The girl before him was small and delicate, with messy green hair cascading past her shoulders. Her emerald-green eyes were as dazzling as gemstones.

  She might look like a petite teenage girl, barely over 1.5 meters tall, but in reality—she was already twenty-four years old.

  Yoshimura Eto.

  And beneath that adorable, delicate exterior y a stark contrast—a monstrous truth.

  If Rize Kamishiro was already considered brutal, then compared to Yoshimura Eto, she was nothing.

  Yoshimura Eto’s true identity was that of a natural-born half-ghoul, also known as a "one-eyed ghoul."

  Unlike Kaneki Ken, who was artificially transformed, Eto was the only naturally born half-ghoul in the world.

  Her strength far surpassed that of ordinary ghouls, making her the most powerful ghoul on the surface.

  And with her immense power came overwhelming cruelty.

  ---

  As Amane Byakuya stared at her, he couldn't help but be surprised.

  He hadn’t expected to just run into Yoshimura Eto on the street like this.

  But almost immediately, he calmed down and deduced that this encounter wasn’t a coincidence.

  The moment he came into contact with Rize Kamishiro, he had already entered the game.

  It was far too convenient for Eto to just "happen" to cross paths with him.

  Rather than believing in such a lucky coincidence, Amane Byakuya trusted his instincts.

  After all, in the original story, Aogiri Tree had always wanted to capture Rize Kamishiro—because of her unique identity.

  And Yoshimura Eto, the "One-Eyed Owl," was both the founder of Aogiri Tree and the daughter of Yoshimura Kuzen.

  She despised the Washuu Cn to her core.

  It made perfect sense that she would be interested in someone connected to Rize Kamishiro.

  "Watch where you're walking, kid,"

  Eto suddenly spoke up, her tone pyful yet casual.

  "Thanks for the reminder," Amane Byakuya responded naturally, pretending not to recognize her at all.

  "Be careful~"

  With that, Eto hummed a lighthearted tune and walked away, as if she were just another stranger.

  If Amane Byakuya didn’t know the truth, he might have brushed off her "be careful" as nothing special.

  But given what he knew about Rize Kamishiro’s real situation, Eto’s words had a much deeper meaning.

  Now, Amane Byakuya was almost certain—this "coincidental" meeting was because of Rize Kamishiro.

  Even though he and Eto had only exchanged a few words, the real issue was that he was now under surveilnce.

  Eto, and by extension, Aogiri Tree, was watching him.

  For now, it was only surveilnce.

  Eto, like her father Yoshimura Kuzen, wasn’t the type to act recklessly—especially not when dealing with someone tied to the Washuu Cn.

  At most, she would send subordinates like "Yamori" (Yakumo Oomori) to abduct Rize.

  "...I understand."

  Hearing Eto’s teasing, almost mocking tone, Amane Byakuya replied calmly and quietly.

  His voice was low, but Eto still heard him.

  She didn’t turn back.

  Instead, the corners of her lips curled up into a smirk.

  Interesting.

  So this guy, the one who actively approached and even confessed to Rize Kamishiro, wasn't just a simple human boy as he appeared to be.

  Even with all the extensive information she had gathered, there was nothing on him.

  She could tell from his scent that he wasn’t a ghoul, but then—was he human? Half-human? And which faction did he belong to?

  And on top of that, he was holding her debut novel, "Dear Kafka," in his hands and reading it.

  Yoshimura Eto’s curiosity toward him only deepened.

  ---

  At this moment, Amane Byakuya had already returned home.

  His house was located in the 20th Ward of Tokyo—the same ward where Yoshimura Kuzen acted as the "manager."

  It was one of the safest wards in all of Tokyo.

  Since Japanese universities typically didn’t provide dormitories, students either rented their own apartments or commuted from home.

  So tonight, Amane Byakuya was staying at home, and he would head to university tomorrow morning.

  His home was conveniently close to Kamii University, which was also in the 20th Ward.

  As he walked past a mirror, something suddenly came to mind.

  Curious, he stopped and looked at his reflection—wanting to see if his appearance had changed after transmigrating into this world.

  From what he had observed, his body was still the same, though his hairstyle had grown much longer than before.

  But as for his facial features...

  When he looked into the mirror, he saw that his face hadn’t changed.

  With sharp brows, clear eyes, and a handsome yet subtly imposing look, he didn’t exactly resemble Uchiha Madara.

  However, his new hairstyle was undeniably modeled after Madara's—just slightly shorter.

  It looked like "Red Night Obito"—but without the long ponytail at the back.

  And with Sharingan identical to Madara’s, even if his face wasn't a match, the resembnce was already striking.

  Speaking of Sharingan, his One Tomoe Sharingan had always remained in a deactivated state.

  Now, he decided to activate it for the first time.

  With just a single thought, his One Tomoe Sharingan surfaced.

  The crimson pupils gleamed, each adorned with a single tomoe.

  The moment his Sharingan activated, Amane Byakuya could immediately feel it—

  His vision sharpened, and his perception heightened dramatically.

  It was as if he had switched to an entirely different pair of eyes.

  But one thing was clear—

  His Sharingan had completely merged with him.

  It seemed like he had also inherited Uchiha Madara's bloodline, allowing him to activate and deactivate the Sharingan at will.

  After experiencing the sensation of the Sharingan, he quickly turned it off.

  He had no intention of keeping it active all the time.

  Not only would it constantly drain his chakra, but it would also cause unnecessary trouble.

  In this world, humans already harbored extreme hostility toward ghouls—which was natural, given that ghouls preyed on humans.

  And his crimson Sharingan bore a strong resembnce to the red Kakugan of ghouls.

  If he casually walked through the streets with Sharingan activated, it would undoubtedly provoke chaos.

  At the very least, it would spark mass panic, and the ensuing troubles would be endless.

  ---

  Later that night, after making himself a meal, Amane Byakuya sat down and finished reading "Dear Kafka" in one sitting.

  Afterward, he prepared to take a bath and go to sleep.

  [Ding! You have finished reading "Dear Kafka." Reward: +1 Fusion Point!]

  ---

  The next morning.

  Before heading to university, Amane Byakuya made a stop at "Anteiku" to return "Dear Kafka" as promised.

  Since Touka Kirishima had school early in the morning, it was Yoshimura Kuzen himself who greeted Amane Byakuya.

  "The deposit has been fully refunded to you. Please check it,"

  Yoshimura Kuzen said with a kind smile and a gentle tone.

  Anyone unaware of his true identity would never guess that this benevolent old man was in fact the SSS-rated ghoul, the "Non-Killing Owl"—a figure feared by both humans and ghoul investigators alike.