"The reason I didn't arrest her when I first discovered her identity... is because of the Washuu Clan."
Amaha Byakuya spoke directly.
"What about the Washuu Clan?"
Akira Mado immediately asked.
She hadn't lost her composure or rational thinking over the One-Eyed Owl situation. Byakuya's mention of the Washuu Clan now captured her full attention.
She certainly hadn't forgotten the numerous suspicious details about the Washuu Clan they'd uncovered before.
"I've already read Takatsuki Sen's new work, King Bileygr. The protagonist, the 'Nameless One,' is a one-eyed ghoul who leads ghouls as their king to change the world."
Byakuya continued, "But that's not the important part. The real issue is that the human organization Takatsuki Sen describes appears to be based on the Washuu Clan..."
"...So what kind of organization did she depict?"
Akira couldn't help but ask.
"Collaborators with ghouls—or rather... the organization itself is ghouls."
Byakuya said.
"That's... how is that possible?"
Akira was incredulous.
"Akira, you should remember—when Takatsuki Sen passed through the RC Detection Gate with us, she wasn't detected."
Byakuya reminded her. "She's clearly a ghoul... or more accurately, a half-ghoul. Either way, the detection gate's failure means someone tampered with it."
"An organization called 'V' is described by Takatsuki Sen as self-proclaimed kings sitting smugly upon their thrones in a gilded cage. Simply put, they're a group of assassins who do the Washuu Clan's bidding."
"Remember the One-Eyed Owl's father, the Non-Killing Owl? Over twenty years ago, he was a member of V, and once worked for the Washuu Clan as well."
This was a lot for Akira to process. She'd never known any of this before, and suddenly hearing so much information beyond her understanding was overwhelming.
"So later... when the Washuu Clan ordered us to hunt the Owls, it was because both of them had betrayed the Washuu Clan?"
Akira's mind worked quickly, her intuition leading her to this conclusion.
"More or less."
Byakuya nodded slightly and continued his explanation. "When the Non-Killing Owl worked for V, he naturally needed to avoid RC Detection Gates. The Washuu Clan simply excluded certain RC cell patterns from the detection range."
"Originally, this mechanism was designed to prevent false alarms from investigators carrying Quinques. But it was exploited, allowing certain RC cell patterns to go undetected."
"This includes... the Washuu ghouls, V members, and the V-affiliated Non-Killing Owl along with his daughter, the One-Eyed Owl."
The more Akira heard, the more stunned she became.
"How do you know all of this...?"
She couldn't help but ask.
If any of this was true, its public revelation would be devastating to the Washuu Clan.
The Washuu would never allow these secrets to leak out. Ordinary investigators like her and her father had no way of knowing such things.
"Takatsuki Sen told me."
Byakuya said calmly. "She approached me to convey this information, and her goal is naturally to overthrow the Washuu Clan."
"So... your relationship was fake from the very beginning?"
Strangely, that was the first thing Akira focused on.
"Correct."
Byakuya nodded. "It was all part of this plan."
"But... you actually believed what the One-Eyed Owl told you..."
Akira said.
"I believed her for two main reasons. First, you and I had already discovered significant inconsistencies with the Washuu Clan. Second, we have a way to verify it."
Having prepared this explanation for Akira beforehand, Byakuya spoke fluently and at length. "Though this information also came from Takatsuki Sen, we can go directly to the cemetery to confirm it ourselves."
"The cemetery...?"
Akira struggled to connect a cemetery with the Washuu Clan.
"Yes. If the Washuu Clan is a ghoul family, they would need to consume human flesh. So where does their supply come from?..."
Byakuya explained.
"...!"
Suddenly, Akira understood the significance of visiting the cemetery.
This was the cemetery specifically built by the CCG, where fallen investigators were laid to rest together.
Security there was quite strict—neither ghouls nor ordinary outsiders were permitted entry.
If someone had disturbed the bodies of investigators buried in that cemetery, it could only be members of the Washuu Clan...
"We need to go now, before the Washuu Clan can react."
Byakuya said.
"Right..."
Akira replied gravely.
Her expression shifted from shock to severity. She quickly accepted this information and decided to help Byakuya uncover the truth.
...
On their way to the cemetery, Akira spoke up. "If the Washuu Clan really is a ghoul family, what purpose does establishing the CCG—an organization dedicated to fighting ghouls—serve...?"
Even as she asked the question, she already had a rough answer forming in her mind.
"To maintain their position of power?"
"Exactly."
Byakuya nodded. "You've always been sharp, Akira. That's why I chose to share this information with you specifically."
Akira hadn't expected the sudden praise. Though pleased, she tried to hide it, her face slightly flushed. "Is that so? You haven't told any other colleagues about this?"
"No."
Byakuya confirmed.
With Akira's intuition and intelligence, she was the ideal witness to the truth about the Washuu Clan.
...
Soon, they arrived at the CCG cemetery.
As expected, guards stopped them at the entrance, but they were allowed through after presenting their investigator credentials.
The moment they entered, Byakuya addressed the guards. "There's been a report that the Washuu Clan has been secretly exhuming investigators' bodies. I need to open several graves to verify whether the remains are still present."
"O-Open the graves?!"
The guards were stunned.
"That's an order."
Byakuya's voice turned cold and authoritative.
"Yes, sir!"
Facing an Associate Special Class Investigator who was also the Ward 20 Branch Director—essentially a superior from headquarters—the guards had no choice but to comply.
...
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