Faced with an order from his superior—no less than an Associate Special Class Investigator from the USA branch—Kureo Mado yielded.
Convinced by Vela.
Physically.
Seeing how Kureo Mado was visibly pained and struggling, unable to torture or kill the ghouls before him, Vela paused.
Fine, let's help you quickly move past the pain.
Knock him out? Not ideal—she feared she'd accidentally cripple the little deputy's old man with too much force.
Sedate him…
Moved by a moment of kindness, Vela requested a medical anesthetic from the attending CCG paramedics. She soaked part of a sterile bandage, then pressed it firmly against the trembling old man's mouth and nose.
Thud. Out like a light.
The old man was already physically depleted, injured, exhausted—kept standing only by sheer willpower and his burning urge to butcher ghouls.
Grabbing the collar of his overcoat—admittedly, the CCG's uniforms were high quality and quite stylish—Vela glanced at the stunned and bewildered Akira Mado and tossed him her burden. "Your old man—your problem now."
Akira Mado quickly caught her unconscious father and checked his breath. Fortunately, he was just asleep.
"Thank you..."
She said to Vela.
As Kureo Mado's daughter, Akira knew well his hatred of ghouls. His desire to utterly exterminate them—if allowed to escalate—would leave everyone in an impossible situation.
That wouldn't be good for her, her father, or for Investigator Russell. Better to let him rest for now.
"Running away may be shameful—but it's effective. Akira, you're on leave. Three days. Spend it with your father."
Vela meant nothing more by it—it was a tactic: stall.
She had no interest in philosophizing about ghoul-human coexistence or talking Kureo into anything.
As long as he didn't bother her, didn't interfere with her and Dr. Kouitsu Chigyou's work on [Hybrid Quinque Technology], [Quinx Surgery], [High Rc Cell and High Nutritional Medical Applications for Human Enhancement]… and other future projects—including potentially recruiting 'legitimate ghouls'—then he could do whatever he liked with his ghoul-hating brigade.
Vela understood her role and goals.
She wasn't a vengeful soul burdened by past traumas, nor a bloodthirsty killer, nor a radical anti-ghoul ideologue. If every ghoul was wiped out—where would her Quinque materials come from?
She was just an ordinary civil servant in law enforcement, aiming for promotions and raises.
To her, ghouls fell into two categories: those that needed to be purged and destroyed as mobile Quinque materials—and those rare lifeforms that needed containment and control.
The Fueguchi family clearly belonged to the latter.
"Associate Special Class Russell. The file on Asaki Fueguchi (Hinami's father) has been retrieved from the database."
After storing the Black Abyss III into its Quinque case, Vela accepted the industrial-grade PDA handed to her by an assistant investigator. She scrolled through the data while walking toward the ghoul mother and daughter, now restrained with specialized Quinque handcuffs.
At this moment, Ryouko Fueguchi had already deactivated her massive moth-winged Koukaku. Under watchful investigator eyes, CCG medical staff were injecting her with Rc cell suppressant.
This was a standard procedure when detaining ghouls.
Tap tap—Vela, still clad in her Arata Proto black armor, approached. The investigators snapped to attention. Ryouko Fueguchi instinctively held Hinami tighter.
"Asaki Fueguchi, according to the records, was indeed a collaborator in CCG's logistics support system... He even self-taught enough to gain proficiency in basic Quinque crafting. Unfortunately, that led to his tragedy—targeted by Gecko 'Jason,' ultimately branded a traitor among ghouls and killed."
In the archive photo was the pair of Quinque pliers Kureo Mado had found during his investigation of the "Gourmet" incident. Jason's pliers. Because of the unique nature of ghoul physiology, regular pliers weren't sufficient for his torture needs, so he switched to ones made from Quinque material.
"If we stretch the definition a bit... you could be considered martyrs' orphans of the CCG's logistics support front."
Vela's calm, indifferent voice and the facts she recounted caused Ryouko Fueguchi to tremble slightly. She raised her reddened eyes and hoarsely asked, "What will you do with us?"
"That depends. Do you want to be a test subject, a model for legitimate ghouls, or a temporary CCG employee...?"
