Ghoul: Starting with Sharingan

"By the way, I'm a little worried if Mayu can manage to take a bath by herself."

At this moment, Eto suddenly thought of this concern.

She guessed that Mayu had probably never used any of the bathing "tools" before.

"Well... it's hard to say for sure..."

Byakuya replied.

"I'll go in and check on her."

As she approached the bathroom door, Eto suddenly turned around and said, "You're not allowed to peek, or I'll call the police~"

It was obvious she was joking, but Byakuya still responded earnestly, "That's not going to happen."

With that, Eto entered the bathroom to check on her.

To her surprise, Mayu hadn't even closed the door properly. Eto had intended to knock, but the door swung open with just a light tap.

Inside, Mayu stood there, looking completely lost. She knew water was needed for bathing, but she couldn't figure out where the water was supposed to come from.

Was she supposed to use the sink faucet to bathe?

"Mayu, it seems like you don't know how to take a bath, do you?"

Eto's concern had been justified.

"Ah... I've never used any of these things before..."

Mayu's face flushed with embarrassment.

"It's okay. Let me help you bathe."

...

About ten minutes later.

Eto dried Mayu with a towel and helped her into some clothes.

She led Myu to a mirror. "How do you feel? The clothes are a little big, but they still look cute on you."

"So pretty!"

Mayu was amazed by her own reflection.

Her eyes sparkled with delight.

"For now, you'll stay with us. Later, we'll help you find a proper place to settle."

Eto said.

The "proper place" she referred to was, of course, the Anteiku in the 20th Ward.

"Okay..."

Hearing this, Mayu suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

This meant that she would eventually have to part ways with the big brother and big sister who had been so kind to her. They were the best people she had ever met.

But she didn't show her feelings. After all, they had already done so much for her, and she didn't want to trouble them further.

She didn't even dare to mention that she was hungry.

In her mind, asking humans for human flesh — even if it was just rotten meat — was absurd and inappropriate.

So, she decided she would try to find some human corpses on her own.

But she realized she was no longer in the 19th Ward. Being in a completely unfamiliar area made her feel uneasy...

After some thought, Mayu decided to find a way to fill her stomach.

She turned to Byakuya and Eto and said, "I want to go out for a bit. I might be back late."

Based on her past experiences, finding human corpses without a fixed hunting ground was extremely difficult. It was entirely possible to spend an entire day without any success, all while avoiding other ghouls.

"Hmm?..."

Eto immediately guessed, "Are you hungry?"

"Ah..."

Mayu was stunned. How had Eto seen right through her?

She couldn't help but think that Eto was a little too perceptive...

"Well... I am hungry. It's been days since I last ate, and even then, I didn't get much..."

Since she had been found out, Mayu had no choice but to admit it. "But I don't want to trouble you. You must find this kind of thing disgusting. I'll just go out and look for something myself."

"It's no trouble at all. Wait here for a bit. I'll be back soon."

With that, Eto left the house.

She was, of course, heading to the 24th Ward to retrieve some of the rotten meat stored there.

"Um..."

Mayu was at a loss.

She hadn't emphasized that she could only eat human flesh to satisfy her hunger. She was worried that Eto might bring back human food, which would be a waste of her kindness.

But then she remembered that Byakuya was a Ghoul Investigator. Surely, Eto knew about the nature of ghouls, right?

"Don't worry. She's gone to get some rotten meat for you."

Byakuya reassured Mayu.

"Okay!"

Mayu's face lit up with a smile.

This big brother was a Ghoul Investigator, but he didn't make her feel scared. Instead, he gave her a sense of security.

"Big brother Byakuya, even though you're a Ghoul Investigator, you really don't hate ghouls, do you?"

Mayu couldn't help but ask.

"It depends. If it's a ghoul that's extremely cruel and kills indiscriminately, then yes, I would hate them."

Byakuya admitted frankly. "But for someone like you, I think you're no different from a normal human girl. Being born as a ghoul isn't your fault."

"Oh..."

Mayu felt even more touched by his kindness. He actually saw her as just a normal human girl.

Before this, she had always thought of "Doves" as terrifying enemies, as that was the image other ghouls had painted of them.

"Um..."

Mayu suddenly asked with curiosity, "Do you and Eto have a baby? Like how my parents had me?"

"...Cough."

Byakuya cleared his throat. "No... it's not like that... We don't"

He wanted to explain but decided against it.

Eto had clearly said too many things that could easily be misunderstood, especially by a naive and innocent child like Mayu.

"Okay..."

Mayu hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to ask, "Then... can I call you 'Mom' and 'Dad'?"

It wasn't a sudden whim. Both Byakuya and especially Eto gave her a sense of parental warmth.

"Well..."

Byakuya felt this might not be appropriate.

If the CCG found out he suddenly had a daughter, it would only complicate things further and might even raise suspicions from the Washuu clan.

"Is it not okay? I'm sorry if I overstepped."

Mayu immediately apologized, looking pitiful.

She was even more afraid of being disliked by Byakuya and Eto.

"Let's wait until Eto comes back to decide, okay?"

Byakuya couldn't bear to see Mayu looking so dejected.

He would discuss it with Eto when she returned.

As long as Eto didn't do something like last time—like bringing Mayu to the CCG or calling him "Dad" in public—it shouldn't be a big issue.