The Owl Strikes Again

"Hey, Aki, how about we invite Ryou tomorrow to visit the baseball club together?"

Taishi suddenly suggested to Aki.

The comment came so unexpectedly that Aki took a moment to process it. "Sure! Wait, Taishi, does this mean you're finally coming back to baseball?"

"Yeah, I talked things out with my dad yesterday."

Taishi nodded.

Previously, Taishi had quit baseball because his father had set overly high expectations for him, hoping he would become a professional baseball player and fulfill the dream his father couldn't achieve in his youth.

However, baseball is one of Japan's most competitive sports. The pressure became too much for Taishi, so he gave it up. Since then, his relationship with his father had grown distant.

But yesterday, his father reached out for a heartfelt conversation and made a compromise: Taishi could treat baseball as a hobby without pursuing it professionally.

This change may have been influenced by Taishi's recent incident involving a ghoul or perhaps his father's wish to see him regain his enthusiasm for life.

Now, Taishi could enjoy baseball again without any mental burden.

Listening to Taishi's explanation, Aki's face showed a mix of comprehension and confusion, wearing her trademark "wise" expression.

But at least she understood that Taishi would be playing baseball with them again, which was more than enough to make her happy.

"That's awesome, Taishi! We can play baseball together again!"

...

20th Ward, Anteiku Café

"I'll be leaving for a while. Until I return, I entrust Anteiku to all of you"

Yoshimura was dressed in a coat and hat, ready to head out.

"Leave it to me!"

Koma assured him.

"Safe travels, Manager" Irimi wished him well.

With that, Yoshimura departed for 2nd Ward.

He had heard about the One-Eyed Owl and suspected it to be his daughter, Eto.

Especially after learning that the Owl had been critically injured during its second attack on the CCG branch in 2nd Ward, he could no longer sit idle.

Yoshimura feared that if the secret of Eto's existence were discovered by V, they would relentlessly hunt her down.

To protect his daughter, he decided to disguise himself as the One-Eyed Owl and attack the CCG branch in 2nd Ward again. His goal was to mislead V into thinking that his actions were motivated by revenge for his late wife.

...

2nd Ward, CCG Branch

Yoshimura, cloaked in a black cape to conceal his identity, approached the CCG branch. As he neared the gates, he suddenly charged forward, initiating his Kakuja transformation.

A full Kakuja is a ghoul whose body is entirely encased in their Kagune, granting them overwhelming power and control.Yoshimura's Kakuja featured six to eight kakuhou and bore an identical appearance to the One-Eyed Owl, complete with the signature monocular mask made from his kagune.

As a Ukaku ghoul, Yoshimura's kagune excelled in speed, explosive power, and long-range attacks, even allowing short bursts of flight or gliding. However, Ukaku types were known for their limited stamina.

With astonishing speed, he stormed into the CCG branch. The blaring alarms plunged the facility into chaos.

"It's the Owl! The same Owl as before!"

"Quick, report to Investigator Kimura! Damn it, we don't have any Special Class Investigators stationed here right now, and Kuroiwa is still recovering! Of all times, why now?"

"I'll notify Kimura! The rest of you call for reinforcements from other branches!"

The sudden appearance of the One-Eyed Owl threw the CCG investigators into disarray.

At this point in time, the CCG was unaware that there were two Owls and certainly hadn't yet coined the moniker "Non-Killing Owl" that would emerge ten years later. They assumed the same Owl had returned, and memories of its previous brutal attacks, which left many casualties, paralyzed them with fear.

Yoshimura advanced effortlessly. Most investigators were completely ignored, while those who attempted to resist were swiftly incapacitated, their limbs severed to neutralize them without killing.

In his fully transformed state, he towered over four to five meters tall, even larger than his daughter Eto's kakuja form. Despite being past his prime, his presence loomed like an unstoppable giant, instilling dread in everyone who faced him.

"Help me stop the bleeding! My leg—ahhh!"

"There's no way we can stop him..."

"An SSS rated ghoul isn't something we can handle. But we must hold out until reinforcements arrive!"

Yet, amidst the chaos, no one noticed a subtle oddity: this Owl wasn't as vicious as before. Though Yoshimura dismembered investigators with precision, he refrained from delivering fatal blows.

This detail, however, was too nuanced to register amid the chaos and could easily be dismissed as the Owl being in a hurry or in an unusually good mood.

Yoshimura advanced rapidly toward the heart of the CCG branch.

Soon, a squad of elite investigators, led by Associate Special Class Investigator Kimura, blocked his path.

"..."

Yoshimura didn't speak. Instead, he unleashed a barrage of bladed projectiles from his ukaku kagune, injuring half the squad within seconds.

Most investigators lacked quinques with defensive capabilities, leaving them vulnerable to such attacks.

"We can't withstand another wave of long-range attacks from the 'Owl'! We must close the distance!" commanded Kimura.

The investigators obeyed, charging at the Owl to initiate close-quarters combat.

Little did they know, Yoshimura excelled in melee combat. His ranged attacks were his "gentle" approach. While ukaku ghouls typically had low stamina, he was an exception; his endurance was nearly as formidable as his speed and power.

 If his speed and strength were rated at 100, his stamina would still score at least 90, making him a terrifying opponent in any fight.