Eto Yoshimura stood still as the light rain gradually covered her head, intensifying with each passing moment.
"Damn it... this bastard of a brother! Did he think his help wasn't welcome?" Reacting now, Eto, fists clenched and teeth gritted, scolded him. However, Kenzo, impatient with his sister's mood, had distanced himself.
In this moment, on Kenzo's side, he was returning calmly, unfazed by the rain soaking his body.
After moving in with his father, Kenzo learned about the existence of his sister and that she had been a Ghoul since birth. His father had always spoken highly of her but left her in the care of a trusted man to ensure she learned about the world of Ghouls.
When he turned 20 and his influence within District 20 was absolute, his sister, Eto, appeared before him with a considerably large man and brought him to their home. They spoke calmly until that man attacked him with a force strong enough to kill a human. Kenzo instinctively defended himself brutally against the man when their blows were exchanged using their superhuman strength.
Once Kenzo had overpowered the man, Eto ordered him to stop. She was thrilled that her long-lost brother had similar abilities to her.
Eto had always found it absurd that Kenzo wasn't a Ghoul when they shared the same genetics, so she tried to verify it herself. To her amazement, she was correct. Upon discovering this, she naturally invited him to join her organization, called the Aogiri Tree, to which Kenzo staunchly refused.
As the leader of the Three Eyed Crow organization, Kenzo was well aware of Aogiri Tree's stance and knew they were a group with terrorist tendencies and supremacist ideologies.
Kenzo had his own objectives but, before refusing, he wanted to obtain vital information from his sister. He directly asked, "Are you the leader of the organization?" When she said no, she mentioned the One-Eyed King and identified him as the leader of the Aogiri Tree.
He didn't need to know more, so after his refusal, he hadn't seen his sister for two years, until now. He had a lot of information on his primary rival in case he decided to extend his influence to other districts, which was the Aogiri Tree. So, the one he needed to eliminate was the One-Eyed King, who until two years ago was just a symbol to Kenzo.
Aogiri Tree was united under the ideology of Ghoul supremacy over humanity, promoted by the One-Eyed King. Aogiri aimed to have Ghouls dominate as a species, making plans to overthrow humanity and ascend to dominion.
"Small mistake, little sister. Your war has just begun, and you've already lost..." Kenzo knew, as the leader of the Three Eyed Crow organization, that humans cannot be defeated.
Ghouls, creatures of the night known for their strength and insatiable appetite for human flesh, might appear terrifying and powerful at first glance. However, there are fundamental reasons why they could never win against humans, no matter how strong they are.
Firstly, humans have a remarkable ability to adapt to changing situations and overcome challenges. Human history is marked by resilience and the ability to confront threats. When humans feel threatened, they tend to unite, share knowledge and resources, and develop strategies to survive. This adaptability is one of the main advantages humans have over any threat, including Ghouls.
Of course, Kenzo knows that no Ghoul has ever reached this conclusion because they don't understand humans and tend to underestimate them most of the time. As he has observed, most Ghouls are like hungry beasts, and they consider humans as nothing more than food.
For him and the values of the Three Eyed Crow organization, although Ghouls can be portrayed as powerful creatures, their lack of adaptability, intelligence, organizational ability, and their focus on violence and cannibalism put them at a disadvantage compared to humans' ability to evolve and overcome threats. Humans' ability to unite, innovate, and utilize resources and technology is a strength that would allow them to prevail in a prolonged conflict against Ghouls, regardless of the latter's physical strength.
Standing at a red traffic light, Kenzo glanced towards a specific location.
At this moment, he had a clear sense that someone appeared to be following him. However, what's strange is that the people following him seem to be ordinary, not Ghouls sent by his sister.
Kenzo remains aware of his surroundings without investing all of his efforts into this task.
But what Kenzo never expected was that the person following him was, in fact, an investigator from the CCG (Commission of Counter Ghoul).
If he was correct, there should be no reason he was being pursued because he had been careful with every move. There was a possibility that this involved his meeting with his sister, but his identity as a writer couldn't be linked to that of a Ghoul. In that case, someone possibly sent this investigator to gather information, and that's the problem – he doesn't know who that might be.
