"I thought I heard someone asking for me. Was it you, Rize-san?"
Eto, sitting in a corner, turned and waved at Rize.
Her smiling face made it seem like a good friend had arrived.
Rize walked over with a smile of her own.
She'd always been good at putting on appearances—it was a technique she'd used to lure her prey in the past.
Though she hadn't done that in a long time. After all, her sole target now was Byakuya...
Watching Rize and Eto smile at each other, Byakuya felt an inexplicable sense of danger.
He wasn't sure if having these two terrifying women meet under these circumstances was a bad idea...
Just as she reached Eto's table, Rize suddenly turned and blocked Byakuya.
"Byakuya, this is between me and Eto-san. You don't need to listen in."
Rize said.
"Fine. Just don't do anything reckless."
Byakuya specifically emphasized this.
He was genuinely worried that Eto and Rize might come to blows.
"Don't worry. We won't."
Rize gave Byakuya a reassuring smile.
"That's right. What are you even saying? You make it sound like Rize-san and I are enemies."
Eto also said with a laugh.
"..."
Hearing these two act innocent in front of him, Byakuya felt even less reassured...
But worried as he was, nothing should actually happen—unless he'd lost all authority with Eto and Rize.
So Byakuya decided not to interfere and went about his own business.
He sat down at a table with a laptop, handling some less important work matters.
Important matters wouldn't be allowed to be handled outside CCG.
A while later, Touka—working as a waitress—brought over a cup of coffee.
As she set it on Byakuya's table, she sat down beside him.
"Touka?"
Byakuya asked.
"There's something I want to ask you..."
Touka explained her purpose. "I know about you and Rize-san. But what about Eto-san... how do you see her?"
"That..."
Byakuya answered honestly. "Everything she says—I've always treated as jokes. I don't take them seriously."
"Really?"
Hearing this response, Touka was actually quite pleased.
"Wait..."
But Touka quickly caught herself—she might have been happy too soon. "Right now you think Eto-san is joking, but what if she stops joking later? What if she gets serious—how would you see her then?"
"That kind of thing shouldn't be possible."
Byakuya waved his hand dismissively with a smile.
"Who can say something is completely impossible? And I'm talking about 'what if.'"
Touka emphasized the hypothetical again.
"Mm... Given my personality, I definitely wouldn't dislike or reject her."
Byakuya was still being honest.
"...I knew it."
Touka immediately realized she'd celebrated too soon.
Meanwhile, as Byakuya and Touka conversed, Hinami had quietly made her way to the neighboring table.
Though doing this felt a bit like being a bad child, she was just too curious and couldn't help herself.
She'd actually known for a while that Touka-neechan liked Byakuya-oniichan. This was just further confirmation.
What troubled her now was that not only did Touka-neechan like Byakuya-oniichan, but Eto-neechan seemed to as well...
Just then, Hinami knelt on the sofa, poked her head up, and suddenly spoke. "Even... even though Eto-neechan has been nice to me too, Touka-neechan, I'll still cheer for you!"
"?!"
Touka nearly jumped at the small head suddenly appearing behind her.
"Hinami? Were you listening to us from back there?"
Touka immediately asked.
"Yes. I'm sorry. I'm a bad child for eavesdropping..."
Hinami lowered her head in apology.
"It's fine. No need to apologize."
Touka said. "But you just said you'd cheer for me and mentioned liking Eto-neechan. So you also think that person is serious about Byakuya, don't you?"
"I'm not saying it's definitely like that, just that there's a possibility..."
Hinami said quietly.
...
Meanwhile, Rize and Eto had already taken seats across from each other.
"Rize-san, have you been reading my works lately?"
Eto initiated the conversation.
"Of course. I've always loved Takatsuki-sensei's works."
Rize said with a smile.
"That's good to hear. I'm honored to have Rize-san's approval."
Eto smiled happily.
"...Let's skip the pleasantries. I'll get straight to the point—Takatsuki-sensei, what exactly do you think of Byakuya?"
Rize asked directly.
"What do I think?"
Eto responded with a question.
"Playing dumb?"
Rize said evenly. "Though that guy is always flirting with other women outside, which really irritates me, what I can accept even less is someone who plays with feelings getting close to him."
Clearly, the "someone who plays with feelings" she mentioned was Eto.
"All I want to know now is—are you sincere about him, or are you just toying with his feelings?"
Rize's tone turned cold.
Her frosty expression made it clear she was serious.
"..."
Eto now realized this as well.
She hadn't expected Rize to confront her from this angle.
After all, in her impression, this woman was a brutal, heartless, self-centered Binge Eater. Yet when it came to Byakuya, she seemed like a completely different person...
...
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