Current time: 7:27 AM.
Perhaps because it was so early, the narrow streets of the residential district were deserted. The only things drifting through the air were the scents and sounds of families still finishing their breakfast.
Etō moved through the streets with a brisk, hurried pace.
She wasn't late; there was still plenty of time before school started.
Yet her steps were frantic, like someone racing against a ticking clock.
In a way, she really was being chased.
The only difference was that her pursuer was her own overwhelming shame.
"..."
Thud!
Lost in her thoughts, Etō suddenly slammed her forehead right into a nearby utility pole.
The impact was loud, but there was no way her head would actually be hurt. If anything, the slight crack she left in the pole was something she should be worried about—she hoped no one had seen.
Etō's face, still pressed against the pole, was flushed a deep red all the way to her earlobes.
It wasn't from the pain.
Well, technically, it was pain.
The problem was that it was emotional agony, not physical.
"What was I thinking...? Why did I hug him? The mood wasn't even right. It wasn't time to stop being angry yet..."
Etō couldn't stop thinking about the back hug she had given Koma at the front door that morning.
At first, she had tried to ignore her feelings.
Koma was curious about the truth she had uncovered.
But she didn't want to share a truth that would completely shatter his perception of the world just by knowing it.
That was why she had maintained a cold exterior. She wanted to draw a clear line between them and keep him at a distance.
But in the end, Etō was the one who crossed that line first.
Koma's earnest efforts to soothe her had clearly carved a tiny crack in her defenses.
As she had tried to leave the house, she suddenly realized how long it had been since she had actually touched him.
When she was little, she used to run to him and throw herself into his arms.
Back then, that simple gesture made her feel as if she owned the entire world.
In that moment, her emotions had surged like a long-forgotten thirst suddenly being remembered.
Koma, looking dejected and lonely as he turned away from her coldness, had looked as vulnerable as a defenseless herbivore.
And Etō had lunged at him like a predator.
Purely on impulse.
Beasts that cannot see emotions have no choice but to confirm them through physical contact.
Once that thirst was quenched and a sense of fulfillment washed over her, Etō suddenly became aware of her own behavior.
Unable to handle the wave of regret and embarrassment, she had even deployed her Kagune just to flee the scene, which had led her to this moment.
"No, it couldn't be helped. I've been under so much stress lately. It was a necessary choice for my mental health."
She muttered the excuse to herself, trying to convince herself that it was simply a form of 'hug therapy.'
Her name, Etō, was said to mean 'hoping for love's support.'
That love was the only thing that sustained her.
Without it, she would break far too easily.
After calming herself down, Etō rubbed her face with both hands to compose her expression.
Then, catching a familiar scent, she brought her wrist up to her nose.
"The scent is still there? I only hugged him for a second..."
She took a deep breath, searching for the lingering trace of Koma on her skin.
Suddenly, she flinched, realizing what she was doing.
The back hug might have been an impulse, but this was officially crossing the line.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
As if punishing her own stupidity, she began ramming her head into the utility pole like a woodpecker.
It was strange.
Regardless of what she had learned about the 'cage,' Etō realized she had become truly abnormal lately.
One moment she was freezing him out, the next she was lunging at him for a hug, and now she was sniffing her own clothes just to find a trace of him.
"It's all because of that man. If we had just stayed as father and daughter, I wouldn't feel this way."
Etō let out a resentful murmur toward Kuzen, whom she blamed for this emotional upheaval.
From Kuzen's perspective, it was a completely unfair accusation.
As Etō stood there with her head against the pole, catching her breath, her suspicious behavior caught the attention of a passing housewife and her young child in a kindergarten uniform.
"Mommy! That big sister is hitting her head on the pole!"
"Don't look, dear. Girls that age often find it impossible to handle the turmoil of their hearts."
"...Ahem."
The streets were beginning to fill with people.
Etō cleared her throat and straightened up as if nothing had happened.
She peeled off a flyer from the side of the pole and pasted it over the dent she had made before turning away.
There was no point in endless regret.
She decided to head to school and try to act normal.
[~~~♪]
Just then, her phone rang.
It was the phone Koma had bought for her recently, since they had been spending more time apart.
Etō checked the caller ID and narrowed her eyes.
It was the person she spoke to the least among all her contacts.
After staring at the screen for a moment, she answered and pressed the phone to her ear.
"What is it?"
[Uh, Etō? Do you have a moment? I have a favor to ask.]
The caller was Hitokawa, Koma's friend.
Based on his tone, he clearly needed her help.
Since their past conflicts had been resolved, Hitokawa occasionally reached out to her for assistance—provided that her safety was guaranteed and Koma had given his permission.
"What exactly does a middle schooler do on a weekday? I'm on my way to school."
[Then after school is fine. It's just one simple thing.]
"Is this related to the CCG?"
[Well, in the broad sense, yes. There's a Ghoul that's been a real headache lately. My guess is that this one is probably...]
"I refuse."
[...What?]
Etō cut him off flatly, leaving Hitokawa flustered.
[What gives? Did something happen?]
"Nothing happened. I'm just saying you shouldn't drag civilians into government business."
[What's gotten into you? To be honest, your position is way too ambiguous to be called a 'civilian.']
Hitokawa was bewildered. Etō had always been helpful in the past, so he couldn't understand this sudden change in attitude.