"Legitimate…"
Ryouko Fueguchi chose the option she believed best. That term—"legitimate"—was something many ghouls who yearned for peaceful lives longed for but could never attain.
"Then be prepared to sever all ties with your past—even to be branded a traitor."
Vela clapped her hands, then pointed to the sickly old man being loaded into the ambulance by Akira Mado. "Do you know why First Class Mado wants to eradicate every last ghoul?"
Ryouko Fueguchi looked confused.
"He was once a righteous, kind, and family-oriented investigator—maybe even a bit henpecked. I heard he had a loving wife, a happy home. But then... the One-Eyed Owl, that SSS-rated ghoul, killed his wife, Associate Special Class Investigator Kasuka Mado. Left behind only a mutilated corpse. After that, he lost his mind."
Vela spoke lightly, but Ryouko Fueguchi grew more somber.
"I'm… sorry…"
Truly the archetypal Yamato Nadeshiko woman.
Vela shook her head faintly. "Your apology is meaningless."
"Better to hear what I have in mind for you. One day, I need you to execute the One-Eyed Owl before global media. Isn't it said to be the One-Eyed King—the king of ghouls? You—will kill it with your own hands."
This wasn't some confidential secret. Vela stated it openly in front of numerous CCG colleagues.
"Me?" Ryouko Fueguchi's eyes widened.
She was to kill the One-Eyed Owl?!
"After that, I will push for the proposal for legitimate ghouls to be brought to the Chiyoda Assembly Hall—the Japanese National Diet."
The mask drops.
This was another of Vela's goals in taking up her post in Tokyo CCG: reputation.
Frankly, a mere resume of field kills wasn't enough for her ambitions.
This wasn't some game where slaying bosses earns XP—direct or indirect kills were the same to her.
What she wanted was headline news.
As a North American CCG agent stationed in Japan, to save Tokyo from the brink of collapse, to solve its rampant ghoul crisis, while also demonstrating humanitarianism by identifying and legitimizing innocent ghouls...
Wouldn't that grab North American voters' attention?
Achievements in Tokyo prove her capability. An impressive resume and notable popularity—when Vela returns to the USA after her Tokyo post, she'll step into the upper political echelons, eligible to be courted by every major campaign.
That's the real open road.
After all, she wasn't "Homelander," nor "Superman." At best, she was a stronger-than-average "Captain America."
Rules had to be followed.
And 2014 was the dawn of bizarre political movements and civil rights organizations.
Vela had no doubt—in a few years, protests like "Ghoul Lives Matter" would erupt across North America.
Ghouls, Quinque-related technology—those, she wanted. But promotions and raises—she wanted even more.
"Be ready. As the first case, your actions will directly influence whether I believe ghouls can be saved—or are beyond redemption."
Vela didn't explain how she would have Ryouko Fueguchi kill the One-Eyed Owl.
With a snap of her fingers, she signaled the waiting investigators to take the mother and daughter into custody.
After a moment's thought, she looked toward the tall, muscular young man—191 cm in height—Amon Koutarou, who was just regaining consciousness on a stretcher. He appeared unharmed.
Surrounding him were two other investigators—one bespectacled called Kusaba, and the other a disheveled middle-aged man named Yasutomo Nakajima.
"First Class Amon."
"Present!"
Hearing his name called, Amon stood up sharply and turned toward the black-armored Vela. "Associate Special Class Russell?"
Without further words, Vela pointed to the departing figures of Ryouko Fueguchi and Hinami.
"As investigators who were spared injury thanks to a ghoul's goodwill—perhaps it's fate. You three will assist in monitoring the Fueguchi mother and daughter."
"Uh?"
Amon was stunned. Before he could gather his thoughts, Vela gave another instruction:
"Observe Ryouko Fueguchi's daily behavior. Conduct a full assessment of her personality. Report back to me. If she exhibits any abnormal behavior, you are authorized to eliminate her."
"Yes!"
Nakajima and Kusaba responded at once, grabbing Amon by the arms and heading after the detained ghouls.
Strategic positioning.
