Capítulo 22: Eto's Test
Byakuya and Arima briefly introduced themselves to each other.
Byakuya didn't reveal his ideals or plans to Arima right away, as that would be too rushed and would likely not earn his trust. After all, he was still under the complete control of the "V" organization behind the scenes of the Sunlit Garden, making it impossible for him to betray them easily.
So, it would be better to let things develop naturally over time.
Shortly after their meeting, the CCG assigned Byakuya and Arima a mission: another investigation involving infiltration.
"Disguising ourselves as students to infiltrate Seishin High School in the 13th Ward, huh...?"
Upon receiving the mission details, Byakuya was somewhat surprised.
Seishin is where the ghoul known as the "Lantern" – Uruka Minami – attends school.
By the current timeline, however, Minami should have already been driven out by Arima.
It seemed like there were some subtle shifts in the timeline, but nothing that would disrupt the larger plan...
[Ding! The host has accepted the ghoul investigation mission to infiltrate Seishin High School, activating the hidden quest "Tokyo Ghoul: Jack"!]
[Quest 1: Become a student at Seishin High School and join Taishi Fura's gang]
[Quest reward: 10 attribute points]
At this point, Byakuya activated the related system quest.
He was, of course, aware of Taishi, who in the original story had risen to First-Class Investigator status and was friends with Arima during Arima's infiltration of Seishin.
As for the gang, it was because Taishi, during his student years, was something of a delinquent, hanging out with other rebellious students.
"This investigation begins in three days. Investigator Arima, let's prepare in advance"
Byakuya said this to Arima.
"Understood..."
Arima gave a slight nod.
Then, Byakuya and Arima each went their separate ways.
Since the mission would officially start in three days, Byakuya decided to return to his editorial job at Shoeisha Publishing in the 2nd Ward.
...
The following night, after dinner, Byakuya met with Eto again.
Naturally, it was Eto who had sought him out.
"Is your work finished, Miss Takatsuki?"
Opening the door for Eto, Byakuya asked.
"More or less... so I'm here to refine the second edition of Dear Kafka" Eto replied with a nod.
Eto looked as adorable and innocent as always, and no ordinary person would ever guess that this endearing young girl was actually the SSS rated One-Eyed Owl.
"All right, Miss Takatsuki, please come in."
Byakuya acted as if he knew nothing about her other identity, hiding his wariness behind a calm expression.
Although Eto now knew he was a CCG investigator, her hatred for the CCG made it likely she might act against him at any moment.
The organization behind Eto's tragic upbringing and the death of her mother was none other than the "V" organization, which held close ties to the CCG...
At the same time, Eto was also gauging Byakuya's reactions, wanting to confirm that her identity as the One-Eyed Owl hadn't been exposed.
Seeing no change in his expression, which remained as neutral as it had during previous encounters, she felt reassured.
After all, he had no apparent reason to know her true identity.
And so, Eto dismissed the slight possibility that Byakuya might be acting perfectly.
She also decided not to attack him, knowing that killing Byakuya here would only make her the prime suspect, given her recent interactions with him.
Besides, she needed funding, and her book Dear Kafka depended on him, killing him would be more trouble than it was worth.
Just then, Byakuya's phone rang.
Noticing that it was Arima calling, he felt slightly awkward, he hadn't expected Arima to call at such a time.
But it wasn't a major issue, so he answered in front of Eto.
If he hesitated, it would only arouse her suspicion. After all, Eto was a "normal person", why would he hesitate to take a call from a fellow investigator in front of her?
As soon as the call connected, Arima spoke.
"Investigator Byakuya, we're scheduled to meet the day after tomorrow in the morning. Should we gather at the main office in the 1st Ward or the branch office in the 2nd Ward?"
"No need for either, let's meet directly at the branch in the 13th Ward"
Byakuya responded.
Seishin High School, their target, was located in the 13th Ward.
"Understood"
Arima promptly hung up.
Without realizing it, he almost got Byakuya in trouble.
If he had shown the slightest odd reaction in front of Eto, it could easily have made her suspicious.
Luckily, he remained calm and handled it smoothly.
At that moment, Eto felt even more certain that Bykuya didn't know she was the One-Eyed Owl seen in the 24th Ward.
She took the opportunity to ask, "The person on the phone called you 'Investigator Byakuya' Does that mean... you're a CCG Investigator?"
"Yes, I'm a First-Class Investigator with the CCG. That was just my colleague calling" Byakuya replied calmly.
In this situation, there was no reason to conceal his identity from her, so it was better to be straightforward.
"Oh... Mr. Byakuya is not only an editor but also a CCG Ghoul Investigator. Impressive…"
Eto commented with the tone of an ordinary girl in awe.
"It's nothing. I initially took the editor job here to investigate Ghouls, but I actually became interested in the work. And when I found a genius author like you, I decided to stay on"
Byakuya replied.
"Oh, I'm flattered..."
Eto responded with a touch of surprise.
She believed he was being honest, since he had no reason to help her publish her work if he didn't know her true identity.
This skilled investigator... is rather interesting...
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