"Ah... alright."
Byakuya hadn't expected Mado to invite him directly to his home.
But it made no real difference. He understood why Mado would do this.
If other investigators witnessed this behavior—which the CCG didn't officially sanction—it could look bad.
So he accepted.
Mado then gave Byakuya his detailed home address, also in Ward 1.
...
Ward 1.
Following Mado's directions, Byakuya arrived in the neighborhood and spotted a vaguely familiar figure downstairs—apparently waiting for someone.
That silhouette... He recognized her immediately as Akira Mado.
Kureo Mado's daughter. She wore casual home clothes and slippers, her impressive figure unmistakable even in such simple attire. She carried an air of proud aloofness, like an ice queen.
![Akira Mado]
The moment Byakuya noticed her, Akira spotted him too.
She'd likely seen his CCG ID photo—her reaction made clear she recognized him.
"Rank 1 Amaha, I'm Rank 2 Investigator Akira Mado. My father is engrossed in Quinque research and couldn't come down himself. Please accept my apologies on his behalf."
Her tone was formal and devoid of emotion.
"It's fine."
Byakuya didn't mind.
Up close, Akira's eyes really did resemble Kureo's—their facial features shared obvious similarities. But she'd inherited the attractive aspects of his features. She certainly didn't look like a female version of Kureo—that would be...
"Please follow me upstairs."
Akira led Byakuya up via elevator to the corresponding floor.
"Excuse me."
Entering the Mado residence, Byakuya offered a token greeting.
[Ding! Host completed Option 2 "Accept the invitation and visit his home." Reward: 20 Fusion Points!]
Just then, Kureo emerged from a room, looking apologetic. "Sorry, sorry—I was just at a critical stage of my research."
"It's nothing, Mado-san. No need for such formality."
Byakuya said.
As he spoke, he handed over the case containing "13's Jason" without hesitation.
"Excellent. Give me three minutes—just three."
Kureo took the case and hurried toward his "lab," pausing at the door to tell Akira: "Akira, take Rank 1 Amaha to the living room."
Akira nodded slightly.
The two sat in the living room. A long silence passed before anyone spoke.
After all, Byakuya only knew Akira from afar—from Akira's perspective, she didn't really know him at all.
Akira politely poured tea for Byakuya, then sat quietly sipping her own.
The silence stretched on before Akira finally spoke: "You're the first person willing to agree to my father's unreasonable request."
"Because I don't think it matters."
Byakuya replied calmly.
"Is that so? Good then."
Akira took a delicate sip. "I also heard the Aogiri Suppression Operation encountered the One-Eyed Owl from ten years ago, and Rank 1 Amaha ultimately repelled it?"
After all, the One-Eyed Owl had killed her mother ten years ago—of course she'd care.
"Yes..."
Byakuya confirmed.
"But you look about my age? And if I recall correctly, you enrolled at the Academy a year after me. You're a newcomer, yet already this formidable."
Akira observed flatly.
Because Byakuya had graduated early, he and Akira—who had been a year ahead at the Academy—became roughly same-year investigators.
Also, he was actually three years younger than Akira's twenty-one—though "about the same" wasn't entirely wrong.
"You flatter me. The One-Eyed Owl had already been worn down by Shinohara-san, Kuroiwa-san, and Mado-san by that point."
Byakuya said modestly.
"I see..."
Akira didn't pursue the topic further.
By then, Kureo's promised three minutes were up. He emerged from the lab on time and returned "Jason" to Byakuya.
"Thank you very much, Rank 1 Amaha. I gained quite a few insights."
Kureo said gratefully. "It's already evening—why not stay for dinner before you leave?"
[Ding! Host has activated a quest. Initiating Divine Selection!]
[Option 1: Decline Kureo Mado directly. No reason needed. Reward: 10 Fusion Points!]
[Option 2: Politely decline, citing family waiting at home for dinner. Reward: 20 Fusion Points!]
[Option 3: Accept the invitation—but may need to endure spice levels most people can't handle. Reward: 50 Fusion Points!]
Byakuya recalled that both Kureo and Akira Mado loved spicy food. When eating out, they'd typically request maximum spice levels.
Dining with this father-daughter duo would probably mean a chili-pepper feast.
But Byakuya could handle spice—how hot their cooking actually got was something he'd only know by tasting it. For 50 Fusion Points, it seemed worth trying.
"Alright. Thank you, Mado-san."
Byakuya accepted.
...
Sure enough, when Kureo brought out his home-cooked dishes, a thick, pungent chili aroma filled the air.
Byakuya suspected he'd underestimated the Mado household's spice tolerance.
But having come this far, he had no option to retreat.
Noticing Byakuya's slightly strained expression, Kureo quickly realized: "Ah... sorry. I forgot to ask first. Akira and I are so used to eating this way, I just automatically..."
"It's fine..."
Byakuya said calmly.
"Really? Then let's eat."
Kureo removed his apron and sat down.
As a single father for ten years, he'd naturally mastered cooking.
Byakuya picked up a slice of meat and tasted it. Very spicy—though not unbearable. It would probably get rough after eating too much.
[Ding! Host completed Option 3. Reward: 50 Fusion Points!]
The System seemed to deliberately wait until after he'd tasted it to grant the reward.
Just then, Kureo and Akira were both observing his reaction.
...
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