Ghoul: Starting with Sharingan

"No, I'm not into lolis"

Byakuya insisted firmly on this point.

He wasn't about to let his reputation be tarnished.

"Your denial won't work~"

Eto teased, "And even if I were careless, there's no way I'd cut myself so deeply. Your worries are a bit excessive, you know?"

Ordinary knives can hardly injure a ghoul unless great strength or precise angles are applied.

This is why ghoul investigators require quinques to combat them.

Of course, there are exceptions. In the original story, Arima once used an umbrella to successfully repel a ghoul — far less effective than even a regular knife.

But Arima's absurd physical prowess, combined with his combat skills, allowed him to defeat a ghoul with just an umbrella.

"True…"

Byakuya realized he had instinctively forgotten that it was nearly impossible for Eto to be hurt by something as mundane as a kitchen knife unless she deliberately injured herself.

"I guess I subconsciously treated you like an ordinary human girl"

 Byakuya explained without a hint of embarrassment.

This wasn't the first time he'd made such a mistake.

"Idiot, how do you even make that kind of error instinctively?"

Though Eto called him an idiot, there wasn't even a trace of disdain in her tone.

While she didn't strongly identify with humanity, being seen as an ordinary human girl by Byakuya secretly made her happy.

For most of her life, Eto had lived in the shadows of the 24th Ward, where pain and loneliness dominated her memories.

Now that she could live among humans, even if only pretending to be one, she had met this fool who cared for her.

Unbeknownst to Eto, her sense of identification with humanity was slowly growing, though she couldn't quite perceive it herself.

"Well, I can't help it. You're the closest thing to a human — perhaps even surpassing humans — as a half-ghoul"

Byakuya spoke sincerely.

He wasn't exaggerating.

If humanity could evolve into half-ghouls, it might be considered a form of ascension.

Setting aside the immense power gained, the elimination of most diseases and the lack of the short lifespan issue that plagues half-humans would be incredible.

"You're flattering me too much. But I don't think being a half-ghoul is necessarily a good thing."

Eto's tone turned wistful.

She would have preferred to be either purely human or purely ghoul — anything to avoid the pain of being in between.

"Everything has its pros and cons. It can't be all bad, right?"

Byakuya offered.

"I don't care for your philosophical nonsense. All I know is, life isn't bad right now."

Eto responded casually.

"Then that's enough."

Byakuya smiled softly.

…

The final edits for Dear Kafka were nearly complete. Multiple polished versions, along with the original draft, were safely backed up on the computer.

All that remained was to finalize the publication details.

Meanwhile, Eto wasn't idle. She had already started planning her next work.

She'd decided to model the main characters on Arima and Minami. The world-building and general framework were already taking shape.

She worked on drafting the outline using Byakuya's computer.

Typing was much more efficient than handwriting, but since Eto was just starting to learn how to use a computer, she relied on Byakuya to type her ideas. She planned to practice typing when she had free time.

"By the way, you're so fast at typing! Didn't you just start working as an editor a little over a month ago?"

Watching Byakuya's fingers fly across the keyboard as he recorded her thoughts, Eto was astonished.

She hadn't noticed it as much during the editing process, since they'd mostly been tweaking small sections or words, and she'd often tried typing herself.

"I've always been pretty good at this, even before becoming an editor" Byakuya explained casually.

In reality, his skills were muscle memory from his previous life as a writer.

Eto didn't overthink it. "Well, that saves time."

With Byakuya's help, Eto quickly outlined the overarching plot and key storylines. The initial draft of her new work was complete.

She avoided overly detailed outlines, as they tended to stifle creativity. Her writing was heavily inspired by sudden bursts of ideas, and too rigid an outline could cause writer's block.

"Let's stop here for today. A few more days of preparation, and I can start writing the main story."

Eto took a sip of water after speaking.

"I can already see the day this book becomes a bestseller."

Having seen her concepts, Byakuya offered his evaluation.

"Stop joking around. We don't even know how my first book will do."

Eto lacked confidence.

She had started writing simply to earn money and still saw it as a modest endeavor.

"I'm certain, Miss Takatsuki. Dear Kafka and this new work will both be hits."

Byakuya's "omniscient perspective" gave him unwavering confidence.

"I don't get how you're more confident than the author herself. Also, call me Eto!"

…

Late at night.

Byakuya hadn't fallen asleep yet when he felt Eto cling to him again.

He initially thought she was asleep, but then he felt her chin resting on his shoulder.

That small gesture told him she was still awake.

"I thought you were asleep. You usually do this after you've drifted off" Byakuya said.

In a calm, soft voice, Eto replied:

"Is it a problem? From now on, you're my exclusive pillow~"