The three passed through the back door beside the counter and entered the comparatively quiet storage room.
Manager Yoshimura stood there holding an inventory list, carefully checking the newly delivered supplies.
Hearing footsteps, he turned his head. When his gaze fell on Eto behind Amano Hiro, he visibly froze.
Complex emotions surged instantly in those always-gentle eyes.
"Eto..." he murmured almost instinctively, softly calling her name.
Amano Hiro stepped forward at the right moment, his tone calm yet firm. "Manager, I brought her to you. Some knots can only be untied face to face."
He then turned slightly toward the silent Eto beside him, his voice softening.
"Whatever you want to ask, ask it clearly today. Between father and daughter, there shouldn't be grudges that can't be resolved."
Under Manager Yoshimura's gaze, filled with gratitude and complicated feeling, Amano Hiro gently patted Eto's shoulder.
Then he and Rize wordlessly turned and left, leaving the space to the long-separated father and daughter.
Back in the front hall, Amano Hiro and Rize sat down at the counter.
Koma Enji wiped a coffee cup while greeting warmly. "Hiro, it's really been a long time."
"Yeah, long time no see," Amano Hiro replied with a smile.
Beside him, Yomo Renji nodded in greeting, then returned his attention to brewing coffee.
"Sorry, Hiro," Koma Enji said apologetically. "We've got a lot of orders right now. Your coffee will take a little while."
"No rush." Amano Hiro waved his hand. "Customers come first."
The busy peak lasted quite a while. Only when the customers gradually thinned did Touka and Irimi Kaya get a chance to catch their breath and come rest at the counter.
The group gathered together, enjoying rare leisure while sipping coffee and chatting about recent events and thoughts about the future.
Amano Hiro took a sip of the rich coffee and asked casually, "Has there been any movement from the CCG lately?"
These past few days he had been almost cut off from the outside world, his mind entirely in the "two-person world" with Rize.
Yomo Renji shook his head. "On the surface, nothing major."
Irimi Kaya picked up the thread, her tone carrying a hint of doubt. "It's unusually quiet."
On reflection, that abnormal calm had reason. Recently the CCG had suffered repeated setbacks. Not only had its public image plummeted, even the secret V organization had failed in operations, and even the Washuu Clan ancestral estate had been reduced to flat ground.
Under such circumstances, they would inevitably be secretly brewing a massive counterattack that could heavily strike ghouls while restoring public confidence.
...
CCG Headquarters, Commander's Office.
Smoke curled through the air. Marude Itsuki sank deep into his leather chair, a cigarette half-burned between his fingers.
The dim desk lamp outlined his shadowed profile. His brows were tightly furrowed, as if bearing an immense burden.
During this period, he had never stopped secretly investigating the Washuu Clan.
Yet all progress had been extremely difficult. The Washuu family visible on the surface had records as clean as blank paper.
Charity, investment, generations of service to the CCG... perfect beyond reproach.
But the more perfect it looked, the more it chilled his spine.
He recalled the many irrational details from the Owl Suppression Operation.
He recalled "Carnage's" words full of mockery and implication.
He recalled Washuu Yoshitoki's absurdly abnormal recovery speed at the time.
That was absolutely not the healing ability a normal human should have.
After returning, he had cautiously probed Dr. Kouitsu Chigyou, the CCG's chief technical officer. The doctor had stated clearly that with current technology it was impossible to create a drug that allowed humans to heal severe trauma in a short time.
That answer deepened his suspicion of the Washuu Clan by several more layers.
And recently, the "Quinx" project personally promoted by Director Washuu made him feel a chill.
That was no new technology. It was plainly transforming living humans into half-ghouls.
This had completely deviated from the CCG's founding purpose of "exterminate ghouls and protect humans."
What he found most incomprehensible was that Arima Kishou, always calm and rational and known as the CCG's Reaper, had actually supported the project.
He took a deep drag. The acrid smoke filled his lungs, yet could not disperse the fog in his mind.
The mystery was like a spiderweb, growing denser and binding him tighter.
Sometimes the endless pursuit of truth brought only exhaustion.
A voice screamed in his head: to hell with the truth. Just give up and rot.
But the next second, he crushed out the cigarette, stubborn light gathering again in his eyes.
He was Marude Itsuki. Once suspicion took root, there was no turning back.
...
Only at sunset, as the café neared closing time, did Manager Yoshimura and Eto come out from the back.
They emerged one after the other. Though it was impossible to tell whether their knot had fully untied, the long-absent ease on Eto's face and the faint upward curve of her lips already showed the conversation had brought positive change.
She walked straight to Amano Hiro and spoke softly but sincerely. "This time... thank you."
After a pause she added, "I'm going back first. Are you coming?"
Amano Hiro smiled and shook his head. "No need to thank me. It's best if misunderstandings are resolved. We still have some things to do, so we won't head back."
Eto did not press. She simply nodded lightly. "Then I'll go."
Manager Yoshimura stood not far away, watching his daughter's departing back. He did not call out to stop her.
But on his usually steady face, the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted into a relieved smile.
Amano Hiro walked to his side and teased, "Looks like it went pretty well."
The manager turned to him, eyes full of gratitude. "Hiro, truly... thank you very much." The thanks was heavy and sincere.
Amano Hiro waved it off, indicating it was nothing, then moved to the main point. "By the way, Manager, are there any vacant residences nearby?"
"Hiro is planning to move out to live aboveground?" Manager Yoshimura immediately understood. He knew Amano Hiro had been staying with Aogiri Tree.
"Yes. If possible, it's better to live aboveground. The underground is too oppressive."
Seeing him nod, Yoshimura thought briefly and answered, "As it happens, I know a few good vacant places. If it's convenient, I can take you to see them now."
"Good." Amano Hiro readily agreed. "Then I'll trouble you."
...
Amano Hiro relaxed back on the sofa of the new residence, looking around this newly settled "home."
Though simple, it carried the atmosphere of temporary stability.
He turned to Rize beside him and said softly, "For now, let this be our warm little nest."
Rize gently leaned her head on his shoulder and responded softly, "Mm."
The room fell quiet for a moment, filled only with the steady rhythm of their breathing.
Gazing at the deepening dusk outside the window, a trace of fatigue and longing appeared in Rize's eyes.
She asked softly, "Hiro, when do you think... we'll finally stop wandering like this and truly be able to enjoy a life that belongs to us?"
Amano Hiro could feel her yearning for peace in those words.
He reached out and gently stroked her hair and shoulder.
His voice was low and firm, as if stating an approaching fact.
"Soon. Very soon."