The cute girl before him had long, tousled green hair, a petite, slender figure, and eyes as beautiful as emeralds.
Despite looking like a young girl and standing only a little over a meter and a half tall, she was actually twenty-four years old.
Eto.
And her true nature stood in stark contrast to her petite, adorable appearance.
Rize Kamishiro was already brutal enough, but compared to Eto, she fell far short.
Eto's true identity was a natural-born half-ghoul, a hybrid of a human and a ghoul, also known as a "One-Eyed Ghoul." Unlike an artificial half-ghoul such as Ken Kaneki in the original story, Eto was the only natural-born half-ghoul in the world today.
Her strength far surpassed that of ordinary ghouls. She could be called the strongest known ghoul, and she was as vicious as she was powerful.
Looking at Eto before him, Amahane Byakuya was utterly surprised.
He hadn't expected to run into Eto just by walking down the street.
But he quickly calmed down and reasoned that Eto might have arranged this seemingly chance encounter because of his unusual interaction with Rize Kamishiro.
Rather than believe in such a convenient coincidence, Amahane Byakuya preferred to trust his own judgment.
After all, in the original story, Aogiri Tree had always wanted to capture Rize Kamishiro because of her identity.
Eto herself was the "One-Eyed Owl" who had founded Aogiri Tree, as well as Yoshimura Kuzen's daughter. She hated the Washuu Clan to the bone, so naturally, she paid particular attention to Rize Kamishiro, who held a special position within the clan.
"Watch where you're going, young man."
At that moment, Eto was the first to speak to Amahane Byakuya.
"Thanks for the reminder. I will."
Amahane Byakuya answered normally, giving no indication whatsoever that he recognized Eto.
"Be careful~"
With that, Eto walked away, humming a cheerful little tune.
She seemed like nothing more than a stranger he had happened to cross paths with.
If Amahane Byakuya had known nothing, he certainly wouldn't have taken her warning to heart.
But considering the truth about Rize Kamishiro, the meaning behind Eto's words was obvious.
Now Amahane Byakuya could be fairly certain that his "chance" encounter with Eto had indeed been because of Rize Kamishiro.
Though he and Eto had only met briefly and exchanged a few words, what really mattered was that he was probably already under surveillance by Eto and Aogiri Tree.
Surveillance was all it would be, because, like Yoshimura Kuzen, Eto wouldn't rashly do anything to Rize Kamishiro. At the very least, the threat posed by the Washuu Clan would keep Eto from acting personally. At most, she would send a subordinate such as Yakumo Oomori, "Yamori," to capture Rize Kamishiro.
"I know..."
In response to Eto's cheerful, almost teasing warning, Amahane Byakuya replied calmly.
His voice was rather quiet, but Eto still heard him. He didn't care if she did.
Eto didn't turn back to look at Amahane Byakuya. Instead, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
How interesting~
It seems this fellow who approached Rize Kamishiro on his own and even confessed his feelings to her isn't as simple as the human boy he appears to be.
Yet despite all the extensive intelligence I have, there's absolutely nothing about this human boy.
She could tell by his scent that he wasn't a ghoul. So was he human? Half-human? And which faction did he belong to? What was more, he happened to be holding and reading her debut novel, "To Kafka."
Eto suddenly found herself growing even more interested in him.
By then, Amahane Byakuya had returned home.
His home was also in Tokyo's Ward 20, the district where Yoshimura Kuzen served as the "manager," and one of the relatively safest wards in Tokyo.
Since Japanese universities generally didn't provide dormitories, students either rented a place elsewhere or lived at home. Amahane Byakuya would therefore stay at home that night and head to school the next morning. His home was close to Kamii University, which was also in Ward 20, making it quite convenient.
Just then, Amahane Byakuya noticed a mirror. Something suddenly occurred to him, and he walked over to take a curious look, wanting to see whether his appearance had changed after he had crossed into this world.
He only knew that his limbs were still the same as before and that his hairstyle had changed, growing considerably longer. He didn't know whether his facial features had changed too.
A look in the mirror revealed that his facial features were still his own.
He had sharp brows and bright eyes, his handsome features retaining a bold edge. Though his face didn't look much like Madara Uchiha's, his new hairstyle was clearly modeled after Madara's, just not as long. It was roughly the style worn by "Red Night Obito," minus the long tail at the back.
Paired with the same Sharingan as Madara's, that hairstyle would give him a strong resemblance even if their facial features differed.
Reference image for Red Night Obito (just look at the hairstyle).
Speaking of the Sharingan, Amahane Byakuya's one-tomoe Sharingan had remained deactivated all this time.
Now he tried activating it. With a thought, his one-tomoe Sharingan appeared, a single tomoe in each of his scarlet eyes.
The instant his one-tomoe Sharingan activated, Amahane Byakuya distinctly felt a significant boost to his vision and perception. It was a wondrous sensation, as though he had gained an entirely new pair of eyes.
As it turned out, these Sharingan were already highly compatible with him. It seemed he had also acquired Madara Uchiha's bloodline, allowing him to activate or deactivate them at will.
After briefly experiencing the Sharingan, he switched them off. He didn't intend to leave them active casually in everyday life. Not only would they constantly consume chakra, but they could also bring him trouble.
Human society in this world was deeply hostile toward ghouls, fundamentally because ghouls fed on humans. Since the Sharingan closely resembled scarlet kakugan, walking down the street with them active would surely be asking for trouble.
At the very least, he would cause a massive panic, followed by countless other problems.
After eating a dinner he had cooked himself, Amahane Byakuya read the copy of "To Kafka" he had brought home in one sitting that evening. By then, it was about time to shower and go to bed.
[Ding! The host has finished reading "To Kafka." Reward received: 1 fusion point!]
The next morning.
Before heading to school, Amahane Byakuya first returned "To Kafka" to Anteiku as promised.
Touka Kirishima also had to go to school that morning, so the manager, Yoshimura Kuzen, personally attended to Amahane Byakuya.
"I've returned your deposit in full. Please check that it's all there."
Yoshimura Kuzen spoke to Amahane Byakuya in a gentle voice, a kindly smile on his face.
Most people would never imagine that such a kindly old man was actually the SSS-rated ghoul known as the "Non-Killing Owl," whose very name struck terror into countless humans and even ghoul investigators.
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