"Finally, it's over. I'm exhausted." After hanging up the phone, Hayashi stretched his back.
It had been a long time since he felt this tired. The last time he felt this drained… was the last time.
"Now I just need to wait for headquarters to send someone to collect Jason, and my mission will be done." Leaning against the wall, Hayashi yawned, looking a little weary.
Not getting injured and having superior physical abilities didn't mean he couldn't feel fatigue. After fighting Jason, he had almost been seduced by Rize on top of it.
Right now, all he wanted was to head home, sleep like the dead, and rest properly. And considering he had just taken down two S-rated ghouls on his own, would headquarters grant him a vacation this time?
The thought made him a little excited.
Before long, CCG investigators and staff finally arrived on the scene.
Even investigators who faced death daily in their battles against ghouls were shocked by the mountain of corpses and rivers of blood.
"Investigator Hayashi , is this really Jason's corpse?" One of the CCG administrators gulped as he looked at the massive body before him.
"That's right. Hurry and collect it." Hayashi nodded calmly, looking completely unfazed.
The moment they saw Jason's corpse, most of them froze up completely.
After all, before arriving, many had thought Hayashi's report had been exaggerated at best — if not outright lies.
But seeing it with their own eyes, they realized there wasn't a shred of exaggeration.
And when medical staff checked Hayashi's body and confirmed his "worst" injury was just a few scratches…
The looks they gave him shifted into something between awe and disbelief—like staring at a monster, or perhaps a god.
Soloing an S-rated ghoul with virtually no injuries. Were all the rookie investigators these days this absurd?
How were they even supposed to tell who was hunter and who was prey anymore?
After giving his complete report on everything that happened, Hayashi walked away naturally, under the stunned and admiring gazes of the CCG members.
"Work's over. Time for some well-deserved rest!" Breathing in the fresh night air, Hayashi felt a wave of clarity.
Go home, take a hot shower, eat some instant noodles, watch a couple of anime episodes, and then crash into bed. Just thinking about it was bliss. That's real life.
Walking down the streets of Tokyo, surrounded by laughing JK girls in black stockings and miniskirts, his mood improved even further.It almost felt like a kind of redemption.
In his memories, he had only just moved to the 20th Ward before headquarters had urgently deployed him.
"If I remember right, it should be around here…"
Following the address in his memory, Hayashi navigated through the bustling buildings — until he finally stopped in front of a bookstore.
Not because he lived there.
But because at that very moment, a fan signing event for a novelist was being held inside.
And when Hayashi casually glanced at the author's name, his feet froze.
"Sen Takatsuki?" He muttered under his breath, his eyes filled with surprise and disbelief.
No way. Could it really be that coincidental?
Following his gaze, a petite figure came into view.
Behind the signing table sat a delicate green-haired girl.
Her long messy green hair framed a small, adorable figure.Her light-green eyes sparkled like jewels.
The moment Hayashi saw her face, his vision brightened instantly.
If he had doubted it might've been someone else with the same name before — now, seeing her in person, he was sure.
Yes. The green-haired girl before him was none other than the SSS-rated One-Eyed Owl, Eto Yoshimura!
Daughter of Kuzen — the café manager of Anteiku and the peaceful Owl who maintained stability in the 20th Ward.
Her human identity in this world: best-selling novelist SenTakatsuki.
She had kept her secret well hidden for years, only revealing her ghoul identity later by choice.
Hayashi swallowed hard.
Despite her youthful, almost high-schooler looks, Eto was actually about twenty-four years old. Her small stature, just over 150 cm, often made people misjudge her.
But no one should be fooled by her harmless, lazy, "innocent girl" act. Her real personality was vicious — compared to her, even Rize could be considered a law-abiding good girl.
As the most powerful SSS-rated ghoul, Eto was the only naturally-born half-ghoul in the world — the only true One-Eyed Ghoul, unlike Kaneki, who was artificially made.
Seeing her here genuinely surprised him.
What were the odds? He had just finished off Jason, and now he ran into Eto hosting a fan signing.
Meeting two female ghouls of S-rated or higher in the same night? That was… some kind of life.
Shaking his head, Hayashi decided not to approach Eto just yet.
Better not to get entangled with her.If she ended up pregnant—I mean, if she set her sights on him, it would be trouble.
Just as he turned to leave, a familiar system notification chimed in his ear:
[Ding! You have triggered a Time-Limited Mission: "The Story Between Me and Sen Takatsuki"]
[Objective: Make contact with Sen Takatsuki and successfully obtain a signed book]
[Reward: Random Skill Draw]
Hayashi froze.
A reward?Why didn't you say so earlier? If I'd known, I would've gone straight in!
Without hesitation, he spun on his heels and walked into the bookstore.
"Welcome! All the books on the shelves are free to browse～" The front desk clerk's sweet voice rang out.
Hayashi casually picked up one of Takatsuki's books and walked toward the signing table.
It was late, and the store was nearly empty. But the event wasn't over yet, so Eto was forced to remain.
"So boring… can't someone just come already～" Her delicate face rested on the table, lips pouting as she complained to herself.
Her short legs swung lazily beneath the desk, the picture of boredom.
"Takatsuki-sensei, could you sign this for me? I'm a fan." A calm male voice sounded above her.
"Sure, just give me a second, kid～" Eto sat up from the table, blinking.
Her gaze landed on a handsome young face.
"…Eh?" For a moment, Eto froze, her emerald eyes glimmering.
Not because Hayashi was so handsome that she got flustered.
But because — on him — she smelled something familiar.
Rize's scent…
"Takatsuki-sensei?" Hayashi waved a hand in front of her face, puzzled by her daze.
"Ah, sorry, I spaced out. Hand me the book." Eto quickly took it, flipping to the first page.
'Interesting. Had this boy actually come into contact with Rize?'
'But how could her scent linger so strongly on him? That level of closeness… could they have been that near each other?'
'A human, coming into close contact with the glutton Rize—and still alive?'
'Now this was interesting～'
"Who should I sign it to?"Eto asked, lips curling into a faint smile.
"Hayashi " He nodded casually.
"Hayashi, huh? I'll have to look into that later." Memorizing the name, Eto wrote it down inside.
"Here you go. Thank you for supporting me all this time～"
Hayashi nodded, took the book, and turned to leave.
"Rize ate so many, killed so many… but spared him? Why?" Eto whispered, her brows furrowed as she stared after him.
"And his scent—so strong. That's not something you get from a simple brush of contact."
Her mind flashed back to his white hair and sharp, handsome face.
Eto inhaled sharply.
Could it be… were the two of them that close?