"My daughter? Hinami? She's with you right now?"
Asaki's voice suddenly grew agitated.
At the same time, his heart clenched with worry. The other party was a ghoul investigator, after all...
Though this person had saved his life before, he still couldn't help feeling anxious.
"Yes. Let me put her on."
Byakuya handed the phone to Hinami.
Hinami had never used a phone before, so she mimicked what Onii-chan had just done.
"Papa, where are you?"
"Hinami, are you alright? Papa is still hiding somewhere."
Asaki felt reassured the moment he heard her voice. He could tell from her tone that everything was fine.
"Of course I'm fine! Onii-chan came with me to Ward 19."
Hinami said cheerfully.
"Onii-chan? Are you talking about that investigator?"
Asaki couldn't help asking.
"Mm-hmm, Onii-chan is an investigator. Papa, come out quickly! Onii-chan and I are at the clinic right now."
Hinami said with a smile.
"Okay! Wait there for me—I'll be right over!"
Hearing how happy Hinami sounded filled Asaki with warmth.
...
Less than half an hour later, a disheveled figure appeared before Byakuya and Hinami.
"Papa!"
Hinami immediately ran over to embrace Asaki.
"Wait! Papa's all dirty and smelly. I've been hiding for days without going out—I'm a complete mess."
Asaki said awkwardly.
"That's okay. I don't mind, Papa."
Hinami hugged him happily anyway.
After father and daughter had caught up for a while, Asaki turned to Byakuya. "Investigator-san, is it safe now?"
"More or less, though you still shouldn't be too careless."
Byakuya suggested: "I'd recommend your family move to Ward 20 for now. The CCG's oversight there is the lightest at the moment."
"Understood."
Asaki nodded. "It seems you've already met my wife. Is she doing alright in Ward 20?"
"Yes. Your wife is currently at Anteiku in Ward 20. Yamori came looking for trouble with your wife and daughter before, but I've driven him off."
Byakuya said.
"Yamori...!"
Just hearing that name made Asaki break into a cold sweat.
But then he heard that Yamori had been driven off by the young man before him, and he relaxed. If his wife and daughter had actually fallen into Yamori's hands... knowing what he did about Yamori, the consequences would have been unthinkable...
Asaki felt a wave of lingering fear. Thank goodness this young investigator had driven Yamori away. Otherwise, if Ryouko and Hinami had truly suffered at Yamori's hands, it would have haunted him for the rest of his life.
Then Asaki suddenly realized something. This young investigator had now saved his entire family—including himself. The debt of gratitude was so immense he had no idea how to repay it.
Even now, he still found it hard to believe. This person was a ghoul investigator, yet he was willing to help their ghoul family.
His previous encounter with Kureo Mado should have left him with psychological scars, yet this fellow investigator had saved his entire family...
Asaki couldn't think of how to repay such kindness. The only thing that came to mind was kneeling before the young man.
"Papa..."
Though Hinami didn't want to see her father humiliate himself this way, she understood that their family truly owed that Onii-chan an enormous debt.
But Asaki had barely knelt down before Byakuya lifted him back up.
"Didn't I say before? There's no need for this."
Byakuya said, somewhat helplessly.
Why did this guy always drop to his knees without a word?
"But we... truly have no way to repay you..."
Asaki sighed.
"I don't need any repayment. You like practicing medicine and saving people, don't you? Open a small clinic in Ward 20. Your family just needs to live well."
Byakuya spoke calmly.
Besides, even if he asked for repayment, it would be useless. Asaki couldn't give him anything he needed. What he truly wanted, only the System could provide.
"I understand, Investigator-san."
Asaki nodded solemnly.
"Papa, stop calling him 'Investigator-san.' He's Amaha-oniichan."
Hinami spoke up.
"Oh, then... Amaha-san."
Asaki was a bit surprised. Little Hinami already knew this young investigator's name.
It seemed Hinami's relationship with this young man was much closer than he'd imagined.
Afterward, Asaki gathered a few necessities from the clinic, then traveled with Byakuya and Hinami to Ward 20.
The Fueguchi family was finally reunited.
...
The date of the "Aogiri Tree Subjugation" drew ever closer.
Meanwhile, Aogiri Tree in Ward 11 was growing increasingly restless. First they'd been hunting ghoul investigators; now they were directly attacking the Ward 11 CCG branch.
While assaulting the CCG, Aogiri Tree hadn't neglected their mission to capture the "Binge Eater."
Since Aogiri's attack on the Ward 11 CCG branch was a complete rout, they only needed to leave some members behind in Ward 11, freeing up substantial manpower for other operations.
That night, some uninvited guests arrived in Ward 20.
Three figures wearing gas masks leaped from lamppost to lamppost. They suddenly stopped atop one of them.
"We've finally reached Ward 20. This place feels so peaceful."
Accustomed to the brutal competition of other wards, they found Ward 20's tranquil, slow pace unsettling.
This darkness should have been prime hunting time for ghouls, yet they hadn't spotted a single one on their way here.
"Let's just complete the mission. Rize-san should be over there."
A tall man with a strangely-shaped beard spoke up.
His name was Kazuichi Banjou. He'd originally been the leader of Ward 11, but after Aogiri Tree invaded and occupied it, he'd had no choice but to submit. The three ghouls behind him were his subordinates.
Now, they were searching for the place called "Anteiku."
Anteiku was quite well-known in ghoul circles. Aogiri Tree had intelligence on its exact location, so they could move in directly once daylight came.
Banjou and his group had actually been sent ahead under Ayato Kirishima's orders, racing to find Rize before Nico and the others could.
Ayato wasn't just doing this to claim credit. More importantly, his sister Touka Kirishima was also at that "Anteiku"...