[Ding! Host successfully prevented Yamori and Kureo Mado from killing Asaki Fueguchi. Reward received: 50 Fusion Points!]
[Note: If Asaki Fueguchi dies within a short time frame, 50 Fusion Points will be reclaimed!]
System reward acquired. Byakuya was satisfied.
The condition requiring Asaki to stay alive wasn't too troublesome for him to manage.
A moment later, another notification chimed.
[Ding! Host has triggered a quest. Divine Selection activated!]
[Option 1: Back off now and avoid future complications. Reward: 1 Fusion Point!]
[Option 2: Protect Ryouko Fueguchi and Hinami Fueguchi. Reward: 50 Fusion Points!]
"Let's go, Amon. We should head back. I need to get a new Quinque."
Mado collected the broken pieces of his Quinque and stored them in their case. Even useless fragments held collector's value for him.
Amon nodded and followed Mado out of the clinic.
But they hadn't gone far when Mado suddenly turned back without a word.
Confused, Amon followed.
They stopped beside the clinic's outer wall.
Rather than peek inside directly, Mado pressed his ear to the wall, listening.
His instincts told him Byakuya might be trying to shelter the ghoul.
If he simply listened through the wall, he'd know the truth soon enough.
To Mado's apparent disappointment, all he could hear was someone being beaten and crying out in pain. The voice was unmistakably Asaki's.
Byakuya's cold, hostile tone punctuated the sounds.
"You're going to cooperate with us from now on, understand? Worthless trash like you—this is the only value you have left."
To make absolutely certain, Mado walked around to the entrance and stepped inside.
There was Byakuya, expression ice-cold, pinning Asaki down and beating him.
When Byakuya noticed Mado enter, he stopped immediately, his expression shifting just as quickly.
"I just came back for something I left behind. Carry on."
Mado collected a few barely-noticeable Quinque fragments from the floor.
Clearly, he'd deliberately left them as a pretext to return.
"..."
Byakuya said nothing, waiting until Mado and Amon had departed again before resuming.
This time, they didn't come back.
"Mado-san, just now..."
Amon's tone carried a note of confusion.
"I thought Investigator Amaha was trying to protect that ghoul. Seems I was overthinking it. Quite an excellent rookie we have."
Mado's voice was casual.
"Yes. Far more capable than I was starting out. More capable than I am now, honestly."
Amon nodded seriously.
Meanwhile, Byakuya didn't stop until he was certain they were truly gone.
Asaki's face was beaten black and blue—even his nose was broken, blood streaming freely.
Asaki sat slumped on the floor, groaning softly. Byakuya settled into a nearby chair as if nothing had happened, habitually crossing one leg over the other.
"With your regeneration, you'll heal up soon enough."
Byakuya's tone was light. "Do you hate me?"
"..."
Asaki blinked, momentarily stunned.
Then understanding dawned.
"N-no... if anything, I'm deeply grateful."
He was already on his knees; now he pressed his forehead to the floor in a full bow.
He'd figured it out. The sudden, wordless beating had been to save his life—a performance for Mado and Amon's benefit.
And the injuries he'd sustained? For a ghoul, they were superficial at best. Minor wounds that would heal on their own in no time.
Compared to being killed outright by Mado and Amon, this was infinitely preferable.
This young investigator was his savior. A bow of gratitude was the least he could offer.
"There's no need for that. At least it saves me the trouble of explaining."
Byakuya helped Asaki to his feet.
Everything had gone exactly as Asaki guessed. The beating was meant to dispel Mado's suspicions.
Byakuya knew how sharp Mado's instincts were. Fooling him wouldn't be easy, so he'd staged the whole thing deliberately. Sure enough, Mado hadn't actually left.
If he hadn't done this, Mado would have noticed his leniency toward Asaki.
"Consider this your compensation for cooperating with the CCG. Now find somewhere to hide. Don't let Yamori actually find you."
Byakuya made things clear.
"Yes! I will!"
Asaki nodded vigorously.
Without another word, Byakuya left.
He'd done what he could. Anything more would be excessive.
If this guy still managed to get himself killed despite everything, then clearly something was wrong with his head. In that case, Byakuya would rather have the 50 Fusion Points reclaimed than deal with the hassle.
Asaki wasn't that foolish. He intended to find the most isolated hiding spot possible and wait for this whole situation to blow over before reuniting with his wife and daughter.
...
Later that day, Byakuya returned to the CCG branch office in Ward 19.
Koori Ui had already finished his own debriefing and heard about Byakuya's encounter from Mado.
"I heard from First Class Mado that you ran into Jason, and that you held your own quite well. Is that true?"
Ui asked as soon as Byakuya walked in.
"It is."
Byakuya nodded slightly.
"You continue to impress me. Jason is an S-rated ghoul, and his rating probably hasn't been updated in ages. The fact that you could fight him to a standstill..."
Ui's voice carried genuine admiration.
"It wasn't that impressive. He wasn't using his full strength."
Byakuya said modestly.
Neither had he, of course.
"Regardless, you went head-to-head with an S-rated ghoul. No Rank 2 Investigator has ever accomplished that before. Even First Class Mado has never praised a rookie so highly."
Ui didn't hold back his commendation. "Actually, Arima-san thinks highly of you too. Hairu Ihei has been paying particular attention because of it."