Soon, investigators arrived to process the scene.
They were all Investigator Assistants—essentially personnel without combat capability, handling miscellaneous tasks.
Rank 2 Investigators barely had enough strength to fight B-rated ghouls. Rank 3 Investigators could only handle C-rated ghouls that couldn't manifest kagune. As for Investigator Assistants—they could only do odd jobs.
"Associate Special Class Koori Ui! And this person is...?"
These assistants only recognized Koori Ui, not Byakuya.
They would transport "Hyena's" corpse to the CCG Research Tower in Ward 1 and clean up all traces of blood and other evidence at the scene.
Koori Ui exchanged a few words with Byakuya before leaving to file his report.
...
Byakuya appeared to be wandering the streets, but he was actually searching for the Fueguchi family's location.
He only knew they ran a clinic—not its exact address.
Asking pedestrians might yield answers.
Since he was no longer on active duty, Byakuya didn't bother hiding his Quinque briefcase in the larger suitcase—he carried it openly.
Anyone could tell at a glance he was a CCG investigator. This made it easier to question civilians.
He quickly learned the clinic's location.
The Fueguchi clinic was fairly well-known in this area. Dr. Fueguchi was kind to patients, diligent, and had an excellent reputation.
Fueguchi Asaki was indeed a rare example of a genuinely kind ghoul. He'd be killed because Yamori discovered he was collaborating with CCG investigators.
Byakuya immediately headed for the clinic.
As he approached, he deliberately slowed his pace and observed his surroundings.
If things were proceeding as expected, Mado and Amon were likely staking out the clinic, waiting for Yamori.
Specifically, Mado and Amon had come to Ward 19 to capture Yamori—after all, he was an S-rated ghoul. Sending Mado and Amon for this mission made sense.
But at this point, the CCG didn't know Yamori had become a "half-kakuja" through cannibalism. He was actually beyond S-rated now—at least S+ or borderline SS strength.
In the original story, Mado had miscalculated Yamori's power during this mission. Not only were his Quinques ineffective against Yamori, one was even damaged.
If Yamori hadn't stuck to his "nine-to-five" schedule and simply left when it was time to clock out—ignoring both Mado and Amon—Mado would have died right there.
Just as I thought...
Byakuya spotted where Mado and Amon were hiding.
If even Yamori could find them, and Byakuya already knew what to look for, how could he miss them?
But Byakuya pretended not to notice. Still carrying his Quinque briefcase openly, he walked straight into the Fueguchi clinic.
From their hiding spot, Mado and Amon had also spotted Byakuya.
"That's... Investigator Amaha! What's he doing here?"
Amon was immediately alarmed.
He was also anxious—if Yamori arrived and spotted an investigator here, their ambush would be ruined.
"..."
Mado said nothing, just watching Byakuya with a hint of confusion.
"What do we do? He'll alert Yamori!"
Amon whispered urgently to Mado.
"Easy, Amon. He has bloodstains on him—probably wounded from a recent ghoul fight. I don't know why he came here instead of CCG's support staff, but Yamori shouldn't be scared off by one injured investigator."
Mado remained calm, analyzing the situation.
"I see I still lack composure."
Amon nodded.
He recognized his own shortcoming and committed it to memory.
...
When Byakuya walked into the clinic carrying his Quinque briefcase, Fueguchi Asaki froze.
He immediately recognized the distinctive CCG Quinque case, but this wasn't Mado or Amon—it was a completely unfamiliar young man.
Worry crept over him. Would something go wrong?
According to his arrangement with Mado, when Yamori came for him, Mado would ambush from hiding.
Besides Asaki, there was only one human patient in the clinic. Hinami and Ryouko weren't here—they'd probably already fled to Ward 20.
Because Yamori had been harassing Asaki, Hinami and Ryouko had no choice but to leave Ward 19.
Asaki had apparently been an Aogiri Tree member—some kind of technical specialist—which was why Yamori had come looking for him.
Byakuya entered without saying anything, simply sitting in a waiting chair as if he were just another patient in line. He set his Quinque briefcase casually by his feet.
Only a few minutes passed before Yamori appeared.
A tall, blond man with a prominent nose and a fierce face.
The CCG had designated him "Jason," though he was also known as "Yamori."
Yamori glanced at Byakuya and the human patient as he entered. Despite noticing Byakuya was an investigator, he acted as if he hadn't seen anything—instead walking toward the patient currently being treated.
The patient was an inconvenience he wanted to eliminate.
Byakuya obviously wasn't going to let that happen. In one smooth motion, he drew and threw the "Hiruko 1/76" that had been in his inner pocket—the dagger flew at Yamori with speed and precision.
But Yamori was a half-kakuja class ghoul. His reflexes were certainly formidable.
He tilted his head aside, but one ear was still nicked by the dagger, which then embedded itself in the wall behind him.
Yamori frowned. He'd actually been wounded—and this investigator had dared attack him.
"I was in a pretty good mood today. Then you had to go and ruin it, kid."
Yamori kept one hand in his pocket while the other twisted his index finger to a grotesque angle with an audible crack.
A twisted grin spread across his face. Clearly, Byakuya had angered him.
Asaki's heart sank, cold sweat beading on his forehead. That young investigator had just ruined everything!
According to his arrangement with Mado, the hidden ambush was supposed to spring when Yamori came for him. Now—