Chapter 24
The conflict between humans and Ghouls became even more irreconcilable.
"Is that so?"
Eto Yoshimura sighed as she reclined in the car seat.
Minato Namikaze glanced at her with amusement.
"What, you don't like my answer?"
Eto pursed her lips.
"It's fine. Just a little disappointing."
"Disappointing?"
Eto put on a sad expression.
"My dear Minato actually thinks the same way as ordinary people. That's truly depressing."
"What's wrong with that? Your editor is an ordinary person."
"Can ordinary people instantly beat a Ghoul into the ground?"
"An ordinary person who knows a little martial arts."
Minato shrugged and got out of the car.
"A little martial arts, huh."
Eto gave him a meaningful look.
Someone who could pin both Kamishiro Rize and Yamori to the ground and beat them up probably only knew "a little" martial arts.
After all, people who say things like that usually belong to a very special category.
When Minato and Eto arrived at the hotel entrance, they found a hunched white-haired man standing outside together with a burly young man.
It was Kureo Mado and Kotaro Amon.
Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be waiting for someone.
"Mr. Minato, you're back."
Kureo Mado immediately walked over after spotting him.
It was obvious he had come specifically to see him.
Minato signaled for Eto to head upstairs first.
Eto shot Kureo Mado an unhappy look before extending her hand toward Minato.
"What?"
Minato looked at her in confusion.
"Your room key."
"..."
This girl couldn't still be planning to do the same thing as last night, could she?
Seeing that Minato wasn't reacting, Eto simply reached into his pocket herself, pulled out the key card, and walked away.
"This girl..."
Minato shook his head helplessly.
When it came to Eto, he truly had no effective countermeasures.
"No wonder you're unwilling to join the CCG, Mr. Minato."
Kureo Mado looked at him meaningfully.
"Please don't tease me."
Minato laughed helplessly.
"And this is?"
Even though he knew who Kotaro Amon was, he still had to pretend otherwise.
"Rank 2 Investigator, Kotaro Amon."
The young man radiated integrity.
"Nice to meet you. Minato Namikaze. Occupation: editor."
After the introductions, Kureo Mado explained why he had come.
He wanted information regarding Minato's encounter with Yamori yesterday.
Apparently, they had already investigated the incident.
"We examined the scene and discovered that you fought Yamori there, Mr. Minato. Could you describe what happened?"
Minato nodded.
"Yesterday my car broke down, and I happened to encounter Yamori while he was heading toward the clinic."
Kureo Mado nodded.
"Then we fought. Afterward, a third party suddenly appeared."
"A third party?"
Kureo Mado and Kotaro Amon exchanged glances.
This was new information.
"I encountered an enormous one-eyed monster. To be honest, it was the one who defeated Yamori."
Minato described the situation in detail.
Naturally, he omitted the part where he had been thoroughly humiliated by that monster.
"One-eyed... giant monster!"
Kureo Mado's eyes widened instantly.
His entire demeanor changed.
His face twisted, and his hand gripped the quinque case so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
It's that thing.
It has to be that thing.
"W-What's wrong?"
Minato looked at Kureo Mado in confusion.
Kotaro Amon was equally bewildered.
He had never seen his mentor react like this.
"It's nothing. The creature you described might be the monster I've been hunting all this time."
Kureo Mado's voice was filled with killing intent.
Even though Minato's description was brief, it was enough.
Even if it wasn't the same monster, he would still kill it.
"Oh, I see."
Minato nodded and continued recounting the incident.
After spending some time detailing everything that had happened, he even mentioned the Fueguchi family.
Although he never outright stated they were Ghouls, someone with Kureo Mado's abilities would undoubtedly figure it out.
Judging from their reactions, they likely already knew.
"Mr. Minato, it's truly a shame someone with your abilities refuses to join the CCG."
After gathering all the information he needed, Kureo Mado shook his head regretfully.
He still wanted to recruit Minato.
"Different people have different ambitions."
Minato shrugged.
---
Chapter 30 (Corrected)
"Mr. Mado, did that man really defeat a Ghoul like Jason with his bare hands?"
After leaving the hotel, Kotaro Amon still found it difficult to believe.
In his eyes, Minato looked far too ordinary.
Amon acknowledged that he was strong.
But defeating a Ghoul at Yamori's level without any weapon?
That was beyond imagination.
Perhaps only Arima Kishou could accomplish something similar.
Kureo Mado replied calmly.
"That man is fully capable of it."
Years ago, he had personally witnessed Minato exchanging blows with Kuzen Yoshimura, the former king of the 6th Ward.
Compared to that, defeating someone like Yamori was trivial.
That was exactly why he felt such regret over Minato refusing to join the CCG.
If Minato were part of the organization, their chances against the One-Eyed Owl would increase dramatically.
At the very least, the complete annihilation from years ago might never happen again.
Hearing Kureo Mado speak with such certainty, Kotaro Amon remained skeptical but chose not to argue.
However, there was another matter bothering him.
The giant one-eyed monster Minato had described.
Why had Kureo Mado reacted so violently upon hearing about it?
There had to be some hidden story behind that.
Meanwhile, as he watched Kureo Mado and Kotaro Amon leave, Minato racked his brain trying to remember.
At what point in the original story had these two appeared?
He knew it was still early in the plot, but the exact details escaped him.
There was, however, one thing he was absolutely certain about.
Only a few days remained before the main story officially began.
It seemed he would need to keep a very close eye on Anteiku during the coming days.
"I need to make proper arrangements over there."
Minato didn't want to miss the beginning of everything.
This event was the closest thing he had to the world's central mystery.
If he missed it now, who knew when another opportunity would come?
Thinking about these matters, Minato returned to his room.
"What did that Investigator want with you?"
As expected, she was already there.
Eto Yoshimura sat on Minato's bed, flipping through a magazine while speaking.
"What else? An Investigator only comes looking for me because of Ghoul-related incidents."
Minato loosened the buttons of his shirt and sat down on the sofa.
He was simply trying to get comfortable—nothing more.
"That's why I keep saying the 20th Ward isn't safe."
Minato gazed out the window at the bustling streets below.
How many Ghouls were hiding in a place like this?
The 20th Ward appeared more peaceful than the others on the surface.
But only on the surface.
Far too many Ghouls were concealed here.
Anteiku.
Shuu Tsukiyama.
Nishio Nishiki.
And those were only the ones he knew about.