Chapter 29: The Life of Yoshimura Eto

The relationship between Yoshimura Kuzen and Yoshimura Eto was extremely complicated.

Kuzen was once a "Cleaner" for the Organization 'V'-a ruthless enforcer.

Yet despite being ghoul, he fell in love with a human woman named Ukina.

And even after discovering that he was a ghoul, Ukina still loved him.

From their forbidden union-A miracle was born:

A half-ghoul child; Yoshimura Eto.

But fate was cruel, during pregnancy, Ukina was forced to consume human flesh; if she didn't; their unborn child-born of ghoul blood-would starve to death in the womb.

Even after all that, their happiness was short-lived.

Ukina's true identity was eventually revealed-She was a journalist, specifically a journalist who had been investigating V.

By that point, Ukina already had discovered secrets she was never meant to know.

The moment V realized this; they hunted her down relentlessly.

Kuzen was strong but he was one man against an entire organization.

Worse still-V's leader, Kaiko, was even stronger than him.

Kuzen could protect himself, but he couldn't protect both Ukina and their newborn child.

And so, he was driven into a corner.

With no other choice; To protect Eto from V, he personally ended Ukina's life.

V let him go, at the time, they hadn't realized he had fathered a child.

If they had known that his child was a half-ghoul; they would have never stopped hunting him.

After Ukina's death, Kuzen knew he had to hide Eto. 

To ensure V never found her; He sent her to the 24th Ward-A lawless underground abyss, beyond the reach of the outside world.

There, he left her in the care of an old friend; The SS-rated ghoul Noro.

All he gave Eto was a single notebook-Ukina's notebook.

Inside were V's secrets and also memories of her life with Kuzen.

At first, Eto was safe under Noro's protection.

But a few years later, for reasons unknown, Noro was killed by V.

At less than ten years old, Eto was forced to survive alone in the 24th Ward's hellish depths.

Yes, Kuzen had his reasons.

Yes, he made impossible choices.

But when Eto needed her father most-He chose to run.

He abandoned her to escape V.

He killed her mother with his own hands.

Even if Ukina had accepted her fate; That was a wound Eto could never truly forgive.

And so, through this, her hatred was born.

But most of that hatred wasn't just for her father.

What Eto truly hated was his cowardice.

His weakness in the face of V.

That was why she sought to destroy the CCG and the organization 'V', that controlled it from the shadows.

However att this point in time, during Byakuya's era-Her hatred for Kuzen hadn't fully manifested yet.

It wasn't the deep, irreparable hatred she held in the original story.

Right now, it was mostly just stubborn defiance.

She didn't want to go to the 20th Ward to see him, not because she despised him yet but because she refused to acknowledge him.

It was only later, after many more events unfolded that Eto's hatred for her father became irreversible.

"Is that so?"

Eto finally spoke.

"That's quite the unusual ghoul."

She let out a small chuckle.

"If he's strong enough to rule a district, then he must be powerful."

Her voice was calm, too calm.

"And yet, he still wants to coexist with humans?" 

She had barely reacted at all.

But Byakuya was sharp.

He noticed it, that brief moment of silence-A pause just long enough to be telling.

"Indeed."

Byakuya responded evenly.

"A ghoul 'Manager' advocating for peace with humans; That is something unheard of."

"Even if I don't know whether he's done terrible things in secret-Just based on this ideal alone, I think it's admirable."

Byakuya was treading dangerous ground.

Bringing up Yoshimura Kuzen like this, praising his ideals-To Eto, this was stepping right into a minefield.

But he was sincere; Leading an entire ward of ghouls, restraining them from killing, coexisting with humans-

That was a remarkable act of kindness.

And that kindness did not contradict Kuzen's fear of V.

He knew he couldn't defeat V.

Even if he gathered allies, it would only lead to a massacre.

In his later years, he had seen enough death; He didn't want to see any more.

But Eto?

She gave up everything.

She sacrificed herself.

She sacrificed Aogiri Tree.

Even Arima Kishou died in the end-All for the arrival of the "One-Eyed King"; Kaneki Ken.

So in the end-Who was right?

And who was wrong?

Kuzen sought to protect his people.

Eto sought to change the world.

Neither of them were wrong.

But Kuzen failed as a father and Eto's brutality left behind nothing but tragedy.

"Admirable, huh..."

Eto murmured.

A moment of silence.

Then she spoke again, this time with a slight smirk.

"You don't seem to hate ghouls that much, Uchiha-san."

Byakuya met her gaze.

"I suppose not."

"If possible, I'd rather see ghouls and humans coexist."

Eto didn't reply immediately.

Then, with a casual tone-

"I see."

She closed her notebook with a snap.

"Thanks for the material, Uchiha-san, I feel like inspiration is just flooding in."

Byakuya smiled faintly.

"I'm looking forward to your next novel, Sensei."

Eto hopped down from his bed.

"Well, it's about time I head back."

As usual, Byakuya walked her partway home.

"I should feel honored," Eto said in a teasing tone.

"A ghoul investigator personally escorting me home."

To anyone else, her words might sound grateful.

But Byakuya knew she was just messing with him.

After all, she wasn't just some regular human girl-She was "The One-Eyed Owl."

At their usual parting spot, Eto turned to him.

"See you tomorrow, Uchiha-san, you still owe me more details about that ghoul girl."

"Yeah."

The next morning.

[Ding! Daily Check-in Complete. You have received: +1 Attribute Point.] 

Byakuya and Arima grabbed breakfast and took the train to school.

Just before they reached the entrance, they ran into Uraka Minami.

Or rather-The A+ rated ghoul, "Lantern."

She greeted them with a smile.

"Good morning, Arima-kun, Byakuya-kun."

Byakuya studied her carefully.

There wasn't a single crack in her act.

She had no idea that the two of them had already confirmed her identity.

And yet, she too; was being cautious.

She strongly suspected they were CCG investigators.

So she was carefully watching their every move.

Byakuya responded calmly.

"Morning."

Arima nodded.

"Good morning, Minami-san."

Neither of them showed any sign of knowing the truth.

For now Byakuya had no intention of hunting her down.

And Arima-He still wasn't completely certain that she was "Lantern."

To a true investigator; you never attack without absolute proof.

If Minami was just a normal human and they got it wrong-That would be a disaster.

...

(Note: In the manga, Kuzen kills Ukina himself. In the anime, V kills her. This story follows the manga.)