By all rights, Akira should have refused outright. She'd even turned down invitations from Shinohara and Koori Ui before. Why would she agree to this?
If Akira had declined, Byakuya could have politely refused too.
But she'd said yes...
Awkward, but not insurmountable.
"Alright, but I'll probably only eat a little."
Byakuya's mind quickly found a solution.
It wasn't binary—accept or refuse. He could accept while eating sparingly, then still keep his promise to Rize.
"Oh! First Class Amaha agreed too!"
With the young woman's delighted exclamation, the four of them headed to a nearby late-night eatery.
They ordered drinks and some grilled skewers, settling in to chat over alcohol.
"Ugh... When am I ever going to make Rank 2~"
After just a short while of drinking, the young woman started venting, her voice already carrying a hint of intoxication.
"Looks like Koyu's already drunk."
Her superior, the middle-aged man, chuckled. "Koyu's tolerance is actually quite low. Apologies for the display."
Through their earlier conversation, Byakuya had gotten to know the pair.
The now-tipsy young woman was Koyu Kobayashi, a Rank 3 investigator who'd been on the job less than a year.
Her superior was First Class Investigator Yoshino Nakamura.
Normally, there was no way Koyu could make Rank 2 within a year. The only ones who'd achieved that kind of promotion speed were Byakuya, Arima, and Suzuya.
In fact, most investigators remained stuck at First Class until retirement. Advancement in the CCG was no easy feat.
"It's fine. As long as she's enjoying herself."
"Promotion isn't something investigators need to fixate on."
Akira suddenly spoke up.
"Rank 2 Mado, I want to have my own Quinque like you do!"
Koyu's flushed face showed envy, her eyes bright with longing.
Despite being drunk, she poured herself another drink—drowning her sorrows in alcohol.
"First Class Nakamura, shouldn't you stop Rank 3 Kobayashi from drinking more?"
Byakuya turned to Nakamura.
"It's fine, really. Koyu's always like this. No matter how wasted she gets, she's completely fine the next day. I've limited her to drinking once a week. Let her enjoy it."
Byakuya said nothing more.
Still, it was understandable for new investigators to want promotions—but promotion wasn't always a good thing...
"With promotion comes increased responsibility. You'll have to do things you don't want to do. What matters more is having a strong will and a clear goal. Rank is secondary."
Akira spoke quietly, taking a sip from her glass.
But by the time she finished, Koyu had already collapsed onto the table, apparently asleep. She probably hadn't heard a word Akira said—and even if she had, she'd likely forget it all by morning.
"..."
Nakamura was used to seeing his subordinate like this. He smiled awkwardly. "Well, I should get Koyu home. You two should rest up as well, First Class Amaha, Rank 2 Mado."
"Of course. Take care."
Byakuya nodded.
After Nakamura helped Koyu away, Byakuya noticed Akira was still drinking. He checked the time—only around 8:30. No rush to leave yet.
He himself had only had a little alcohol and a few skewers, but Akira seemed to have had quite a bit already.
If he remembered correctly, Akira's tolerance wasn't particularly good either.
"Akira, you should slow down too."
"Mm..."
Akira responded absently.
Byakuya looked at her more closely. Her eyes definitely lacked their usual sharpness. Something was off.
"What's... with that look?"
Akira noticed his gaze. She propped both elbows on the table, head lowered, and glanced at him sideways.
Her sharp instincts were apparently still intact—but she was definitely drunk.
"Is promotion really unimportant? In your view?"
Byakuya tested her.
A test to see if she was actually drunk.
"..."
Akira was silent for a moment before speaking. "Papa has the ability and the achievements. But he's still at First Class, and some people in the CCG look down on him for it. They mock him as the 'foolish Quinque maniac' who'll never get promoted. Papa never explains himself to anyone. He only ever told me: revenge has nothing to do with rank. As long as you have unwavering will and a clear goal, you will succeed..."
"You mentioned earlier that promotion brings responsibility and burden. So your father chose not to advance—not because he doesn't deserve it, but because of those reasons, right?"
"Exactly. You understand Papa quite well."
A faint, bitter smile crossed Akira's face. "But I don't entirely agree with that. Papa may be obsessed with revenge against the One-Eyed Owl who killed Mama, but he's always taken good care of me. His choice to give up promotion was probably for my sake too..."
"..."
Byakuya could now confirm it—Akira was drunk.
Her words and tone made it obvious. The normal Akira would never speak like this.
"If he'd risen to the rank his achievements warrant, without worrying about me, he wouldn't be mocked by those people. He might have even completed the revenge he's been so fixated on."
Akira continued pouring out her heart. "I actually want to stand on my own feet as soon as possible, so Papa doesn't have to keep worrying about me. So even though I told Koyu those things earlier, deep down I still want to be promoted quickly."
"Koyu? Wait—her name is Koyu. Koyu Kobayashi."
Byakuya corrected her. "So you really are drunk, aren't you?"
"I'm not drunk~"
Akira immediately denied it.
But her tone gave her away.
"People who are drunk never admit it. While you still have some awareness, stop drinking. It's time to head ho—"
Before Byakuya could finish, Akira slumped onto the table with a dazed expression.
"Hey... Akira... Don't fall asleep yet..."
...
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