"We are now preparing to go to a place that was previously a crime scene. Several incidents suspected to have been caused by [Pumpkin Head] have occurred there..."
Ihei Byakuya spoke softly to Yoshimura Eto as he relayed some of the intelligence provided by the CCG. "And the victims basically all share common traits. They were all idle street punks hanging around this area."
"So [Pumpkin Head] only attacks this group?"
Yoshimura Eto asked.
"More or less, but we cannot completely conclude that. What if [Pumpkin Head] changes targets this time?"
Ihei Byakuya said cautiously.
"If it really follows the principle you mentioned, then it actually sounds like an interesting fellow..."
Yoshimura Eto said.
"Maybe, but no matter how interesting a ghoul is, it is still a ghoul."
Ihei Byakuya said in a cold tone.
Of course, this was an attitude he deliberately displayed.
His current identity was that of a half-human from "Sunlit Garden," so he was supposed to show at least some of the demeanor that Sunlit Garden half-humans were expected to have.
That is, being cold-blooded and merciless toward ghouls, or more precisely, toward ghouls that were on the CCG's extermination list.
"..."
Hearing this, Yoshimura Eto fell silent for a moment.
Although she knew it was normal for this half-human brat to react this way, she still felt a bit uncomfortable inside just now.
Of course, this was not because she felt empathy toward that [Pumpkin Head], but because she herself was also half a ghoul, and what Byakuya had just said inevitably struck a nerve for her as well.
...
Ihei Byakuya first brought Yoshimura Eto to the place where [Pumpkin Head] was suspected to appear most frequently, which was under a bridge.
The lighting under the bridge was relatively dim, and places like this did not have much foot traffic, making them favored hunting grounds for ghouls.
He and Eto did not go directly under the bridge, as that would have been too deliberate.
Instead, they pretended to be taking a walk, strolling slowly across the bridge, then finding a suitable position to hide.
They also had to maintain a certain distance from where [Pumpkin Head] might appear, because ghouls had very sharp senses of smell, and getting too close would allow a ghoul to detect their scent...
However, Byakuya and Eto staked out the area for an entire night without any results. [Pumpkin Head] did not appear at all.
There were also no predation incidents in this area that night.
"So we came back empty-handed. We might as well have stayed home and read books."
Having accomplished nothing after guarding the place all night, Yoshimura Eto felt rather bored.
"This is an investigation mission after all. Coming back empty-handed is very normal. There is no way a newcomer can easily complete a mission in just a few days."
Ihei Byakuya said with a faint smile.
Even Arima Kishou in the original story had infiltrated the school for at least one full semester while carrying out this mission.
Although there was also the reason that Arima Kishou deliberately played the long game to reel in a bigger catch, even setting that aside, it would still take at least half a semester.
This was also one of the reasons why Ihei Byakuya did not want to make a move on Uruka Minami immediately.
An investigation mission involving an A-plus level ghoul was at least matched to the strength of a senior investigator, and for a newly arrived Third Class Investigator to finish it easily within a few days would be far too absurd.
"So you will still come here tomorrow night?"
Yoshimura Eto asked.
"Yes. Until there is new progress, we have to come every day..."
Halfway through his sentence, Ihei Byakuya's voice suddenly stopped.
Because he saw several figures of street punks.
They were dressed like typical delinquent youths, such as tank tops, shorts, slippers, flashy hairstyles, or wearing gaudy masks and carrying baseball bats on their shoulders...
In short, these punks caught Ihei Byakuya's attention.
Because they were precisely the type of targets that [Pumpkin Head] liked to attack...
"Eto, let us follow them once they go a bit farther..."
At this moment, Ihei Byakuya said very softly to Eto.
He was not sure whether [Pumpkin Head] was hiding somewhere nearby, but his intuition told him that these punks were probably going to be very unlucky tonight...
Yoshimura Eto nodded slightly and followed silently beside Byakuya.
Not long after, Yoshimura Eto's gaze suddenly sharpened slightly, as if she had noticed something.
The stronger a ghoul was, the stronger not only their sense of smell but all five senses became.
So Yoshimura Eto's hearing, sense of smell, and overall perception were extremely sharp. She had actually already detected the presence of [Pumpkin Head].
And [Pumpkin Head] had not yet discovered the presence of her and Byakuya...
However, Yoshimura Eto did not tell Byakuya about this discovery, because doing so would have been equivalent to directly hinting to Byakuya that there was something wrong with her.
After following for a bit longer, Ihei Byakuya noticed several new figures appear.
Both sides looked aggressive and were carrying various weapons...
"So it was you bastard who flirted with my girlfriend at the bar last time? Are you looking to die?"
"Oh yeah? Whose woman do I not dare touch? You really think I am afraid of you?"
The two sides immediately began hurling angry insults at each other.
"So they came here for a group fight. No wonder they brought weapons. What a bunch of idiots..."
After seeing the situation clearly, Ihei Byakuya felt speechless.
Getting into a group fight was one thing, but choosing to do it in an area where [Pumpkin Head] appeared was something else entirely.
Then again, it was also possible that these idiots had no idea that multiple incidents had occurred nearby.
Although there were quite a number of ghouls lurking within human society, compared to the enormous human population, the difference was vast.
Many humans might never encounter a ghoul in their entire lives, or rather, never be attacked by one.
Just like Kaneki Ken, if he had not wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with Kamishiro Rize, no other ghoul would have attacked him. Being attacked by Kamishiro Rize was the first time in his life that he ever suffered a ghoul attack.
There was even a small detail in the early part of the original story. Kaneki Ken did not even know what ghouls really looked like, and the ghouls he drew on paper from his imagination were grotesquely distorted.
Seen this way, it was barely understandable.
The group of punks in front of them might not have even considered the possibility of being attacked by ghouls, or they might not have taken those unseen ghouls seriously at all.
This also fit the mentality of many hot-blooded young punks who did not know the immensity of heaven and earth...
"Should we wait until they finish fighting before going back?"
At this moment, Yoshimura Eto asked.
Although her question sounded like she was asking Byakuya, it was actually guiding him.
She wanted to guide Byakuya into staying to watch, because she knew that the suspicious individual she had just sensed, who was likely [Pumpkin Head], should appear soon...