who was actively trying to die...
Kureo looked at Akira. "I've heard what happened—that Akira encountered attacking Aogiri Tree executives that day. If Investigator Amaha hadn't arrived in time, Akira might not have made it... I don't want to lose another family member."
In pursuit of revenge against the One-Eyed Owl, both he and Akira had nearly died during the Owl Suppression Operation.
His own death meant nothing. Having long since set aside concerns for his own life, he wouldn't flinch in the face of death. But Akira was different...
Having already lost his wife, he absolutely couldn't bear to lose his daughter—his only remaining family.
And the most frustrating part was that despite their enormous sacrifices, the Owl they'd defeated was the Non-Killing Owl, not the One-Eyed Owl.
All these factors contributed to Kureo's wavering resolve.
He'd come to accept that he lacked the ability to exact revenge on the One-Eyed Owl. The next time he faced it, he would most likely die. If it were just his own death, fine—but he didn't want Akira following the same path in pursuit of vengeance.
His words about "giving up" were also meant for Akira to hear.
As for himself, he would continue finding ways to cultivate excellent investigators. Shinohara Yukinori, Houji Kousuke, and Koutarou Amon had all been his former subordinates, all outstanding investigators.
He recognized that while he lacked the ability to take revenge personally, he had the ability to train others. Cultivating more excellent investigators to oppose the One-Eyed Owl—that wasn't truly "giving up."
"Father..."
Akira was momentarily speechless.
She had never tried to dissuade her father from his obsession with revenge. But hearing him say he was ready to give up didn't feel like a bad thing either. Hatred was complicated—impossible to judge simply as right or wrong.
There was no clear moral answer when it came to revenge.
But if her father died in pursuit of vengeance someday, she would be devastated.
So hearing her father finally waver actually brought her a small measure of relief. At least this way, she wouldn't lose him too.
The weight of the topic left Byakuya uncertain what to say, especially since it touched on the Mado family's private matters.
The heavy atmosphere lasted only a moment before Kureo spoke again: "Based on headquarters' analysis, the One-Eyed Owl appears to be the Non-Killing Owl's child. Do you have any insights on this, Investigator Amaha? The Non-Killing Owl's territory—Ward 20—was your jurisdiction."
"Correct. The One-Eyed Owl should indeed be the Non-Killing Owl's child."
Byakuya thought to himself that he could finally contribute something normal to the conversation. "According to post-battle reports, the Non-Killing Owl has aged significantly compared to ten years ago. In contrast, the One-Eyed Owl has grown much stronger and more robust. We can confirm the Non-Killing Owl is elderly, while the One-Eyed Owl is in its prime..."
"Moreover, their kakuja forms ten years ago were extremely similar. The One-Eyed Owl's current form only changed because it underwent metamorphosis—that level of resemblance isn't possible between unrelated ghouls."
"So we can deduce that the Non-Killing Owl's actions have always been about protecting its child—the One-Eyed Owl. But from its first appearance ten years ago until now, there's no record of it killing anyone, hence the name 'Non-Killing.' It's probably an old man atoning for his past self and for his child. That's likely why he seemed so intent on dying when he fought you."
Byakuya provided his analysis.
His reasoning was sound. Anyone could see that a kakuja as highly developed as the Non-Killing Owl couldn't possibly have never killed anyone. It was just that for these past ten years—or more accurately, the twenty-plus years since falling in love with Ukina—Yoshimura had laid down his blade and become gentle.
"A ghoul with emotions like a human's... how revolting." Kureo shook his head. "That's still how I feel about those ghouls. But if I ever had the chance to sit down and have a real conversation with that one—the Non-Killing Owl—I think it would be quite interesting..."
Kureo suddenly pointed at his own neck. "Come to think of it, when that creature had the chance to take my head off, it seemed to deliberately miss. I actually want to ask him face-to-face whether that was intentional..."
...
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