Looking at the three options before him, Byakuya felt there was nothing to deliberate over.
Since "Nutcracker" hadn't yet gone down that path of no return, he figured if there was really a chance to change her fate, it was worth trying.
Besides, killing her outright would actually be more troublesome than spending a few bucks—because first, you'd have to prove she was a "ghoul."
Of course, as a transmigrator with a "god's-eye view," he could ignore CCG rules and forcibly eliminate a target who hadn't been identified as a ghoul. He'd receive mild reprimand at most. But there was no need for that...
Byakuya stepped forward, coming to stand before "Nutcracker."
"Would you like one? Which do you like?"
Byakuya asked directly.
"Nutcracker's" expression froze—she clearly hadn't expected him to speak to her, let alone ask what she wanted.
She hesitated for a moment, then her gaze shifted away from Hinami. She extended her hand and pointed at a purple hair clip.
She seemed to really like the color purple. In the original story, she'd eventually dye her black hair purple.
Without another word, Byakuya bought that purple hair clip and gave it to "Nutcracker."
He didn't say much—just offered her a small smile.
[Ding! Host has completed Choice 3. Reward: 10 Fusion Points!]
"Th-thank you..."
"Nutcracker" was overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness. After all, this was the first time anyone had ever given her something beautiful.
"Oniichan, do you know this girl?"
Hinami asked curiously.
"No."
Byakuya shook his head. "But she looked like she really wanted it, so I gave it to her."
"Oh, I see."
Hinami didn't think much of it—she just thought her big brother was really kind.
She certainly didn't mind. The older girl in front of her seemed quite pitiful.
She could already tell from the scent that this person was one of her own kind. Between the girl's disheveled appearance and her identity as a ghoul, it was easy to imagine how difficult her circumstances must be.
Just then, "Nutcracker" thought Byakuya was about to leave and spoke up: "Um... could you tell me... your name?"
[Ding! Host has triggered a Choice Mission!]
[Choice 1: Avoid getting too involved with "Nutcracker." Leave with Fueguchi Hinami immediately. Reward: 10 Fusion Points!]
[Choice 2: Tell "Nutcracker" your name. Reward: 10 Fusion Points!]
[Choice 3: Tell her your name and recommend that "Nutcracker" go to Anteiku in Ward 20 for help. Prepare to cultivate "Nutcracker" as a member of the Akatsuki Organization. Reward: 20 Fusion Points!]
Seeing the choice mission appear, Byakuya immediately said to "Nutcracker": "My name is Amaha Byakuya."
"Amaha... Byakuya..."
"Nutcracker" murmured the name, as if trying to commit it to memory.
"And you?"
Byakuya asked in return.
"...Mayu."
"Nutcracker" replied.
It seemed she had only a given name and no family name—which was actually quite common.
Ghouls who had legitimate surnames had usually received help from humans at some point. For example, Rize's "Kamishiro" surname had been passed down from Shachi's human martial arts master, who then passed it to Rize.
Without a surname, Mayu couldn't live a normal life like humans. School was completely out of the question—she could only wander the streets day after day. She was probably bullied by other ghouls regularly, since she could easily stumble into another ghoul's feeding ground.
"What about your parents?"
Byakuya continued asking.
Mayu fell silent for a moment. "I... don't have parents..."
"..."
What had been Byakuya's guess was now confirmed—Mayu had lost her parents long ago. Otherwise, she wouldn't be in such dire straits.
Hinami's eyes also filled with sympathy.
"Mayu... I'd suggest you go to Anteiku in Ward 20 for help. The manager and staff there are all very kind."
Byakuya told her.
[Ding! Host has completed Choice 3. Reward: 20 Fusion Points!]
"Ward 20... Anteiku...? What is that place?"
Mayu asked, looking confused.
It seemed she'd never left Ward 19 and didn't know Anteiku existed.
"Mayu-oneechan, you're the same as me, right?"
At this point, Hinami spoke quietly to Mayu.
"Mm..."
Mayu nodded, unable to deny it.
She had already detected the ghoul scent on the other girl, so she wasn't surprised.
But something did concern her—the big brother named Amaha Byakuya clearly smelled human... yet he was so close to this ghoul girl. Did he not realize?
"Oniichan, can you help Mayu-oneechan?"
Hinami seemed to sympathize with Mayu and made her request to Byakuya.
"Of course."
Byakuya smiled. "Then Mayu, let's take you to Anteiku right now."
He had nothing else to do anyway, and he thought the system's suggestion was quite good—Mayu was indeed a suitable candidate.
If he remembered correctly, Mayu was just like little Hinami—both were "prodigies" who possessed two types of kagune.
Hinami's hybrid kagune was "Rinkaku + Koukaku," while Mayu's was "Bikaku + Koukaku."
These were kagune inherited from both parents. Only an extremely small number of ghouls had this kind of talent, and the prerequisite was that both father and mother had to be ghouls with different kagune types.
As for Rio possessing all four kagune types at once—that was a mystery. All that was known was that he was uniquely born with all four types.
Currently known ghouls born with two kagune types were limited to Fueguchi Hinami and Mayu.
Such individuals could be called "prodigies" in the ghoul world, because their ceiling was extremely high, and they often came with an additional innate ability.
For instance, Hinami's ability was perception far more acute than ordinary ghouls. Ghouls already had sensory capabilities far beyond humans, and Hinami surpassed even regular ghouls in this regard.
Mayu's talent lay in the "kagune detachment technique." The special technique that Matsumae had painstakingly mastered—Mayu seemed to learn it easily, possibly even as an innate ability.
"...Okay. Thank you, Oniichan."
Mayu followed behind Byakuya just like that, almost like one of those little girls easily lured away by a suspicious uncle with a lollipop.
...
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