"..."
"What is it?"
Eto, having stepped deeper into the alley, asked in confusion when she noticed that Arima's gaze was fixed elsewhere.
"...For some reason, I have a feeling I'm going to get a proper lecture from Hitokawa."
"...You get feelings like that?"
It was an absurd thing to say out of nowhere, but Arima often said things that sounded as if a screw had come loose, so Eto dismissed it as just another one of his quirks.
Still glancing toward the alley entrance, in the direction of his partner Hirako Take, Arima seemed to cling to some lingering unease before finally letting it go and turning back to Eto.
"Well, anyway. How much do you know?"
"...Pretty much everything that would make 'that organization' unhappy."
Arima wore the white coat that served as the uniform of the CCG, so naturally, the organization that came to mind was the CCG.
But at this moment, neither Eto nor Arima had the CCG in mind.
Arima had belonged to another organization before the CCG.
And that organization was clearly superior to the CCG.
"Ghouls live hidden in this world, whether people realize it or not. Because the citizens fear them, they rely on the CCG to hunt them down."
The enemy of Ghouls. The emblem of the dove. A symbol of peace.
Eto's voice sharpened, as if suggesting that was the true meaning of the white coat he wore.
Arima's response, naturally, was silence.
"I wasn't expecting a human reaction from you anyway," Eto sighed.
"But do the citizens know?"
"..."
"That the higher-ups of the CCG they trust so much are actually Ghouls?"
A fragment of truth emerged into the world with a lightness so absurd it felt like a sturdy box had been opened without any effort at all.
That was the truth Eto's mother, Ukina, had reached. The peace visible on the surface was a lie.
This world is a cage created by someone.
A cage that traps and breeds both Ghouls and humans together.
***
"A lamb visiting after such a long time. The more densely populated a city is, the lower its faith tends to be, so a visitor is a rare thing indeed."
"...You speak Japanese very well."
"I've lived here for quite a while now. These days, it's more comfortable than my native tongue."
The priest, a tall man who looked to be around 180 centimeters, walked toward me with a friendly smile.
But it was only a friendly smile on the surface. Whatever lurked beneath it would certainly not be good for me.
Every time that priest's eyes turned toward me, the pain in my right arm intensified.
Step, step.
As the priest approached, I unconsciously took a step back.
It was a natural reaction.
Of all the Ghouls I had met so far, this was the first to look at me with such an openly predatory gaze. How could I welcome him getting closer? Especially when he was masquerading as a completely benevolent priest.
"...?"
But my reaction seemed to have worked against me.
The priest stopped in his tracks and looked down at the foot I had pulled back.
This was bad. I'd thought he was only a master of appearances, but his perception was no joke either.
He had noticed from a single, tiny movement that I was on guard.
There was nothing to gain from letting him know I had figured out he was a Ghoul. Especially with a Ghoul whose gaze was this intense; he could silence me permanently just for being suspicious.
I quickly spun my thoughts and came up with a plausible excuse.
"Ah, sorry. I don't often meet foreigners, so I was a little surprised. ...Was that rude?"
I framed my retreat as mere wariness toward a stranger.
Whether my improvised lie worked or not, the priest resumed his approach.
"No, not at all. When one lives on foreign soil, such reactions are common."
The priest came to a stop in front of me.
For some reason, even though the distance had closed, the blatant stare had actually lessened.
What was that? Had he been a little over-excited because he was hungry when he first appeared?
"My apologies. I was late in introducing myself. I am Donato Porpora."
Donato held out his hand for a handshake.
It would have been strange to refuse, so I shook his hand and studied Donato's face up close.
White hair, impossible to tell if it was from age or natural. A thick beard typical of a foreigner. And blue eyes that locked onto mine.
Chill…!!
For a moment, a strange coldness brushed down my spine.
It was different from a Ghoul's gaze.
These eyes gave me the unsettling feeling that they could see straight through me, peering all the way into my internal organs.
One thing, at least, was certain.
I must not stand out to this Ghoul.
"So, what is troubling you?"
After releasing my hand, Donato asked.
I replied, flustered, "Huh? Ah, no. I was just passing by and saw the church, so I decided to look around."
"Haha. No need to hide it. Everyone carries their own burdens. The reason a church is quiet is to allow one to set those burdens down for a moment. If it is not something you wish to say face-to-face, would you like to use the confessional instead?"
Donato pointed to the confessional set off to one side.
I desperately wanted to refuse.
That predatory Ghoul stare was bad enough, but now he wanted me to enter a closed room with a Ghoul who seemed determined to dissect me with his eyes? I'd be erased from existence.
I wanted to bolt right then, but I knew I had to be careful with every move I made in front of this man. My instincts whispered that I absolutely had to.
The more I acted like I was in a hurry to leave, the more dangerous curiosity I would invite.
It was better to follow the natural flow of the conversation.
"It's not really something serious enough for a confession..."
I looked away from Donato and up at the statue of the Virgin Mary as I spoke. Donato followed my gaze and turned toward the statue as well.
