"𝘔𝘦𝘰𝘸."
"There, there. Just let me finish cleaning this up, and I'll play with you."
The room where Hitokawa and I had burned through the useless fighting spirit of our youth, trading blows until it was a wreck. As I was tidying up the disaster, the cat I'd started keeping a few years ago approached, pestering me for attention. This fellow had a strange habit of acting especially clingy whenever Eto wasn't around.
I shooed him off the overturned bookshelf—where he was staging a protest by rolling around—and heaved the heavy wood back upright. Naturally, the books had all cascaded out in a chaotic mess. A few of them were torn.
Ah, I really liked this one...
I hung my head in dejection for exactly a second or two. My mental resilience, forged by the sheer absurdity of the life I'd led, had long since evolved past 'glass-hearted' to something beyond steel—closer to indestructible orichalcum. I began restacking the books.
Once the floor was clear, I stood up, stretching the small of my back which had grown stiff from crouching. My gaze drifted toward the window.
"How long do those people plan on loitering out there?"
They were still there. In the alleyway not far from my house, Ghoul Investigators were concealed, keeping a vigilant watch on my home in connection with the 'Insect Mask' case. They had judged that there might be some unseen link between last night's attack on me and the ghoul, and that it might reappear.
From my perspective, it was infuriating. Wasn't it miserable enough to be attacked in a drunken stupor? Now I had to be used as live bait?
Damn it. If it weren't for the situation with Hitokawa, I would've marched down to the CCG to lodge a formal complaint right now.
[𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨~𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘨!]
"...?"
The doorbell rang, pulling my eyes away from the alleyway. Who could it be? I wasn't expecting any deliveries or guests. I decided to check, but first, I shut the window I'd left open for ventilation.
"...Huh?"
As I slid the window shut, I glanced back at the spot where the investigators had been. They were gone. It seemed too sudden for them to have retreated simply because they'd concluded I had no connection to the ghoul. Had they just gone to find a restroom?
[𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘨! 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘨! 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨~𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘨!]
While I was puzzling over it, the doorbell rang in a frantic, impatient succession. Whoever it was, they clearly had a short fuse. How many times were they going to press it?
"Yes, yes! I'm coming!"
My mood was already sour; I headed down the stairs toward the front door, fully prepared to snap at them if their business was trivial. Out of habit, I checked the peephole before unlocking the door.
"...!"
This person is...?
Hitokawa led Eto to the rear of the CCG branch building. He couldn't speak with her inside; he couldn't risk anyone overhearing the sensitive nature of their conversation. Moreover, to use a private consultation room, one had to pass through an 'Rc Detection Gate.' The moment Eto stepped through, all hell would break loose.
After confirming they were alone, Hitokawa got straight to the point.
"So, what is it you want to talk about?"
Eto glanced around before hopping onto the middle of a clean set of stairs, perching herself there. The height allowed her to meet Hitokawa at eye level. She looked him straight in the eyes.
"I hate you, Uncle Hitokawa."
"...Okay. So you want to fight?"
Hitokawa lifted the steel briefcase he'd brought along as a precaution. The act of bringing a Quinque was a raw, unfiltered display of his distrust, but Eto said nothing about it. A vein throbbed in Hitokawa's temple at the girl's blunt provocation, but Eto continued regardless.
"Since the first time we met, you've smelled bad. Your clothes are weird, too. Why do Ghoul Investigators always wear those white coats? My dad would be horrified. He hates white clothes because they stain too easily. And on weekends, when I wanted to spend quiet, peaceful time with Dad, you'd suddenly show up and insist we go out. I always thought you were incredibly dense."
"Why do I have to stand here and listen to a merciless verbal assault from a ghoul brat? Is that really why you came all this way?"
Just as Hitokawa, on the verge of exploding, placed his hand on the Quinque's release switch—debating whether to open it or not—Eto let out a heavy sigh.
"But Dad likes you, Uncle."
"...!"
"He used to say it every chance he got—that you're his best friend in the whole world, that you've been through thick and thin together since you were kids. Dad knew you well. He was always worried that if you ever found out about me, it would end up like this. That's why he kept it a secret until now. He didn't want to destroy the life the three of us shared."
"Don't make me laugh."
Hitokawa ground his teeth, cutting her off. He didn't want to hear any more.
"A 'daily life' that includes a man-eating monster isn't a life—it's a tower built on sand. Living there only means you'll eventually be crushed when it collapses. Do you really think you two are the only ones who have ever tried to make a human-ghoul relationship work?"
"...!"
Eto flinched at the unfamiliar topic. The history between humans and ghouls was surprisingly long. It was impossible to say there hadn't been miracle-like connections during that time. She wanted to hear more, yet she didn't. The burning intensity in Hitokawa's eyes told her the stories all ended in darkness.
"If you dig through the CCG archives, you'll find them easily. There have been several cases in the past. Instances where ghouls and humans tried to live together. How do you think those ended?"
"...."
"Every single one was a tragedy. A human devoured by their ghoul lover. A ghoul infant, raised out of pity, devouring its caretakers once it reached adulthood. There was even a case where a ghoul tried to raise a human orphan, only to lose its reason to hunger one day and eat the child. The relationship between humans and ghouls is like a balance scale. If the weight shifts even slightly, everything plunges into the abyss. That is the reality of your relationship!"
