"Wait... what...?"
Byakuya was instantly dumbfounded.
The color of her panties?
What kind of intelligence was that supposed to be?
"How about it? That should be sincere enough, right?"
Eto wore a mischievous expression.
Obviously, that had been a deliberate prank to tease Byakuya.
"Takatsuki-sensei... could you please be serious...?"
Byakuya was momentarily exasperated.
"Oh? I thought you might ask me to prove it."
Eto looked slightly surprised.
"...I would never do that."
Byakuya's tone was thoroughly unamused.
"Hehe, just kidding."
Only now did Eto finally get serious. "Alright, let me tell you some real intelligence. You know I'm Yoshimura's daughter, right? Then... do you know who his wife was?"
"I don't..."
Byakuya shook his head slightly.
He deliberately pretended not to know. If he showed that he knew, it would be inexplicable.
Because children born from human-ghoul unions could only be one of two things: half-human or half-ghoul.
Eto had already admitted to being a ghoul. If Byakuya indicated he knew Yoshimura's wife was human, wouldn't that make it obvious he had already known Eto was a half-ghoul?
"His wife was human—a human journalist."
Eto said directly.
"Human and ghoul... but you're not a half-human, so does that mean you're a half-ghoul...?"
Byakuya feigned shock and surprise.
"That's right. I'm one of your kind. That's also why I call myself the 'One-Eyed King.'"
Eto admitted frankly.
She had voluntarily revealed her half-ghoul identity to Byakuya. Though she wasn't yet willing to disclose who the real One-Eyed King was, this was already quite significant.
[Ding! Host has gained Eto Yoshimura's high level of trust. Reward: 20 Fusion Points!]
"I see..."
Byakuya felt rather pleased. He could tell he had further gained Eto's trust, and had even received Fusion Points as a reward.
When the day came that Eto was willing to tell him Arima's true identity, that would mean she completely trusted him.
"Alright, I've finished. Now it's your turn."
Eto said.
"You want to know what I've experienced in the past, right, Takatsuki-sensei?"
Byakuya said. "Actually, I haven't experienced anything particularly special. I simply came to realize that ghouls, like humans, are flesh and blood. They have the same emotions as humans. Their greatest fault may simply be being born into this world as 'ghouls.' So I want to change this mistaken world. It's that simple."
"As for the Washuu Clan, they're merely a stumbling block on my path to changing this world."
Regarding the Washuu Clan, Byakuya's tone was very calm, as if he didn't consider them much of an obstacle.
And that was indeed the case. Once he developed further—especially when he obtained the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan—the Washuu Clan would be nothing to fear.
When faced with Eto's inquiry, Byakuya could have fabricated any story, but he felt there was no need for that. Simply speaking his true thoughts was enough.
"It seems... you don't consider the Washuu much of a concern?"
Eto noticed this detail.
But for their Aogiri Tree, the Washuu Clan was a particularly difficult mountain to overcome.
Otherwise, she and Arima wouldn't have had to secretly work together from the shadows, painstakingly trying to create a One-Eyed King stronger than Arima.
"That's right. Currently, my greatest challenge isn't the Washuu."
Byakuya said truthfully.
Though the system hadn't yet provided him with all the information about the Infinite Tsukuyomi, just thinking about it made clear that achieving the Eye of the Moon Plan wouldn't be easy.
In comparison, the Washuu threat was relatively minor.
Thinking of this, Byakuya suddenly remembered he hadn't checked his system panel in a while—mainly to see how many Fusion Points he had accumulated.
[Host: Amaha Byakuya]
[Identity: Human]
[Age: 18]
[Fusion Target: Uchiha Madara]
[Fusion Progress: Lv3 (0/2500)]
[Equipment: White Mask...]
[Abilities: Mangekyo Sharingan...]
[Fusion Points: 1470 (Total: 2580)]
[System Shop Lv2]
He could clearly see that his Fusion Progress needed just over a thousand more points to reach the fourth stage.
When that happened, barring any surprises, the Mangekyo Sharingan would evolve further into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Using Mangekyo techniques would no longer carry any burden.
Unlike at the Aogiri Tree base, where maintaining the initial Susanoo form for a sustained period had caused noticeable discomfort.
Because while Susanoo was active, there was a sensation of all one's cells being burned. It also consumed ocular power and caused irreversible damage to one's vision, with the degree of damage depending on the intensity of use.
If one only occasionally summoned the initial Susanoo form, the vision damage would be relatively mild.
But if one overexerted like Itachi Uchiha had, blindness would only be a matter of time.
Unless absolutely necessary, Byakuya certainly wouldn't abuse Susanoo's power before his Mangekyo reached the Eternal state.
"Your greatest challenge isn't the Washuu? Then what is it?"
Eto asked with some curiosity.
"It's how to achieve a method that will completely change this world. I won't go into the specifics."
Byakuya explained.
Even if he told Eto about the Infinite Tsukuyomi, she wouldn't know what it was.
"Alright then. Let's end this conversation here for now. Next, let's properly enjoy our treats."
Eto glanced to the side. The server had already brought what they'd ordered.
The same couple's set as before.
From then on, Byakuya and Eto simply sipped their coffee, ate their desserts, and chatted about lighter topics.
"I recall half-ghouls have the same taste buds as humans. So you genuinely like these desserts, don't you, Takatsuki-sensei?"
Byakuya remarked.
"Mm, they taste quite good. I do like them."
Eto nodded.
"Then we can come here often to relax. Otherwise, between writing every day and managing Aogiri Tree's affairs, you're overworking yourself."
Byakuya added.
"Oh?"
A mysterious smile appeared on Eto's face. "Should I take that as Amaha-kun asking me out on a date~?"
...
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