章 29: The Hidden Past of a Half-Ghoul
Kuzen and his daughter, Eto, share an extremely complicated relationship.
Kuzen was once a Cleaner for the organization known as "V". Despite being a ghoul, he fell in love with a human woman named Ukina. Even after discovering his true identity as a ghoul, Ukina continued to love him deeply.
From their love, Eto was born—a miraculous half-ghoul. However, the most tragic part was that Ukina, while pregnant, had to consume human flesh to sustain Eto, as the ghoul bloodline required such nutrition for survival.
Their happiness was short-lived. Ukina's true identity as a journalist investigating the V organization was revealed. She uncovered some of the organization's darkest secrets, which prompted V to launch a relentless hunt to eliminate her.
Though Kuzen was incredibly powerful, he could not single-handedly stand against the overwhelming forces of the V. The organization's leader, Kaiko, was even stronger than Kuzen. While Kuzen could protect himself, he lacked the ability to simultaneously shield both Ukina and Eto, who was still an infant at the time.
Faced with no other options, Kuzen made the heartbreaking decision to kill Ukina himself to protect Eto.
(Note: In the manga, Kuzen kills Ukina, in the anime, V kills her. This story follows the manga canon.)
V spared Kuzen, as they were unaware that Ukina had already given birth to a child, let alone a half-ghoul. Had the organization discovered this, their hunt would have been even more ruthless.
After killing Ukina, Kuzen sent Eto to the chaotic 24th Ward to avoid detection by V. He entrusted her to Noro, an SS- rated ghoul and an old friend. Kuzen left Eto with nothing but Ukina's notebook, which contained both the secrets she had uncovered about the V and memories of her life with Kuzen.
Initially, Eto was cared for by Noro, but a few years later, V assassinated him for reasons unknown. Left to survive on her own in the unforgiving environment of the 24th Ward, Eto was not even ten years old.
Although Kuzen had his reasons, Eto resented him for abandoning her during her most vulnerable years, especially when she needed her father's love and protection.
Adding to her pain, Kuzen had personally killed her mother. Even though Ukina had consented to it, Eto could never fully forgive him for this.
All these factors fueled Eto's hatred for her father. Much of this hatred stemmed from her belief that Kuzen had chosen to run from V instead of resisting. This led to her rebellion against both the CCG and the V organization controlling it.
However, during the timeline of Byakuya's presence in this world, Eto's resentment toward her father had not yet deepened to an irreconcilable point. At this stage, her defiance was more a matter of stubbornness, as she avoided returning to the 20th Ward to see him.
It was only later, after many events unfolded, that Eto's hatred for Kuzen in the original story became irreversible.
...
"Is that so? That's quite an unusual ghoul. Managing a whole ward without violence must mean they're extremely strong, yet they seek peace with humans?"
Eto fell silent for a moment before regaining her composure, showing no obvious reaction.
However, Byakuya's sharp intuition noticed her brief pause.
"Indeed, a ghoul who advocates for peace with humans is unprecedented" Byakuya remarked. "I don't know what deeds he might have done in the shadows, but the idea itself is quite noble"
His words clearly danced on Eto's emotional "landmines" but reflected his genuine admiration. Byakuya truly believed Kuzen's efforts to lead an entire ward of ghouls to coexist peacefully with humans were admirable.
This kindness, however, did not contradict Kuzen's decision to flee from the V organization. Knowing he could not win against them, Kuzen had chosen not to fight. Rallying allies would have only caused more deaths, and in his later years, Kuzen couldn't bear to see more lives lost before him.
Eto, on the other hand, sacrificed everything—her own life, the entirety of Aogiri Tree, and even Arima—just to pave the way for the One-Eyed King Kaneki, who would emerge a decade later.
Ultimately, it's hard to say who was right or wrong between Kuzen and Eto.
Kuzen wanted to protect the people and ghouls around him. This was not wrong. He simply failed to handle his responsibilities as a father.
Eto wanted to change the world — a world that condemned ghouls as monsters from birth. This was also not wrong, but her violent methods caused countless tragedies.
"Noble, huh…" Eto fell silent again before speaking. "Mr Byakuya doesn't seem to harbor much hatred toward ghouls?"
"Not particularly. If it were possible, I'd prefer for humans and ghouls to coexist peacefully" Byakuya replied with a slight nod.
"Interesting…"
Eto finished jotting down notes. "Thank you. You've given me plenty of material. I feel inspired for my next work."
"I'm looking forward to your next novel" Byakuya said.
Eto jumped off the bed and announced, "I should be heading back now"
As always, Byakuya offered to walk her partway home.
"It's an honor to be escorted by a ghoul investigator" Eto joked halfway through their walk.
Knowing her true identity as the One-Eyed Owl, Byakuya took the comment as playful banter rather than a genuine remark.
At their usual parting spot, Byakuya bid Eto farewell.
"See you tomorrow. Be sure to tell me about that ghoul girl then" she said with a smile before disappearing into the shadows.
...
The Next Day
Ding! [Sign-In Complete! Reward: 1 Attribute Point!]
Early in the morning, Byakuya and Arima had breakfast and took the subway to school. As they approached the school gates, they ran into Minami, who was also on her way.
"Good morning, Arima, Byakuya" Minami greeted them warmly, oblivious to the fact that both had already identified her as the ghoul 'Lantern'.
"Good morning"
"Morning, Minami"
Byakuya and Arima acted as if nothing was amiss.
Byakuya had no intention of immediately driving Minami out. Arima, on the other hand, wasn't entirely sure she was Lantern yet.
Without absolute confirmation, investigators were forbidden from acting recklessly. After all, if Minami turned out to be a normal human, attacking her would create serious trouble.
Unbeknownst to them, Minami had already grown suspicious that the two might be CCG investigators, making her even more cautious in her interactions with them.
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