"Principal, this is roughly the full situation. How should we proceed next?"
Ihei Byakuya asked the principal.
At least from his perspective, Eto's actions were justified. If it could even be called a fight, it had been the others who started it.
"..."
The principal looked momentarily troubled. "I'll call in those boys to confirm the details first. I won't bother you for now, Third-Class Investigator Ihei. I'll contact you once there's any progress."
After all, the Third-Class Investigator before him was no ordinary investigator; even Director Washuu had praised him highly.
"Understood."
Byakuya nodded slightly.
Soon after, he was tasked with escorting Eto home, as school had just ended.
On the way back, Byakuya asked Eto, "When did you become this strong? Those boys tried to give you trouble, yet you ended up beating them."
"They were just a few little brats. As long as you quickly kick one down, the rest get intimidated."
Yoshimura Eto said lightly.
"I see..."
Byakuya smiled faintly, saying nothing further.
"But you didn't even speak up for me today, and you even sided with that old principal to question me..."
Eto's tone suddenly carried deep resentment.
"I wasn't questioning you. I just wanted to understand the situation and also let the principal know the full context. My tone was calm."
Byakuya explained.
"I don't care!"
Eto shook her head, clearly in the "I'm not listening" mode.
"..."
Byakuya could only sigh in resignation.
"All right, all right. Fine, it's my fault, happy now?"
He chose not to argue with Eto. "Do you want me to take you to a café? The atmosphere there for reading is different from home."
"That's better. I forgive you~"
Eto murmured softly.
Though she had never tasted coffee, she was curious and excited to try it.
She knew that her parents, Kuzen and Ukina, had met in a café...
"Then let's go. It's still early anyway."
Byakuya led Eto to a café.
Of course, it wasn't the "Safe District" café run by Yoshimura Kuzen, but another larger café.
Given Byakuya's understanding of Eto, taking her straight to Kuzen in the Safe District now would likely trigger her blackening instinct before even entering...
In the original timeline, a similar incident had occurred. Eto, already a somewhat famous young author around fifteen or sixteen, brought her bestselling debut novel to Kuzen's café.
That timeline followed Eto after Kuzen had taken fatal risks to protect her kagune, single-handedly fighting through the CCG before being stopped by Arima Kisho.
Eto knew what Kuzen had done for her, which temporarily softened her hatred, prompting her to visit the café seeking him.
But upon arriving, she saw Kuzen laughing with Irimi and Koma outside through the glass. The café was peaceful and warm...
The sight was unbearable for Eto, who had lived a harsh life since childhood.
She crumpled her debut novel Dear Kafka in her hands and stormed off in hatred.
By the time the café closed, Kuzen noticed the crumpled book outside, but it was too late...
Or perhaps Kuzen had not mustered the courage to approach Eto and explain. His cautious approach to the Washuu family's affairs made direct intervention risky, unlike Eto, who pursued revenge at any cost.
In short, Byakuya did not dare let this extremely complex father-daughter pair meet yet.
...
They arrived at a popular café in the area, also a place Eto frequented in the original timeline.
Whenever she needed inspiration for reading or writing, Eto would come here to drink coffee.
However, in the current timeline, it was Byakuya's first time bringing Eto to such a place.
"The books here can be read while you drink coffee. Once you order a cup, you can sit and read as long as you like until closing."
Byakuya explained to Eto, who was visiting such a place for the first time.
Eto nodded.
Soon after, two steaming cups of coffee were placed on the table by the waiter. Upon smelling the unique aroma, Eto became immediately interested.
"Will this taste good?"
Eto asked.
"You'll know once you try. If you don't like it, you can give it to me."
Of course, Byakuya's words were practically redundant. Eto would not dislike coffee.
Eto blew gently on the cup and took small sips, savoring it carefully.
"You can wait a bit for it to cool, and pick a book from that shelf to read," Byakuya suggested.
"Mm..."
Eto complied.
By now, she could read alone without problems. Except for a few rare kanji, her intelligence allowed her to comprehend the text easily.
Eto spent the rest of the afternoon drinking coffee and reading.
By six in the evening, Byakuya thought it was time to head home for dinner.
Eto, however, didn't want to go home for dinner, preferring to buy some desserts at the café to fill her stomach.
Byakuya stayed with her until the café closed.
"How was it? Did you enjoy it?"
On the way home, Byakuya asked.
"Mm."
Eto nodded slightly. "Since we had this, I forgive you for today."
"Hahaha, all right then."
Byakuya laughed casually.
...
Ward 19.
Nightfall.
"Let's go, let's drink tonight and let loose. It's been a long time since we've had this much fun."
Two ghoul investigators, having finished overtime, laughed and headed for a late-night snack.
They seemed completely unaware of the danger approaching...
Suddenly, a chilling glint appeared.
One investigator turned and was stunned. "Senior? What... happened?"
