"I've been partnered with an Associate Special Class from Squad Zero. Starting tomorrow, I'll be going to Ward 19 to investigate ghouls."
That evening, back home, Byakuya gave Rize a brief update.
"You mentioned the Washuu Clan bred many half-humans, and that half-humans have physical abilities far beyond normal people. I've been wondering—could Arima, the so-called strongest CCG investigator, be a half-human?"
Byakuya suddenly brought this up.
"Correct. And his identity doesn't stop there."
Clearly, Rize knew about Arima. "He's also a 'Cleaner' for V. I'd guess that Squad Zero, his unit, has many half-humans as well."
"So you should be extra careful lately. If Arima discovers you, that would be serious trouble."
Byakuya warned Rize.
He'd raised this topic specifically to caution her.
Obviously, the Washuu Clan would order Arima to capture Rize. In the original story's later timeline, Shachi had died precisely because of this.
Of course, Arima sometimes "slacked off"—just like his whack-a-mole game with Aogiri Tree in Ward 24. He only completed missions efficiently when he absolutely had to.
But whether Arima would actively hunt for Rize was one thing—if he accidentally discovered her, he'd definitely deal with her on the spot to avoid raising suspicion from the Washuus or V's leader, Kaiko.
"Got it."
Rize seemed to find Byakuya a bit naggy. "Worry about yourself instead. You're the one who needs to stay safe."
"Mm."
Byakuya could hear the thread of concern in her voice and smiled in response.
...
Tokyo, Ward 19.
Byakuya wore ordinary clothes, and Koori Ui had foregone his white combat uniform for a suit.
Their Quinque briefcases were hidden inside a larger suitcase.
This wasn't an ordinary suitcase either—it had biometric technology. When needed, the Quinque cases inside could be ejected at maximum speed.
A precaution against sudden ghoul encounters.
"According to current records, this 'Hyena' has killed at least a dozen confirmed victims—the actual number is certainly higher. Recently, he was involved in an incident with more than five casualties, which elevated his threat rating to A."
Walking toward the Ward 19 CCG branch, Koori Ui briefed Byakuya on known intelligence. "'Hyena' is suspected to have a rinkaku kagune—characterized by extremely high attack power but relatively fragile. His usual hunting grounds are..."
Byakuya and Koori Ui weren't starting the investigation immediately upon arrival. They needed to check in at the Ward 19 branch first—basically clocking in so the CCG knew they were actually working.
...
"Associate Special Class Koori Ui!"
At the Ward 19 CCG branch, every investigator they passed greeted Koori Ui respectfully.
As for Byakuya—no one recognized him. He'd only just joined, with no reputation to speak of.
Koori Ui, on the other hand, was Squad Zero's vice-captain and a former prodigy of the "Arima Squad." He was known throughout the CCG.
"Associate Special Class Koori Ui—so you're the one sent to support Ward 19."
They encountered a man with completely white hair, a gaunt face, a slightly hunched posture, wearing a gray overcoat and carrying a Quinque briefcase.
Byakuya's eyes flickered with recognition. He'd immediately identified the man as Kureo Mado—and Koutarou Amon stood right beside him.
So Mado is stationed in Ward 19 during this period...
"First Class Mado, Rank 1 Amon."
Koori Ui acknowledged them.
Mado's gaze shifted to Byakuya. "This must be your partner? He looks promising."
Koori Ui nodded. "Naturally. He performed excellently during his internship."
Byakuya met Mado's eyes calmly. "I'm Amaha Byakuya, a newly appointed Rank 2 Investigator."
"Investigator Amaha—work hard. You'll definitely become an excellent ghoul investigator."
With those words, Mado and Amon continued on their way.
When interacting with colleagues, Mado was perfectly normal—even a reliable senior who was good and responsible toward subordinates. But when facing ghouls, he was an entirely different person.
This brief encounter stuck with Byakuya. Because at this point in the timeline, unless something had changed, Mado was currently pursuing—or about to pursue—the Fueguchi family.
[Ding! Host triggered a quest. Initiating Divine Selection!]
[Option 1: Don't interfere, don't get involved. Reward: 1 Fusion Point!]
[Option 2: Assist Kureo Mado and Koutarou Amon in eliminating the Fueguchi family. Reward: 10 Fusion Points!]
[Option 3: Prevent both "Jason" Yamori and Kureo Mado from killing Fueguchi Asaki. Reward: 50 Fusion Points!]
Sure enough—significant events like this easily triggered the system's quest mechanism. But he currently had his own investigation mission and couldn't easily juggle multiple matters.
Plus, the task required stopping both Yamori and Mado. Yamori aside—Mado needed careful consideration.
Mado might only be First Class, but his actual combat ability was at least Associate Special Class level.
Given his history of eliminating numerous ghouls and capturing the SS-rated "Corpse Collector"—Arata Kirishima—he could have been promoted to Associate Special Class long ago. He simply didn't want the position because it came with too many restrictions.
This was also why, the moment Touka killed Mado, her threat rating immediately jumped to S—the level corresponding to Associate Special Class investigators.
For Byakuya, dealing with Mado alone wasn't the problem. But if he actually intervened to save Hinami and Ryouko Fueguchi, his position within the CCG would become extremely difficult.
The CCG absolutely did not tolerate investigators harboring ghouls—this was stipulated in the Ghoul Countermeasures Law.
Though he'd dismissed that law as "a joke," openly violating it still required careful consideration.
Afterward, Byakuya and Koori Ui essentially signed in at the branch, then officially began their investigation.
They headed to the area where the A-rated ghoul "Hyena" was known to frequent.
The reason for the "Hyena" codename was that he typically wore a hyena-shaped mask—just like how Touka was called "Rabbit."
"Let's not spook him. Just walk around like ordinary passersby while keeping an eye out for any suspicious clues."
Koori Ui continued teaching Byakuya things a rookie needed to know.
Byakuya nodded slightly. Though he already knew all this, there was no need to show it.
Even with his Sharingan deactivated, his perception far exceeded normal people's. Within half an hour, he'd spotted a suspicious man.
"Koori Ui-senpai—that man has what looks like traces of pale yellow human fat residue on him."