Whether whoever coined the term realized it or not, the "cage" was a perfect metaphor.
A bird born inside a cage perceives those bars as the entirety of the world. Even if it manages to escape, it cannot truly fly; in the end, it is only torn apart by cruel hands.
That was the state of the world now.
This world, where Ghouls and humans were entwined, was a cage.
And outside that cage, eyes and hands lurked, watching intently.
They were the managers, the keepers, and the predators who fattened themselves on the livestock within.
In a single word, they were the orchestrators.
And now, someone had appeared who recognized the existence of that cage.
She had matured significantly since their first meeting, yet she was still a girl who had not quite shed the traces of childhood.
Eto.
Arima narrowed his eyes and asked, "...Where did you get that information?"
"Why? Planning to eliminate me if I tell you?"
"..."
Anyone who noticed the existence of the cage was to be erased.
That was the duty of the orchestrators to which Arima Kishou belonged.
Under normal circumstances, Eto would be a target.
In fact, as a One-Eyed Ghoul, she should have been the highest priority for elimination.
But he did not act.
It was because of a promise he had made to her father, Takaki Koma.
Ironically, Koma's infuriatingly inflexible personality was the only thing sustaining a relationship that should have collapsed long ago.
They weren't exactly enemies, but it would be awkward to call them allies. It was a strange, precarious bond.
However, that leniency did not extend to others.
If he had to move, he would move.
Even if it meant performing the wretched task of harvesting lives—a cycle he had endured until it became boring, and one he would likely continue forever.
Observing Arima's silence as he dwelled on these thoughts, Eto shrugged.
"You don't even need to step in. That person died a long time ago."
"I see."
Arima's effortless acceptance of the news only made Eto more uncomfortable.
"You don't even suspect I'm lying?"
"If it is the truth, I simply accept it. If it is a lie, I will eventually find out and kill them. That is all."
"...You really are an unlikeable guy, aren't you?"
He truly operated on a different wavelength than everyone else.
He sought the simplest solution for even the most complex problems. The real issue was that he possessed enough power to live that way without consequence.
As Eto stared at him in disbelief, Arima spoke again.
"Does he know?"
He didn't name him, but she knew exactly who he meant.
Takaki Koma.
He was asking if the information had reached the person closest to her.
"No. For now, I'm the only one who knows."
"Then keep it a secret. Do not breathe a word to anyone."
That was the end of it.
Eto was dumbfounded as Arima turned to leave, acting as if the conversation were finished.
"Wait!"
"...?"
"Why are you looking at me like that? You can't seriously be ending the conversation with just that!?"
This man was truly difficult to handle.
His actions were entirely unpredictable.
"You're part of the shadow organization that built this rotten world! Don't you have anything else to say!? Why was the world structured this way? Why does your group even exist!?"
"And what would you do if you knew?"
"What...?"
The shamelessly direct question left Eto speechless.
Arima shifted his weight, facing her once more.
"I asked what you would do with that knowledge. Would you overturn the world?"
There was no sarcasm in his voice.
Arima looked at the frozen girl with genuine curiosity, as if he were truly interested in her answer.
Eto couldn't find the words.
She had never harbored such a grand ambition as overturning the world.
She had simply noticed the entities lurking in the shadows and, unsure of how to deal with them, had turned to Arima for answers.
Now that the question had been flipped, she had nothing to say.
When no answer came, Arima let out a small sigh, as if he had expected as much.
"You can do nothing. Unless you started from a state of absolute nothingness, you cannot shake off the small comfort maintained atop a false peace."
In that moment, the image of Takaki Koma flashed through Eto's mind.
He knew nothing.
Oblivious to everything, he was still tending to his nest in a corner of a world designed by others.
A nest for himself, and a nest for Eto.
Eto could not bring herself to abandon that.
"But that's just a castle built on sand! I just want to eliminate the anxiety that we might be threatened!"
"Which is why I am telling you it is impossible."
"What!?"
"The entity you wish to oppose is the very group that created the foundation of this world. They *are* the world."
Unlike the agitated Eto, Arima's voice remained dry as he laid out the crushing reality of the gap between them.
"An individual cannot change the world. Not you, and not me. Unless a 'group' capable of such a feat emerges."
"A group...?"
"That is why our organization fears it as well. The emergence of a 'King' who can unite and lead such a group. I believe the public knows this figure as the One-Eyed King."
The One-Eyed King.
A name passed down like an urban legend.
A being destined to bring about a great transformation.
Was he saying that to fight Arima's people, one had to be at least that kind of person?
"If you're so keen, why not become that King yourself? Sit upon a throne that offers nothing but pain."