"I will not do anything that falls outside the scope of a civilian. Not anymore. Handle your own business, and Hitokawa-san can go hunt Ghouls however he likes."
[Where is this coming from...]
"Regardless, stop dragging us into CCG affairs."
[Hey, wait—!]
Click.
Etō hung up.
In the past, she might have complied, but now that she knew the truth of what lay behind the curtain, she wanted nothing to do with them.
***
[Beep— Beep— Beep—]
"What the hell? Why is she so prickly today? It's like she's gone back to her old self."
Hitokawa frowned and closed his phone as the disconnection tone droned on.
He had wanted to use Etō's abilities to confirm something before the operation to eliminate the Corpse Collector.
The Corpse Collector did not tolerate the presence of investigators within its territory.
If an investigator were spotted, the target would react violently. However, he couldn't exactly entrust the task to a normal civilian.
As far as Hitokawa was concerned, Etō—being a Ghoul—was the perfect candidate. He believed she could slip in and out of the territory undetected, but all he had received in return was a cold shoulder.
"Did Hoshino take her shopping again and treat her like a dress-up doll? I told him to take it easy if she was getting tired..."
Sighing and blaming his subordinate for Etō's mood, Hitokawa entered the CCG branch building.
"...Hm?"
As he passed through the gate, Hitokawa spotted two figures crossing the wide lobby.
He couldn't quite make out the brownish hair of the person walking behind.
But he recognized the back of the head of the man leading the way—the one with black hair streaked with gray, despite his youth.
"Arima, you bastard-aaaaaa!!!!!!"
Hitokawa charged toward the gray-haired man with fire in his eyes.
"Hirako. Position 49."
"Yes, sir!"
Following Arima's order, given without the man even turning around, Hirako moved instantly.
He was well-acquainted with these positioning commands.
Among Arima's often absurd instructions, this was the easiest to memorize.
They imagined the floor as a 7x7 chessboard, with each square measuring one square meter.
The squares were numbered 1 through 49, from the top-left to the bottom-right.
With Arima always occupying the center square (number 25), Hirako would move to whichever number Arima specified.
This system ensured that Hirako never got in the way during a combat situation.
In short, it was just a complicated way of telling him to get out of the way.
Though the method was incomprehensible, Hirako was used to Arima's eccentricities and dutifully moved to position 49.
The moment Hirako cleared the area, Hitokawa lunged forward with a flying kick.
Grab!
Arima tilted his head just enough to dodge the kick aimed at his skull and caught Hitokawa's ankle in mid-air.
Using the momentum, he redirected Hitokawa's force and tossed him to the side.
Hitokawa tightened his core, curled his body, and landed firmly on his feet.
Tap!
Despite the clean landing, Hitokawa's expression was murderous.
"Stop deflecting, you bastard!"
Arima had always been like this; he never just stood there and took a hit.
He knew exactly how much that fueled his opponent's rage, which only made him more malicious in Hitokawa's eyes.
"Why are you doing this? Let's at least establish the reason before you try to hit me again."
"The reason!? I heard everything from Hirako yesterday! You're supposed to be exterminating Ghouls, but instead, you're having secret rendezvous with a middle school girl!?"
Arima glanced back at Hirako, his eyes asking for an explanation.
Hirako scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry. I think I phrased the report poorly."
Realizing the source of the misunderstanding, Arima let out a small sigh.
"You are mistaken. The person I met was Etō."
"If you met Etō...!! Oh, it was Etō? Why didn't you just say so?"
At the mention of Etō, Hitokawa's anger vanished instantly. He nodded, seemingly convinced that there was absolutely no possibility of anything romantic happening between Arima and Etō.
Hirako, who didn't fully understand their relationship, could only wonder why Hitokawa was so certain.
"Anyway, what did you two talk about?"
Recalling Etō's foul mood on the phone, Hitokawa wondered if Arima was the cause.
"It was a personal matter."
"Trying to hide it makes it even more suspicious. Don't tell me you two are actually dating... Ah, looking at your face, I guess that's impossible."
Hirako would remember this as a truly rare day.
He had actually seen Arima look genuinely displeased.
Because Arima was always so stoic, even the slightest shift in his expression felt like a seismic event.
To Hirako, it looked exactly like the reaction of an older brother being told he actually gets along well with a sister he hates.
"Well, forget about Etō. Are you two free?"
Hitokawa rubbed his chin, his eyes sparkling as a new idea struck him.
"Tomorrow is my day off. I have a health checkup and Quinque maintenance, and Third Class Hirako has the day off as well."
Pleased, Hitokawa stepped forward and draped his arms over Arima and Hirako's shoulders.
"Come with me somewhere tomorrow."
"I'm off duty..."
"Don't worry. It's not work. Just a guys' trip to blow off some steam."
Despite his words, Hitokawa's expression was not that of a man looking for leisure.
He had the eyes of a hunter tracking his prey.
Hirako was certain this was going to be a nightmare.
Even though he was already Arima's subordinate, just following the man around was mentally and physically draining.
He wanted his first real day off to be peaceful.
However, given his rank, Hirako couldn't simply refuse a request from a Junior Special Class investigator.
He prayed that Arima would be the one to decline. If Arima said no, Hirako could use him as an excuse to bail.
Surely he won't accept such a suspicious invitation, right?
"Very well."
He accepted.
Hirako almost let a string of curses slip from his lips.