"This..."
Byakuya immediately understood what Nashiro meant.
He turned to Kurona. "Kurona too?"
"Of... of course! Nashiro and I always want the same things."
Kurona said, her face slightly flushed.
Clearly, she was embarrassed but would never admit it.
"I understand. Then..."
With that, Byakuya prepared to fulfill Kurona and Nashiro's request.
As he slowly leaned toward Kurona, though she seemed shy, she still somewhat proactively tilted her chin up slightly.
Nashiro had no objections, happy to let her sister go first.
But just as Byakuya's lips were about to meet Kurona's, the door suddenly swung open.
Standing there was Akira Mado.
Seeing the scene before her, Akira's pupils trembled. "...What are you doing?"
"Akira-san, could you please not interrupt our moment?"
Nashiro said expressionlessly.
"Your 'moment' being secretly kissing in here?"
Akira stated bluntly, her tone slightly cold.
"This isn't secret at all. Besides, does Byakuya-oniichan need Akira-san's permission to do anything with us?"
Nashiro refused to back down.
"Of course not..."
Seeing Nashiro wasn't someone easily pushed around, Akira walked straight over.
Both Kurona and Nashiro immediately watched her with guarded eyes.
Akira ignored their gazes entirely. She even grabbed Byakuya's tie right in front of them and bent down slightly...
Since Byakuya was sitting on the bed, Akira had to bend down to reach...
Seeing this, Kurona and Nashiro immediately realized something was wrong.
Akira's action clearly meant she was going to...!
They'd just been interrupted by Akira—naturally, they weren't about to let her succeed now.
Kurona and Nashiro immediately grabbed Byakuya and pulled him backward, preventing Akira from getting her way.
[Ding! Host has encountered a clash between Akira Mado, Kurona, and Nashiro. Reward: 50 Fusion Points!]
After all the pulling and tugging, there was no winner in the end...
If there had to be one winner, it would be Byakuya, who'd earned Fusion Points...
...
Afterward, Byakuya went to Urie's room.
Urie instinctively assumed Associate Special Class Amaha had come to reprimand him. After all, he was well aware of his own actions.
He knew that for a team, his behavior during the mission was definitely wrong.
So he'd already mentally prepared himself.
"Urie, you probably know why I'm here to talk, right?"
Byakuya said as he entered.
"Mm..."
Urie responded in a subdued tone.
"Actually, I understand you, so I'm not going to punish you."
Byakuya sat in the chair across from Urie.
Urie immediately looked up at Byakuya, surprise and confusion evident on his face.
"Your father... Special Class Urie—I've heard about him. He was a truly great Special Class Investigator."
Byakuya continued. "So you also want to become a great investigator like your father, and avenge him, right?"
"...Right."
Urie was somewhat surprised that Byakuya understood him so well.
"So I understand you. I understand why you're so desperate to earn achievements and get promoted."
Byakuya said seriously. "But one thing is one thing. The Quinx Squad is a team. Acting alone isn't appropriate. Setting aside the present, when you eventually become a Special Class like your father—or even become the leader of Squad 2—you'll not only need to nurture your subordinates but lead the entire squad."
"Do you think if you have little experience with teamwork now, you'll be able to lead them properly when facing a team even larger and more complex than the Quinx Squad?"
"This isn't a joke. In the past century of CCG's combat records against ghouls, there are countless examples of teams being wiped out."
Though none of Byakuya's words contained profanity, each one struck at the heart.
"Associate Special Class Amaha is right..."
Urie nodded earnestly.
Though these truths resonated deeply, they still couldn't shake his resolve. To quickly earn achievements and promotions, this was the only way.
As for future difficulties, he would overcome them with his utmost effort when the time came.
Byakuya also knew Urie was the type who wouldn't turn back until he hit a wall. So he continued, "It just so happens that Kurona and Nashiro are willing to give up the squad leader position. So you'll be the Quinx Squad's squad leader—this way you can start gaining experience early."
Urie was taken aback. He hadn't expected the squad leader position to suddenly fall to him.
"I'll do my absolute best."
Urie was inwardly pleased, nodding earnestly.
"Mm. Good luck."
With that, Byakuya left Urie's room.
As for Urie and Shirazu's relationship, he wasn't worried.
Though those two bickered constantly, they actually got along quite well.
...
However, it wasn't just Urie who needed guidance—Mutsuki did too.
When Byakuya left Urie's room, he found Mutsuki sitting alone in the living room.
She sat on the sofa looking dejected, not watching TV, clearly preoccupied with something.
"Mutsuki... aren't you going to rest in your room?"
Byakuya asked.
"I'll go in a bit..."
Mutsuki said quietly.
After a while, she spoke again. "During this investigation mission, I realized I'm really too weak. I couldn't help at all in combat. I almost became a hostage and dragged everyone down..."
She'd voiced what was troubling her.
After the Qs surgery, Urie, Shirazu, and Saiko had all gained the ability to deploy kagune, along with significantly enhanced physical capabilities.
She alone couldn't use her kagune, and her body showed no notable changes—still essentially the same as an ordinary person...
Moreover, as a Rank 3 Investigator, she wasn't yet qualified to use a Quinque. At most, she could only use the B-rated dagger she'd kept from her internship.
This had been weighing on Mutsuki. Despite training hard every day, she'd still held everyone back on this mission.
"..."
Byakuya realized he was about to start counseling someone again. He couldn't help but reflect—I'm practically becoming a spiritual counselor at this point...
...
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