Rather than facing each other, we spoke while looking elsewhere. He clearly knew that this was the most comfortable way to communicate.
It was certainly an improvement. At least I was no longer under that oppressive stare.
Still, what should I even say?
Fabricating a lie didn't seem like the best idea, but...
"...I have a daughter, you see. She's not my biological child."
Suddenly, the words just came out.
As soon as I said it, I regretted choosing that topic, but it was too late to take it back.
I had no choice but to continue.
"I'm close with her biological father. But something unavoidable happened to him, so I ended up raising her in his place."
"..."
Donato listened in silence.
Perhaps it was the quiet atmosphere of the church. I found myself spilling my heart in the presence of a Ghoul who radiated danger.
"We were together for a long time. We grew very attached. Then one day, her biological father returned. Of course, that is a happy thing. Something to celebrate. A father and daughter who had been separated by circumstance finally reuniting—how could I not be happy for them?"
I was glad Kuzen had come back.
I was glad Eto and he had reunited.
That much was undeniable.
"But watching them, I found myself thinking my role was over... that maybe I wasn't needed anymore. I know they wouldn't think that, but... my heart is still unsettled."
By the time I reached that point, I realized my mistake.
Why was I unloading my inner feelings on a Ghoul I'd just met?
Was it the atmosphere? Had I been swept away by the mood?
I couldn't take it anymore. It was time to leave.
"Ah! Right, it's probably just my own insecurity. It wasn't really something worth complaining about. Still, talking about it has helped clear my head. I should be going now."
Scratching the back of my head awkwardly, I tried to leave Donato standing before the Virgin Mary statue.
As I headed for the exit, carefully masking my urgency, he spoke.
"...There is a saying that children resemble their parents."
"...?"
I stopped and turned back.
Donato did not look at me.
Just as when I first brought up the subject, he continued speaking while still facing the statue.
"Another way of putting it is that children are a mirror of their parents. Living together, children grow by watching their parents. In doing so, they inevitably come to resemble them. Sometimes, a parent is startled to discover a side of themselves reflected in their child."
With a soft, low chuckle, the priest spoke as if he were recounting his own life.
"If a parent and child share a good relationship, it is surely because they find their own best qualities in the other. Conversely, if the relationship is poor, it is because they find their own worst traits in the other. That is my belief."
"..."
Without realizing it, I was listening intently.
"Perhaps what you are thinking is exactly what your daughter is thinking as well."
"...? What do you mean?"
"That now that her biological father has appeared, she may fear that you will leave her."
Hearing that, I was honestly speechless.
"Good grief. Why on earth would I leave that child?"
"Then isn't that enough?"
"...Huh?"
Donato turned toward me and smiled.
Perhaps because he was framed by the statue of the Virgin Mary, for that moment, Donato felt less like a predatory Ghoul and more like a true priest, or even a father.
"The fact that you worry about parting from that child means the time you spent with her was precious. If you feel that way, then the child likely feels the same. So do not be anxious. In the future, even if that relationship changes and the two of you meet again as different people, you will still cherish that child, and that child will still think of you."
"Can I... really do that? Even though I'm not her biological parent."
"You are already a parent. What is wrong with a parent loving their child?"
...What was this?
I still didn't trust this Ghoul. The pressure had eased, but his gaze was still far from ordinary.
And yet, just a little, those words touched me.
If he meant it, maybe he was actually a decent man. If it was all an act, then he was the kind of dangerous individual I should never cross.
It would mean he could manipulate another person's psychology at will.
Before my emotions could waver any further, I bowed my head and left the church.
It hadn't been my intention, but the counseling I'd received from that mysterious Ghoul priest had actually helped.
Remembering that, I looked up at the building one last time before fully departing.
"...Huh?"
A small annex stood beside the church.
My gaze drifted to what was likely the residence for the clergy.
All the windows facing this way were covered by curtains, obscuring the interior.
Except for one, slightly ajar, with a gaze directed toward me.
"...A child?"
Reflected in the window was a young boy.
He looked about Eto's age... no, maybe a year or two older. He certainly wasn't an adult.
The boy, already showing the masculine traits of puberty, was watching me through the glass.
As his gaze locked onto mine, I looked back at him.
If he was related to Donato, was he also a Ghoul?
But no.
That gaze wasn't that of a Ghoul.
It was human.
Specifically, his eyes were hollow and sunken, as if he had witnessed something terrible.
Like... me, back when I was mentally cornered.
"...!!"
The boy in the window seemed to realize he had been spotted and, startled, yanked the curtain shut.
After the boy disappeared, I looked back at the church.
At the front entrance stood the priest Donato, wearing that same friendly smile.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"...No."
Throb. Throb.
The pain in my arm flared up as strongly as when I first met Donato. It felt as if the pain itself were an order to leave.
I left the church behind.
It was a place I never wanted to visit again, and a priest I never wanted to meet again.
But... the image of that boy in the window kept lingering in my mind.
"...Somehow, I feel like I'll end up coming back."
With a sigh, I started walking again.