"That's differ—!!"
"Different?! You're going to tell me you're the exception? Then let me ask you this!"
𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘱!
Hitokawa lunged forward, thrusting his face close to hers, glaring with a savage intensity. He was well within the range where a ghoul like Eto could kill him in an instant if she chose, but he didn't care. He leaned in further, as if daring her to try.
"Have you... even once... not looked at Koma as 'prey'?"
"...!!"
Was her voice trapped because of the weight of those words? Or was it the sheer pressure radiating from Hitokawa, a man trained to exterminate her kind?
"I saw the scar on Koma's right arm. No matter what you say, my resolve won't change. You're going to Cochlea. That is the absolute limit of my compromise. Consider yourself lucky I'm not taking your life right here and now."
𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘱!
Hitokawa squeezed the handle of his Quinque case until it creaked, a silent threat that he was ready to draw his weapon at any second. Eto hung her head low, seemingly broken by his momentum. Hitokawa stepped back and spoke again.
"I'll give you twenty-four hours. Turn yourself in. If you do, they won't treat you too harshly in Cochlea. It might even lighten the charges against Koma for hiding a gho—"
"...There's one more reason I hate you, Uncle."
Eto cut him off and lifted her head.
"You're far too good at lying. I hate that about you."
"...!?"
Now it was Hitokawa's turn to flinch.
"Sending me to Cochlea... that's not a compromise. It's just the only thing you can do, isn't it? Because the truth is, you can't bring yourself to kill me with your own hands."
"What kind of nonsense is that?! What do you know about me?!"
"I know. Because you and I think very much alike."
Eto's eyes were transparent, reflecting Hitokawa's panic like a mirror of absolute sincerity.
"I hate you, Uncle Hitokawa. But I love the 'Hitokawa' that my dad loves."
"...!?!?"
Hitokawa's mouth hung open, words failing him.
"It's the same for you, isn't it? You hate me as a ghoul, but you've never hated 'Takaki Eto,' the girl you've known all this time as Takaki Koma's daughter. That's why you didn't just bring a squad of investigators to kill us immediately. Someone who truly hates ghouls from the bottom of their soul wouldn't care about the circumstances—they would just kill."
For some reason, Eto felt as though she had seen such a person a very long time ago. The memory was faint, however. Eto hopped down from the stairs. She turned her back on Hitokawa and began to walk away.
"I came here to say this: I will never, ever kill you, Uncle. I want to go back to the way things were... when you and Dad and I would laugh and talk with the shop manager. I'm going to do everything in my power to make that happen."
She paused for a moment and looked back at Hitokawa, holding up two fingers.
"You're coming to our house tomorrow for the final word, right? I'll be joining that fight too. It'll be two against one, so be prepared. In the worst-case scenario, I'm prepared to take Dad and run to the ends of the earth."
"...."
Leaving Hitokawa standing there dazed, Eto walked away with a look of slight relief. Her retreating figure seemed to say that the rest of the conversation would have to wait until he came to the house tomorrow.
Hitokawa stood there like a statue for a long time before finally scratching his head aggressively.
"Damn it... That brat has always been so exasperating."
Feeling as though he'd been completely outmaneuvered, Hitokawa returned to the CCG building. He collapsed into his chair like a lead weight. His eyes fell on the envelope sitting on his desk, the seal already broken.
My head is too messy to deal with this... but I have to check it.
Listlessly, Hitokawa turned the envelope over and emptied its contents. A CCTV still and a composite sketch fluttered onto the desk. He looked at them slowly.
"...?"
Confusion flickered across his face. He sat up straight and leaned in for a closer look. His features turned rigid. He compared the CCTV image with the sketch.
His face, once frozen, now twisted into a mask of pure horror.
"𝘒𝘰𝘮𝘢―――!!!!"
Hitokawa kicked his chair back and bolted out of the room at full speed.
I opened the front door with a look of sheer bewilderment. Standing there was a beautiful woman, who flashed a bright smile at me.
"What? I thought you'd gone home already. 'Sinaoto.'"
Minami Sinuoto. Long, wavy brown hair and fine features. I knew this woman, though her personality was a bit eccentric. Eto had told me she'd left while Hitokawa and I were fighting—so why was she back?
Minami stuck her tongue out playfully and tapped her head.
"Sorry, sorry~! I was so clumsy, I forgot something really important!"
"What? You're hopeless... What did you leave?"
"Well. My panties."
".......Excuse me?"
"Just kidding~! Don't look so serious~. But I really did forget something. Can I come in for a second?"
I felt a wave of unease, but I let her in anyway. As I stepped out of my slippers at the entryway, I turned back to her.
"So, what was it you forgot?"
"The thing I forgot was..."
𝘗𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘬―――!!!
In that instant, a dull, heavy sound erupted, and the world tilted violently. The strength vanished from my limbs. Even as I felt myself falling, I couldn't steady my body; I simply crumpled.
Only after I hit the floor did the agonizing pain explode at the back of my skull. Then came the smell of blood. I tried to force my brain to process what had happened, but a sudden, violent surge of nausea made my head swim. I couldn't understand anything.
The most I could do was shift my head slightly to look back.
"The thing I forgot... 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶♥"
There stood Minami, a lead pipe gripped in one hand, smiling with the innocent, carefree face of a child.