Ward 1 Headquarters.

Chairman's Council Chamber.

Byakuya and Arima had arrived before Chairman Tsuneyoshi Washuu. Of course, this Byakuya was only a Wood Clone.

"I've been briefed on the situation at the Sunlit Garden."

Tsuneyoshi began. "Arima, Byakuya—please look after the children there. They have no one to care for them now."

"Understood."

Both Byakuya and Arima nodded.

"And Byakuya, regarding 'Madara' and Aogiri Tree—have you made any progress?"

Tsuneyoshi asked.

"Based on what happened at the Sunlit Garden, 'Madara' has joined forces with Aogiri Tree. Moreover, the 'Non-Killing Owl' appeared as well."

Byakuya responded.

"Any other findings?"

Tsuneyoshi pressed.

"No. The investigation has hit a wall."

Byakuya shook his head slightly.

"I see..."

Tsuneyoshi acknowledged. "Byakuya, I hope you can develop the Quinx Squad quickly. The CCG is now at a disadvantage. The Quinx Squad is our hope for a counterattack. If you can develop them successfully, the next Bureau Director position will be yours."

"I understand..."

Listening to Tsuneyoshi's empty promises, Byakuya nodded without expression.

This was clearly just dangling a carrot. "The next Bureau Director position will be yours"—such things could be said to anyone. Whether they'd actually give it to you was another matter entirely.

Besides, the Bureau Director and Chairman positions had always been held by Washuu Clan members since the CCG's founding.

Yet now they were using empty promises to motivate him—proof of how panicked the Washuu truly were.

"You might think I'm just making empty promises. Rest assured—Arima is here as witness. My word is absolute. As long as you can cultivate a force capable of opposing 'Madara'—whether it's the Quinx Squad or something else—the next Bureau Director position will definitely be yours."

Tsuneyoshi added.

"...I'll do my best."

Byakuya nodded.

So the old man was serious...

It made sense, actually. Without a force to suppress Madara and Aogiri Tree, the Washuu Clan's secrets being exposed and their collapse was only a matter of time.

It was like when the late Qing Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, and Regent Zaifeng had no choice but to keep compromising and delegating power to Yuan Shikai. Though Yuan eventually overthrew the Qing anyway, Zaifeng had no better options in that situation. Given the era's circumstances, that was the only way to prolong the dynasty's life.

But Byakuya had no interest in the Washuu's power. Otherwise, he could have bargained with Tsuneyoshi like Yuan had, gradually expanding his influence—because the Washuu needed his strength. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Afterward, Byakuya and Arima returned to the Sunlit Garden.

Several dozen half-human children were there, with Hairu, Ui, and others watching over them.

Since Shio, Rikai, and Yusa were half-humans from the Sunlit Garden, most children there came from branch families like the Ihei, Souzu, and Arima clans. Shio and the others were essentially big brothers and sisters to these children.

Though not closely related by blood, they could at least get along easily.

Ui, one of only two humans in Squad Zero (the other being Byakuya), felt something was off about this place, these children, and especially those black-clad men killed by Madara and Aogiri.

"Byakuya, don't you think something's strange here?"

Ui couldn't help but speak up. "Looking at the battle damage, those black-clad men were clearly powerful. Why would there be a private force here, and why did they have Quinques...?"

"This is the Sunlit Garden. Shio and the others came from here. It's essentially a force the Washuu Clan cultivates in secret—to supply the CCG with elite talent like them."

Byakuya explained.

Arima naturally showed no surprise at Byakuya knowing so much. He was also aware of Aogiri Tree's attack on the Sunlit Garden.

Shio and the others wisely stayed out of this conversation to avoid revealing any inconsistencies to Ui.

After all, they'd been taught since childhood never to reveal anything about the Sunlit Garden, or be treated as traitors and eliminated.

"I see..."

Hearing it was connected to the Washuu Clan, Ui understood.

That explained why those black-clad men had Quinques—the CCG was also a Washuu organization.

As for the Washuu Clan and Sunlit Garden's true nature, Byakuya didn't intend to tell Ui yet.

Byakuya glanced at the half-human children present.

One girl looked familiar—the half-human from China named Hsiao.

Hsiao

He recalled that Hsiao's overall ability was second only to Hairu, though she would leave the Sunlit Garden slightly later. She was still among these children, probably about to start working at CCG when this incident occurred.

Finding her familiar, Byakuya looked at her a moment longer—which Hairu noticed.

Hsiao herself had no particular reaction, assuming the CCG investigator was just doing a routine check.

"That's not okay, Byakuya-senpai. Sneaking glances at other girls."

Hairu suddenly spoke up.

"No... I was just looking over the children normally."

Byakuya said.

But Hairu's dynamic vision far exceeded normal people's. She'd caught Byakuya's gaze lingering on one particular girl.

So she completely ignored his explanation and pressed on. "Could it be that the girl you were looking at is your type, Byakuya-senpai?"

"...I said it's not like that."

Byakuya felt somewhat helpless. "If I had to say, I'd definitely prefer your type over hers."

...

Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"