After finishing today's classes, Eto was heading home from school.
On the way, she saw students in the same uniforms gathered in small groups, chatting about where to hang out or gossiping about the latest rumors.
They were ordinary students, moving in packs.
Watching them, Eto remembered the two Ghouls who had visited a week ago.
"A group, huh..."
The two Ghouls hadn't said it outright, but she could smell other Ghouls on them. Not just one or two—many. They were clearly the type of Ghouls who lived in organized groups.
What would have happened if they hadn't come as guests? What if they had stormed into the house as a group, fueled by clear malice?
No matter how gifted Eto was in combat, she was still only one person. There was a limit to how long she could hold out against an endless tide of enemies.
Even if she somehow managed to survive by escaping, Takaki Koma would certainly die.
She understood the principle well: living things form groups to overcome their individual limits.
The CCG stood at the pinnacle of that principle. Their hunting power and technology were formidable, but above all, their numbers were the real problem. Kill one, and two more would take their place. The cycle repeated forever.
Numbers themselves became a form of violence that could not be ignored.
"I wish we had more allies. Allies who could protect Dad and me."
She thought of the Ghouls Koma Enji and Irimi Kaya.
Even without a group backing them, they possessed a strength that Eto felt powerless against—far beyond the Ghoul known as the Artist she had fought years ago.
Once Eto realized the extent of their power, the tension made it impossible for her to act normally. On her own, she wasn't even close to their level.
Because of that caution, she had left all dealings with them to Koma, choosing only to observe their movements from the sidelines.
Fortunately, Koma seemed convinced they weren't dangerous. Later, when he finally snapped because he couldn't stand their rudeness, he had driven them out.
Still, the fact that they had backed off without attempting to use force made them seem less threatening than she had initially feared. If they could be persuaded and a good relationship established, they would surely be no harm to Eto and Koma.
She was lost in these thoughts as she walked through the residential district.
She felt someone approaching quickly from behind, but Eto pretended not to notice.
She already knew who it was from the sound of the footsteps alone, and this was not someone she could afford to seem unusually perceptive around.
"E~to~!"
Whoosh!
Along with a playful female voice, slender arms shot out from behind and wrapped around Eto.
The woman lifted Eto up in one fluid motion and rubbed her cheek against Eto's.
"Wow, it's been ages! Is this the first time I've seen you in almost a month? And you're wearing a school uniform too! You're so cute!"
Rub rub!
"Second Class Investigator Hoshino. That's enough. You're going to crush the kid."
A familiar voice drifted from behind the woman. It was Hikokawa, Koma's friend and a Ghoul Investigator.
He had recently been promoted to Associate Investigator, and perhaps because of that, he now carried a certain seasoned air as he sighed and walked over.
Hikokawa cast a worried look at his subordinate, who was still hugging Eto and showering her with affection.
Of course, he wasn't worried about the captured Eto. He was worried about the subordinate who had no idea what kind of child she was holding.
Hoshino Akamiya was a woman with a spirited, energetic personality.
When an investigator rose in rank, they were paired with a lower-ranked investigator to train them and pass on their experience.
Hoshino was one such junior who had become Hikokawa's subordinate. She had met Eto and her father half a year ago, introduced as Hikokawa's junior.
At first, it had been awkward, but recently their relationship had developed to the point where Eto even showed her special affection. Apparently, Hoshino had always wanted a younger sister and saw that quality in Eto. The problem was that her affection was a bit too overwhelming.
A Ghoul Investigator who fought Ghouls for a living had to be stronger than an ordinary person.
But Hoshino was using that raw, still-unrefined strength—which she couldn't fully control yet—to squeeze Eto in a hug. Anyone else would have been on the verge of suffocating.
Eto glanced at Hikokawa and sent him a look that seemed to ask, Is this some new way of identifying Ghouls—by whether they suffocate or not? Hikokawa answered with a look that said, She's just an idiot with too much strength.
Only Hikokawa knew the secret that Eto was a Ghoul.
"You're on your way home from school? I happen to have business with that Koma guy too, so let's go together."
"Is something wrong?"
At last free from Hoshino's embrace, Eto asked.
Hoshino pouted like a child whose teddy bear had been snatched away.
"Aah! Let me hug you a little longer, Eto!"
"Second Class Hoshino. Keep that up and Koma will beat you up again."
"Eek... Sorry."
Last time they met, Koma had been unable to stand Hoshino's excessive affection and shouted, "Stop bullying Eto!" before hitting her with a German suplex. The memory had left a lasting impression on Hoshino, so she backed off immediately.
After calming Hoshino down, Hikokawa answered Eto's question.
