"Yes, I came as soon as I received Senior Investigator Aura's notice."
Ihei Byakuya nodded.
"Good. Then Bureau Director Washuu should have already briefed you on this mission. Next I'll explain the investigation plan to you in detail."
Mado Kasuka went straight to the point the moment she spoke, her expression serious and proper.
Ihei Byakuya gave a slight nod.
He thought to himself that Mado Kasuka and Mado Akira truly were mother and daughter, when it came to work attitude, they were almost identical.
Their facial features also shared obvious similarities, and even the hairstyle was exactly the same as Mado Akira's early hairstyle in the original story.
Of course, more precisely speaking, that was Mado Akira at the time wearing the same hairstyle as her mother.
"Is she your younger sister?"
Just as Mado Kasuka was about to begin explaining the operation plan, her gaze shifted to the little girl beside Byakuya.
"More or less, but don't worry. She won't interfere with our work."
Ihei Byakuya said.
"Alright. As long as she's someone you can trust, then it's fine."
Mado Kasuka did not ask further.
Next, while Ihei Byakuya and Mado Kasuka talked, Yoshimura Eto obediently listened at the side, not interrupting at all.
Occasionally investigators passed by them as they walked in and out of the hall.
Whenever they noticed Mado Kasuka, almost all of them turned back to look. Female investigators especially had the strongest reactions.
Because Mado Kasuka was essentially the idol of all female CCG investigators.
"Did I see that right? That looks like Associate Special-Class Mado? She actually came to our 13th Ward branch?"
"It really is that legendary senior! I never thought I'd run into my idol here. She's so cool!"
"Looks like she's that newcomer's superior? I'm so jealous, he actually gets to partner with Associate Special-Class Mado..."
"..."
Promoted to Associate Special-Class at only twenty-eight, Mado Kasuka was a senior investigator respected by countless others, especially holding an extremely high status in the hearts of female investigators.
And Mado Kasuka had entered the CCG in the same batch as Aura Kiyoko. If she hadn't died two years later at the hands of the "One-Eyed Owl," then the first female Special-Class investigator of the CCG probably wouldn't have been Aura Kiyoko, it would have been Mado Kasuka...
This also made it clear that the CCG had been extremely attentive in assigning a partner to Ihei Byakuya. They hadn't casually arranged for him an ordinary First-Class investigator.
After all, he was from the "Sunlit Garden," and the ones Washuu Yoshitoki valued most were him and Arima Kishou. Naturally he would receive special attention.
Thinking about it, it was almost certain that the system had tampered with everyone's memories. Despite him suddenly transmigrating into this world, no one suspected him at all, and some people even acted as if they knew him very well.
"Then I'll officially begin the mission tomorrow."
Ihei Byakuya did not blindly follow Mado Kasuka's plan. He also put forward his own suggestions, and after discussion they settled on the final plan.
"Speaking of which..."
Just as they were about to part ways, Mado Kasuka suddenly looked at Yoshimura Eto. "My daughter is about the same age as your little sister. How about letting my daughter meet your sister sometime?"
"..."
Hearing this, Ihei Byakuya froze for a moment.
In the original story, the Mado family and the "One-Eyed Owl" were practically mortal enemies...
So witnessing this scene for a moment made him feel strangely dazed.
"Eto, what do you think?"
Byakuya asked.
"Okay..."
Yoshimura Eto nodded weakly, looking timid and shy in front of this unfamiliar Mado Kasuka.
"So you're called Eto? What a lovely name. My daughter's name is Akira. Next time I'll bring her to meet you."
When speaking to Eto, Mado Kasuka's voice became noticeably gentler.
Yoshimura Eto actually wasn't interested at all, but she still nodded in agreement.
After that, Mado Kasuka exchanged a few more words with Ihei Byakuya before leaving to handle her own work.
At this point, Ihei Byakuya could get off early and prepare for the investigation mission formally starting tomorrow.
"That woman just now is your superior, right? She looks quite young. Her daughter is already the same age as me?"
Yoshimura Eto asked.
"I'm not sure either, but since Associate Special-Class Mado said so, it should be around that."
Ihei Byakuya replied.
In truth, he was sure. With the timeline shifted twelve years earlier than the original story, the current Mado Akira was around nine or ten years old, she was not much younger than Yoshimura Eto at all.
"....."
Yoshimura Eto puckered her lips slightly.
She honestly wasn't interested in playing with human kids her age. In her eyes, they were all childish brats.
Before leaving the CCG, Ihei Byakuya went to retrieve his Quinque.
The item was stored in one of the CCG's storage rooms, sealed tightly enough that no one could tell what it was from the outside.
Byakuya had to carry the cardboard box back home himself.
....
Once he returned home, Ihei Byakuya finally unpacked the box.
Inside was a white briefcase.
This white case was the weapon known as a "Quinque."
Of course, its true combat form only appeared after the case was opened.
As for how to open it, Byakuya first had to undergo a biometric verification process. Since this was his personal Quinque, only he could activate it.
To test how well the Quinque suited him, Byakuya activated it on the spot.
After the fingerprint scan completed, the case instantly reacted, automatically unfolding and transforming into a katana-shaped weapon.
Ihei Byakuya grasped it in a reverse hold.
From its appearance, part of it was metal and part of it was kagune material. The katana's hilt was made of special metal, and the blade was composed of pale gray kagune. It even seemed to possess a kind of biological activity.
Although it wasn't the large blade used by Whitebeard, katana-type weapons still fit his preferences well.
"So this is a ghoul investigator's weapon?"
Watching from the side, Yoshimura Eto's face displayed clear curiosity.
"Yeah. This thing is called a Quinque. It's made from a ghoul's kakuhou. Human investigators use these weapons to fight against ghouls."
Ihei Byakuya explained seriously.
"Quinque..."
Yoshimura Eto immediately recognized what the blade portion was made from.
However, she didn't react emotionally.
As a half-ghoul, she could be considered both human and ghoul, and since she had only recently entered human society, having spent her past fighting other ghouls in the 24th Ward to survive, she didn't necessarily have any fondness for humans, but she certainly didn't have fondness for ghouls either.
She was currently in a state of confusion about her own existence, was she human or ghoul, and which side should she consider her own kind.....