"..."
This time Ihei Byakuya was completely out of options.
Yoshimura Eto really was determined to cling to him.
"Fine. How about you two walk in front? We can lead you out, and then we can verify your identities at the CCG."
One of the Investigators suggested this.
Since the little girl refused to go with them alone, they couldn't force her.
Letting the boy and the girl walk ahead was safer for them.
At the very least, if either of them made any suspicious move, the Investigators could react immediately.
"Okay."
What else could Ihei Byakuya do? He could only agree.
A faint sense of triumph swelled in Yoshimura Eto's heart.
She had more or less sensed that Ihei Byakuya's words and actions earlier might have been an attempt to shake her off. Of course, it might also have been simple kindness.
But regardless, she absolutely was not going to let go of this little half-human brat so easily.
First, his identity and that strange ability had already caught her interest. And then he even wanted to be her dad. That alone made her even less willing to let him go.
So Ihei Byakuya could only continue holding Yoshimura Eto's hand as they walked ahead of the Investigators.
This was not the deep part of the 24th Ward.
Ghoul Investigators routinely patrolled the shallower areas, so they naturally knew how to get back, unlike Ihei Byakuya who had been trapped by the underground labyrinth the moment he arrived in this world.
...
Following the correct route, they soon reached an exit.
Of course, this was only one of the exits of the 24th Ward.
"This is the 11th Ward. We'll reach the 11th Ward's CCG branch soon."
Since Ihei Byakuya and Yoshimura Eto had not behaved suspiciously at all along the way, the Investigators' tension gradually faded.
Especially now that they were out of the 24th Ward, there was no need to remain so anxious.
Because the 24th Ward was the stronghold of ghouls. If they were attacked there, they would be completely isolated.
But once outside, each of the remaining twenty-three wards had its own CCG branch, and Ghoul Investigators regularly patrolled the streets.
That made it rare for ghouls to dare attack humans openly.
From there, Ihei Byakuya and Yoshimura Eto continued behaving quietly until they reached the 11th Ward CCG branch.
Seeing Yoshimura Eto follow him all the way into the CCG branch, Ihei Byakuya was slightly surprised.
What was she planning to do?
Was she already intending to...
"Go through that door first."
One of the Investigators spoke, interrupting Ihei Byakuya's thoughts.
They had already entered the CCG branch building and were now in the visitor-accessible lobby.
The "door" he referred to was the Rc Detection Gate inside.
The so-called "Rc Detection Gate" was, as the name implied, a gate designed specifically to detect Rc cells.
In this world, all humans and ghouls had a type of cell in their bodies: Rc cells.
Rc cells flowed through the body like blood and were even harder than teeth.
Healthy normal humans had Rc cell values averaging between 200 and 500, while ghouls averaged between 1000 and 8000.
Ghouls maintained Rc cell activity by consuming human flesh. The higher the Rc count, the stronger a ghoul tended to be.
The Rc cells stored in a ghoul's body would transfer into the organ called the Kakuhou, and from there form the Kagune.
Humans, on the other hand, typically had much lower Rc values. The Rc Detection Gate only needed a preset threshold to distinguish between humans and ghouls. At least in theory.
"Let's go."
Holding Yoshimura Eto's hand, Ihei Byakuya led her toward the Rc Detection Gate.
As a half-human, the Rc cell value in his body was actually between the average human and the average ghoul.
And Yoshimura Eto's Rc cell value was even more outrageously high, because the stronger a ghoul was, the higher their Rc cell value would be. Half-ghouls were no exception.
But not only Ihei Byakuya, Yoshimura Eto also did not show the slightest hint of panic at this moment.
When they walked through the Rc Detection Gate, it did not react at all.
Logically, with the Rc counts in their bodies, the Rc Detection Gate should have sounded the alarm instantly.
But the two of them passed through without anything happening.
This was not because of the special traits of half-humans and half-ghouls, but because it was connected to one of the Washuu Clan's massive conspiracies.
"The Rc Detection Gate is functioning normally, so there's no problem. They're confirmed human."
The Investigators' vigilance completely disappeared.
In their understanding, they knew nothing about the existence of half-humans or half-ghouls.
They only knew that the Rc Detection Gate could distinguish humans from ghouls. As long as someone passed through the gate, they considered them human.
"So that means you really are our CCG's Third-Class Investigator?"
Someone had already gone to pull up the records on the computer to confirm Ihei Byakuya's identity.
"Yeah, I didn't lie to you."
Ihei Byakuya nodded.
"Found him. He's indeed on the list. A newcomer who joined not long ago, and so young..."
Seeing that Ihei Byakuya's information showed that he just was sixteen, the Investigator exclaimed.
"Huh? Barely sixteen? But isn't it required to be an adult to join the CCG...?"
Others gathered around.
"Well, I heard... there are some special cases. As long as someone comes from that place, they're usually young prodigies. He probably came from that place too..."
One person whispered quietly, as if it were a subject they shouldn't openly talk about.
"What place? Now that you mention it, there really are a few mysterious types within the CCG."
"I think he's kind of a genius. A Rank 3 Investigator managing to survive an attack in the 24th Ward and even saving a little girl. Who knows what happened to him in there..."
"No idea. Probably only the higher-ups know the secrets of that place. Let's not talk too much about this kind of thing."
"..."
They whispered about Ihei Byakuya and the Sunlit Garden behind him.
They just didn't know where that place was or that its name was "Sunlit Garden."
Ihei Byakuya paid no attention to their discussions and instead spoke to Yoshimura Eto beside him: "Eto, I'll help you apply for a CCG shelter. That way you'll have a place to live from now on."
"Why..."
"Hm?"
Ihei Byakuya made a questioning sound.
"Why do you have to send me to that shelter?"
Yoshimura Eto pressed her lips together, her expression looking somewhat wronged.
"..."
This immediately stunned Ihei Byakuya.
Not because he couldn't answer, but because Eto was way too good at acting!
Anyone who didn't know better would truly think she was a helpless, pitiful little girl with nowhere to go!
Hiss...
Looking at Yoshimura Eto's pitiful and wronged appearance, the kind that easily invoked sympathy, Ihei Byakuya sucked in a breath and silently repeated in his heart three times:
This girl's real identity is the SSS-rated "One-Eyed Owl"!