Tokyo Ghoul: Starting with Sharingan

"Ugh... I thought I could make some money from my manuscript, but I ended up with an editor with such poor vision" sighed Eto, crouching in a corner, looking down at the two measly coins left in her hand.

Though she was the fearsome SSS rated One-Eyed Owl feared by the entire CCG, Eto lived under the radar, blending into human society. She knew that the CCG wasn't her real enemy, the ones she truly had to fear were far more powerful, and she wasn't yet ready to take them on.

To survive as a human, she needed money. But she was nearly out.

"Maybe I should look for some temporary work that pays daily..." Eto mumbled as she stood up, determined to try her luck. But she knew it was a slim chance, she looked too young, and normal places would not dare to break the law and let her work.

As she wandered the streets, her attention was drawn to a traffic accident.

"I already told you, they hit me! Just deal with it, will you?" said the driver, visibly irritated as he spoke to the police, clearly in a rush.

"Understood. Please follow me to the station to discuss the details..." the officer began, only to be cut off by the impatient driver.

"I'm telling you, I don't have time!"

Meanwhile, Eto observed the scene calmly from a distance. An idea quickly formed in her mind.

She approached one of the cars involved in the accident, where a frustrated passenger sat in the front seat, clearly in a hurry as well.

Tap, tap.

The passenger turned, hearing a gentle knock on the driver's side window.

"Excuse me, officer's calling for you" Eto said.

"Wait, what? Even me?!" the passenger grumbled as he stepped out of the car. "What a pain!"

But he left the window down, giving Eto the perfect opportunity to slip her hand through and swiftly grab the wallet from the driver's seat.

As the passenger and officer bickered in confusion, Eto casually strolled away, pocketing the wallet while humming a cheerful tune. This money would be enough to keep her going for a while.

Just then, a slender young man with dark hair and black eyes, dressed in a black coat, stepped into her path. His expression was calm.

"Excuse me, miss" he said, "taking someone's wallet without permission... that's not exactly proper, is it?"

Eto froze, her humming stopping abruptly, her face turning cold.

"...So?" she replied, a dangerous edge to her voice.

Though she possessed incredible strength, she couldn't afford to reveal herself as a ghoul in broad daylight. Last time she'd attacked a CCG branch, she'd carefully hidden her identity to avoid tipping off her true enemies. If they found her, she would have no way to escape.

"So" he continued, "here's my business card."

Byakuya handed her his card.

Seeing Eto in person, he couldn't help but notice her petite frame. She seemed to be about 140 to 150cm tall, with slightly messy short hair framing her cute features.

Her clothes were somewhat worn, but her high natural beauty meant she looked good in anything.

As for Byakuya's black eyes, he certainly couldn't reveal his Mangekyo Sharingan in broad daylight, as the blood-red eyes of the Mangekyo could easily be mistaken for the ghouls' kakugan.

Ghouls possess blood-red eyes, unlike normal humans. They usually blend into human society with normal-looking eyes, which only turn red during combat.

People in this world knew nothing of the Mangekyo Sharingan, if they saw it, they would mistake it for a ghoul's eyes.

Additionally, being a half-human from the Sunlit Garden gave him a special status, which could bring significant trouble, even life-threatening consequences.

Fortunately, his system granted him the privilege to "switch" his Mangekyo Sharingan on and off. When turned off, his eyes appeared as normal black pupils. Although this prevented the use of eye techniques, he retained the basic powers of the Mangekyo, like superior insight.

And when it was turned off, it didn't consume RC cells or eye power.

If he needed eye techniques, the Mangekyo Sharingan would appear automatically.

However, there was a slightly more troublesome workaround...

"What...?"

At first, Eto didn't understand his intentions, but after looking at the business card closely, she found it familiar.

It resembled the style used by editors at Shoeisha Publishing.

She'd tossed the card from that tasteless editor long ago, finding it worthless and knowing there was no point in working with someone like that again.

"I'm Uchiha Byakuya" the young man continued "a new editor at Shoeisha, I reviewed your manuscript and was really impressed. I came out here specifically to find you."

"Oh... really?" Eto's expression softened, her earlier wariness easing.

"I'd like to help publish your work" Byakuya explained. "And I also hope to help you become a top writer someday. But... it could be tricky if news got out that a respected author was caught stealing"

"...Fine" Eto said, relenting.

Though she'd stolen this money out of necessity, Eto's true dream was to have her work recognized, maybe even published. Becoming a top author sounded impossible, yet if there was a chance to make even a little money from her writing, she'd gladly take it. Writing was her only solace.

But if he was here to deceive or mock her... then one day, she would definitely kill and devour him!