Kishou Arima submitted blank paper every time precisely because he had no family to write to.
His only decent relationships were with the people in Squad Zero, but even those were merely "okay"—far from the word "family." Besides, writing a will to your colleagues would be too strange.
By comparison, Byakuya was slightly better off.
At least if he absolutely had to write something, he could write to Rize.
Though Rize wasn't his family, there was no hard rule that wills had to be addressed to family.
That said, Rize really was the person he was closest to at the moment.
Byakuya thought about it and decided to just write something casual. He definitely wasn't going to die anyway, so the will would just rot away at CCG headquarters.
Just as he was about to put pen to paper, Rize suddenly appeared behind him.
"What are you writing?"
Rize asked out of nowhere.
Though Rize had moved silently, Byakuya could still sense her presence, so it didn't startle him.
"Writing a will."
Byakuya responded calmly.
"A will? Why write something like that? Didn't you say you definitely wouldn't die?"
Rize asked.
"It's not like that. It's mandatory for all combat personnel—the CCG requires it. Has nothing to do with whether I'm confident or not."
Byakuya explained: "After all, every time the CCG clashes with a major ghoul force, casualties are severe. Bodies of fallen investigators often can't be recovered. Without a will, there'd be nothing left for their families."
"I see. So who are you writing to? Come to think of it, I've never met your family."
Rize continued asking.
"My family is no longer around..."
In this world, Byakuya added silently.
His family from before transmigrating was perfectly fine—he certainly couldn't jinx them.
"Is that so... then doesn't that mean you can't write a will?"
Rize's tone remained flat. She had no concept of "family"—given her experiences in the Washuu Clan, the only person she could barely consider family was Shachi.
But being rather rebellious, she didn't appreciate that overly nagging old foster father.
"Not necessarily. It's not strictly required to write to family. You can write to anyone, or just submit a blank page."
Byakuya said.
The moment his words fell, the system notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Host has activated a mission. Divine Selection initiated!]
[Option 1: Submit a blank "will." Reward: 10 Fusion Points!]
[Option 2: Address the "will" to either Kurona Yasuhisa or Nashiro Yasuhisa, and the content must not be too perfunctory. Reward: 30 Fusion Points!]
[Option 3: Address the "will" to Rize Kamishiro, and the content must not be too perfunctory. Reward: 50 Fusion Points!]
Just as Byakuya was studying these three options, Rize suddenly rested her chin on his shoulder.
"Since you can write to anyone, why not write to me? You don't really have any better options, do you?"
Rize said with a smile.
"...That's true."
Byakuya agreed.
Actually, he had a feeling that if he mentioned he could also choose Kurona or Nashiro, Rize would probably turn hostile immediately. There was a hint of threat hidden beneath that smile of hers.
Besides, addressing the will to Rize gave a higher system reward. He didn't think much more about it.
However, now there was a new problem: how should he write the will...
The system wouldn't let him be perfunctory. He couldn't just write a poem and be done with it, could he?
And Rize was watching the whole time. It felt somewhat awkward.
Byakuya thought for quite a while before finally putting pen to paper.
[Humanity pursues peace yet yearns for war. This is humanity's unique duality. Like two sides of the same coin—to protect "one side," you must sacrifice "the other."]
[To Kamishiro-san]
Of course, Byakuya hadn't come up with this himself—he'd borrowed it from memory.
It was fitting for this "subjugation operation" and carried a double meaning. For instance, investigators sacrificing their lives to protect their families by waging war against ghouls...
This shouldn't count as perfunctory, right?
[Ding! Host has completed Option 3. Reward: 50 Fusion Points!]
Indeed, the will passed the system's judgment. Apparently, the system's standards weren't too strict.
As for why Byakuya had written "Kamishiro-san" instead of Rize's full name—it was to prevent anyone at the CCG from peeking at his will.
Currently, the Washuu Clan didn't know Rize's current name was "Rize Kamishiro." As long as the name "Rize" wasn't exposed, things would be fine. Otherwise, Shachi would never have the chance to be rescued from Cochlea by Aogiri Tree—at the very least, he'd be tortured until he revealed Rize's whereabouts.
"What even is this? It looks so cringeworthy. Do all you humans have this kind of 'humorous' talent?"
Rize commented mercilessly.
She was even being a bit caustic toward Byakuya now.
"Uh... is it really that cringeworthy? I thought it was fine?"
Byakuya felt a bit embarrassed.
"Though I doubt anyone at the CCG will actually read your will. Cringeworthy or not doesn't really matter."
Rize said casually.
Clearly, she didn't think this thing would ever reach her hands, so she looked completely unconcerned.
...
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