"Nothing too special. It's just that the situation in Ward 7 has gotten strange lately, and I've got some information to pass on."
"The situation in Ward 7?"
"A few days ago, while taking down a Ghoul, I found out that two high-profile Ghouls from another district had drifted into this area. Maybe because they were spooked, other Ghouls who usually stay hidden in the shadows have started showing themselves, so the investigators have been busy. We still haven't located those two."
"Two Ghouls?"
At that moment, the two people who had visited a week ago came to Eto's mind.
Given their obvious strength and the timing, it was easy to tell Hikokawa was talking about them.
Then Hikokawa looked into Eto's eyes. It was a silent question: Do you know something?
Eto shook her head, pretending to be ignorant.
For the sake of household peace, her policy was to stay as far away as possible from any conflict between Ghouls and investigators.
Besides, the two of them had already been chased out after Koma gave them such a scolding.
If they wanted to return, they would first have to settle the conflict between themselves, but to Eto, that seemed impossible for at least another month or two. She decided it was best to play dumb for now.
But that was a judgment that underestimated Enji and Kaya far too much.
Eto realized this the moment she arrived at the house with Hikokawa and Hoshino.
"This smell... this presence!?"
The familiar presence was inside the house.
Enji and Kaya were there. Of all times, they had returned while she was with two Ghoul Investigators!
Realizing this, Eto stopped just as she was about to open the front door.
"H-Hikokawa, Mister! How about coming back tomorrow instead of today?"
"Huh? Why all of a sudden?"
"W-Well, Dad said he was going to do a big house cleaning today! It'll be really messy!"
"What are you talking about... I've seen plenty of ugly things at your house already."
Ghouls couldn't survive without human flesh. Since Eto was a Ghoul living in that house, there was no way there wouldn't be traces of human corpses.
No matter how much of a suicide seeker one might be, the instinctive human revulsion toward corpses didn't just disappear.
Even Koma, for whom corpse preparation had become routine, still had nightmares sometimes. So how much worse would it be for Hikokawa?
The day he accidentally found a prepared lump of human flesh in Eto's house, he had been so shocked he couldn't eat meat for weeks.
There was revulsion, yes, but there was nothing to be done. He had acknowledged Eto's existence, so he couldn't simply block her efforts to survive.
He had heard that in Cochlea, the Ghoul detention facility, there were methods of supplying just enough nutrition to keep a Ghoul from dying without human flesh, but it was essentially a way of forcing the bare minimum of life into someone, so it wasn't recommended for Eto.
That was why the corpse of a suicide victim was the limit Hikokawa could tolerate.
If she ever laid a hand on a living person, Hikokawa would draw his blade even if it meant total ruin.
But as the saying goes, even hatred can become affection over time. By now, he had built up the belief that these two would never do that. For now, all he could hope for was that their relationship would never be exposed to the world.
After all, it was hard to rely on the world to protect a trust that had only barely been built through years of watching from the sidelines.
Anyway, back to the matter at hand: Eto blocking Hikokawa, who had already seen every kind of horror, made no sense.
Surely it wasn't because Koma had finally taken Hikokawa's old nagging to heart—"The kid's grown up, so maybe it's time you found your own life"—and started dating someone, spending his days in some indecent way...
"Then why is she doing this?"
While he was struggling with Eto, who had suddenly started acting incomprehensibly, the front door clicked open.
Perhaps having heard the commotion, Koma appeared, and as soon as he saw Hikokawa and Hoshino with Eto, his expression hardened.
Hikokawa greeted him cheerfully, but then he noticed two unfamiliar people behind Koma.
"Huh? Who are the people behind you?"
"...Haaah."
Instead of answering, Koma let out a long sigh and looked up at the sky. For some reason, he looked utterly exhausted.
Damn it...
This is really bad.
On one side, there was my old friend, a Ghoul Investigator, and his subordinate.
On the other side, there were guests sent by Mister Kuzen—Ghouls I could trust.
It was fine for us to meet Hikokawa's group. It was fine for us to meet Enji's group too.
But Hikokawa's group and Enji's group could not meet. They absolutely could not. It was no different from putting substances that should never mix in the same room and triggering a chemical reaction.
I had to stop it. I had to draw a boundary line like oil and water, so the two sides wouldn't mix even if they touched.
Maybe Eto had the same thought, because she looked at me with bright eyes. After we confirmed each other's expressions, we nodded.
"Let me introduce you, Hikokawa! These are the 'newlyweds' who moved in next door! This is Mr. Enji and Ms. Kaya!"
Flinch!
The two people who had suddenly become the target of that bombshell announcement both jolted.
