"..."

Byakuya had known Eto would stir up trouble. Things had been normal enough at first, but now she was getting out of hand.

"No."

Akira denied without hesitation.

The question was also somewhat inappropriate, so she wasn't inclined to answer seriously—otherwise she might have considered her response more carefully.

But Eto had been watching Akira's eyes the entire time. In that brief moment, she'd caught a flicker of uncertainty in their depths.

She already had her true answer.

Whether or not they were dating, this woman named Mado Akira definitely had feelings for Byakuya!

So Eto deliberately added, "Since Miss Investigator here isn't dating Mr. Amaha, I can relax~"

"...?"

Akira's attention was caught by Eto's words.

What did she mean by "relax" if they weren't dating?

Eto observed Akira's reaction while continuing. "Oh my, this is a bit embarrassing to say, but I think Mr. Amaha is quite handsome. And becoming Ward 20's Branch Director at such a young age—I'm almost tempted to pursue him~"

"..."

Byakuya couldn't interject into this kind of topic. He knew Eto was deliberately causing trouble by saying this in front of Akira.

Akira remained silent, but her eyes betrayed exactly what Eto had anticipated—the uncertainty in their depths became more pronounced.

"Does this have anything to do with your research, Ms. Takatsuki?"

Still, Akira asked with apparent calm.

"Of course it does! My next work is about ghouls, and writing about ghouls naturally means writing about investigators too. So I need to understand investigators better—like that topic just now. Do superior-subordinate relationships ever develop into romance or even marriage?"

Eto made a well-reasoned case.

"...I'm not aware of any such cases."

Akira said expressionlessly.

"Hmm, then I won't ask about that anymore."

Eto said this, yet her pen hadn't stopped moving. She'd already recorded definitive conclusions about the relationship between Byakuya and Akira in her notebook.

These two would make excellent material for her new book.

"I have one last question. First Class Amaha and Miss Investigator—what type of person does each of you like?"

Eto posed her final question.

Byakuya felt Eto's troublemaking was getting more outrageous by the minute.

"We can refuse to answer questions like that. And Ms. Takatsuki, this is crossing a line..."

Byakuya said flatly.

He was also speaking on Akira's behalf, assuming she wouldn't want to answer such an intrusive question either.

"Aww, this old lady has never had a relationship at my age. I have no experience in these matters, so I need to reference your situations."

Eto explained.

To Byakuya's surprise, Akira actually answered. "The type of person I like... is someone honest, strong, and who cares about me."

Since Akira had answered, it was now Byakuya's turn...

A cryptic smile spread across Eto's face. "Thank you so much for that, Miss Investigator. I've recorded it as reference material. Now... First Class Amaha, could you tell us what type of person you like?"

"..."

Byakuya found himself in an awkward spot.

He hadn't expected Akira to actually answer Eto's question. Now he couldn't easily deflect.

"I like... pretty, cute girls..."

Byakuya gave a vague response.

It was so generic it was essentially meaningless.

"I see."

Eto nodded, her pen scratching rapidly across the paper. "The distinguished Branch Director of Ward 20 is a lolicon."

"???"

Byakuya was covered in question marks.

How did that make him a lolicon?!

Akira shot him a faintly disdainful look.

"Don't write nonsense. That's slander."

Byakuya told Eto immediately.

"Just kidding, just kidding."

Eto's tone was playful. "I suggest Mr. Amaha take a look at me. Do you think I'm cute?"

As Eto asked this question, Akira appeared to be nonchalantly sipping her tea—while actually listening intently for Byakuya's answer.

Eto had essentially given Byakuya a lose-lose question.

Whether he said she was cute or not, he'd end up offending someone.

To avoid trouble, Byakuya simply refused to answer. "I think this interview should wrap up here. I still have work to do. Please see yourself out, Ms. Takatsuki."

"Aww~~"

Eto looked disappointed. She hadn't gotten to see anything exciting happen yet.

As for Byakuya's refusal to answer, Akira said nothing, pretending not to care.

Byakuya didn't give Eto another chance to press the issue. He had her escorted out through the front entrance while he returned to his office.

[Ding! Host completed Eto Yoshimura's CCG interview. Reward: 50 Fusion Points!]

Though the interview hadn't gone perfectly, Eto had gathered enough material. She left satisfied.

After leaving the CCG, Eto headed back to ":re."

Walking along, she mused that Byakuya and this woman named Mado Akira had grown quite close...

I wonder what kind of reaction she'll have when she learns I'm the One-Eyed Owl?

Shocked? Furious? Desperate to kill her to avenge her mother?

Eto could envision that moment clearly enough, but she didn't particularly care.

Whether the woman sought revenge or whatever else—by the time her identity was exposed, her goals would essentially be achieved. At that point, none of it would matter anymore...

...

After Sen Takatsuki left, Akira followed Byakuya back to the office.

She'd thought the earlier matters were settled, but Akira wasn't about to let Byakuya off the hook.

"First Class Amaha, why didn't you answer Ms. Takatsuki's question directly just now? It seemed like you were deliberately avoiding it..."

...

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