Byakuya and Rize were now seated in the living room.
"How did it go? You went after Yamori, right?"
Rize asked.
"Eliminated him. Officially, as an investigator."
Byakuya's tone was calm.
"Mm."
Rize acknowledged, then suddenly yanked off his shirt. "Doesn't look like you're injured. Though with your healing, minor wounds would have already closed anyway."
She seemed intent on removing his pants too, but Byakuya caught her mischievous hands.
He coughed lightly. "Even if you're joking, don't take it too far."
"Who's joking? I'm just checking on your physical condition."
Rize smiled innocently.
As if.
"Anyway, with Yamori eliminated, Aogiri Tree might take action. Be more careful going forward."
Byakuya steered the conversation back on track.
Multiple factions were watching Rize: Aogiri Tree, the Washuu Clan, and Nimura Furuta—who was technically affiliated with the Clowns. Aogiri's One-Eyed Owl, Eto Yoshimura, might even have her sights on Anteiku.
Yamori had been merely a warm-up. The real troubles were yet to come.
...
The next day. Anteiku.
Byakuya and Rize visited as usual for reading.
Ryouko and Hinami were there as well.
[Ding! Host has completed Option 2. Reward received: 50 Fusion Points!]
This was the earlier Divine Selection quest to protect Ryouko and Hinami. With their safety confirmed, the system released the reward.
But Byakuya had barely sat down when he felt Hinami's gaze on him—even more intense than usual.
Not just Hinami. Ryouko and Touka also seemed to be watching him.
They've probably figured out the masked man was me.
He wasn't surprised. He'd only worn a mask yesterday without changing clothes. He'd worn the same outfit at the café. Anyone paying attention could have made the connection.
Byakuya acted as if nothing had happened and quietly began allocating his points.
[Fusion Progress: Lv2 (470/500)]
[Fusion Points: 101 (Cumulative: 681)]
Opening the system panel, he could see his fusion progress was ready to advance to Lv3.
No point in hoarding now. Better to push his progress up first. He was curious whether reaching Lv3 would evolve his Sharingan to Mangekyo.
The odds seemed high—unless the system was deliberately throttling him.
[Ding! Host has used 30 Fusion Points. Fusion Progress +30. Current Fusion Progress: Lv3 (0/2500)]
[New Abilities (including upgrades): Mangekyo Sharingan, Hashirama Cells Lv3, Taijutsu Lv3, Susanoo, A-rank Ninjutsu "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Caterwaul," Transcription Seal, Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence]
Just as Byakuya expected—same formula as before, but with several new abilities.
Everything except genjutsu had been provided.
This made him wonder. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan should have included inherent genjutsu capabilities, yet he couldn't use any.
The system was probably responsible.
Though there was a logical explanation: neither humans nor ghouls in this world possessed chakra. Most genjutsu worked by disrupting the target's chakra flow. Conversely, breaking free from genjutsu required disrupting one's own chakra to escape the caster's control.
With no chakra in this world, most genjutsu simply wouldn't function.
The system seemed to read his thoughts and responded immediately.
[Ding! Except for "Infinite Tsukuyomi," Host cannot use any genjutsu.]
"Fair enough. But would Infinite Tsukuyomi even work in this world?"
Byakuya conversed mentally with the system.
[Ding! Host will receive a modified version of "Infinite Tsukuyomi." Specific details are currently classified. New information will be unlocked periodically.]
"Understood..."
Byakuya acknowledged, now curious about what this modified Infinite Tsukuyomi would entail.
The original Infinite Tsukuyomi would be essentially meaningless here. He had no desire to turn masses of humans and ghouls into White Zetsu, nor did he need them.
The modified version presumably had some purpose, or the system wouldn't bother dangling it as a mystery.
He'd just have to wait and see.
While Byakuya was absorbed in examining the system, Hinami fidgeted restlessly.
She'd resolved yesterday to boldly approach him with questions, but now that the moment had arrived, her shy nature made her hesitate again.
Touka noticed Hinami's state and decided to help her out.
She walked directly over to Byakuya.
"Excuse me, sir. Could you come with me for a moment? Someone would like to speak with you."
Very direct.
Byakuya snapped back from his system contemplation and nodded. "Sure."
Rize merely glanced at Touka without comment, her eyes returning to her book.
Touka led Byakuya to the second floor.
Hinami realized Touka was helping her and knew this was her chance. She grabbed her mother's hand and headed upstairs too.
In the second-floor lounge, Byakuya sat on a sofa while Touka poured him fresh coffee.
"So who wanted to see me?"
Byakuya asked, feigning ignorance.
"They should arrive shortly. But first... there's something I need to confirm."
Touka's expression grew serious.
She deliberately moved closer to Byakuya, carefully sniffing the air around him.
Since his clothes might mask some scents, she leaned toward his collarbone area, where scents were typically stronger.