Though the third option carried considerable pressure, these rewards seemed to be granted immediately.
In other words, if he chose the third option, he wouldn't need to first complete protecting Anteiku and saving the Manager's daughter before receiving the reward.
Moreover, Byakuya had always felt that the estrangement between Yoshimura and Eto was a tremendous tragedy.
Even without the system's reward or the Manager's request, he would have found it difficult to stand by and do nothing.
"Manager... why do you make it sound like death is your only option?"
In what should have been a serious moment, Byakuya spoke with a smile.
"I'm well aware of my fate. Someday I will atone for the countless sins I've committed."
Yoshimura had already accepted death.
Though he still had the ability to protect himself, he no longer wanted to run. At the same time, he could buy time for Touka and the others, ensuring their safety.
"There's no need to be so pessimistic. I'll protect everyone at Anteiku—including you, Manager. And if there's an opportunity, I'm willing to save your daughter."
Byakuya spoke earnestly.
Calm words that carried extraordinary weight.
After all, he was a CCG investigator.
"..."
Yoshimura was visibly stunned for a moment. "Why would you go so far to help us, Amaha-kun? And doing this will put you in grave danger..."
"For Rize-san."
Byakuya answered.
"Rize-san?..."
"Mm. I promised to protect her, and isn't she a member of Anteiku now? Besides, I can tell she quite likes it here."
Byakuya smiled. "Also, helping others doesn't really need a reason, does it?"
"...You're right."
Yoshimura smiled as well.
Just as he had once helped Renji Yomo, the Kirishima family, and the ghouls of Ward 20—none of that had required reasons either.
Perhaps it was because Byakuya was human, and moreover a ghoul investigator, that made such actions from him seem unbelievable...
"If possible, I truly hope you can save my child. Please..."
Yoshimura spoke with sincere earnestness: "I'll also do my best to repay you—for instance, by sheltering Rize-san."
Because of everything that had happened, he as a father was unable to save Eto himself.
He could only place his hope in Byakuya. Unlike other humans, Byakuya was probably the only investigator willing to accept and even help ghouls—which was why Yoshimura believed Byakuya might be able to save Eto.
"No problem."
Byakuya nodded in agreement.
[Ding! Host completed Option 3. Reward: 200 Fusion Points!]
[Note: If abandoned or failed subsequently, Fusion Points will be reclaimed!]
Their conversation ended there.
When Byakuya went downstairs, he found Touka confronting Nico.
"My, my, long time no see, Amaha-kun~"
Nico greeted Byakuya the moment he spotted him.
"Hey! I'm asking you something! How dare you show up here?"
Touka glared at Nico with hostile eyes, her attitude far from friendly.
She still believed Nico was an Aogiri Tree member, and given what Aogiri had done, her attitude toward them couldn't possibly be good.
"Oh stop~ Don't glare at me like that~"
Nico pouted coquettishly.
If he were actually a woman, that might be acceptable. But with his drag queen appearance delivering such a tone, it was rather nauseating...
Meanwhile, Roma watched from the sidelines with amusement.
She naturally knew Nico, a fellow Clown member—though they'd only just met a few days ago.
"Don't worry, he's not our enemy. Probably."
Byakuya spoke up to reassure Touka.
"Really?"
Touka was skeptical.
"Of course it's true. What Amaha-kun says is correct—I was never actually an Aogiri Tree member."
Nico added.
"Stop lying. You were walking around with those Aogiri people before."
Touka shot back.
"About that—last time I came with those two little brothers, right? Actually, I mainly wanted to see who had killed Jason. My purpose was different from Aogiri's."
Nico explained: "I met Jason at a nightclub before. We hit it off and started hanging out together. Though Jason was already an Aogiri member by then, I got permission to come and go from Aogiri freely after greeting Tatara. I did help Aogiri with quite a few things, but that was just to stay by Jason's side. I had zero interest in their goals~"
"What I pursue is beauty—the kind of beauty that makes your bones quiver, as if your marrow is being licked! I found that beauty in Jason. Unfortunately, he died... I wonder whose name he was calling out at the end? Such a pity I couldn't hear it myself..."
Tears of regret rolled from Nico's eyes.
The "beauty" Nico spoke of in Jason was essentially the madness—the broken psyche that resulted from Tokage's torture. Nico's idea of "beauty" was truly twisted.
"So? Are you here to avenge that Jason?"
Touka's guard hadn't dropped at all.
"Of course not. I'm a free agent now, with no connection to Aogiri Tree whatsoever. I just came by today out of boredom, and happened to run into Amaha-kun. Perhaps it's fate between us?"
With that, Nico threw a flirtatious wink at Byakuya.
In truth, the real reason was that Roma was here, so the equally bored Nico had come to join in the fun.
"..."
Byakuya's mouth twitched slightly. "Sorry, but my orientation is perfectly normal."
"How mean~ I'm a girl too, you know~"
Nico pouted again.
Touka was speechless too, though she could tell this person genuinely didn't seem hostile.
"If you still don't trust me, I can tell you everything I know about Aogiri Tree."
Nico continued.
"Go on?"
Since that brat Ayato was in Aogiri, Touka was quite interested in information about them.
"Aogiri Tree is composed of highly militant ghouls led by the 'One-Eyed King.' I don't know the full picture, only that many of them are ghouls from Ward 24. Perhaps the One-Eyed Owl is also from Ward 24..."
Nico began revealing his intelligence.
He was mainly speaking for Byakuya's benefit—this way, there would be more entertainment to watch.
Next came details about Aogiri's plan to attack Cochlea in Ward 23 and their purpose in capturing Rize.
"I don't know this Dr. Kanou or Rize personally, but Jason told me that capturing either one alive would be key to achieving Aogiri Tree's ultimate goal."
As Nico said this, Rize was sitting right there listening.
"What exactly is Aogiri's goal?"
Touka immediately asked.
"According to Tatara, it's... 'to find the liar'?"
Nico said truthfully: "But just so you know, I have absolutely no idea what that means."
"The liar?..."
If even Nico didn't understand, Touka was completely lost.
"I feel like my intelligence has been a bit lacking in sincerity. So let me share something more significant—but I can only tell Amaha-kun~"
Nico walked up to Byakuya and whispered in his ear: "The One-Eyed King is actually... 'Sen Takatsuki'..."
This deliberate behavior was purely to watch the fireworks—and only Byakuya could provide such entertainment.
...
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