Yoshimura Kuzen turned his gaze toward Minato, and when he noticed the white case at his feet, his cloudy eyes narrowed.
Having dealt with the CCG for so many years, Kuzen naturally recognized what it was.
Combined with the way Minato was looking at him, there was no doubt that this young man knew he was a Ghoul.
But when had he found out?
Kuzen was puzzled.
And more importantly, did he already know Eto's identity as well?
"Is something wrong?"
Minato asked calmly, one hand already resting on the release switch of his quinque.
Kuzen shook his head, then bowed deeply.
"Thank you for supporting Takatsuki Sen all this time."
"...?"
Minato looked at him suspiciously.
What the hell was that about?
He glanced at Eto Yoshimura and found that she was completely ignoring their side.
Honestly, he'd already warned her there were Ghouls present, yet she still looked completely relaxed.
Minato was speechless regarding this carefree author.
"It's what I should do."
Minato withdrew his gaze and continued,
"Is there anything else you need? If not, please..."
He pointed toward the long line behind them.
The meaning was obvious.
If you have nothing else to say, move along.
"Then, goodbye."
Kuzen took one final look at Minato and Eto before turning away.
He didn't do anything.
As for the next person—
Touka Kirishima.
Well...
She was surprisingly reserved.
She gave off the same innocent feeling as Kaneki Ken.
It looked as though she wanted to ask Minato something, but after hesitating several times, she ultimately left with a disappointed expression.
Watching the two Ghouls leave, Minato felt confused.
Had they really just come for the event?
He didn't believe it for a second.
"Mr. Minato, massage my hands. I'm exhausted."
While Minato was lost in thought, a slender hand suddenly appeared in front of him.
Without even thinking, he took hold of it and instinctively began using the massage techniques he had learned years ago.
Incidentally, when he first came to Japan, he had once worked at a host club called Takamagahara.
Together with three others, he had been one of the establishment's top stars.
His specialty had been his massage skills.
When he left, the manager, Zatoichi Whale, had practically cried while begging him to stay.
Eto Yoshimura had only intended to tease him.
She never expected him to actually start massaging her hand.
And not only that—
He was incredibly professional.
A faint blush appeared on Eto's face.
Damn it.
It was only a hand massage.
Meanwhile, Minato remained completely unaware that his subconscious actions had embarrassed her even more.
The remainder of the event passed smoothly and quickly came to an end.
Afterward, Minato hurriedly took Eto back to the hotel.
Although he already felt that the 20th Ward wasn't particularly safe.
What he never expected, however, was that the hotel he considered relatively secure wasn't much better.
Why?
Because the hotel's name contained the word Tsukiyama.
And nobody knew when trouble might appear.
"Why are you so nervous? I'm not scared."
Eto sat in the passenger seat, casually munching on an apple.
Veins appeared on Minato's forehead.
"Wait until you're actually attacked by a Ghoul. Then you'll know what fear feels like."
"Aren't you here?"
Eto replied matter-of-factly.
She unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned toward Minato's ear, and gently blew on it.
"It's a promise. Mr. Minato will protect me."
Minato shivered.
The car nearly swerved off course.
"Careful. At this rate we're going to end up in a double suicide."
Even though the vehicle shook, Eto's body remained perfectly balanced.
She continued her assault without mercy.
Minato freed one hand and pushed her back into her seat.
"Don't fool around while I'm driving."
"Then is it okay when you're not driving?"
"Hmm. But then I'll be the one messing with you."
"..."
Eto froze briefly.
Then she looked at him with complete disbelief.
"Really?"
They had slept in the same bed before, and this guy hadn't done anything.
Was he even a man?
When she was younger, she could understand.
Now?
She genuinely couldn't.
She knew plenty about men.
But Minato Namikaze was impossible to figure out.
"Yes."
Minato nodded seriously.
"I'll lock you in a dark room and make you write manuscripts twenty-four hours a day."
Eto rolled her eyes.
"Are you a devil?"
"No."
Minato spoke righteously.
"I am your dear editor father. This is my deep love for you."
"Is that so?"
A smile slowly appeared on Eto's lips.
Father, huh?
Fine.
She'd play along.
Leaning close to his ear once more, she spoke in an irresistibly sweet and playful voice.
"Osan~"
The soft, lingering tone could make anyone's heart tremble.
Minato's entire body stiffened.
At a turn that wasn't even particularly sharp, he somehow executed a high-speed drift.
The surrounding cars immediately slowed down in alarm.
Was that level of reaction really necessary?
Seeing his response, Eto leaned back in her seat and burst into laughter.
"Editor Daddy, what's wrong? Are your hands shaking? Do you need your precious little daughter to warm them for you?"
Her tone was overflowing with mischief.
As expected.
This man definitely had some strange hobbies.
Minato gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.
His expression began to crack.
He had made up his mind.
From now on, he was absolutely locking this girl in a dark room and supervising her writing personally.
If he let her escape, he wouldn't be Minato Namikaze.
"Mr. Minato, do you know which people at the event were Ghouls?"
"Why are you asking that now?"
Eto immediately put on an excited expression.
"Think about it. Even Ghouls read my books. Isn't that amazing?"
Minato sighed.
"What's so amazing about that? Ghouls aren't that different from us in terms of tastes. Your books are pretty popular among them too."
He wasn't lying.
Many Ghouls possessed surprisingly high levels of education and literary appreciation.
It wasn't strange for them to enjoy Eto's works.
Kamishiro Rize was a perfect example.
"Oh?"
Eto looked at him in surprise.
"So Mr. Minato thinks humans and Ghouls are the same?"
This was the first time she had directly asked Minato about his views regarding Ghouls.
"Ah... well..."
Minato scratched his head.
If he were merely a viewer watching the story from the outside, he might have sympathized with the Ghouls.
He might even have stood on their side.
But things were different now.
He lived in this world.
He was human.
And humans and Ghouls were natural enemies.
Sure, there were examples of humans and Ghouls falling in love.
But those were exceptions.
And dating a Ghoul...
Minato's thoughts wandered.
What if, during an intimate moment, the other person suddenly couldn't resist taking a bite out of him?
...
Nope.
Absolutely not.
That mental image was horrifying.
"What are you thinking about?"
Eto noticed his increasingly bizarre expression.
She was certain he had started thinking about something completely unrelated.
"Nothing."
Minato forcibly pushed the image from his mind.
He wasn't planning on getting a Ghoul girlfriend anyway.
There was no point dwelling on it.
"Answer me, Mr. Minato. What do you really think of Ghouls?"
Minato fell silent for a moment before answering.
"Although I know many of them are victims of circumstance, as long as they continue feeding on humans, my stance toward them will remain hostile."
"This isn't about personal feelings."
"It's about species."
"Humans and Ghouls may look alike, but fundamentally they're different forms of life."
"And for most ordinary humans..."
Minato's gaze grew serious.
"They are still predators."
"And we are still their prey."