His right hand had been severed, lying on the ground.
"Eh...?"
The middle-aged man, the senior, was shocked. He looked at his severed wrist, his face turning pale.
"Ghoul...?!"
The young subordinate looked around frantically.
He saw a gray-blue figure, but in his panic, he hadn't drawn his quinque. Sharp ice-blue kakuhou struck toward his forehead.
"!"
Luckily, the senior reacted fast enough, pushing his subordinate out of the way before the kakuhou could pierce him.
But his own arms were injured as well.
Not only had he lost his dominant right hand, his left hand was wounded and weakened.
"[Ice Devourer]! Run!"
The senior realized he was under attack by an S-Class ghoul, [Ice Devourer], and decided to hold it off alone.
Just as the investigator was about to die, another tall figure appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
"Clang!"
With the sound of metal colliding, a black-and-red long blade blocked a fatal strike aimed at the senior.
"?!"
[Ice Devourer] immediately shifted its target to the new figure.
"You must be [Ice Devourer], right?"
The figure gripping the black-and-red long sword was Ihei Byakuya.
He now wielded an A-Class quinque made from [Gecko], the black-and-red long sword in his hands.
Byakuya swung the long sword at [Ice Devourer], but the ghoul's hard kakuhou blocked the attack.
"Crack..."
At that moment, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on [Ice Devourer]'s prized kakuhou and began to spread.
"Wh-what?!"
[Ice Devourer] was shocked; its kakuhou had been breached.
It didn't realize that Byakuya was wielding a quinque specifically designed to counter kakuhou and possessed superhuman strength.
Before [Ice Devourer] could recover, Byakuya struck again.
"Snap!"
The second strike shattered [Ice Devourer]'s kakuhou completely.
Then came the third strike.
Near the shoulder blade, the kakuhou was pierced, the blade passing from the chest through to the back.
"AAAAAH-!"
[Ice Devourer] roared in pain and rage, extracting itself from Byakuya's long sword and fleeing desperately.
Soon, its figure disappeared among the darkness.
Byakuya did not pursue, instead decisively turning to check on the two injured investigators.
For humans, catching a fleeing ghoul is extremely difficult unless the ghoul is significantly weaker.
Byakuya could not guarantee he would catch [Ice Devourer], and even if he didn't, the ghoul's kakuhou was fatally damaged, neutralizing its threat.
But his colleagues' safety had to come first.
"You all okay?"
Byakuya asked.
"I'm fine, but our senior! ..."
The young subordinate was unharmed.
The senior, however, was injured, his right hand gone.
"I'll be fine. I won't die."
The upper-class investigator gritted his teeth against the pain, his voice trembling. "At first, it didn't hurt much, but once I recovered, the pain was unbearable..."
"I'll get you to the hospital."
Byakuya immediately contacted the Ward 19 CCG branch.
"Thank you. Without you, Third-Class Investigator Ihei, we would have died at [Ice Devourer]'s hands tonight..."
The senior sighed.
Recently, [Ice Devourer]'s attacks on investigators had increased in frequency.
Initially, it targeted weaker investigators, mostly working alone.
Now, it had grown bold, even attacking higher-class investigators.
Ordinary upper-class investigators could hardly contend with an S-Class ghoul.
Many relied on seniority rather than strength, unlike Mado Ui, whose abilities were top-class but refused promotion.
...
The next day.
CCG Branch Office.
"Did you injure [Ice Devourer] last night? He's probably hiding somewhere to recover. I've already sent people to track blood traces and footprints; we should know his location soon."
Special-Class Investigator Mado was discussing [Ice Devourer] with Byakuya.
"If we get news, we'll pursue immediately."
Byakuya said.
Just three days later, the investigators tracking [Ice Devourer] returned with information.
"All right, we're ready to move."
Mado donned a coat.
"It seems [Ice Devourer] is hiding in Ward 20. The ghouls there are not very active, so our operation won't face many obstacles. Though two dangerous ghoul groups once existed, they've been gone for over a decade, so we likely don't need to worry."
"Ward 20, huh..."
Byakuya thought it was quite a coincidence that [Ice Devourer] had fled into Kuzen Yoshimura's territory.
But it made sense; Ward 20 was right next to Ward 19.
...
Mado and Byakuya departed for Ward 20.
They first arrived at the Ward 20 CCG branch.
There were few investigators, and the branch chief was only an upper-class investigator.
Under Yoshimura Kuzen's management, Ward 20 was the most stable, so CCG staff was minimal.
However, this did not concern Byakuya and Mado. They were here to complete formalities, after which they could operate in the area freely.
Completing the formalities took time, so Mado stayed at the branch, while Byakuya could act independently.
"Even though I know your strength, I must remind you, be careful."
Mado warned.
"I will."
Byakuya nodded.
Leaving the branch, he headed straight for the Safe District.
This was the most likely place to gather information on [Ice Devourer]...