"That—that guy is the one who played that oyakodon game in the employee dormitory?"
"I always thought Third-Class Investigator Lancer was impressive, but I didn't expect he was impressive in this way too—doing those things to Ghouls, tsk tsk..."
"Well, even if it was with Ghouls, in a way it's still a relief. At least we know Third-Class Investigator Lancer is interested in women."
"..."
Lancer's senses had been significantly enhanced after completing the first stage of the "Predator of Ghouls" mission. Those whispers—almost inaudible to normal ears—were crystal-clear to him. He could pick up at least seventy or eighty percent of what was said, and to all of this, he had only one reaction:
MMP!
Amon, you bastard, you really did set me up! Didn't you promise to keep this under wraps? How come the entire branch knows already?!
No matter how chaotic he felt internally, Lancer maintained a calm, expressionless face. After all, he knew those watching from the sidelines would quickly lose interest in their gossip as long as he—
"Third-Class Investigator Lancer?"
Just as he walked ahead at a normal pace, a slightly hoarse voice called from beside him.
"First-Class Investigator Mito!"
The speaker was another of the First-Class Investigators from the 20th Ward branch. But from Lancer's memory, he hadn't really interacted with him before—after all, Lancer reported directly to Mado Kureo.
It wasn't that Investigator Mito had a bad relationship with Mado, just that everyone was usually too busy to socialize.
"Investigator Lancer, you're one of our most promising youngsters here in the 20th Ward. I have high expectations for you. A few harmless personal interests don't matter, but please don't violate CCG regulations—and definitely don't let it affect your duties."
After whispering this kindly warning into Lancer's ear, Mito patted his shoulder and walked toward the exit, leaving Lancer standing stiffly in place, utterly lost in the wind.
Exactly how many people in the branch already know about this?!
Though still outwardly cold and indifferent, Lancer couldn't help feeling the gazes around him growing increasingly unbearable. Subconsciously, he sped up until he finally reached Mado Kureo's office door, barely managing to stabilize his mood.
Knock, knock—
"Come in."
"Mado-san."
"Lancer? Good timing. Regarding yesterday's incident, your report—"
"I've already written it."
Since Lancer hadn't slept at all last night, he'd simply spent some time drafting his report (he obviously couldn't train nonstop all night—he'd naturally taken breaks in between).
Since he was directly under Mado, the older Investigator didn't give him any strange looks or comments. Or perhaps Lancer was simply used to Mado's eccentric nature. But after swiftly reading through the report, Mado said nothing, falling silent as if carefully choosing his words.
Is there a problem with the way I handled things?
Lancer knew exactly how obsessive the person before him was about hunting Ghouls.
The office remained silent until Mado put down the report and raised his head again. Only then did Lancer quietly let out a relieved breath, seeing that Mado didn't look angry or disappointed.
"You handled the operation well; I accept this report. But…even if youth is an asset, you shouldn't squander it recklessly. From your appearance, it looks like you haven't slept at all since yesterday. Go rest in your office for a while. After you recover, continue investigating that matter about the Tsukiyama family you mentioned—"
Although the care in Mado's words was clear, Lancer still felt a burst of bitterness in his heart.
All I did was save someone—why does it feel like the whole damn world is targeting me?!
"Mado-san, I'm not tired at all—"
"Really? Look at the dark circles under your eyes—"
"I'm really not tired!! I'm going to look into the Tsukiyama family right away!!"
Whether to prove he still had plenty of energy or simply because he couldn't bear the odd atmosphere of the branch any longer, Lancer quickly went to the supply department, requested four types of special ammunition (one magazine each), and swiftly departed the branch office.
Since he was currently on a "special assignment," he probably wouldn't need to return to the branch for a while.
After sorting out the Tsukiyama matter, things should… finally quiet down, right?
...
Only Lancer himself fully understood the true depths of his despair. Being judged negatively for something he actually did was already bad enough, but it was even worse when he hadn't done anything at all—and couldn't possibly explain it clearly. While Lancer suffered in silence, things at Anteiku were similarly tense.
Yesterday, no one paid much attention when Fueguchi Ryouko and Hinami left the café together. They'd stayed overnight at Anteiku the night before, and leaving temporarily wasn't unusual. But when the mother-daughter pair still hadn't returned by breakfast time today, suspicion spread among the café's residents.
The Fueguchi family had always depended on Anteiku's support, never attacking humans. With the father missing, there was no way they wouldn't have come back by now.
Eventually, after Kirishima Touka pressed him, Manager Yoshimura finally contacted some of his "acquaintances." The information he received changed everyone's expressions dramatically.
"The Fueguchi mother and daughter were captured by Investigators."
"Manager! I'm going to rescue them!"
"Calm down!"
Yoshimura, who normally always wore a gentle smile and half-closed eyes, now opened them sharply, his voice sternly restraining Touka.
"Do you even know where the Fueguchi mother and daughter are right now? Even if you did, how exactly would you rescue them? Even if they aren't already in Cochlea, are you planning to storm the CCG branch by yourself?!"
Yoshimura's words struck Touka's heart like a heavy hammer. Seeing Touka's sorrowful expression, Yoshimura sighed deeply.
"Calm yourself. I managed to obtain some information about the Fueguchi mother-daughter pair. The Investigator who captured them is the very same 'Dove' who's been frequenting our café recently. But the exact details—I'm afraid I don't know yet. The incident only happened yesterday, and even my contacts can't get detailed information from the branch that quickly. We'll have to wait longer."
Even though some information had been confirmed, Touka's heart rose to her throat. Based on what that Investigator had previously said about his attitude toward Ghouls, if there were no unexpected twists, those two were probably already dead…
Ring ring—
At that moment, the café's bell suddenly chimed, instantly shifting everyone's expressions. None of them had expected a customer this early in the morning.
And even more shocking—standing at the café's entrance was none other than the person they'd just been discussing: Lancer himself, holding his Quinque case and staring innocently at the startled faces inside the café.
"Um… Did I come too early? Are you not open yet?"
Lancer's expression was pure confusion—truly confused. After all, what other Investigator could possibly face an SSS-rated Ghoul, two SS-rated Ghouls, and several S-rated Ghouls and still keep such a calm, utterly oblivious expression?