Byakuya's eyebrow twitched slightly at the news.

Eto was clearly here to cause trouble.

What a handful...

He sighed inwardly.

"She's a famous author. I know her—I'll go meet with her now."

Byakuya told the staff member.

"Understood. We've had her waiting in the lobby."

"First Class Amaha, I'd like to come along and see what a writer wants to interview our CCG about."

Akira spoke up.

"Mm..."

Byakuya didn't refuse, but a faint sense of foreboding crept over him.

Hopefully that woman doesn't do anything stupid, or Akira's instincts might pick up on something...

Akira accompanied Byakuya to the lobby.

This was the lobby before the RC Detection Gates—ordinary civilians could sit here briefly, though they couldn't linger without reason.

Byakuya immediately spotted Eto looking around curiously. Today she was dressed casually, her hair tied up, wearing delicate glasses that gave her a very literary appearance.

Sen Takatsuki

"Oh! We finally meet again, First Class Investigator Amaha~"

Eto had noticed Byakuya too and waved at him.

She had enough sense not to act overly familiar with him.

"Ms. Takatsuki, is there something important that brought you to the CCG so suddenly?"

Byakuya matched her tone, acting as though they were mere acquaintances.

"I said I came for an interview, but I actually have some information that might be useful to you."

Eto said. "However, my condition for providing this information is that you accept my interview, Mr. Amaha."

"An interview? No problem, as long as you don't go too far with your questions."

Byakuya nodded. "For the details, please come inside. Let's continue this conversation in a meeting room."

He was curious what information Eto planned to provide.

Akira remained silent beside Byakuya for now.

Eto had already noticed her—this woman must be Byakuya's partner, the one from the Mado family...

Eto followed Byakuya and Akira through the RC Detection Gates.

Playing the curious visitor, she asked, "What's this thing?"

"This is an RC Detection Gate. It identifies the RC cells inside ghouls' bodies."

Akira answered.

"Ooh~ Impressive! Like a metal detector at the airport, right? Does it go 'beep' if a ghoul passes through?"

Eto curiously touched the gate.

Of course, this was all an act. Right now she was playing the role of human author "Sen Takatsuki."

"Correct. It triggers an alarm throughout the building."

Akira replied coolly.

"So it never malfunctions?"

Eto asked, seemingly deliberately.

"It's never malfunctioned. We conduct regular stability tests on the RC Detection Gates."

Akira said.

"Is that so? Sorry, sorry—I underestimated the CCG's professionalism."

Eto laughed.

"No problem."

Akira remained expressionless, her attitude toward Eto neither warm nor cold—though that was how she treated everyone.

...

Eto followed Byakuya and Akira to a meeting room typically reserved for important guests.

After all, outsiders couldn't wander freely through the rest of the CCG building.

Eto sat across from Byakuya and Akira. Tea and snacks had already been placed on the table before her.

Without any hesitation, Eto grabbed some candies and popped them into her mouth. She'd already set her notebook and pen on the table.

These seemingly ordinary actions were all meant to eliminate any possibility that she was a ghoul.

This way, no matter how sharp Akira's instincts were, she couldn't suspect Eto of being a ghoul.

After all, this was beyond common knowledge. Normal people had no idea natural-born half-ghouls existed, let alone that someone like Eto could function identically to a regular human.

"Let's begin. First, provide your information. Then, for your research purposes, we can answer some minor questions."

Akira spoke.

Technically, investigators weren't supposed to accept interviews from outsiders.

But Akira wasn't that inflexible—as long as the interview didn't touch on classified CCG matters, it was fine.

What she really cared about was what useful information such a famous author could provide to the CCG.

"Thank you both."

Eto said politely.

Then she got straight to the point. "Are you familiar with the Sphinx Corporation?"

"Sphinx Corporation..."

Akira's interest was immediately piqued.

This was connected to Dr. Akihiro Kanou. The underground laboratory where Kanou had secretly conducted "half-ghoulification surgeries" was beneath the mansion of Nanao Yasuhisa, the former president of Sphinx Corporation.

Though the Kanou incident had concluded, aside from Kanou himself still being at large, there were still unresolved questions—such as the mysterious circumstances of Nanao Yasuhisa's death...

"That company specialized in importing foreign goods for domestic sale. I know another company president who once had dealings with the Sphinx Corporation's president."

Eto continued. "According to him, Sphinx Corporation also imported some 'extremely rare items'—specifically, ghoul..."

Hearing her pause at the crucial moment, Akira couldn't help but press. "Ghoul what?"

"By the way, Miss Investigator, what did you eat today?"

Eto suddenly changed the subject.

"...?"

Akira's eyes flickered. Was that deliberate?

"More importantly, what were you going to say about ghouls?"

Akira asked.

"I'd like you to answer my question first. Otherwise, I won't tell you."

Eto turned her face away, humming a tune—clearly deliberate.

"..."

Akira's expression darkened slightly.

Meanwhile, Eto had her notebook and pen ready, waiting to record Akira's answer.

...

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