Yoshimura Eto didn't take too long to return from the 24th Ward. Before long, she was back, dragging a suitcase filled with preserved flesh.
Meanwhile, Mayu was sitting on the couch, watching TV with great interest.
"I'm back~"
Eto strolled in, pulling the suitcase behind her.
"M..."
Mayu instinctively wanted to call out "Mama," but then she remembered that Eto hadn't agreed yet. She quickly corrected herself, "Eto-nee."
"Mayu, come eat."
Yoshimura Eto opened the suitcase and took out box after box of preserved flesh.
The storage containers still felt cold to the touch since the flesh had been kept refrigerated. This helped slow down the loss of RC cell activity as much as possible.
Mayu's eyes immediately widened.
Unlike the rotting scraps of flesh she usually struggled to find, these portions were well-preserved and looked surprisingly appetizing.
"Eto-nee, how did you get so much of this?"
Mayu couldn't help but ask in amazement, looking at her with admiration.
"That's a secret~ Your Nee-san here has all sorts of ways."
Eto had no intention of revealing her identity as a ghoul to Mayu.
If Mayu accidentally let it slip, it could cause unnecessary trouble. To be safe, it was better not to tell her too much.
"Wow, that's amazing..."
Mayu gasped in awe but obediently didn't press further.
She was already eager to fill her stomach but still cautiously asked Eto, "Are you sure I can eat this?"
"Silly girl, I brought it back just for you. If you don't eat it, who will?"
Eto chuckled.
"Okay!"
Mayu happily nodded.
She then opened one of the storage containers.
Even though she was quite hungry, she didn't gobble it down like a starving animal. Instead, she took small bites, eating with surprising elegance in her own way.
At that moment, Uchiha Byakuya walked over and spoke to Yoshimura Eto.
"Eto, Mayu said she wants to call us 'Papa' and 'Mama.' You-"
Before he could even finish, Eto interrupted, "Isn't that pretty nice?"
"...That's not the issue here. The problem is, you two better not go around saying it in public."
Byakuya explained.
"Ohh, that? I got it."
Eto could easily tell what Byakuya was really worried about.
"Mayu, you heard that, right? When we're outside, don't call casually us 'Papa' and 'Mama'."
She then reminded Mayu, "Papa is a high-ranking ghoul investigator. If the CCG finds out he suddenly has a daughter, they'll definitely get curious and start investigating; If they discover you're a ghoul, it'll cause a lot of trouble."
Of course, this explanation was meant for Mayu's sake.
It wasn't actually what Eto and Byakuya were really concerned about.
"Mm! I definitely won't say anything careless!"
Mayu nodded earnestly, promising with full sincerity.
"Alright then, when we're outside, just call us Nii-san and Nee-san as usual."
Eto suggested.
"Got it! Then... can I call you 'Papa' and 'Mama' now?"
"Of course! I've always wanted a cute daughter~"
Eto said with a smile.
"Mama!"
Mayu instantly called out in joy.
Then, turning to Byakuya, she shouted, "Papa!"
In reality, Mayu had no idea how old Eto and Byakuya actually were.
Since Eto-nee gave off such a mature aura, it never even crossed her mind that her "Mama" wasn't actually all that much older than her.
"Yeah.." Byakuya responded.
Suddenly gaining a daughter left him with an indescribable feeling.
After filling her stomach, there was still quite a bit of preserved flesh left from what Eto had brought back.
The leftovers were stored in the fridge, more than enough to last Mayu for a while.
"Rest for a bit first. Later, we'll go out and buy you some new clothes. You can't just keep wearing mine forever."
Eto said to Mayu.
"Okay~"
Mayu nodded happily.
She felt so blessed-this feeling of having family who cared for her was something she had never experienced before.
But deep down, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
She kept receiving kindness from "Papa" and "Mama," but she hadn't done anything for them in return.
She felt like she should at least do something-something to help them, even in a small way.
"By the way, is there a specific outfit you really want? If you have one in mind, we'll go straight there."
Eto asked.
"There is... but it's in the 19th Ward. I haven't been anywhere else, so..."
Mayu said, feeling a little embarrassed.
"No problem. We can just make a trip to the 19th Ward."
Eto replied casually.
Taking the subway, it wouldn't take long to get from the 1st Ward to the 19th, so it wasn't inconvenient at all.
"Darling, you're coming with us, right? You wouldn't say no, would you?"
Eto turned to Byakuya with a playful smile.
"Mm. I don't have anything else to do anyway."
Byakuya replied with a calm nod.
After dinner, the two of them got ready to head out.
Mayu, on the other hand, was sitting on the couch watching TV.
Seeing her "Papa" and "Mama" eating regular human food only reinforced her belief that they were both human.
At this point, RC detection gates weren't widely implemented yet since they were extremely costly.
For now, subway stations didn't have them, priority was given to more important locations.
In fact, the Washuu Clan itself wasn't too keen on pushing the widespread use of RC detection gates.
If the survival space for ghouls became too restricted, it would disrupt the balance they wanted to maintain between humans and ghouls.
This was also why, even by the time of the original story, many ghouls were still able to blend into human society.
For Mayu, today had been full of new experiences.
She had never had the chance to ride the subway before, let alone go shopping for clothes and toys.
Now, Byakuya and Eto had brought her to a mall in the 19th Ward.
Mayu quickly found the clothing store she had been thinking about.
She had spent a lot of time outside this store in the past, secretly admiring the beautiful clothes inside. That was why the place was so deeply imprinted in her memory.
"This is the one."
Mayu pointed to the clothing store in front of her.
"Mayu, just pick whatever you want. Papa-ah, no, I mean, Nii-san has plenty of money."
Eto suddenly turned to Byakuya with a teasing smile.
"Isn't that right, Byakuya-nii~?"