"According to Byakuya, ghouls were originally human—though no one knows how the first ghouls came to be."
Eto said.
Byakuya had told her this before, though she hadn't quite believed it at the time.
It wasn't until she and all other ghouls truly became human that she had to accept it.
"If Byakuya said so, then it's certainly believable."
Kureo nodded.
He'd witnessed too many incredible things through Byakuya—especially his wife's resurrection. He now regarded Byakuya as nothing short of divine.
He could doubt Eto, but not Byakuya.
"Dad, your attitude toward ghouls now..."
Akira couldn't help but speak up.
When discussing ghouls, her father actually seemed able to view things rationally now.
"Ghouls as a species don't even exist anymore. What attitude could I possibly have?"
Kureo smiled. "Also, Eto-san, please don't worry about the past anymore. My wife has come back now. I have no reason to keep holding a grudge against you. Let's leave the past behind."
The source of all his hatred toward ghouls had been Kasuka's death.
Now that the root cause had been resolved, his hatred had naturally dissipated.
"Mm..."
Eto gave a soft acknowledgment.
"All of this is thanks to Byakuya..."
At that moment, Eto couldn't help but plant a kiss on Byakuya's cheek.
Of course, this was quite possibly deliberate, since Akira was sitting right beside them.
"..."
Seeing this, Akira's pupils visibly trembled.
Kureo and Kasuka also looked surprised—they hadn't expected Eto to be so bold in front of them, in their own home.
Even Byakuya looked at Eto with surprised eyes.
The sudden cheek kiss was one thing, but doing it right in front of someone else's family, in their house...
"Without Byakuya, neither my mother nor Akira's mother could have ever returned, and there would always be a barrier between us."
Eto said with emotion.
"Indeed..."
Akira responded, though her smile seemed slightly stiff.
"My my..."
Just then, Eto seemed to suddenly catch herself. "I'm sorry, that was terribly rude of me..."
"It's fine, I understand how Eto-san feels..."
Akira said.
On the surface she showed no emotional reaction, but internally she was bothered beyond measure.
At that moment, Kureo and Kasuka exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of worry in the other's eyes.
This romantic rival of Akira's seemed quite formidable...
But thinking about it, that made sense—after all, this was the One-Eyed Owl who had thrown the entire CCG into panic. Being capable in every respect was only natural.
If her rival was the One-Eyed Owl, Akira was in for a difficult time ahead...
...
Byakuya and Eto stayed for lunch before leaving the Mado residence in the afternoon.
On the way back.
Byakuya couldn't help but ask Eto, "That thing you did earlier—was it on purpose or accidental...?"
"Which thing...? Oh, you mean when I kissed your cheek this morning?"
Eto giggled. "It was deliberately accidental, of course~ I wanted to let Akira know that even though I feel guilty toward her, that doesn't mean I'll just hand you over to her. If she's got what it takes, she can try to steal you away~"