Her imagination was beautiful, but reality was cruel.
Just as the boss's rinkaku was about to strike Mayu, a dagger came flying. The terrifying force behind it strung her rinkaku together like beads on a thread.
This was mainly due to Byakuya's overwhelming strength—otherwise, a B-rated Quinque would have difficulty dealing such effective damage to an A-rated ghoul's kagune.
"What is this?!"
For a moment, she had no idea what had just happened.
Then she noticed a silver-white briefcase had appeared in the human boy's hand at some point. Only then did she realize this was no ordinary human!
That white briefcase was clearly a "Dove's" weapon!
That damn Mayu—she was working with a CCG Dove?!
But before the boss could curse Mayu, Byakuya had already sliced her head clean off with "13's Jason."
Watching her head fly through the air at close range, Byakuya suddenly thought of the original story's "Nutcracker."
He suspected that the original Mayu had developed her bizarre aesthetic sense from spending too much time around trashy ghouls like these. The hair dye was one thing, but she'd also worn all sorts of excessive makeup—like that thick, dark lipstick.
Perhaps after this, Mayu's sense of aesthetics wouldn't turn out so strange.
[Ding! Host has eliminated an A-rated ghoul. Reward: 10 Fusion Points!]
With all enemies dealt with, Mayu's face had gone deathly pale.
Realizing that Byakuya was a ghoul investigator, she hurriedly withdrew her kagune into her body.
Though she'd never been harmed by investigators herself, she'd witnessed other ghouls being captured and killed by them. Even her parents had been killed by investigators when she was young. She'd survived by luck and had been wandering alone ever since...
So she knew what it meant for her ghoul identity to be discovered by an investigator.
Mayu was too afraid to meet Byakuya's eyes, yet she didn't want to fight him either. She stood there looking completely defenseless.
At this moment, Byakuya returned "13's Jason" to its briefcase form and walked toward Mayu.
Then he reached his hand toward her, and Mayu immediately shut her eyes in fear.
But what happened next was completely unexpected. The beating she'd dreaded didn't come—instead, a hand gently brushed across her face, seeming to wipe something away.
"Huh?..."
Mayu opened her eyes in surprise.
She found that Oniichan's expression was the same as before. He wasn't looking at her with disgust or contempt—which surprised her greatly.
"I've wiped the blood off your face."
Byakuya smiled.
"Why...? Aren't you a ghoul investigator? And I'm a ghoul—your enemy..."
Mayu stammered in disbelief.
She couldn't imagine that even with her ghoul identity exposed, he would still treat her so gently. It made no sense to her.
"Why would you say that? You just protected Hinami and me. I don't consider you my enemy at all."
Byakuya shook his head slightly.
"Then... you won't hurt me, right?..."
Mayu still looked incredulous.
"Of course not."
To keep Mayu from dwelling on this, Byakuya changed the subject. "Let's keep going. By the way, Mayu, have you ever ridden the subway?"
"Subway? No, never..."
For Mayu, this was something completely unfamiliar.
"Then you can experience it for yourself soon."
Byakuya said.
"Mm..."
Following behind Byakuya and watching his back, Mayu found it all so strange.
Investigators were supposed to be ghouls' mortal enemies, yet one had become the kindest "person" to her—and "person" applied regardless of whether they were human or ghoul.
She suddenly wondered if he also knew that little Hinami was a ghoul, yet could still walk so closely together with her...
...
Byakuya and Hinami brought Mayu to the subway station, where they boarded a train passing through Ward 20.
Suddenly finding herself in such a crowded place, Mayu felt awkward. Her body was a bit dirty and smelly—mainly because she'd been wearing these worn-out clothes for so long...
Noticing what Mayu was thinking, Byakuya draped his outer jacket over her shoulders. "There, problem solved."
"But how can I? I'm so... dirty..."
Mayu said embarrassedly.
"It's fine. I don't mind."
Byakuya said. "Instead of worrying about little things like that, you should look at the scenery outside."
Following his suggestion, Mayu looked out the window. Her mouth fell slightly open.
Not just because of the beautiful view passing by, but also because the subway's speed amazed her.
Mayu was enjoying the novelty of new experiences while wearing Oniichan's jacket—much warmer than her thin, worn clothes.
Though a ghoul's constitution meant she didn't really fear the cold, she liked this warm feeling.
...
When they reached Ward 20, Mayu was brought to Anteiku immediately.
"Amaha, is this a friend of yours?"
Seeing a completely unfamiliar new face, Touka asked Byakuya.
What caught her attention, though, was that this girl seemed to be wearing Byakuya's jacket?
"Not a friend. I just met her in Ward 19. I thought Ward 20 would be better for her, so I brought her here."
Byakuya explained simply.
Though his explanation was vague, Touka understood the gist.
With so many ghouls in the shop, it wouldn't be appropriate to discuss ghoul matters openly in case the occasional human customer overheard.
"Then let me take her upstairs to confirm things."
Touka could smell that this girl did carry a ghoul scent, though it was faint—which made verification even more necessary.
For example, if a ghoul spent a long time among a group of humans, their scent could become mixed with human scent, making it very similar to a human's. The reverse was also true.
To prevent anyone from faking a ghoul's scent, checking for kakugan was the most direct and reliable method.
"..."
Mayu didn't say anything. Instead, she looked toward Byakuya.
The ghoul scent here was strong, but given her past experiences, this investigator Oniichan was the only one she dared trust.
"It's fine. Go with Kirishima-san. She just needs to verify your identity."
Byakuya said immediately.
"Mm."
Mayu nodded and obediently followed Touka upstairs.
"Now then, show me your kakugan. And tell me your name while you're at it."
On the second floor, Touka sat facing Mayu.
Even now, Mayu was still wearing Byakuya's jacket—and the more Touka looked at it, the more it bothered her.
...
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