At the Main Bureau of the CCG in the 1st Ward, within a spacious, luxuriously appointed office, Washuu Yoshitoki sat upright behind his desk, meticulously reviewing a thick stack of documents.
As time passed by, his hands suddenly halted, and with a deliberate motion, he tossed the papers onto the table with a crisp snap.
At that moment, a photo of a handsome young man slipped out from the folder, it was a picture of Uesugi Ryu.
Washuu Yoshitoki narrowed his eyes slightly, the corners of his lips lifting into a nearly imperceptible smile.
"Hmm... Uesugi Ryu, is it? He looks like quite the talent."
"And he's the son of a fallen Investigator... With that kind of background, he fits right into the CCG."
"In that case, let's add him to the upcoming internship roster. Pair him up with that Suzuya kid."
Standing at the desk was his secretary, who gave a respectful nod upon hearing the decision, indicating it had been recorded.
Then the secretary asked, "Director, regarding the position we assign him, should we start at Rank 3 Investigator, or..."
Before he could finish the question, Washuu Yoshitoki frowned slightly and thought for a moment before replying.
"Position? Let's list him as a temporary Rank 2 Investigator for now."
"Mado has a good eye. If he saw potential in the boy and personally recommended him, then he's probably quite capable."
...
CCG Investigator Training Academy.
"As Investigators, you must be intimately familiar with the Ghoul Countermeasures Act. Article 13 of the Act states..."
At the podium, the instructor was delivering a long and passionate lecture on the laws and knowledge required of Ghoul Investigators.
The students in the classroom, Investigator candidates, were mostly focused and diligently absorbing the information.
Except for one.
In the back row, a pale-haired individual, boy or girl, it was hard to say, was threading colored string through their arm, embroidering strange patterns.
There was no hint of pain on Suzuya Juuzou's face. On the contrary, he wore a satisfied smile, as if relishing the sensation.
Sitting nearby, Uesugi Ryu gave Juuzou a sidelong glance, watching his abnormal behavior for a moment, then again, his own attention wasn't on the lesson either.
His field of vision was split in two. The larger half showed a bustling city street, with the view constantly shifting. Uesugi was currently controlling his phantom clone, having it wander aimlessly through the 1st Ward.
Since the lecture was boring, he figured he'd use the time to familiarize himself with the area.
There were a few familiar faces in the class, Yasuhisa Kurona and Yasuhisa Nashiro, the Yasuhisa sisters, and of course, Suzuya Juuzou.
But frankly, none of them were "normal." Every one of them was a problem child.
Both Yasuhisa Kurona and Yasuhisa Nashiro looked simultaneously in Uesugi Ryu's direction. In fact, they weren't the only ones, many of the students were secretly sneaking glances at him.
During the self-introductions earlier, the instructor, perhaps intentionally, had singled out Uesugi Ryu, praising his achievements before enrolling: multiple successful Ghoul kills.
This naturally sparked a great deal of curiosity.
As the minutes ticked by, the bell finally rang, signaling the end of class.
Being the object of so much attention, Uesugi Ryu naturally picked up on the numerous burning gazes directed at him.
But he didn't let it show. Calmly, he guided his phantom clone into a deserted alleyway.
Once he canceled the control, the clone instantly vanished on the spot.
Many of the students at the academy were survivors of Ghoul incidents. They naturally harbored a deep-seated hatred for Ghouls.
And though they were burdened by revenge, they were still seventeen or eighteen-year-old youths, full of intense curiosity.
Soon, a group of inquisitive students had gathered around Uesugi Ryu.
"I heard the instructor say you've taken out Ghouls before you even enrolled. How did you do it? That's incredible!"
A male student seated in front of him turned to ask, eyes filled with admiration.
Though not everyone came forward, the room's attention was now fully centered on Uesugi Ryu.
"It's nothing, really. Just a few nobodies, not exactly elite Ghouls, I wouldn't be sitting here otherwise." Uesugi Ryu said with a modest smile.
He casually recounted a few details, drawing even more murmurs from the crowd.
Not far away, Suzuya Juuzou continued embroidering something onto his skin, though his movements slowed down. His head tilted slightly toward Uesugi Ryu's direction, he was unconsciously drawn in.
It was as if the students had made a silent pact: even if they were curious, no one approached Suzuya Juuzou.
This allowed Uesugi Ryu's voice to drift clearly into Juuzou's ears.
Juuzou had always acted strangely. He had even once been falsely accused of mutilating cats, everyone instinctively avoided him.
He had been raised by Ghouls and once held the title of "Scrapper".
A Scrapper, as the name implied, was someone who dismembered humans to serve Ghouls their meals.
Ghouls, feared as monsters, seemed to enjoy watching humans butcher each other. Creatures like Big Madam and Madam A were the types who raised Scrappers as pets.
Having bathed in human blood since childhood, Suzuya Juuzou's worldview was already completely shattered. The only thing he knew was: this behavior earned praise, and made others happy.
Though he was eventually rescued by the CCG, it was impossible for someone like him to return to normal in such a short time.
Moreover, the ostracization and disgust from his peers meant that, even after being "saved", Juuzou probably received less affection from the CCG than he ever had from Big Madam.
Even if that love was twisted and utterly grotesque, it was still a form of affection, one Juuzou could feel.
The cold shoulder from his peers only served to further warp his personality.
After becoming an Investigator, Juuzou had once been attacked by several Ghouls during an assignment. He fought back using a Quinque dagger, killing all of them and dismembering their corpses into over 200 pieces.
Because of his terrifying behavior and bizarre appearance, he was taken to the police station.
Although Shinohara Yukinori, a Special Class Investigator, eventually came to clear up the misunderstanding, the police still refused to apologize.
They insisted that Suzuya Juuzou didn't act like a proper Investigator should.
But the fault didn't lie solely with Juuzou.
Upset by their broken promise and disturbed by their disgusted stares, Juuzou lashed out, he bit off the ear of one particularly fat officer.
Having never received love, he naturally didn't know how to give it.
Suzuya Juuzou's life only truly began the day he met Shinohara Yukinori.