Bringing her drifting thoughts back to reality, Vela turned her gaze back and prepared to reflect on their gains. Just then—tap, tap, tap—rapid footsteps approached.
Akira Mado.
"What is it?"
"Investigator Russell..." Her voice was winded from running, "Based on a reconstruction of the Fueguchi mother and daughter's movements, I believe there's another ghoul organization in the 20th Ward besides Gecko Jason's group. One that is even more unified."
"I know."
"Should we apply to Special Class Marude for more…" Akira paused mid-sentence, blinking and frowning. "Eh? This…"
As if casually guessing, Vela smiled and said plainly, "It's obvious."
"Compared to other wards, the frequency of feeding incidents in the 20th is unusually low. The 'Gourmet' and the 'Binge Eater' both vanished during peak feeding periods—that's not typical behavior for them."
"The 20th Ward ghoul group might have expelled—or even eliminated—the Binge Eater, just to keep CCG from investigating them. Ghouls like Ryouko Fueguchi, who lack feeding capability and abhor harming humans… Suppose we assume that. After her husband's death, why would she choose to go to the 20th Ward?"
"Someone had to accept her—a unified ghoul organization opposed to cannibalism. One that provided a stable supply of basic nutrition."
"..."
After a pause, Akira muttered, "It sounds like… you don't plan on rooting them out."
"What else?"
Vela shrugged and smiled faintly. She placed a gentle hand on her deputy's shoulder.
"I've only been in Tokyo a little over three months. Most of that time spent with Dr. Kouitsu Chigyou working on Quinque development. I don't think the leaders of the 1st Ward are unaware of the 20th Ward's situation. If they've let it be—it's probably a tacit agreement."
"Hard things first, easy later. If they want to stay hidden, let them. We must admit—20th Ward's stability owes something to them."
Akira naturally understood Vela's implication.
Territories.
Many ghouls claim personal hunting grounds with their strength. If another ghoul trespasses and hunts there, it leads to conflict. The 20th Ward is a territory managed by a ghoul organization operating in the shadows beyond human reach.
"There's no need to take risks for now. Wiping out Aogiri Tree completely is our top priority."
Vela smiled, her eyes gleaming with delight.
She could feel it—from far away, through a telescope perhaps—the faint sense of being watched had vanished.
So, they didn't dare act.
Good. You've passed for now.
"The rain has stopped."
...
Meanwhile, at the "Antique" café—
Crash!
The door slammed open.
"Welcome back, Touka, Kaneki… Shinohara… Looks like things went even worse than I thought." A grizzled male voice.
"Yes, Manager. That female Dove used a new type of living Quinque armor, made from Kirishima's new Kagune. She killed Jason of the 13th Ward, Naki, the Bin brothers from the 11th, Nico from the 'Clowns'… and…"
A heavy pause. "Ayato."
"..."
Silence.
"Sigh."
After a long moment, a deep sigh.
"To strike a Dove means bearing the full weight of responsibility. That was the path Ayato chose—leaving Antique to hunt Doves. He chose his road."
"Touka. Mourn him as you must. But we cannot act—not even you. You're the last of your line…"
...
One week later—
Bang!
1st Ward, CCG Countermeasures HQ, Quinque Development Workshop.
Vela tossed a failed S-rated hybrid Kakuhou onto the disassembled Arata Proto armor on the workbench. Splat. Reacting to the scent of blood, the armor's dark red musculature writhed, devouring the Kakuhou like melting ice cream.
"You said that writer, Takatsuki Sen, postponed our interview?" Lifting her head from the bench, Vela raised a brow at Akira Mado, standing in the doorway with a folder.
"Yes… Ms. Takatsuki said a friend had some kind of emergency."
Heh. Friend? Or subordinate? Likely the latter died.
Vela drummed her fingers in rhythmic waves against the workbench.
The One-Eyed Owl… is retreating.
And the 11th Ward—after finishing her extermination campaign in the 20th, she had stationed herself at the 11th Ward branch for five days. Barely saw any ghouls.
Certainly no attack on the CCG division.
Are they playing hide-and-seek with me?