Investigating Ghouls

So, if all goes as expected, the Owl will attack the 2nd Ward CCG branch for the third time soon.

However, this Owl isn't the notorious One-Eyed Owl but rather Kuzen Yoshimura, the father of Eto Yoshimura.

In the original storyline, Kuzen was an SSS rated ghoul known as the "Non-Killing Owl"—the strongest among the pure-blooded ghouls and one of the most tragic figures.

Of course, Non-Killing Owl was his codename from the original series, since it was only during this third attack on the 2nd Ward that CCG realized the "Owl" responsible for the attacks was not the One-Eyed Owl.

To distinguish the two, Kuzen was given the title "Non-Killing Owl".

The reason for this assault on the 2nd Ward's CCG branch is because Kuzen learned that his daughter was severely injured. To protect her, he altered his kakuja form to resemble her, posing as the One-Eyed Owl and attacking the branch to divert the true enemy's attention. This misleads them into thinking that everything the One-Eyed Owl did was, in fact, the work of Kuzen.

Since Eto inherited half of her father's bloodline, their kagune and kakuja are nearly identical. Higher-level kagune wielders like Kuzen can alter their forms freely, making his deception very convincing.

"Byakuya? You're back. I thought you'd been sent to Shoeisha to investigate ghoul activity" someone greeted Byakuya as they passed by.

"Yes, just wanted to check a few things"

Thanks to the system's memory integration, Byakuya recognized this coworker: Yamada Saki.

Yamada glanced at the computer screen and noticed it was showing data on the One-Eyed Owl.

"Ah, reading up on the One-Eyed Owl, huh? That one's terrifying—killed an Associate Special Investigator, and was promoted to SSS rated in less than six months"

Byakuya remained silent. He knew Yamada was a bit of a talker, so he let him finish.

"Thankfully, we've got Investigator Kuroiwa, who struck a fatal blow on it last time. That should keep it from causing trouble for now, though it's a shame Kuroiwa got badly injured and is now in the hospital."

Investigator Iwao Kuroiwa, a future pillar of CCG and one of its top Special Class investigators.

Once Yamada was finished, Byakuya asked, "I'm done with the computer, do you need it?"

"Oh...no, just passing by"

Yamada scratched his head.

"Alright, I've got to get back to the investigation" Byakuya replied calmly.

"Sure, good luck! Let's chat again sometime" Yamada replied, admiring Byakuya's dedication.

Moreover, Byakuya was rumored to be an investigator from "that place" where young geniuses often graduate and join CCG directly without needing to go through the academy like ordinary investigators.

Byakuya returned to Shoeisha and started preparing his ghoul investigation.

CCG assigned him this task because there had been two ghoul attacks near Shoeisha, both targeting humans in the same area and confirmed to be caused by the same ghoul.

Given his status from the Sunlit Garden, he needed to work for CCG until he could safely use his Mangekyo Sharingan abilities freely.

If he acted recklessly, he would risk being eliminated by the powerful entities, even Eto feared.

While he currently had some means of self-protection, he had no interest in being constantly hunted down. Working at CCG provided some stability.

Completing his assignments could also lead to promotions, higher pay, and he had his own reasons for staying in CCG...

"Let's see if I can catch the ghoul tonight. The previous two attacks targeted young students alone in alleys at night..."

Byakuya analyzed the task data provided by CCG.

Since it wasn't nighttime yet, he decided to help Eto review the electronic draft of Dear Kafka in his office. He read it as a reader would, occasionally jotting down suggestions. These were merely refinement ideas, and the choice to implement them was up to Eto. In his view, this was the role of an editor.

At five in the evening, he noted the page he was on, shut down his computer, and went home.

His current apartment was arranged by CCG, conveniently located near Shoeisha. He could even apply for rent reimbursement afterward.

In his modest apartment, Byakuya had a simple dinner before resuming the manuscript, having no other pressing tasks at the moment.

At midnight…

"It's time"

Byakuya set out, heading to the alley noted in the task briefing.

Ten minutes later, he arrived.

The dark alley smelled terrible, likely due to the stinking sewage and accumulated trash, but his Mangekyo Sharingan allowed him to observe everything clearly even in this dimly lit environment.

He strolled as though he were an ordinary young man wandering around aimlessly.

As expected, he quickly drew the ghoul's attention.

A ghoul lurked in the shadows, watching him intently, clearly seeing him as prey.

However, Byakuya had already spotted the ghoul thanks to his enhanced vision. He noticed the ghoul was wearing a mask, as most ghouls did during feeding or combat, to conceal their identities from CCG.

At that moment, the ghoul attacked silently, releasing a koukaku kagune that transformed into a sharp, green weapon, aiming straight at Byakuya.

"Too slow…"

Byakuya muttered, sidestepping easily to dodge.

With the Mangekyo Sharingan, he could effortlessly predict his opponent's next move by observing their initial gestures, rendering the ghoul's actions painfully slow in his eyes.

"What?!"

The ghoul was stunned to see his sneak attack fail, staring in disbelief at the young human before him.