[Ding! Host has defeated S-rated ghoul "Ayato Kirishima." Reward: 25 Fusion Points!]
A child?!...
Ayato hated being called that, but what could he do? He'd just been completely crushed—he hadn't even had a chance to fight back.
Still, Byakuya's words weren't wrong. Ayato was only fourteen years old at this point, standing at roughly 160 centimeters—about the same height as Touka.
Before Byakuya, Ayato really was just a kid.
Though Ayato was rebellious, everything he did was ultimately to gain the strength to protect his sister. His methods were just deplorable.
Touka had just escorted Ryouko-san and Hinami upstairs, only to turn around and see Byakuya had already taken down Ayato.
She couldn't help but marvel at how impressive Byakuya was.
As for this brat Ayato's pathetic state—though it pained her a little, she felt no sympathy. He had it coming.
"So strong!"
Banjou exclaimed in amazement.
As Ayato's current subordinate, he'd once been on the receiving end of Ayato's "hospitality." In his eyes, Ayato was already an incredibly powerful ghoul.
Yet Ayato had been completely manhandled by this young man.
This young man's strength far exceeded his imagination. Truly worthy of being the man Rize-san favored!
Banjou was now filled with admiration for Byakuya.
Meanwhile, Rize still sat there calmly sipping her coffee.
"I'd suggest you take Ayato-kun and retreat. You can't beat him."
Nico offered the Bin Brothers a friendly warning.
The Bin Brothers hesitated for a moment before deciding to take Ayato and withdraw.
The enemy was too strong. Ayato had lost so badly—even if they joined forces, they wouldn't fare much better.
As for that drag queen Nico, there was no point counting on him. No one knew what that drag queen was thinking.
[Ding! Host has repelled Aogiri Tree executives. Reward: 50 Fusion Points!]
"How come you're not leaving?"
Seeing the drag queen still standing there, Touka's expression turned cold.
"Don't misunderstand—I have no intention of fighting you. I just want a closer look at this handsome young man who defeated Yamori."
Saying this, Nico swayed his body seductively and walked toward Byakuya with tender eyes.
Touka backed away with a look of disgust.
Byakuya remained unfazed.
Though this drag queen was a bit unsettling, Nico wasn't the type of ghoul who committed wanton evil. He also had some sense of boundaries, so there was no need to be too guarded.
Nico drew closer to examine the young man before him. That peculiar sweet fragrance was indeed emanating from him, and his features were becoming more attractive the longer Nico looked.
"Handsome, want to exchange contact info~?"
Nico immediately started flirting with Byakuya.
Though Yamori, whom he'd taken a liking to, had been killed by Byakuya, Nico didn't care. As a member of the Clowns, he valued his freedom and amusement above all else.
"..."
Touka watched the drag queen with speechless exasperation. So this drag queen wasn't even part of Aogiri Tree after all?
Yamori had been killed by Byakuya, yet this drag queen could still ask Byakuya for contact information.
Until now, Rize had remained still.
The earlier fight hadn't elicited any reaction from her, but Nico's behavior finally seemed to stir something.
"Disgusting drag queen, get lost."
Rize wore a faint smile, but her words were merciless.
"How hurtful. Such mean words."
Nico sighed dramatically.
Since he couldn't get contact information, he'd just leave his own. He placed a small slip of paper on the table.
"Handsome, if anything comes up, feel free to contact me anytime~"
With that, Nico even blew a kiss at Byakuya before turning to leave.
"..."
Byakuya said nothing, his expression unchanged.
He picked up the slip of paper. Sure enough, it contained Nico's contact information.
[Ding! Host has made the acquaintance of SS-rated ghoul "Nico." Reward: 5 Fusion Points!]
Nico was unpredictable—as were all members of the Clowns, frankly. Perhaps he found Byakuya amusing, which was why he'd approached him.
Either way, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Unless this drag queen actually had those kinds of intentions toward him. That he absolutely could not accept...
Watching the drag queen's antics, Touka remained speechless throughout.
With Nico's departure, the crisis was temporarily resolved.
Touka went upstairs to let Ryouko-san and Hinami know it was safe now.
At that moment, Rize walked over and took the slip of paper from Byakuya's hand, tearing it to shreds.
Clearly, Rize had a considerable grudge against Nico.
"So what are you going to do now? Go back to Ward 11, or just stay at our Anteiku?"
Touka then asked Banjou and his three subordinates.
"...Thanks for the offer, but we need to go back."
Banjou's expression was troubled. "I have many companions still there. I can't just abandon them."
"I see. Good luck, then."
Touka said.
"Thank you... we'll be going now."
Before leaving, Banjou seemed to have something more he wanted to say to Byakuya.
He stood before Byakuya: "Amaha-san, you're really strong—much stronger than you look. Please take care of Rize-san."
"Mm..."
Seeing Banjou's earnest expression, Byakuya didn't quite know how to respond, so he simply acknowledged it.
Afterward, Banjou left Anteiku with his three subordinates, returning to Aogiri Tree's base in Ward 11.
Not long after, Yoshimura and Yomo returned.
Byakuya, Touka, and the others had just finished cleaning up the mess from Ayato's intrusion, though the shattered window couldn't be replaced right away.
Seeing the state of the shop, Yoshimura had a fairly good idea of what had happened.
"Next time I see that brat Ayato, I'm definitely making him pay for the window!"
Just thinking about Ayato's arrogant attitude made Touka furious.