Bright city lights streaked past outside the window, drawing lines of neon across the glass.
The reflection in the window showed Eto flipping through a stack of documents.
“...Is this for real?”
After reading everything Hitokawa had handed her, Eto couldn’t hide the look of sheer disgust on her face.
“The world is a big place, and it's full of lunatics.”
As if he could guess exactly how she felt, Hitokawa spoke while keeping his grip on the steering wheel. The material she was reading was the dossier he had compiled on “Shinaoto Minami.”
At first, he had expected the information gathering to be a struggle, but it had come together surprisingly fast.
This Minami woman, for some inexplicable reason, was using her real name instead of an alias.
And Eto was now replaying, in real time, the exact feelings of dread he must have felt while digging into Minami's background.
With a heavy sigh, Eto looked out the window.
The buildings gradually grew shorter until, at some point, they vanished entirely, replaced by a vast, sprawling darkness.
The sound of crashing waves reached them even with the windows closed. They had reached the coast of Ward 12.
Hitokawa slowed the car.
There weren’t many vehicles heading toward the sea at this hour, so cruising slowly wasn't an issue.
“We’ve reached the coast, but... what now? The coastline of Ward 12 is way too wide to just search blindly.”
“No problem. Just keep driving at this speed.”
Eto spoke as she rolled down the window. A chilly sea breeze swept in, carrying the sharp scent of salt.
With her head half out the window, Eto closed her eyes. At first, Hitokawa wasn’t sure what she was doing, but he soon realized she was trying to track a scent.
“You can actually find him with that?”
“Don’t underestimate a Ghoul’s sense of smell. Sharks can detect a tiny trace of blood from kilometers away. And if it’s Dad’s blood, I’ll never miss it.”
It was a reassuring statement, yet depending on how one heard it, it sent a chill down the spine. Perhaps it was the reminder that she was fundamentally different from a human.
Now that he thought about it, the whole situation was surreal. A human and a Ghoul racing through the night streets in the same car.
You wouldn’t find something like this even in a movie, and if the CCG found out, it would end in far worse than a mere written apology.
More than anything, Hitokawa and Eto had once come to the brink of a violent clash.
And yet, they had temporarily joined forces to face Koma’s crisis. But once Koma was safely rescued, what then?
What am I supposed to do then...
He agonized over it, but eventually concluded that even having such thoughts made him a failure as a Ghoul Investigator.
What else was there to do?
There had never been a single successful case of coexistence between Ghouls and humans.
Eto and Koma, simply by being together, were a dangerous ticking time bomb. If they weren't separated, a “tragedy” was inevitable.
Eto had to be sent to a Ghoul detention facility. He couldn't waver on that.
It would be heartbreaking for both of them, but it was better than enduring a greater sorrow in the future.
But...
He stole a glance at Eto’s profile. Her expression was grim as she meticulously sifted through the air, analyzing every scent.
She was genuinely worried about Koma, desperately trying to find him.
Damn it! Stop looking like that! It just makes me more conflicted! If you're a Ghoul, can't you just act like one?
The Ghouls he knew were cruel and cunning.
They were the kind of monsters who would throw their own family to the wolves as bait the moment they were in danger, and Hitokawa had hunted many such creatures.
But with Eto, it was becoming increasingly difficult to lump her in with the rest.
When he first discovered Eto’s identity, he had felt no hesitation about isolating her, just as he had told Koma.
He had believed that every side of her he'd seen was merely a facade designed to deceive him.
But even after learning she was a Ghoul, Eto was still Eto.
She adored her father, she was prickly toward Hitokawa, and while she acted mature, she was ultimately still just a child.
Aside from the fact that she was a Ghoul, she was almost identical to the girl he had known for years.
He began to fear that if he isolated her, the sadness of that separation would haunt him as well.
“Grrr...!!”
Forced to admit his own hesitation, Hitokawa pressed his forehead hard against the steering wheel, trying to compose himself.
“It’s dangerous to drive like that.”
“I know.”
While searching for Koma’s trail, Eto had been reading Hitokawa’s reactions as well.
She didn't know what was eating him, but there was a slight edge to her voice, as if telling him to focus on the task at hand.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Is it important?”
“It’s probably not, so feel free to ignore me. But why are you trying so hard to save Koma?”
Eto frowned and shot him a glare, as if he had just uttered the stupidest question imaginable.
“Because he’s my dad. Obviously.”
“You already said you know he isn’t your biological father. You aren't even blood-related, yet you're still this desperate to save him?”
“Sigh...”
Eto let out a long sigh. To her, the question wasn't even worth discussing.
She had already found her answer a long time ago—on the very day she and Koma fought the police Ghoul.
“Whether we share blood or not doesn't matter. I believe Dad is my father, and he treats me as his daughter. What more is there? No matter what anyone says, he is my precious family.”
...This kid has definitely lived several lifetimes. Is that really something a girl who just started elementary school should be saying?
Hitokawa didn't know whether to be impressed or appalled.
If every doting father in the world heard those words, they would probably weep rivers of tears.
“...And also.”
“And also?”
Eto wasn't finished. Hitokawa glanced over at her again.
Still staring out the window, Eto wore an expression he had never seen on her face before.
“Even if Dad stopped treating me like his daughter, even if we ceased to be family and became total strangers... as long as he is the man known as ‘Takaki Koma,’ I will save him. Without fail.”
“..................”
Hitokawa froze.
They say crisis breeds growth, but... wasn't this a bit too much?
For a fleeting moment, the aura surrounding Eto was not that of a daughter. Nor was it that of a Ghoul.
It was more like... a woman making a solemn vow for the person she loved...
Hitokawa immediately cut off that train of thought.
Any further and he'd be in danger. This was truly a Pandora's box.
Though it was still uncertain if they would succeed, he began to worry about Koma's future after the rescue.
Specifically, things like his chastity... or potential crimes...
Yeah, isolation really is the only answer...
While Eto focused intently on Koma’s scent, Hitokawa sank deeper into his existential crisis.
***
“Mmnya~ mmnya~. zzz...”
Minami, who was supposed to be guarding me in the same room, had eventually drifted off, nodding off in her chair.
I couldn't sleep because of the tension, but I felt an overwhelming sense of fatigue. It seemed the night had grown quite deep.
Keeping a close eye on Minami, I wrapped the chain around my hand.
Then, just as I had before, I pulled at the stake embedded in the wall, taking extreme care not to make a sound.
Clink... Clink...
Perhaps because I had already loosened it, the stake shifted significantly. Just a little more and it would come free...
“N-no! Stop it, Koma-kun~~!!”
“!!?!”
My heart nearly leaped out of my chest. Minami had suddenly bolted upright without any warning.
Had I been caught? But Minami just sat there, taking no further action.
She blinked her half-open eyes, staring blankly into space. She was clearly still half-asleep. Was it just sleep-talking?
That was some loud sleep-talking...
Regardless, I quickly slid the stake and chain back into place.
A moment later, as she fully regained consciousness, Minami wiped the drool from her lip and hurriedly looked at me.
“Koma-kun!! Thank goodness~. You didn't get taken away~!”
“What do you mean ‘taken away’ when I’m already the one being held captive?”
I wasn't particularly curious about her dream, but the stake's position had shifted slightly from where it was before.
To distract her, I asked her about the dream.
“Well~ I had a dream that Koma-kun was being arrested by the police for violating the Child Welfare Act.”
“What on earth are you dreaming about!?!?!!”
I really should have just kept my mouth shut.
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