"I made a small mistake by getting involved with my sister; that's the only gap in my path..." Kenzo's activities are not very frequent precisely because he doesn't want to be caught.
But he supposed District 20 had always attracted the CCG's attention, along with the mysterious and unpredictable strength of the Three Eyed Crow organization. Still, there weren't many people who knew Kenzo's true identity.
"CCG can be such a nuisance!" As he walked calmly, Kenzo lit a cigarette and casually glanced at the person following him before hailing a taxi.
...
On the other end of the street.
"We were careless... For a moment, I thought he had discovered us!" A middle-aged man named Shota Watanabe clutched his chest with growing fear inside.
"They've discovered you, old fool!" However, a voice behind him spoke.
"How?" Shota Watanabe in a black suit turned his head back.
"Are you a Ghoul Investigator, Class 2, Suzuya Juzo?"
The older Shota recognized the person in front of him with a single glance.
"Old man, next time you go on a mission, remember to change your clothes. Your outfit easily attracts people's attention!" Suzuya Juzo offered advice to the man who had been following Kenzo, although he wasn't an old man; his age should be in his forties.
"I understand." As soon as Shota heard those words, he accepted the advice without much fuss.
"Alright, I'm off!" Suzuya Juzo said, turning around and walking away in small leaps.
"Darn it, a kid gave me advice on my job!"
Seeing the boy of no more than twenty leave, Shoya smiled ironically.
And at that moment, Suzuya Juzo entered a public restroom and took a wallet from his pocket.
"Uh... Besides a wad of cash, there seems to be only a photo. Who is the person in the photo?"
Suzuya Juzo kept scrutinizing the wallet in his hands. The wallet belonged to Kenzo.
During the writer's exhibition, Suzuya Juzo intentionally bumped into Kenzo with the goal of stealing his wallet.
Kenzo got so upset that he snatched the umbrella from that brat, and in that moment, his wallet was also taken from him. In recent days, his attention had been elsewhere, and at that particular moment, he was solely focused on looking at his sister, so he didn't bother worrying about a stupid kid he had bumped into.
"Moshi moshi... It's Suzuya Juzo. I found information about the target reported anonymously. Mmm, there's an address for a house but nothing else connecting it. Yes, there are coupons for a laundry service, restaurants, and a photo of an unknown woman."
"Oh, you found it so quickly? Then, come to the CCG branch in District 20; we need to further investigate the report!" The voice on the other end of the phone seemed anxious.
However, Suzuya Juzo had no idea of the trouble he had just caused Kenzo after stealing his wallet. Of course, no one had truly experienced the wrath of the Crow Master.
Because Kenzo was getting into a taxi at that moment, he had no idea that his wallet had been taken from him just a few minutes ago.
...
"Hello, love. No, I'm on my way back... By the way, are you afraid I'll be with another woman after proposing to you? In a relationship, you have to have trust and not pressure too much. Yes, I love you too." Kenzo maintained a smile while responding to a series of insults over the phone. His dear Touka was very affectionate, after all.
Regarding Touka, who became his girlfriend after that night, Kenzo wasn't foolish. He knew she had shown affection toward him from the moment they got to know each other better. It's just that Kenzo hadn't been very interested in a romantic relationship in recent years. But after some time, he thought it wasn't so bad to have such a charming girlfriend as Touka... although he never thought he'd take the first step, and then a kiss led to a bite.
"Is your fiancée calling you?" After hanging up the phone, the taxi driver asked with a smile.
"Haha, she has quite a temper... But I understand her better than she does herself. I guess I'm very captivated by her." Kenzo felt a warm feeling when he heard these words.
The taxi stopped at a traffic light. At that moment, two women were fighting in the street, and they both seemed startled.
Kenzo also noticed that the two women had probably had a significant encounter with the man who claimed to be single.
The driver suddenly asked, "Young man, are you in a hurry?"
"No, what's going on?" Kenzo replied casually when he heard those words.
As soon as he heard Kenzo's response, the driver immediately pulled over to the side.
"Was that it?" Kenzo was puzzled, not understanding why he wanted to watch a women's fight.
The driver took out some bills and said in a serious tone, "Since we're not in a hurry, let's watch this beautiful battle. Care to place a bet?"
Kenzo smiled confidently and asked, "How much are you willing to lose?"