Exam Ends

As soon as Minami appeared, Byakuya exchanged a few brief words with her before finding an excuse to slip away.

Now that he had activated the 'Cleaner' quest, he stood to gain 100 attribute points just by taking the role.

The quest could be considered both simple and challenging.

The difficulty lay in surpassing Arima in the eyes of the V's leader, Kaiko, who had been Arima's mentor and naturally leaned towards favoring him.

Furthermore, the quest was closely tied to repelling the Non-Killing Owl. If Byakuya succeeded in repelling the Owl, the position of "Cleaner" would essentially be his.

This was because the V organization mistakenly believed that all three attacks on the CCG's 2nd Ward branch by the Owl had been conducted by Kuzen.

Since Kuzen had been the previous 'Cleaner', defeating him would demonstrate Byakuya's capability to take on the role.

On the other hand, the quest's simplicity stemmed from the fact that the objectives of defeating the Non-Killing Owl and becoming the Cleaner were intertwined. Completing one practically ensured the completion of the other, allowing Byakuya to earn 200 attribute points in total. This connection somewhat simplified the challenge.

...

Meanwhile, Arima and Minami were left alone on the rooftop.

"Byakuya always seems so busy. Well, he is your superior, after all. It's no wonder..." Minami commented.

"Regarding the observation period, Byakuya has already coordinated with the higher-ups. As long as you don't cause any trouble, you won't be sent to Cochlea" Arima began, addressing the main concern.

"Got it" Minami replied with an obedient nod.

As long as she lived like the ghouls in the 20th Ward, things should be fine.

Though this lifestyle would likely stagnate or even diminish her strength, the chance to integrate into human society and continue living an ordinary school life was worth it.

Watching Arima eat his lunchbox, Minami sighed wistfully.

"Honestly, I envy you, Arima. You can enjoy so many kinds of delicious food, while I'm stuck eating the same thing over and over..."

Even though those foods were revolting to her ghoul palate, she could tell from her classmates' and friends' reactions that they were delicious. The mere appearance of the food made her want to try it, but every attempt only resulted in disgust.

"I understand how you feel, but that's all I can do — understand" Arima replied.

So far, no food other than human flesh was known to be edible for ghouls.

Minami smiled. "The fact that you can even empathize with me is rare enough"

After all, ghouls were humanity's sworn enemies, and few humans would sympathize with their dietary constraints.

"By the way, will you be the one overseeing my observation period?" Minami asked, curious.

"Yes. Byakuya may be reassigned to other tasks at any time, so I'll be your main supervisor for the next six months" Arima confirmed.

"So that means you'll stay at the school for six months?" Minami's expression lit up with delight.

She knew CCG investigators often moved between wards for missions. If not for her observation, Arima might have been reassigned and rarely returned.

"That's right" Arima replied.

Unless an exceptionally urgent mission arose, he wouldn't be transferred during this period. Even if he was temporarily called away, it would be brief.

"Then, I'll be in your care for the next six months, Arima" Minami said with a smile.

...

The day of the monthly exams arrived.

Both Byakuya and Arima participated, along with the rest of the grade.

The day was uneventful. The compressed ghoul-sustenance tablets provided by Yoshimura helped Minami get through it.

Though relying on tablets instead of human flesh had left her malnourished, she managed to complete the exam.

However, this wasn't a formal exam. It was more of a one-day 'test'.

As the exam concluded, Minami walked out of the classroom with a sigh of relief.

Byakuya and Arima exited around the same time.

"Finally done! How did it go?" Minami asked.

"It was fine" Byakuya replied.

"Should be no problem" Arima added.

Both answered nonchalantly.

In contrast, Taishi and Akira were visibly downcast.

Though they had been attending school daily, they hadn't paid attention in class, and their prior habit of skipping had left them too far behind to catch up. They had resigned themselves to failure, lacking the determination to self-study.

When they emerged, their faces were marked with defeat.

Minami seemed to avoid them, feeling uneasy about her past actions. She had once attacked Taishi and his friends. Though unsuccessful, she still felt too embarrassed to interact with them normally.

Noticing her avoidance, Taishi assumed she was now involved with Arima.

He sighed slightly and told Aki, "Well, we bombed it. No surprise there. Instead of dwelling on this, let's just go home and play some games."

He had resigned himself to both his academic performance and the situation with Minami.

He felt people like him were better suited to hanging out with "kindred spirits" like Aki.

"Yeah! I'll beat you today, Taishi!" Aki declared, raising his fist enthusiastically as they prepared for an all-night gaming session.