"I think I heard her too." Huiqi readily agreed, but he still hadn't found her.
"What's happening over there? Is that troublemaker from last time back?"
Huiqi looked toward the lounge, where several security guards had surrounded someone.
"No, that's not it. There's a suspicious person... She's been watching the CCG's restricted areas."
The receptionist respectfully explained the situation to the two men.
"Oh, good work, then."
"A suspicious person... Could she be a Ghoul?"
An odd gleam appeared in Kureo Mado's eyes as he strode forward with his briefcase.
Before long, the two reached the security guards.
"Make way..."
Huiqi called out, then pushed a guard aside.
"..."
The scene fell silent the next instant.
Akira Mado's face was flushed, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes as she stared straight at Huiqi.
"Is she a Ghoul? Let me take a look."
Behind him, Kureo Mado was already itching to get closer, seemingly eager to confirm it with his own instincts.
"At least... I don't think she is..."
Huiqi spoke after a moment of silence.
"Huh? Just let me have a look."
Akira Mado's expression grew uglier by the second. Resentment and hurt crept into her voice. "So, am I a Ghoul?"
"..."
Now Kureo Mado fell silent too, shaking his head helplessly.
"How could my daughter possibly be a Ghoul? What a terrible joke... Ha... Haha."
"What if I'd been thrown out?"
"Ahem. Why did you arrive so early, sweetheart? I'd only just found Huiqi and was about to come get you."
"Tch."
At some point, the guards beside them had vanished without a trace, leaving only Huiqi and Kureo Mado struggling desperately to comfort Akira Mado.
"Why don't you take Akira out for something to eat first? She's been waiting so long... The Quinque can wait." Huiqi leaned close to Kureo Mado and spoke quietly.
"Yes, yes! Good idea."
Kureo Mado excitedly clapped his hands.
"Then you handle this. I'll let Jin Toka know."
Seeing this, Huiqi took out his phone and made a call.
Kureo Mado cautiously edged closer to Akira Mado, soothing her in a soft voice with a fawning smile while constantly trying to explain himself.
His eyes betrayed a hint of tension and worry, as though he was terrified of upsetting Akira Mado again.
Yet despite Kureo Mado's efforts to seem warm and friendly, he couldn't quite hide his sheepish expression.
That unnatural smile looked rather comical on Kureo Mado's face, and Huiqi began suppressing a laugh when he saw it.
He really does dote on his daughter. Why is he so awkward about it, though? Huiqi watched Kureo Mado in amusement.
Akira Mado stood quietly without moving. Although she didn't respond, her gradually softening expression suggested that the meal was probably settled.
Sure enough, Kureo Mado turned and pointed outside, signaling that they could leave.
"Ah, someone really treasures his daughter, huh? He didn't even take part in the Ward 10 operation."
Huiqi sighed, speaking in a strange, teasing tone.
At Huiqi's words, embarrassment crept onto Kureo Mado's face. He had intended to join the Ward 10 operation, but seeing the photograph on his desk before departure had made him hesitate.
Then he had remembered their conversation in the hospital room. After thinking it over, Kureo Mado had decided not to participate in the extermination operation.
"Really?" Akira Mado's eyes filled with bewilderment. Given her father's personality, how could he have passed up an extermination operation?
"Aha... Who knows? Don't worry about it. After we eat, I'll pick out a Quinque for you myself. I'll make sure a certain Special Class Investigator pays through the nose."
Beside them, Huiqi was rather speechless. Kureo Mado looked like a stern investigator on the surface, but deep down, he doted hopelessly on his daughter. That eager-to-please expression was genuinely funny.
"Oh. It's best that you didn't go. I'm really glad." Akira Mado gripped Kureo Mado's sleeve with her right hand, so tightly that his tailored coat creased.
"I heard the Ward 10 extermination operation was really, really awful. I heard so many people crying outside..."
"So I don't want... Father, can you promise me?"
Kureo Mado froze in place, fumbling helplessly and repeatedly glancing toward Huiqi.
Feeling her father's stiff movements, Akira Mado stopped and looked earnestly at him. "You can't...? But I don't want to lose..."
"He can. Of course he can." After a moment's hesitation, Huiqi decided to answer for Kureo Mado. He knew all too well about Mado's obsession. As long as the Owl was alive, he would never give up.
"Yes, yes. Huiqi's right."
Yet Akira Mado still looked doubtful.
Watching this unfold left Huiqi feeling helpless. Perhaps it was just as Kureo Mado had said: he had always been alone. After his only partner died, he had never sought out another teammate, leaving him struggling to understand their feelings now.
"Trust me. When have I ever lied to you?"
"You promised you'd come back with my mother."
Akira Mado answered Kureo Mado's question without hesitation, sadness spreading across her face.
Kureo Mado's hands dropped heavily to his sides. His lips moved several times as he tried to explain, but in the end, they closed helplessly each time.
"We're at the restaurant. Let's go in." Huiqi pointed to the entrance ahead, breaking the tense stalemate between them. If this continued, the meal might fall through entirely. More importantly, there was no need to make a reunion between father and daughter so tense.
What they needed now was to grow closer, not sink into regret over the past.
Shattered glass can never be put back together. There's no cure for regret, either.
Those two thoughts crossed Huiqi's mind, and he sincerely hoped Kureo Mado would seize this opportunity.
Once they reached the private room upstairs, Akira Mado put away her earlier sadness and instead revealed an enigmatic smile. Then she turned to Kureo Mado and said sweetly, "Sorry for the trouble, Father, but could you go order for us?"
"Of course, of course. Whatever my daughter wants."
"Tsk."
Watching Kureo Mado head downstairs, Huiqi clicked his tongue. How could the man act so differently around different people?
"He really didn't participate in the Ward 10 extermination operation? I heard the fighting was exceptionally brutal." Akira Mado asked gravely, her eyes full of concern.
"No. If he'd gone, he might well have died."
Huiqi answered uncertainly. Judging by Kureo Mado's performance, he could easily have been singled out, just as Yukinori Shinohara had been surrounded by three Ghouls.
"Good, good. How about you? Are you feeling all right?"
"Same as always. No different from usual. I just saw a few unpleasant things." Huiqi rubbed his brow as Sen Takatsuki and that monster surfaced in his mind.
"Unpleasant? Did you run into something strange? I'm planning to join your squad after I graduate."
"Huh? My squad? I don't have a squad." Huiqi automatically ignored her earlier questions. Akira Mado shouldn't know about that kind of Ghoul; it would only frighten her needlessly.
"I asked around. Every Special Class Investigator has to take on a rookie, and you still haven't taken one, so I was planning to..."
"No. I won't agree to that."
Before Akira Mado could finish, Huiqi rejected her outright.
"W-why?" Akira Mado looked at Huiqi in confusion. She hadn't expected such a strong reaction at all.
Before you continue