บท 23: Seishin High School
"By the way, starting the day after tomorrow, I'll be on a mission for a while, which means I'll be away from the Shoeisha during the day. But I should still be back here in the evenings"
Byakuya explained, "So I can still carry on with the detailed editing process for your manuscript, Miss Takatsuki"
"Oh, alright... but please don't overwork yourself, Mr. Byakuya" Eto said with genuine concern.
She was somewhat surprised internally. This guy is truly dedicated—balancing both his work as an investigator and the meticulous editing of her manuscript...
Though a bit unbelievable, it seemed that he genuinely valued and recognized the quality of her work.
"It's alright, it won't be too tiring"
Byakuya replied.
"Then you'll be fighting ghouls soon, right, Mr. Byakuya? Please stay safe..."
Eto showed concern for Byakuya in a very natural way.
If Byakuya didn't know that Eto was actually the One-Eyed Owl, he might have felt genuinely touched.
But knowing her other identity as the fierce One-Eyed Owl erased any sentimentality, since her concern was unlikely to be heartfelt.
"Yes, I'll be careful" Byakuya nodded.
…
[Ding! The host has signed in and received a reward: 1 Attribute Point!]
[Ding! The host has signed in and received a reward: 1 Attribute Point!]
Before long, it was time to officially start the mission.
Byakuya and Arima met up at the CCG's 13th Ward branch.
"Investigator Arima, our transfer student identities are prepared. We can go to school as students today. Our target is an A rated ghoul with the codename 'Lantern' though more dangerous than a typical A-rated ghoul, classified more accurately as A+"
Byakuya briefed Arima on the mission details.
To make information more accurate, the CCG subdivided ghoul threat levels, such as A-, A, and A+, to better reflect the danger of each target.
"While undercover at the school, we must avoid exposing our investigator identities unless we've apprehended the 'Lantern' ghoul" Byakuya reminded, mentioning a common CCG precaution.
Arima simply nodded, saying nothing.
"Let's put on our uniforms before we head to school"
Byakuya went to the changing room.
The CCG had prepared tailor-made school uniforms for them, matching Seishin High School's standard white design.
Once dressed, they both found the uniforms fit perfectly.
In addition to the uniforms, the CCG provided brand-new backpacks for the two. Now, they looked entirely like normal high school students, as their ages weren't far off from that of typical students.
The only thing that felt out of place was the quinque cases they carried.
Byakuya was equipped with the A rated quinques 'Moonshadow' and 'Wind Spirit'.
Arima carried the B rated quinque 'Yukimura 1/3'.
The '1/3' suffix referred to Yukimura's three-part design, which Arima assembled together to resemble a cello case—a clever disguise that would deceive both humans and ghouls alike.
Byakuya, on the other hand, placed his two quinque cases inside his specially-made backpack with a large storage capacity. If he pressed a specific area, the backpack would automatically release the cases, allowing him to respond swiftly to emergencies.
"Byakuya and Arima look so young, they don't even need makeup to pass as high schoolers"
"I heard they're both eighteen years old, and that Byakuya is already a First-Class Investigator!"
"Rumor has it he recently fended off the SSS rated One-Eyed Owl and protected Kusuka Mado. This suggests Byakuya's strength might surpass Kasuka's..."
As Byakuya and Arima appeared in their school uniforms, nearby investigators began to talk among themselves.
Once everything was ready, they set off.
…
Tokyo's 13th Ward, Seishin High School.
Since there is no obvious visual distinction between humans and ghouls unless ghouls are actively fighting, a significant number of ghouls managed to blend into human society.
To adapt, some ghouls learned to pretend to eat, helping them avoid exposure among human friends. For example, they would force down human food despite their disgust, chew and swallow it, and then vomit it out later before it could cause harm.
Ghouls cannot eat normal human food for two reasons.
First, it's unpalatable, they find it utterly repulsive. Chewing it feels like eating something incredibly disgusting.
Second, human food is harmful to ghouls. Digesting it harms their bodies, so they spit it out after pretending to eat.
Despite the challenges, many ghouls try to fit into human society, hoping to live normal lives.
At Seishin, some students who appeared human were, in fact, ghouls...
In a class of second-year students, the homeroom teacher entered the classroom just before the first lesson.
The students were surprised, as the teacher rarely came at this time, which suggested something important.
"Today, I'd like to introduce two new transfer students. Byakuya and Arima, come in."
Following the teacher's prompt, Byakuya and Arima walked into the classroom.
"My name is Uchiha Byakuya. I'm from Tokyo's 1st Ward, and my hobbies include reading novels"
Standing at the front, Byakuya introduced himself simply.
"I'm Kishou Arima"
Though Byakuya's introduction was brief, Arima's was even more concise—just his name.
The students whispered to each other.
"Two transfer students at once? That's rare…"
"Isn't our class a bit of a magnet for transfers? Minami joined us last year too"
"These two don't talk much, but they're both pretty handsome"
The teacher then turned to Byakuya and Arima.
"There are two vacant seats, choose whichever you'd like"
"Alright"
Byakuya quickly took the seat next to Taishi Fura
Arima chose the other vacant spot, next to Uruka Minami...
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