"Don't take it to heart. I just couldn't help but let that slip out."
Eto spoke first to break the awkward atmosphere.
But Yoshimura's expression remained complicated. Once this topic was raised, it couldn't be easily dismissed with just a casual remark.
"..."
Byakuya smiled wryly.
This wasn't something he should interject on—it was best left for father and daughter to resolve themselves.
"Ukina... she said something to me once. She said that Eto—as a half-ghoul—was destined never to live an ordinary life. But she still hoped you could live a normal, happy life..."
Yoshimura spoke with deep emotion.
Eto fell silent for a moment, then asked: "...So that's your excuse for abandoning me in that place?"
Hearing that the conversation had veered into this territory, Byakuya immediately stood up.
He grabbed Touka's and Hinami's hands and led them out of the room.
It wasn't just because the topic was sensitive—it wouldn't matter much if Touka and Hinami heard about these things, since they were all family anyway. The main reason was to give Yoshimura and Eto some privacy.
"What are you doing? I still need to study..."
Touka felt flustered at being suddenly grabbed by Byakuya.
Besides, the conversation between the manager and his daughter had piqued her curiosity, and now Byakuya was pulling her away.
"Just come with me for now."
Byakuya led Touka and Hinami outside the door, then explained: "I'm giving the manager some space. If you want to listen, you can still hear through the wall."
After all, ghouls had enhanced senses—they could easily hear the conversation inside even through the wall.
"Oh, okay..."
Touka nodded.
"Actually, I'm really curious about what happened between the manager and Eto-neechan too."
Hinami said with concern.
"Then just listen from out here."
Byakuya said.
Byakuya's departure with Touka and Hinami didn't interrupt the conversation between Yoshimura and Eto.
"So I'm guilty toward both of you—Ukina and you..."
Yoshimura admitted directly.
He had failed to give Eto a happy life, and had killed Ukina with his own hands. This left him deeply guilt-ridden toward Eto, which was why he still couldn't properly face her.
But he'd had no choice. In his early years, he was constantly under V's surveillance. Entrusting the newborn Eto to Noroi had been his only option—only the depths of Ward 24 could evade the Washuu's eyes and ears.
And he'd never dared visit Eto in Ward 24, because V had already become aware of his child.
Otherwise, Noroi wouldn't have been killed when Eto was still very young. This proved that V had suspected early on that Yoshimura and Ukina had a child. Noroi had likely died to prevent V from discovering Eto—otherwise, the native ghouls of Ward 24 couldn't possibly have touched an SS-rated ghoul like Noroi.
Of course, later during the Aogiri Tree period, beyond worrying about V's surveillance, it was mostly Yoshimura's own problem—he simply couldn't bring himself to face Eto.
Even after learning that Eto had become an author under the pen name "Sen Takatsuki," he'd never gone to see "Sen Takatsuki" even once. Visiting a human author surely wouldn't have attracted V's attention.
Meanwhile, when Eto herself had wanted to approach him, she'd happened to see Yoshimura chatting and laughing with his staff. It would have been strange if she didn't hate him after that.
"There's no point talking about this now. The past is the past. I was foolish for bringing up all that nonsense just now."
Eto said with an indifferent expression.
This wasn't the first time she'd said something like this. She'd say it wasn't a big deal, but deep down she still cared deeply.
"..."
Yoshimura didn't know what to say. He didn't know what he could do to make up for the guilt he felt toward Eto.
"If you'd like, you're always welcome to come have coffee anytime."
Yoshimura said.
"Dad... do you know? If I hadn't agreed to that guy's request, I wouldn't have come here today."
Eto responded bluntly: "This coffee really is delicious, but being here doesn't make me feel relaxed or happy. You know I'm a writer now—I need to maintain a good mood and mental state. I like going to coffee shops for inspiration."
"..."
Yoshimura was rendered silent once again.
"However..."
Eto continued: "Hinami-chan, Mayu-chan—they're all here. And 'that guy' is here too. I enjoy spending time with them. Besides, Hinami-chan happens to be good material for my writing. So when I'm in a good mood, I might drop by."
"Yes, you're always welcome..."
Finally, a smile appeared on Yoshimura's face.
Hearing this from outside the door, Byakuya also breathed a small sigh of relief.
That woman did have a sharp tongue but a soft heart after all. Thankfully she hadn't said anything too harsh in the end.
"That's about it. I don't really have anything else to talk about with you, and I don't want to dredge up those memories."
With that, Eto drained her coffee in one gulp and stood as if preparing to leave.
Before turning to go, she left one final remark: "This old man should have retired long ago. Stop running around making trouble."
The implication was clear—Yoshimura no longer needed to disguise himself as her kakuja form to protect her.
Moreover, the current Yoshimura could no longer impersonate the monstrous physique of today's One-Eyed Owl. The Non-Killing Owl's identity had already been exposed; staying out of CCG's sight was the best choice.
So in a way, Eto's words were also her way of showing concern for her elderly father.
"Yes..."
Yoshimura naturally understood the meaning behind Eto's words. "I understand. These old bones of mine should indeed 'retire'..."
"Good. That's all then. I'm leaving."
With that, Eto walked away without looking back.
Yoshimura gazed at the coffee cup left on the table...
—Ukina, my wish has finally come true...
...
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