Mado Kureo quickly reported his speculation regarding the One-Eyed Owl.
The Washuu had long known about the existence of Anteiku.
What they needed was merely a reason to go along with the flow. Even if it was only a simple guess, that was enough.
The matter regarding the Owl Extermination Operation was quickly confirmed. Tomorrow a Special-Class meeting would be held to discuss the specific strategy.
Ward 20, Kaneki's home.
After the Yasuhisa sisters were rescued by Kaneki, they had nowhere to go, so they could only temporarily stay at Kaneki Ken's home.
Kaneki Ken looked dispirited. He curled up alone on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling above.
He thought to himself.
"Why? Why didn't they run away? Mister Koma, Miss Irimi. They could have just left!"
Kaneki Ken raised one hand to cover his eyes and muttered quietly.
"What exactly should I do?"
The current him was much stronger than before, but Kaneki Ken discovered that he still seemed unable to accomplish anything.
Three artificial ghouls gathered together, yet it seemed each of them had their own troubles.
The Yasuhisa sisters stayed in the room. After being abandoned by Kanou Akihiro, they suddenly lost their goal and meaning for existence.
As for expecting Kaneki Ken to comfort them. That was better forgotten. His own mind was already a complete mess.
A knocking sound rang out. Kaneki Ken dragged his body forward and slowly opened the door.
Standing outside the door was Uesugi Ryu. Seeing Kaneki Ken like this, he lightly mocked him.
"What is wrong? You look miserable!"
Hearing this, Kaneki Ken forced a bitter smile onto his face.
He stepped aside and said in a weak voice that was almost inaudible.
"So it is you, Uesugi. Please come in."
As he spoke, he moved aside and allowed Uesugi Ryu to enter the house.
At that moment, the Yasuhisa sisters heard the movement outside and quickly walked out of their respective rooms.
When they saw Uesugi Ryu standing in the living room, both of them stopped at the same time.
They looked at each other, then stepped forward together and walked up to Uesugi Ryu.
Then they deeply bent their waists and respectfully bowed to him.
Among them, Yasuhisa Kurona raised her head. Her expression was extremely complicated.
Her lips trembled slightly as she softly said.
"Uesugi classmate, thank you very much. You saved me once again!"
The word "saved" here did not merely refer to Uesugi Ryu saving her life. After all, Yasuhisa Kurona had originally been beaten into a near-death state by Uesugi Ryu himself, so it was difficult to say whether that counted as saving or not.
Uesugi Ryu had allowed them to recognize Kanou Akihiro's true face. That was the real salvation.
"There is no need to thank me. What use is simply saying it with your mouth?"
"From now on you only need to continue doing your own duties properly."
Uesugi Ryu spoke with an indifferent expression. Empty gratitude had no value. Practical action was far more reliable.
If not for the fact that they still had some usefulness, along with that tiny bit of old classmate sentiment, he would not have intervened at all.
Hearing this, Yasuhisa Kurona and Yasuhisa Nashiro looked at each other and asked in unison.
"Duties?"
Immediately afterward, the two of them instantly understood what Uesugi Ryu meant.
Before this, they had served as Madam A's bodyguards.
However now, facing someone as powerful as Uesugi Ryu, who exactly would be acting as whose bodyguard?
Thinking of this, Yasuhisa Kurona could not help letting out a light breath of relief.
After all, as long as they still possessed value, they could at least repay some portion of Uesugi Ryu's life-saving grace.
Uesugi Ryu took a photograph out from his pocket. With a casual flick, it landed accurately in Yasuhisa Kurona's hand.
Then he walked to the sofa beside them and slowly sat down as he calmly said.
"Here. This is the person you will be protecting."
"You do not need to guard her all the time. When the time comes and you are needed, I will notify you."
Hearing this, Yasuhisa Nashiro could no longer suppress her curiosity.
She leaned her head toward her sister and widened her eyes as she looked at the photograph.
The beautiful woman with light yellow hair in the photograph was Mado Akira.
Yasuhisa Kurona was also somewhat curious. Someone who was valued this much by Uesugi Ryu must be extremely important to him.
Just as Yasuhisa Nashiro opened her mouth, wanting to ask Uesugi Ryu something.
Yasuhisa Kurona suddenly reached out and tugged lightly on her clothes, then gently shook her head at her.
Seeing this, Yasuhisa Nashiro immediately obediently closed her mouth and did not speak further.
Kaneki Ken walked over and sat on the other side of the sofa. When he passed by the Yasuhisa sisters, he lightly glanced at the photograph.
He roughly guessed the identity. It should be Uesugi's partner and girlfriend, Mado Akira.
Yasuhisa Kurona placed the photograph into her pocket and nodded. Then she hesitated slightly before speaking.
"There is something I want to ask you. Is that alright?"
Uesugi Ryu nodded lightly.
"Speak."
"How did you know that Kanou Akihiro that bastard was using me and Nashiro?"
Uesugi Ryu crossed one leg over the other and leaned back against the sofa.
In reality, he only knew this because he was familiar with the plot.
He thought for a moment. After only about one second, he calmly answered.
"The laboratory beneath that villa could not have been built in a single day. It had existed long before."
After saying this, Uesugi Ryu paused slightly, then asked in return.
"After Kanou Akihiro adopted you, he deliberately moved into that villa."
"Did you really naïvely believe that he simply wanted to help you rediscover the feeling of having a home?"
He looked deeply at Yasuhisa Kurona and added meaningfully.
"There was never any such thing as love."
"You offered your bodies for Kanou Akihiro's experiments. Kanou Akihiro gave you the love you wanted. That is all."
Yasuhisa Kurona lowered her head and remained silent for several seconds. During these past few days she had also been recalling everything that had happened over the past half year.
Many things did not make logical sense. It was just that she and Nashiro had subconsciously chosen to ignore them.
They were afraid of losing that love, so they chose to deceive themselves.
A self-mocking smile appeared at the corner of Yasuhisa Kurona's mouth. After that she said nothing more.
She took her sister's hand and the two returned to the room.
The door closed gently. Only Uesugi Ryu and Kaneki Ken remained in the living room.
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat heavy as the two sat facing each other.
"So. Have you decided yet? If you have not, it does not matter. This is not something you can participate in anyway."
Uesugi Ryu spoke first, breaking the silence.
Kaneki Ken lowered his head and stared at the wooden floor. His arms rested on his thighs and he looked very depressed.
His voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
"I do not want the Manager and the others to be killed."
Uesugi Ryu looked at Kaneki Ken with a serious expression.
"You cannot do it. Going there would only mean death."
"In this war many people will die. Not just ghouls."
"I will personally send the Manager on his way. If you want to stop me, then come and try when the time comes."
Hearing this, Kaneki Ken's face filled with disbelief.
His eyes widened as he stared directly at Uesugi Ryu.
Uesugi Ryu frowned and spoke in a low voice.
"Do not look at me like that!"
"You do not have the ability to resist, and I do not have any reason to refuse this war. This is my position."
After saying that, Uesugi Ryu slowly stood up and walked toward the door.
"Exterminating ghouls completely is my duty as an investigator."
Uesugi Ryu's words echoed through the living room like cold ice.
Kaneki Ken could no longer suppress the confusion in his heart and raised his voice as he shouted.
"Then what about kind ghouls like Hinami? Would you kill them too?"
Uesugi Ryu turned his head and looked deeply at Kaneki Ken.
His golden eyes emitted a strange golden glow in the dim room.
"That is not something I should be considering. That is your responsibility, Kaneki Ken!"
When Kaneki Ken was stared at by that gaze, he froze slightly and subconsciously avoided meeting Uesugi Ryu's eyes.