After returning to the local branch of the Commission of Counter Ghoul, Yukinori Shinohara did not rest.
Instead, he immediately retrieved the files concerning the "Ghoul Attack Case in Aoba Alley, 20th Ward."
Stacks of documents were spread across his desk.
Crime scene photographs.
Witness testimonies.
Forensic reports.
While flipping through the thick folder—
One particular name caught his attention.
Ren Kiryu.
The report clearly stated that he had been the first person to report the incident.
According to his testimony—
He had been passing through Aoba Alley around the time of the attack.
After noticing something abnormal—
He contacted the police immediately.
"Oh?"
Shinohara murmured softly.
"So he was the one who reported it."
His eyes moved to the attached personal profile.
The RC-cell test results were included in the file.
The measured concentration fell perfectly within the normal human range.
His gaze continued downward.
Stopping at the most recent occupation listed in the record.
Second-year student.
Department of Pharmacy.
Kamii University.
Part-time employee at—
Anteiku.
"Anteiku…"
Shinohara repeated quietly.
He leaned back in his chair.
A memory surfaced in his mind.
The young man in the alley.
The one whose wallet had been stolen by Juuzou Suzuya.
The one who had remained unusually calm even while speaking with investigators.
Now—
Another coincidence appeared.
The same person.
The same ward.
The same investigation.
Shinohara closed the file slowly.
None of these clues proved anything.
But taken together—
They were… interesting.
He tapped the folder lightly.
"Ren Kiryu…"
After a moment of thought—
He memorized both the name and the location.
"It seems…"
Shinohara muttered to himself.
"I should visit that café someday."
Anteiku Coffee Shop — Second Floor Office
Afternoon sunlight filtered through the blinds.
Lines of light and shadow stretched across the tidy office.
From downstairs—
The faint aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifted upward.
A soft knock sounded on the door.
"Come in."
A calm voice replied.
Ren stepped inside.
Behind the desk sat Kuzen Yoshimura.
The manager of Anteiku.
He held a steaming cup of tea.
His expression, as always, gentle and calm.
"Manager."
Ren greeted politely.
"You wanted to see me?"
"Please sit, Kiryu-kun."
Yoshimura gestured toward the chair opposite his desk.
After he sat down—
Yoshimura placed his teacup on the table.
"How have things been recently?"
"Are you adapting well to the work here?"
"Everything is going smoothly."
Ren replied.
"Thank you for your concern."
After a few casual exchanges—
Yoshimura's gaze became slightly more thoughtful.
"There is something I haven't asked you properly before."
"About Mr. Kirishima."
He paused briefly.
"When he first arrived here…"
"His condition was extremely poor."
Yoshimura's eyes rested calmly on him.
"May I ask where you found him?"
Ren answered without hesitation.
"…Cochlea."
The word caused Yoshimura's hand to pause slightly.
The teacup stopped halfway to his lips.
"…Cochlea."
He repeated quietly.
Understanding flickered within his deep gaze.
"That place…"
"…is the CCG's underground prison for captured ghouls."
His voice lowered slightly.
"May I ask…"
"Why you chose to take such a risk?"
"Breaking into Cochlea…"
"And rescuing a ghoul prisoner…"
"You must understand how dangerous that was."
Ren met Yoshimura's gaze calmly.
His answer was simple.
Direct.
"Because of Touka."
The room fell silent.
He continued.
"He is the father Touka has been searching for."
"And Touka…"
"…is someone important to me."
"I didn't want her to experience the pain of losing family again."
Yoshimura watched him quietly.
Something complex stirred within the elderly ghoul's eyes.
Surprise.
Understanding.
Perhaps even a trace of nostalgia.
For a moment—
He seemed to see a reflection of someone from long ago.
A young man standing against the cruelty of the world.
Simply because of someone he loved.
Yoshimura closed his eyes briefly.
Then sighed softly.
"Kiryu-kun."
"Would you like to hear a story?"
His gaze shifted toward the window.
As if looking into the distant past.
"Once…"
"There was a ghoul known as 'Kuzen Yoshimura.'"
"To survive in this world…"
"He constantly fought."
"He hunted."
"Both humans…"
"And other ghouls."
His voice remained calm.
But a faint bitterness lingered beneath it.
"Later…"
"A mysterious organization known as V Organization approached him."
"They recruited him as their cleaner."
"A ghoul who erased inconvenient existences."
"At that time…"
"Kuzen believed that was simply his fate."
He paused.
"Until one day…"
"In a small coffee shop…"
"He met a human woman."
The memory softened his voice.
"They fell in love."
"A love that should never have existed."
"Between a ghoul…"
"And a human."
"They even had a child together."
"For a short time…"
Kuzen Yoshimura said quietly.
"I believed…"
"There might be another future for someone like me."
But the warmth quickly faded.
"That woman…"
"…had originally approached me to investigate the truth behind V."
"When the organization discovered her intentions…"
"Tragedy became inevitable."
Yoshimura's fingers tightened slightly.
"The power of V was far beyond what I could resist."
"Faced with their orders…"
"I was forced to make the most painful decision."
His voice dropped almost to a whisper.
"I ended the life of the woman I loved."
Silence filled the office.
"To protect the child…"
"I had no choice but to entrust my daughter to others."
"So she could grow up far away from me."
Yoshimura closed his eyes slowly.
"That child disappeared into the world."
"While I remained behind…"
"Carrying the guilt of that decision."
"Year after year."
"Eventually…"
"The child grew up."
"She became stronger than I ever was."
"But because she grew up without guidance…"
"Her heart became twisted by hatred."
"She began rejecting the rules of this world."
"Using the most violent methods possible."
"To destroy it."
The story ended there.
Yoshimura lowered his gaze.
"I owe her too much."
"I failed to give her a childhood."
"I failed to watch her grow."
"And the reason for all of it…"
"…was my weakness."
After a brief pause—
Ren asked quietly.
"Manager."
"What is your daughter's name?"
Yoshimura inhaled slowly.
Then answered.
"Her current name…"
"…is Eto Yoshimura."
He paused.
"And she is also known as…"
"The One-Eyed Owl."
Silence settled heavily across the room.
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