Damn it!
There weren't supposed to be any investigators patrolling here tonight!
The suspicious figure currently being pursued by Hairu was, of course, a ghoul. The sudden appearance of both Hairu Ihei and Amaha Byakuya had clearly caught him off guard.
While investigators couldn't act against targets without solid evidence, Hairu had charged in with an intimidating presence from the start. Her white combat uniform marked her as anything but ordinary—any ghoul who saw it would panic. Staying calm enough to outwit an investigator in that situation was nearly impossible.
Under certain circumstances, playing it cool—standing there without running or showing fear—might let a ghoul slip past an investigator's scrutiny.
But this was Hairu Ihei. Her aggressive stance meant she'd already flagged him as a suspect. Running or not, his fate was likely sealed.
The ghoul dropped all pretense and bolted, unleashing speed no ordinary human could match in his desperate attempt to escape.
Hairu, however, was no ordinary human either. As a half-human, her physical abilities far exceeded normal limits. Among half-humans, she was a prodigy—blessed with exceptional dynamic vision and reaction speed.
She was also a bit of an airhead and somewhat naive, the type who was difficult to manage. That personality had ultimately contributed to her death in the original story, killed during the Tsukiyama Family Extermination Operation...
Byakuya followed behind Hairu without pushing his full speed, a growing suspicion forming in his mind. They seemed to have left Ward 20's boundaries. This didn't look like Ward 19—perhaps Ward 21 or 22?
"Ihei-san..."
Byakuya tried to get Hairu's attention, but she didn't react at all.
She was single-mindedly focused on chasing that ghoul.
Before long, they'd arrived at a completely unfamiliar location—or rather, been led there by the ghoul.
"Ah~ Finally out of stamina?"
Hairu wore a slight smile, though it carried an unsettling edge. Her innocent tone somehow sent chills down the spine.
"Hmph! You Doves really think I'm scared of you?"
The ghoul had stopped running for some reason. A mask concealed his features, and his eyes showed no trace of fear as he faced Byakuya and Hairu.
Then, several more figures emerged from the shadows, each wearing their own distinctive mask. They were obviously all ghouls.
Clearly, Byakuya and Hairu had been led into a trap.
Or rather, they'd walked into it themselves, chasing that ghoul all the way here.
From the moment they'd left Ward 20, Byakuya had sensed something was wrong. Now his suspicions had proven correct.
Yet Hairu's expression remained unchanged. "I see... So this must be your hideout?"
"Let me think~ Ward 21 has a ghoul organization called 'Grey Straw,' right? That's you, isn't it?"
She posed the question to the ghouls with an almost leisurely air.
No doubt about it—Hairu had recognized them as Grey Straw, one of CCG's extermination targets, which explained her relentless pursuit.
Byakuya recalled hearing about Grey Straw at CCG. They were Ward 21's most dangerous ghoul organization, responsible for numerous disappearances. Rumors even suggested they practiced cannibalism against their own kind...
"So what if we are? Neither of you is leaving here alive."
The lead ghoul sneered.
Even revealing their identity didn't matter—this was their territory, and those two Doves didn't appear to be carrying those briefcase-like weapons.
Hairu turned to Byakuya. "Amaha-senpai, do you have a Quinque I could borrow?"
She knew perfectly well she hadn't brought her own Quinque today. She wasn't that much of an airhead. But it hadn't occurred to her to consider what would happen if Byakuya hadn't brought one either...
"I... didn't bring mine either. I do have a B-rated dagger, if that helps."
Byakuya replied with some embarrassment.
This girl is way too impulsive, he thought, though it was certainly in character for Hairu...
"Ah... this is a bit awkward."
Despite her words, Hairu's expression remained cheerfully vacant—she didn't seem troubled at all. "Oh well, that works. Mind lending it to me, Amaha-senpai? In return, I'll make sure to protect you~"
"Sure."
Byakuya didn't argue. He pulled out the Scorpion 1/56 he'd been carrying and handed it to Hairu. Good thing he'd made a habit of keeping the dagger on him.
Hairu caught the dagger and twirled it between her fingertips before addressing the ghouls with a light smile. "Come on then..."
The Grey Straw ghouls immediately felt provoked.
"She's still a Dove—don't underestimate her! Everyone attack together!"
The leader called out the warning.
Even if their opponent looked like a young girl fresh out of training, he wasn't taking any chances.
The other ghouls managed to suppress their irritation and launched a coordinated assault on Hairu.
But Hairu clearly wasn't fighting seriously yet. Surrounded by multiple ghouls, she continued toying with the dagger in her hand.
Perhaps she was getting reacquainted with the weapon after so long without using one. Or perhaps she simply didn't consider these ghouls worth her full attention.
Facing a barrage of kagune attacks from multiple ghouls, Hairu dodged while playing with the dagger, evading every strike with effortless grace. Not a single blow so much as grazed her combat uniform.
"Your coordination's not bad~"
She even found time to compliment her enemies.
"Damn it!"
The ghouls' frustration boiled over. That "compliment" sounded like pure mockery—they couldn't even touch her.
"Alright, warm-up's over."
Hairu flicked her wrist casually.
Their attacks hadn't pressured her in the slightest.
Now she was ready to get serious.
Meanwhile, Byakuya watched from the sidelines, gaining a firsthand appreciation of Hairu's exceptional dynamic vision and reflexes. Her only flaw—and it was a fatal one—was her recklessness...
Hairu closed the distance while weaving through attacks, the dagger's short reach forcing her into close-quarters combat.
One moment she looked almost lazy and relaxed. The next, she exploded with terrifying speed!
The ghouls hadn't expected a human to move this fast. The sudden burst caught them completely off guard.
In the blink of an eye, the nearest ghoul was decapitated before he could react. His head hadn't even hit the ground before another ghoul's throat was slit.
These ghouls—none of them even S-rated—were being utterly crushed.
This wasn't a case of lambs wandering into a wolf's den.
It was a wolf entering the sheep pen.
...
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