Tokyo Ghoul: Starting with Kamui!

"Sigh... I really thought I could make some money by writing, but who knew I'd run into an editor with such terrible judgment..."

Squatting in a corner, Yoshimura Eto let out a soft sigh as she stared at the two remaining coins in her palm.

Despite being the SSS-rated Ghoul known as the One-Eyed Owl—a figure that struck fear into the entire CCG—she still had to hide and survive within human society.

After all, the CCG wasn't even her true enemy. The ones she truly had to face were far more powerful than the entire CCG combined. She was well aware that she wasn't strong enough to challenge them just yet.

If she wanted to live among humans like a normal person, she needed money.

And right now, she barely had any left.

"Maybe I can find some temporary work that pays daily..."

Eto stood up, ready to take action.

But deep down, she knew the chances of that were slim. She was too young—most legal establishments wouldn't risk hiring her.

Still, she had no other choice but to find a way to make some cash.

As she stepped onto the bustling street, a traffic accident immediately caught her attention.

"I told you already—it was his fault! Just hurry up and handle this!"

A frustrated driver was arguing with a police officer, clearly impatient.

"I see… Well then, please come with me to the station for further—"

Before the officer could finish his sentence, the driver cut him off.

"I don't have time for this!"

Meanwhile, Eto silently observed the scene from the sidelines.

A plan immediately formed in her mind.

She casually approached one of the vehicles involved in the accident.

Inside, a passenger sat in the front seat, looking increasingly frustrated as he waited. It was obvious he was also in a hurry.

"Knock, knock."

The passenger suddenly heard a soft tapping on the driver's side window.

Instinctively, he reached over and rolled it down.

"Excuse me, sir—the officer is asking you to step out for questioning."

Eto spoke with a calm, polite tone.

"Huh? Me too?!"

Grumbling, the passenger got out of the car. "What a pain..."

In his frustration, he forgot to roll the window back up.

Eto swiftly reached inside and snatched the wallet from the driver's seat.

"He's the driver—why do I have to be questioned too?"

"Huh? I never called for you..."

As both the passenger and the officer exchanged confused glances, Eto had already slipped away, casually flipping through the wallet's contents while humming a cheerful tune.

This money would last her a while.

However, just as she turned a corner, she suddenly came face-to-face with a young man.

He had black hair, black eyes, a lean yet well-proportioned frame, and a strikingly handsome face. A long black trench coat draped over his figure, giving him an air of quiet authority.

He stopped directly in her path.

His voice was calm, his expression unreadable.

"Miss, taking someone else's wallet without permission… that's not exactly a good thing, is it?"

At his words, Eto froze.

The melody she had been humming came to an abrupt halt.

Her adorable face instantly lost its playful expression, replaced by an icy indifference.

"...So?"

She narrowed her eyes.

Getting caught red-handed… how annoying.

No matter how powerful she was, Yoshimura Eto could not afford to expose her identity as a Ghoul in broad daylight.

Even when she attacked the CCG branch previously, she had taken care to conceal her appearance. The One-Eyed Owl's true face absolutely could not be revealed—otherwise, her real enemies would find her. And when that happened, even she wouldn't be able to escape death.

"So then… here's my business card."

Uchiha Byakuya extended his card toward Eto.

Seeing her in person, he couldn't help but notice just how petite she was. She looked to be only around 1.4 to 1.5 meters tall, with slightly messy, medium-length green hair. Her facial features were exceptionally delicate and adorable.

Though her clothing was old and worn, her strikingly high natural beauty made anything she wore look good.

As for Byakuya's own appearance—his eyes were currently black.

After all, in broad daylight, he couldn't just walk around with his Mangekyō Sharingan activated. Its blood-red glow could easily be mistaken for a Ghoul's Kakugan.

Ghouls blended into human society by keeping their eyes normal most of the time. But during combat, their Kakugan would activate, turning their sclera black and their iris a glowing red.

Most people in this world had no idea what the Mangekyō Sharingan was. If anyone saw his red, tomoe-patterned eyes, they would immediately assume he was a Ghoul.

On top of that, his identity as a Daylight Court Half-Human made things even more complicated. If exposed, he would face massive trouble—possibly even death.

Fortunately, the system had granted him the ability to freely toggle his Mangekyō Sharingan. When deactivated, his eyes remained normal black, preventing any unnecessary suspicion.

Of course, in this state, he couldn't use his Mangekyō Sharingan techniques. However, he still retained its base enhancements—such as his vastly superior perception.

Additionally, keeping his eyes deactivated meant he wasn't consuming his RC Cells or draining his ocular power.

If he ever needed to use his Mangekyō Sharingan, it would activate automatically.

There was another method to hide its appearance, but it was a bit of a hassle.

"What...?"

Eto blinked in confusion, unsure of what this young man wanted.

But as she glanced at the business card, she realized that it looked familiar.

It seemed to be the same design as the ones from Shoei Publishing.

As for the card she had received from the other editor earlier? She had already thrown that worthless thing away.

To her, it was completely useless. She had zero intention of working with such a short-sighted editor ever again.

"My name is Uchiha Byakuya. I'm a newly hired editor at Shoei Publishing. I've read your manuscript, and I really liked it. That's why I came to find you."

Byakuya got straight to the point.

"Ah... is that so..."

Hearing that he was an editor from Shoei Publishing—and that he had taken an interest in her manuscript—Eto's cold expression immediately softened.

"To put it simply, I want to help you get your work published. I also hope to cultivate you into a top-tier author."

Byakuya then added with a calm smile, "But... if word ever got out that a bestselling author had a history of petty theft... well, that'd be quite troublesome, wouldn't it?"

"...Fine."

Eto hesitated for a moment before ultimately relenting.

Between a single stolen wallet and the chance to publish the work she had poured so much effort into—the choice was obvious.

As for becoming a top-tier author?

That... she didn't dare to dream of.

She felt that simply making a small profit from writing would already be more than enough.

After all, writing was her only real source of solace and enjoyment in life.

If someone truly recognized her work, deep down, she would genuinely be happy.

However...

If this man was lying to her—if he was simply toying with her for his own amusement—

Then one day, she would kill him.

And she would eat him.