The "manager" of the 20th Ward not only advocated for peaceful coexistence with humans but was also willing to help weaker ghouls.
However, in the eyes of ghouls from other districts, the 20th Ward was a joke. To them, it was simply a place where frail, elderly, and sickly ghouls huddled together for warmth.
It was precisely because they were weak that they even entertained the laughable idea of peacefully coexisting with humans.
Furthermore, in the 20th Ward, their predation frequency was severely restricted. To be precise, they were not allowed to hunt humans at all.
Instead, they were only permitted to consume the corpses of humans who had already died. This was something that most ghouls could not accept.
Many ghouls no longer simply sought to satiate their hunger; they were after power as well.
Eating decomposed human corpses, which had been left to rot, could only maintain their strength at best. Over time, it could even lead to a decline in their power.
The principle behind this was that the RC cells in decayed bodies also lost their vitality.
At this point, Uchiha Byakuya, Arima Kishou, and Uruka Minami had arrived in the 20th Ward via the subway.
"Although I've heard a few things about the 20th Ward, will the ghouls here really help me?" Minami asked, her tone laced with doubt.
In her mind, the 20th Ward was just a place where weak ghouls gathered. She couldn't shake the feeling that such a place wasn't trustworthy.
Therefore, she had never considered seeking help from the 20th Ward before.
Of course, Minami's impression of the 20th Ward was based solely on rumors passed around by other ghouls. She had never personally investigated the situation there.
Had she known that the "manager" of the 20th Ward was actually an SSS-ranked ghoul, she would have certainly thought differently.
"They should, and honestly, there's no other option left," Uchiha Byakuya said, though his words remained cautious.
He couldn't afford to sound too certain, as that would imply he knew too much about the 20th Ward's ghouls. After all, according to the records of both the "V" organization and the CCG, he had never been to the 20th Ward.
"Yeah... I guess I'll just have to give it a try," Minami thought to herself.
"By the way, how much do you know about the 20th Ward? Like, where would I be able to find help?" Byakuya asked, feigning ignorance.
The reason for his question was simple-he couldn't appear to know too much about the 20th Ward.
"Well... I think it's a café called 'The Peace Zone,' or 'Anteiku.'" Minami replied.
"Alright," Byakuya said, noting down the name.
After a brief search, Uchiha Byakuya located the café's address.
"Minami-san, when we get there, pretend you don't know us," Byakuya reminded her as they approached the café. "After all, Arima and I are ghoul investigators; If they recognize us, it might not be good for you."
"I understand," Minami nodded.
A moment later, Minami entered the café first.
The café, called "The Peace Zone," was also known as the Antique Café, or rather; Anteiku.
Shortly after, Uchiha Byakuya and Arima Kishou entered as well.
They didn't sit together with Minami. They acted as if they didn't know her at all.
The café, though not particularly large, gave off a cozy and warm atmosphere.
Although the café exuded a warm and inviting atmosphere, everyone working there-be it the manager, the servers, or even most of the customers-were all ghouls.
On the surface, the café appeared to be just a normal coffee shop. However, in reality, it functioned as a social hub for ghouls, centered around its manager, Yoshimura.
Its purpose was to provide aid to weaker ghouls and assist those who wished to integrate better into human society.
Occasionally, an unwitting human customer would wander in for a cup of coffee, but they were never harmed by the ghouls here.
At that moment, a middle-aged man reading a newspaper lifted his head and glanced at Minami.
Upon seeing the beautiful and delicate girl, he couldn't help but feel a strong urge to taste her.
However, this was the 20th Ward-he couldn't act recklessly. With great reluctance, he suppressed his instincts and averted his gaze.
Clearly, the ghoul had mistaken Minami for a human. Her human scent was so strong that it masked her natural ghoul presence.
"Excuse me, could we get two cups of coffee?" Uchiha Byakuya spoke up.
As soon as he spoke, he immediately sensed multiple gazes flickering toward him.
Although those stares quickly dispersed, he had already keenly noticed them.
It was natural. The ghouls in the café had assumed he was an unsuspecting human who had wandered in.
Byakuya pretended not to notice their scrutiny, remaining perfectly composed. Likewise, Arima Kishou's expression remained utterly neutral.
"Please wait a moment. Your coffee will be ready shortly," a gentle voice interrupted.
A tall, middle-aged man with a kind demeanor approached them.
Despite his warm presence, his hair had already turned mostly white, with only a few streaks of black remaining.
This man was none other than the manager of the café, Yoshimura Kuzen-the infamous SSS-rated ghoul known as the "Non-Killing Owl."
"Alright," Byakuya responded with a slight nod.
He had finally come face-to-face with the legendary Yoshimura, a figure he deeply respected.
After all, this was a decade before the events of the original story. Yoshimura still retained much of his strength and did not appear as frail as he would in the future.
[Ding!]
[The host has encountered an important figure: Yoshimura Kuzen. A hidden mission, 'Non-Killing Owl,' has been activated!]
[Mission 1: During the third attack on the CCG's 2nd Ward, repel the 'Non-Killing Owl.']
[Reward: 100 attribute points.]
The so-called "Owl" that attacked the 2nd Ward for the third time was actually Yoshimura Kuzen disguised as his daughter, not the real One-Eyed Owl.
Byakuya wasn't surprised to receive this mission.
However, he immediately recognized the immense difficulty. This task wouldn't be any easier than the one that had required him to repel the real One-Eyed Owl.
Yoshimura was no longer at his peak, but he was still in his near-prime state-far stronger than his weakened self in the original story. He was likely even stronger than Yoshimura Eto in her injured state.
In the canon timeline, Eto's kakuja was far more refined ten years later than it was now. Even then, she had been gravely wounded by Kuroiwa Iwao.
If that had been Yoshimura instead-at his current level-there was no way he would have been taken down so easily.
Even a decade later, when Yoshimura had significantly deteriorated due to age, it still took multiple Special-Class Investigators to bring him down, and that was only because he had held back, ready to meet his end.
Among those Special-Classes was none other than Kuroiwa.
Although Yoshimura no longer wished to kill, which slightly reduced the difficulty of the mission, repelling him would not be an easy feat.
It would require something as decisive as what Arima Kishou had done in the past-severing both of his arms.
At this moment, Yoshimura stood in front of Byakuya and Arima, subtly signaling to the other ghouls in the café.
It was a silent warning.
A warning not to lay a hand on these two seemingly human customers.