Byakuya and Akira tailed Tsukiyama to another location.
The building before them appeared to be an ordinary private residence. Tsukiyama put his mask back on before entering.
Was I mistaken? No... there's definitely something off about this seemingly ordinary house...
Akira stopped at a distance.
"That man looks very similar to the 'Gourmet' I encountered at the Ghoul Restaurant before—same build, same hair color. I'm fairly certain it's him. This house is worth investigating."
Byakuya spoke evenly, his expression calm.
"Unfortunately, we didn't bring our Quinques today. Otherwise, we could go in and investigate immediately."
A hint of regret colored Akira's voice.
"Let's not rush. We'll come back with our Quinques—no sense alerting them prematurely."
Byakuya continued, "We can request assistance from the local investigators and staff. Have them conduct covert surveillance of this area."
"If we go back to the Ward 20 Branch for our Quinques, including round-trip travel time, it shouldn't take more than an hour. I think we can begin operations tonight."
"Then we move tonight."
Byakuya agreed readily.
Afterward, rather than following the purple-haired man inside, they headed to the Ward 7 CCG Branch.
The Branch Director for Ward 7 was First Class Investigator Taishi Fura—a former classmate of Kishou Arima's at Seisei High School. After surviving the "Lantern" incident, he'd decided to become a ghoul investigator.
Soon, Byakuya met with Fura.
"First Class Fura."
Akira offered a brief greeting.
"First Class Fura, we're here because we need your assistance with something."
Byakuya stated his purpose directly.
"First Class Amaha, Rank 2 Mado—I've already been briefed on your investigation into the Gourmet and the Ghoul Restaurant. Whatever you need, just ask."
Fura was accommodating.
"Mm."
Byakuya nodded, then gave a summary of the "purple-haired man suspected to be the Gourmet" and the "ordinary residence suspected of being connected to the Ghoul Restaurant."
"We'll need some investigator assistants and staff to conduct surveillance in that area. It's crucial that they don't expose themselves or engage with anyone entering or leaving the building."
Within the CCG, most personnel were ordinary staff—ranked below investigator assistants. Below them were staff assistants. That was the basic hierarchy.
The people Byakuya requested weren't combat personnel. At most, they were authorized to carry firearms. He didn't want them getting into fights with Ghoul Restaurant ghouls.
"Understood. I'll make the arrangements."
Fura nodded. "But are you sure you don't need me to send combat personnel as backup?"
"No need. This is just reconnaissance for now. Once we've confirmed the Ghoul Restaurant's exact location, there'll be time enough for a larger operation."
After some brief pleasantries, the conversation concluded.
...
After leaving the Ward 7 Branch:
"We should head back and get our Quinques immediately. If that place really is a Ghoul Restaurant, and if they're holding an 'event' right now, there'll be a significant number of ghouls inside."
Akira nodded in agreement.
A moment later, she suddenly said, "I've been thinking about something. Does any supervisor actually bring his female subordinate to a couple's restaurant on their first day working together?"
"..."
Byakuya fell silent.
He'd thought the matter was already behind them, but apparently Akira was still dwelling on it.
Still, he maintained his composure. "...That was purely for the investigation."
"Mm. I was just joking. I also believe First Class Amaha isn't that kind of supervisor."
Akira's expression remained neutral.
...
The two returned to the Ward 20 Branch, retrieved their Quinque cases, and headed back to Ward 7.
They waited until nightfall.
The surveillance by the staff and investigator assistants had already yielded results. Over the past few hours, numerous people had been observed entering the residence one after another.
The building wasn't particularly large—normally, it couldn't accommodate so many people. Something was definitely wrong.
That night, Byakuya and Akira moved in.
With the investigator assistants and staff providing cover outside, they slipped into the residence undetected.
Inside, it didn't look like anyone actually lived there. They carefully checked each room but found no one.
Yet according to the surveillance reports, everyone who entered hadn't left. That meant there had to be a hidden passage somewhere.
"Let's look for a secret entrance. That many people couldn't have just vanished into thin air."
Byakuya spoke casually.
Tsukiyama had actually told him last night where the hidden passage was located, but he needed to at least put on a show. He couldn't just walk straight to it.
"The footprints are most concentrated here. The entrance to the passage is probably in this room."
Byakuya used his observational skills to reason it out.
Akira examined the footprints on the floor. This area was indeed the most suspicious—not immediately obvious, but when compared to the other rooms, the difference was clear.
They searched methodically.
"The footprints end here."
Byakuya tapped lightly on the floor where the prints disappeared. The sound that came back was strange—not the solid thud of a proper floor.
"The floor here is hollow?"
Akira realized immediately.
"Exactly. The entrance to the passage is beneath us."
"Then let's hide and wait. The next person to come in will open it for us."
Akira continued, "Based on the surveillance, someone arrives on average every ten minutes or less. If nothing unexpected happens, we should see someone within three minutes."
Sure enough, someone entered shortly after.
As this newcomer activated the hidden mechanism, they put on a mask—almost certainly a ghoul.
But then they caught a whiff of human scent in the air. Their kakugan flared to life.
"Human scent? Perfect—an appetizer before the main course~"
Just as the ghoul was about to search for the hidden humans, a dagger flew from the side and struck them directly in the head.
The blade pierced through their skull, killing them instantly.
[Ding! Host has eliminated a "B-rated ghoul." Reward: 5 Fusion Points!]
...
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