"What a fine rain."
"The rain dulls the senses of these beasts."
"But if it keeps falling, it's going to be a bother for me."
Mado Kureo slowly raised his head, his body trembling slightly with excitement, "Could you spare a bit of your time? Mrs. Fueguchi?"
Ryouko held Hinami protectively in her arms. At this moment, she realized it was no longer realistic for both of them to escape.
Akuto was right; Hinami's selfishness had ultimately led to disaster. It might harm others in the future, but right now, this mother chose to be selfish for once and let Hinami escape.
What if?
What if Akuto was wrong?
Ryouko's Koukaku slowly activated, slamming into two Investigators with a boom, wrapping around herself and Hinami.
She wanted to warn Hinami not to be willful anymore.
But thinking that the child might hate herself for causing her mother's death in the future, she decided not to say it.
She simply smiled through her tears and said. "Hinami, run."
"Run to Anteiku. Mama will be there soon."
Ryouko gave Hinami one last hug, then deployed her Kagune.
"Quickly, use the Q-bullets!"
Rat-tat!
Two bullets flew towards her. Ryouko swung her Kagune to repel the White Doves and shouted sternly. "Hinami! Go!"
Hinami, with tears and snot streaming down her face, took one deep look at her mother before running into the curtain of rain without looking back.
"Stop!"
The two White Doves at the alley entrance tried to give chase but were blocked by Ryouko.
"A mother's love? Truly nauseating!" Mado Kureo playfully opened his quinque, and Amon also took out his quinque.
"I won't let you pass!"
–
On the other side.
"Someone help... someone help!" Hinami ran wildly through the rain, her sense of helplessness reaching its peak.
"Big brother... big sister..."
She desperately wanted to find someone who could help her, and in her haste, she tripped and fell to the ground.
Ignoring the pain, she stood up and continued running.
Perhaps out of fear, or perhaps because of the slippery rain, she fell again.
"Can someone... help me..."
"Hinami!"
A voice like that of an angel reached her!
Hinami looked up and saw Kaneki Ken running toward her. The moment she was helped up, she pointed behind her, crying.
"Mama... Mama was by the White Doves... Big brother, save Mama!"
Kaneki Ken immediately guessed that Ryouko might be in danger. He pulled Hinami and ran toward the scene.
Although he didn't know what he could do.
Kaneki Ken still rushed toward the site without hesitation.
By now, Ryouko had been knocked to the ground. Mado Kureo had a look of madness on his face.
"A mother giving up her life for her daughter."
"You beasts are truly disgusting. Acting like humans doesn't change the fact that you are Ghouls!"
"Amon, you can stop now. I'll handle the rest." Mado Kureo took out another quinque. The moment the case opened, the despairing Ryouko looked up in horror.
"This scent... how can it be!"
"Darling..."
Mado Kureo was immensely satisfied by Ryouko's reaction and burst into wild laughter.
"Hahahahahah!"
"Congratulations, you guessed right!"
Mado Kureo took out the quinque made from Dr. Fueguchi's Kagune, looking excitedly at the pain-stricken Ryouko. "Wonderful! Despair, horror, hatred!"
"That's the expression! Show me more, let me see it!"
At that moment, Kaneki Ken and Hinami arrived.
Hinami instinctively wanted to call out to her mother, but Kaneki Ken covered her mouth and pulled her behind a wall.
Mado Kureo grinned and said. "Any last words?"
Ryouko's terrified eyes gradually regained their calm. As if remembering something, a warm smile appeared on her lips, and just as she was about to speak—
Squelch!
Mado Kureo decapitated Ryouko with one stroke. "Sorry, time's up."
In the corner, Kaneki Ken tightly covered Hinami's eyes and forcibly pulled her away.
From the rooftop, Akuto took everything in.
His eyes were cold.
Appearing now did not align with Akuto's interests; he needed a better opportunity... That night, at Anteiku Coffee Shop.
Everyone from Anteiku sat in the shop; the atmosphere was incredibly heavy.
"So why on earth did the Doves notice Mrs. Ryouko! Have we been discovered?" Touka slammed her fist into the wall in anger, blood trickling down the wall.
The Manager was silent for a moment before saying helplessly:
"We asked Hinami, but she refused to speak."
"Hinami's face was seen. We are preparing to transfer her to the 24th Ward."
"Are you kidding me!" An enraged Touka shouted at the Manager. "How could she possibly survive alone in a place like that!"
"Wouldn't it be better to just kill all the White Doves!"
"Kill them all, leave none behind!"
"Mr. Yomo is here too! If everyone cooperates..."
"No."
Yomo Renji spoke expressionlessly, his arms crossed. "If an Investigator loses their life in the 20th Ward, the CCG will send a never-ending stream of Investigators."
"Until they hunt every last one of us down."
"But..."
Touka still wanted to argue, but Yomo Renji cut her off.
"Touka! Enough."
"It's just as Yomo says." The Manager's tone was sorrowful. "We cannot make a move against them."
"For the safety of everyone, this is the best choice."
"Even though our companion was killed, you say doing nothing is the best choice!"
"Hinami's parents were murdered!"
"Isn't it too pitiful if we don't avenge her!" Touka was completely blinded by rage.
"What's truly pitiful is someone whose life is ruined because they are blinded by hatred!"
"Are you referring to me?" Touka's teeth ground together. She turned and slammed the door as she left.
That night, the entire Anteiku was filled with an atmosphere of sadness and despair.
..
.
The next day, Touka walked the streets wearing a hood.
She quickly found the two White Doves who had appeared at the scene, the ones who had blocked Ryouko and Hinami's path.
Touka followed them all the way, watched them enter an Izakaya, and waited quietly outside.
"Mr. Amon, you graduated from the Ghoul Investigator Academy, right? What do you study there?"
Amon was currently eating with the two Investigators.
"We study Ghoul habits and relevant laws; the rest of the time is spent training the body." Amon remained very serious.
The two didn't mind, though.
"Are there women at the school?"
"Hey, Kusaba!"
The other person reminded Kusaba. Amon looked reminiscent. "There were two, both strong and determined women."
"What about romance?" Kusaba continued to press.
"They both died in the line of duty."
"D-died? Oh, I'm sorry." Kusaba apologized in a panic, and the other person said displeasedly.
"Kusaba, that's enough from you."
Amon put down his chopsticks and stood up. "It's a common occurrence. The more serious you are, the easier it is to lose your life."
"I'll be going first. You two be careful."
Amon left first. The older investigator tapped Kusaba's head. "Idiot."
"S-Sorry."
Soon, the two finished eating and left, walking down the street.
Kusaba was still thinking about what Amon had just said. "The more serious you are, the easier it is to lose your life. Does that mean there should be a limit to how hard we work in the future?"
"Don't talk nonsense. We have a pile of tasks waiting for us." The older Investigator scolded him again.
Kusaba didn't care at all, his face full of admiration. "Mr. Amon never seems to care about promotions; he acts based on passion and will."
"To be honest, I think he's amazing."
The two walked under a bridge.
"Don't compare yourself to people from the Main Office, Kusaba."
Kusaba scratched his head and smiled foolishly. "Actually, at first I wanted to work in an office. The work there is safe and easy."
"But after seeing him, I feel a surge of hot-bloodedness again." Kusaba kept talking to himself.
He completely failed to notice the danger approaching.
Touka, wearing a mask, turned into a blur and whistled toward Kusaba, her Kagune slashing viciously at his neck.