They shot me narrowed-eyed looks that seemed to ask what kind of insane nonsense I was spouting. The back of my head stung under their gaze.
...Honestly, I was already regretting the improvised lie I'd blurted out.
Couldn't I have come up with something better? At the very least, I should have lowered it from newlyweds to something like a couple.
But once spoken, words couldn't be taken back. So Eto quickly jumped onto my lie and dressed it up more naturally.
"Actually, they only moved in recently, so they said they were coming to ask Dad a few things today! I thought it wouldn't be right to bring in another guest when we already had one..."
Then Eto trotted past me and stood before the two of them, clasping her hands together.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Enji! Ms. Kaya! Hikokawa said he had something important to tell Dad, so you'll have to head back for today."
As she said that, Eto gave a wink from an angle Hikokawa couldn't see, signaling them.
Nice work, my daughter! You just made a natural excuse for the two of them to slip away!
I followed Eto's lead and gave a wink of my own. It meant: go along with my lie.
A look of serious conflict spread across Enji and Kaya's faces.
There was nothing to gain by drawing unnecessary suspicion here. They must have understood that causing a scene now would make things incredibly awkward for everyone involved.
The only problem was that the person standing right beside them was the very rival they had always wanted to grind their teeth and erase!
Why had such a trial been placed before them!
It would be far easier to storm CCG headquarters bare-handed!
...That was the silent cry of their hearts, and I could hear it clearly.
After agonizing so deeply that one second felt like an hour, they finally moved.
"W-Well, I guess there's nothing for it! Let's head back for today, ...h-honey~?"
I saw it.
Blood pooling between Enji's teeth as he spoke with a broad smile on his face.
He was grinding his teeth so hard they were drawing blood just to force out the word "honey"!
"A-ah, what a shame! But we can't impose, so let's go back, ...d-darling~!"
This time, I saw it again.
Blood tinging the corners of Kaya's eyes as she squeezed out a cutesy tone—like she was wringing water from the middle of a barren desert—and clung to Enji.
Her blood vessels were bursting from the sheer mental strain; she was on the verge of bleeding from the eyes!
Watching their iron will to achieve their goal without being swept away by emotion, Eto and I suddenly felt like giving them a round of applause. We couldn't, of course, because that would have looked far too suspicious.
Anyway, after delivering the performance of a lifetime, the two of them laughed and chatted as they passed by Hikokawa's group.
If they could just get away far enough, we'd be safe.
"Wait a second."
...If only Hikokawa hadn't said that one line.
The two of them, just about to leave the house completely, stiffened at Hikokawa's voice. Eto and I stiffened too.
"It'd be rude for the first guests to leave because of uninvited visitors who didn't even make an appointment. Come in and have a cup of tea before you go."
"Hey, Hikokawa. Hold on!"
What are you deciding on your own when the homeowner is right here! Let those people go already!
I tried to object, but Hikokawa patted my shoulder as if to say this was fine.
"This works out perfectly. I had something to deliver to the residents around here anyway. You said those two had just moved in next door, right? In that case, let's take care of everything at once."
At those words, I felt it again.
We were ruined.
If his purpose was to visit all the houses nearby and make his rounds, that meant he would leave our house and head straight next door.
In other words, if those two left now, it would be exposed that the claim they were newlyweds who had moved in next door was a lie!
Maybe the other side sensed that too, because their feet would no longer move toward the door.
If the lie were exposed, they'd be questioned about why they lied, and the situation would only get worse.
"Wow, a newlywed couple, huh? You must be all lovey-dovey. Make sure you close the windows tight when you sleep so the neighbors can't hear you, Koma."
"Eto~ let's go inside with your big sister~!"
After tossing out those jokes, Hikokawa gave me a light shove and went inside.
Hoshino followed, carrying Eto in her arms; dragged along with her, Eto looked around left and right, not knowing what to do.
And I... swallowed hard and turned toward the two people frozen in front of me.
"Um..."
As if waiting for me to speak, Enji and Kaya both turned their heads at once.
Contrary to my worry, their expressions looked calm.
But it was easy to realize that this calm came from them letting go of the restraint that had been holding back their actions.
...Because [Kakugan] were burning fiercely in both of their eyes.
"Waaaait!! Calm down!! He doesn't mean any harm!! That idiot has just always been too nice to people since way back!!"
"Just one hit! Just one hit and I'll be satisfied, that bastard!!"
"I won't take his life! I'll just turn him into a vegetable!!"
Without suppressing their murderous aura at all, Enji and Kaya started to head into the house.
I had to wrap my arms around both of their waists and desperately hold them back, like I was trying to restrain two enraged bulls.