"..."
Upon hearing Anjiu Kurona's words, Suzuya Juuzou, who had just opened his mouth, closed it again, ultimately saying nothing.
Perhaps it was because this Kei Yakuchi had just been unaware of the cat-killing incident; although those things were not done by him at all, he was too lazy to explain anything.
Now that the other party knew, there was nothing more to say.
"Is that so… In any case, you must be Classmate Suzuya, right? We'll talk again when we have a chance."
Kei Yakuchi did not join Anjiu Kurona in criticizing Suzuya Juuzou.
The other party's continued calm demeanor left a unique impression on Suzuya Juuzou.
Anjiu Kurona was also surprised that Kei Yakuchi could still speak so calmly to Suzuya Juuzou.
Although Suzuya Juuzou did not respond verbally, he still nodded slightly.
...
In addition to changes in theoretical classes, practical classes also shifted to focus primarily on Quinque training.
Kei Yakuchi , the Anjiu sisters, and the two boys all used "Hiruko 1/76," which was also the Quinque they would be equipped with during their internship.
Suzuya Juuzou, on the other hand, used "Poison Scorpion 1/56," a small black knife, or rather, a dagger, made from a Bikaku-type Kagune, classified as a B-rank Quinque.
Of course, this was not differential treatment; Suzuya Juuzou was a student from the Ghoul Countermeasures Education Center, and the Quinque he used for practice in practical classes was inherently different from theirs.
Both "Hiruko 1/76" and "Poison Scorpion 1/56" were B-rank Quinques, with similar power.
Kei Yakuchi remembered that this "Poison Scorpion 1/56" was the Quinque Suzuya Juuzou used in the original work; originally, Suzuya Juuzou only had one, but later he stole the remaining 55 from the warehouse.
At this time, Suzuya Juuzou had already displayed excellent talent, showing profound skill in using daggers.
Though he was still somewhat inferior compared to Kei Yakuchi .
...
After a three-day temporary special training, Kei Yakuchi and the others were to head to the 24th Ward to begin their internship mission.
Kishou Arima and the team he led were waiting for them there; it was impossible for them to come over and invite them, as they were not important figures.
At this moment, Kei Yakuchi and the others had already arrived at the 24th Ward.
More precisely, they were at the edge of the 23rd Ward; currently, before them was a massive cave, which was one of the entrances to the 24th Ward.
Six people in white combat uniforms could be seen waiting for them at the entrance; this was precisely the Zero Squad led by Kishou Arima.
Kei Yakuchi knew all six of them: Kishou Arima, Ui Koori, Ihei Hairu, Ihei Shirazu, Arima Yuuza, and Soutou Rikai.
As for Hirako Take, he had not yet joined the Zero Squad at this time.
From left to right: Arima Yuuza, Jinmu (doubtful), Hirako Take, Kishou Arima, Ui Koori, Ihei Hairu, Ihei Shirazu, Soutou Rikai.
This was an elite team almost entirely composed of half-humans, or one could say the CCG's strongest ace team; the only human was Ui Koori, an Associate Special Class Investigator, and the average strength of the team was extremely high.
Don't be fooled by the young ages of Ihei Shirazu, Soutou Rikai, and Arima Yuuza, who are only 11, 12, and 13 years old respectively; as half-humans, their physical condition was already near its peak at this age.
Because half-humans have very short lifespans, their strength actually begins to decline after around 20 years of age.
"You must be the intern Investigators for this time, right? One, two… six, six people, it seems everyone has arrived."
Ui Koori was the first to speak.
Ui Koori had a somewhat girlish appearance, with slightly long black hair and a height of about 170 cm, with a well-proportioned figure, but he was, of course, a boy.
However, Ui Koori was still fine; the half-human named Ihei Shirazu had an even more "unfair" appearance.
If Ui Koori looked like a girl, then Ihei Shirazu at this time was simply an adorable loli.
With cute and delicate features and light blue, almost white hair, he was petite, only a little over one and a half meters tall, but the Zero Squad's white combat uniform worn on him gave him a very distinguished aura; in reality, he was also a boy.
Soutou Rikai's features were somewhat similar to Ui Koori's, even his hairstyle was almost the same, except for his different purple hair color; due to his younger age, his height was only about 160 cm.
Arima Yuuza's height and build were also similar to Soutou Rikai's; his surname, "Arima," was the same as Kishou Arima's, and he had handsome features and a somewhat gloomy expression, but he was actually a very quiet and gentle young man.
The only true girl in the Zero Squad was Ihei Hairu, the pink-haired, pink-eyed young woman, with a slender and graceful figure and delicate, lovely features that possessed a captivating beauty.
Ihei Hairu.
As for Kishou Arima, there's no need to say more; the captain of the Zero Squad and also the strongest Ghoul Investigator.
He was tall and slender, wore glasses, had completely white hair, and handsome features, but his face was cold and expressionless.
"Yes, I am Kei Yakuchi , one of the participating interns."
Kei Yakuchi nodded in response.
Immediately after, the Anjiu sisters and the others also reported their names.
"I am Anjiu Kurona."
"I am Anjiu Nashiro."
"…Suzuya Juuzou."
"…"
Ui Koori confirmed that the names on the list matched.
"Since everyone is here, then follow us inside."
Subsequently, Kei Yakuchi and the others, accompanied by the Zero Squad led by Kishou Arima, entered the 24th Ward.
As mentioned before, the 24th Ward is not a normal area; entering the cave leads to an almost infinite underground labyrinth, and the overall direction is continuously deeper into the ground.
Ui Koori seemed to be responsible for introducing various situations to them; at this point, he spoke again: "Look at the structure of this labyrinth; can you guess what these walls are made of?"
Not only was the labyrinth winding, but the walls on both sides did not look like ordinary material; they could be described as "meat walls" mixed with various colors, and timid people would be afraid just looking at them.
"It should be… Kagune."
Kei Yakuchi was the first to answer.
As a "transmigrator," he naturally knew the situation of the 24th Ward very well.
"That's right, the walls in the labyrinth are all made by the Ghouls here using their Kagune. The manufacturing principle is similar to Quinque, but this technology was developed by Ghouls, and our inability to decipher it has made the exploration of the 24th Ward extremely difficult."
Ui Koori explained in more detail and praised Kei Yakuchi : "Kei Yakuchi , your judgment is very strong. I remember that the Academy shouldn't teach too much about the 24th Ward."
Anjiu Kurona, standing nearby, immediately became a bit annoyed. How did this guy know so much?