"..."
"If you truly wish to erase the unrest of this world, you should consider it. Currently, you are likely the closest thing to a 'King' that exists."
Having said all he intended, Arima began to walk away.
As if as an afterthought, he left her with a few final words.
"If you choose to live without becoming a king, then do so. Even if you see the bars of the cage, simply look away and pretend they aren't there. ...If you do, I will lend you my strength. My promise to protect your family's peace still stands."
"...And if I decide to become the King?"
"Who knows. By the rules, we would clash and fight until one of us died. But... I'm not so sure."
"Not sure?"
Hearing Eto's doubtful voice behind him, Arima looked up at the sky.
Beyond the narrow alley and the concrete walls—a place as suffocating as a cage—he gazed at the blue expanse and murmured,
"I think I'd like to see it once. To see this ridiculous world broken into pieces."
Looking at Arima's retreating back, Eto felt a strange sensation.
She couldn't see his face, and his voice had remained flat, yet she had the distinct impression that he was smiling.
With that, Arima left the alley to rejoin Hirako.
Left alone, Eto watched him disappear.
She had approached him to ease the turmoil in her heart, but she had only walked away with a far heavier burden.
Seeking some relief from the pressure in her chest, Eto looked up.
Only a sliver of sky was visible, as if she were truly trapped within a warped iron cage.
***
Step. Step.
"...Oh."
"...Ah."
As the sky began to bleed into shades of orange,
Eto, on her way home, encountered a welcome face.
It was Koma.
"Just getting back from school? You're quite late."
"I had a few places to stop by... You're pretty late too, Dad. Weren't you going to check out the café you—I mean, the mister said he was opening?"
Still finding it difficult to call Kuzen "father," Eto quickly corrected her phrasing.
Koma scratched his head with a complicated expression.
"I left there early. I just ran into some weird guy on the way."
"A weird guy?"
"Anyway, there was a guy."
Koma glossed over the detail, clearly wanting to change the subject.
He didn't want to add more stress to a child who had already been struggling with emotional turmoil lately.
But he couldn't fool Eto's keen eyes, and he certainly couldn't fool her sense of smell.
Eto leaned in close to Koma's clothes, specifically his right hand, and sniffed. Her eyes narrowed.
"...You smell like a Ghoul."
"What are you, a suspicious wife sniffing for perfume on her husband's clothes?"
Koma recalled shaking hands with the priest Ghoul, Donato, at the church and flicked his hand as if to shake off the lingering scent.
"You didn't do anything dangerous, did you?"
"I didn't! He's the one who approached me!"
"A Ghoul approached you!? That's even more dangerous! Are you sure you weren't followed!?"
"Don't worry! I handled it well enough that there won't be any lingering issues! ...Probably."
"Did you just say 'probably'?"
As Eto began to press him, Koma desperately tried to pivot the conversation.
"Speaking of which, have you been worried about something lately?"
"Don't try to change the subject."
"I'm not changing it! You've been spacing out and sighing a lot lately, haven't you? Especially after you saw Ukina's notebook. If there's something on your mind, let's figure it out together. If you do, I'll tell you honestly what happened with me too."
"Ugh..."
Eto let out a small groan.
She didn't want to burden Koma with the worries she was carrying. After Arima's words, that desire had only intensified.
"That's... something you don't need to know."
"See! You're hiding something too! I asked Mister Kuzen about the notebook, and all he told me was to ask you! Do you have any idea how frustrating that is!?"
"Why would you ask him about that!?"
"Because you won't tell me! What is it that even I, your parent, am not allowed to know!?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Koma regretted it.
His attempt to deflect had turned into an outburst of pent-up frustration.
But there was no taking it back, and Eto flared up in response.
"You're just an ordinary human!"
"Where is there an 'ordinary human' like me!? Do you want me to list every single insane person in my social circle!?"
"It's pathetic when the only thing someone can brag about is their connections!"
"Fine! Sorry for being pathetic!"
The two remained in a standoff on the street as the sun set.
A few middle-aged women returning from the market whispered to one another, casting curious glances at the pair.
Realizing they were making a scene, the two called a temporary truce.
"Hmph!"
Eto puffed out her cheeks in a pout and began walking ahead.
Following behind her, Koma let out a weary sigh.
"Still in the middle of puberty, I see..."
They each hid their secrets from the other, hoping to avoid becoming a burden.
It was a gesture of love and consideration, yet ironically, it was the very thing creating friction between them.
Physically, the distance between them as they walked home was small.
But psychologically, they felt a growing distance, both continuing to wander in their own separate solitudes.