"Are you challenging me to a fight to the death...?"
Akira's gaze hardened.
"Not exactly."
Eto said. "I don't intend to simply hand you my life. But I can let you take your revenge however you wish, as long as it won't kill me—and I won't fight back."
She felt guilty toward Akira, certainly, but not guilty enough to actively seek death. She wasn't that noble.
This was the most she could offer as compensation.
Of course, she didn't expect Akira's forgiveness. She simply wanted to do this.
"..."
Akira was silent for a moment.
From her perspective, this was meaningless.
"I have a question for you."
Akira finally spoke.
"What is it?"
Eto asked.
"Do you really have feelings for Byakuya?"
Akira asked bluntly. "Or rather... does he have feelings for you?"
"..."
Eto hadn't expected such a question.
She thought for a moment before answering. "I do have feelings for him, that's true. As for whether he has feelings for me... I'd say probably a little? He seems to care about certain things regarding me. Though it could just be that he's naturally inclined to meddle in others' affairs..."
Though Akira had asked about one or the other, Eto answered both questions.
"Is that the truth? Or are you joking again?"
Akira's expression was serious.
"Of course it's the truth."
Eto nodded.
Akira sighed softly. "I'll let it go for now. When I truly have the strength to defeat you, I'll take my revenge with my own hands."
Letting Eto stand there without resisting while she vented her frustration seemed utterly pointless.
She only wanted to avenge her mother by defeating the One-Eyed Owl through her own power.
"Alright then. I'll be waiting."
Eto said. "Also... the reason you hesitated just now—was it because Byakuya might have feelings for me?"
She asked because she'd noticed Akira's brief moment of hesitation.
"..."
Akira neither confirmed nor denied it, choosing not to answer at all.
But that silence was as good as an admission.
Eto had hit the mark—Akira had been considering Byakuya's feelings.
"You don't need to worry about that guy. Even if he likes me, it's probably only a little. If you want your revenge, I'm ready whenever."
Eto said.
Akira remained silent.
Though she had hesitated, her desire for vengeance remained unshaken.
Even if it seemed nearly impossible, she would strive for it. Otherwise, she'd be failing her mother—and her father, who had sacrificed so much for the sake of revenge...
...
At this moment, Amaha Byakuya had already descended to the ground.
He didn't spare another glance at the massive rock and crater behind him.
The Washuu Clan had undoubtedly perished during Planetary Devastation—any normal creature would be crushed by the compressed rock.
To doubt that even slightly would be disrespecting the Rinnegan's power.
In the original timeline, the Washuu Clan hadn't been completely wiped out. Matsuri Washuu was the sole survivor—unless one counted Furuta Nimura as part of the main family...
The same was true now. Matsuri was likely still in Germany and had fortuitously escaped this genocide.
But Byakuya had no intention of hunting Matsuri down.
The Washuu Clan's destruction was both inevitable and necessary. A single Matsuri couldn't affect the bigger picture.
So Byakuya couldn't be bothered with him—unless Matsuri decided to court death himself.
"Bya... Byakuya, honestly, I don't even know what to say right now..."
Byakuya had landed directly in front of Marude and the others. Marude looked like he'd just woken from a dream, his mind still foggy.
Compared to Marude, Shio Ihei adapted much faster to the unbelievable scenes he'd just witnessed. Face full of excitement, he ran up to Byakuya. "Byakuya-san, that was amazing! Can you teach me how to fly?!"
Byakuya patted Shio's head, smiling with a hint of regret. "I'd really like to teach you, but unfortunately, I can't..."
Even if he plucked out one of his Rinnegan and transplanted it into Shio, the boy couldn't possibly withstand the Rinnegan's power and chakra consumption. And if he actually did that, Shio's original eye would likely be lost forever...
"Okay..."
Shio looked slightly dejected.
If he couldn't learn to fly like Byakuya, then learning those even more amazing abilities was definitely out of the question.
"Byakuya-san, you really gave us quite a scare just now..."
Koori Ui couldn't help but remark.
Even Special Class investigators like them had been terrified. Everyone else was even worse off.
"I didn't mean to..."
Byakuya smiled apologetically.
"Never mind about being scared—we should be thanking you! I never imagined we could resolve the Washuu situation so easily. It's all thanks to you!"
Marude instinctively moved to pat Byakuya on the shoulder.
But just as his hand was about to make contact, it froze in midair.
He'd suddenly realized this might displease Byakuya.
Given the power Byakuya had just demonstrated, Marude had to be extremely careful. If Byakuya became unhappy, he could wipe out the entire CCG in an instant—just like what had happened to the Washuu Clan...
Noticing Marude's hesitation, Byakuya spoke up. "There's no need to be so formal, Marude-san."
"You're terrifyingly strong—how can I not be formal?"
Marude said bluntly.
"..."
Byakuya felt slightly awkward.
Being feared and revered by everyone... didn't bring him any satisfaction. Instead, it made him feel strange and uncomfortable...
"Byakuya-senpai... you're still the same Byakuya-senpai I know, right?"
Hairu approached Byakuya, her voice somewhat cautious.
"Of course. I've always been me."
Byakuya said.
"That's a relief. I was worried Byakuya-senpai might not recognize me anymore."
Hairu then boldly embraced Byakuya in front of everyone.
...
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