"..."
Byakuya's pupils trembled slightly. He suddenly didn't dare sit down.
"Oh... sorry about that. I left it there earlier and forgot to put it away."
Kiyoko Aura calmly collected the item that shouldn't have been seen, her movements unhurried and composed without a hint of panic.
After all, she was long past the age of being a young girl, and as a battle-hardened Special Class Investigator, she wasn't about to get flustered over something this trivial.
Kurona and Nashiro were rendered speechless by Special Class Aura's carelessness. This was quite the contrast to the powerful, aloof, and highly respected Special Class Aura they had in mind.
"Please, sit."
Kiyoko took a seat across from Byakuya, Kurona, and Nashiro, then poured tea for them.
"Thank you."
"Now then..."
The somewhat languid expression on Kiyoko's face suddenly turned serious. "During the investigation of Dr. Kanou, that 'Madam A' seemed to recognize Kurona and Nashiro. Is there some hidden reason behind this?"
She laid out her suspicions directly.
In response, Kurona spoke up first. "It's because... that abandoned mansion was originally our home."
Byakuya had told her beforehand that she could speak openly about this, so she didn't try to hide it.
"...That was your home?"
Kiyoko's tone was surprised.
"Yes. The original owner of that house was Nanao Yasuhisa—our father. But he passed away when we were still young."
Kurona didn't mention the cause of Nanao Yasuhisa's death. Even the slightest detail that might raise suspicion couldn't be carelessly revealed to outsiders—even if that "outsider" was their superior.
"But later, Dr. Kanou purchased that house. He deceived us into viewing him as a 'father,' and even tricked us into undergoing 'half-ghoulification surgery'..."
Kurona explained.
Nashiro added, "So both Kurona and I are now 'half-ghouls.' Compared to the 'failures' in that underground laboratory, we're considered... relatively successful experiments."
"I can't believe it..."
Kiyoko exclaimed in astonishment.
Before Kurona and Nashiro arrived, she'd imagined many possibilities, but she never expected that they had been transformed into half-ghouls.
In the typical investigator's understanding, humans were humans and ghouls were ghouls. As long as someone could pass through an RC Detection Gate, they were considered fine.
At that moment, Kurona and Nashiro revealed their kakugan—Kurona's left eye and Nashiro's right eye, each displaying a single ghoul eye.
Kiyoko couldn't help but widen her eyes.
Though she knew "one-eyed ghouls" existed, seeing the "one-eye" appear right before her—especially in subordinates she worked with nearly every day—was still shocking.
"But from an investigator's perspective, you two haven't shown any abnormal behavior."
Kiyoko said, forcing herself to remain calm.
The reason she'd privately invited Kurona and Nashiro to her home rather than immediately reporting the suspicious points to headquarters was because she still believed they were trustworthy subordinates.
Otherwise, CCG headquarters might have had Kurona and Nashiro executed outright—something she didn't want to see.
But she also needed to understand the reasons behind this. She hadn't expected the truth to be even more alarming than she'd imagined...
Right now, she desperately wanted to know whether Kurona and Nashiro were friends or foes.
Given that the sisters had voluntarily revealed the truth, the outcome probably wouldn't be too bad...
"Because we long ago refused to accept Dr. Kanou's deception and brainwashing. Before we officially started working at the CCG, we had already completely severed ties with Kanou."
Kurona stated plainly.
Byakuya hadn't intervened throughout, letting Kurona and Nashiro handle things themselves. So far, the sisters were doing quite well—no major issues.
"I see... Regarding this matter..."
Kiyoko hesitated for a moment.
By rights, she should report this to CCG headquarters.
But she was worried about how headquarters would handle Kurona and Nashiro afterward.
After all, everything was based solely on Kurona and Nashiro's account. As their superior, she could trust them, but headquarters was another matter entirely.
Within the CCG, there were plenty of investigators who despised ghouls like Kureo Mado had—though Kureo Mado represented the most extreme end of that hatred.
"Let me be the one to report this to CCG headquarters. I'll do my best to advocate for Kurona and Nashiro."
At this point, Byakuya finally spoke up.
"...Alright. But as their superior, I can't just stand by and do nothing. When the time comes, I'll go to headquarters with you."
Byakuya's involvement gave Kiyoko considerable hope that Kurona and Nashiro could be protected.
Though First Class Amaha wasn't yet a Special Class Investigator, his prestige within the CCG was already on par with one. Combined with her own voice, they would carry significant weight.
"Yes, having Special Class Aura's support makes things even better."
Byakuya nodded.
Afterward, Kiyoko asked several questions about "half-ghouls"—though these were merely out of curiosity.
For instance, how did Kurona and Nashiro handle their dietary needs? How were they able to pass through RC Detection Gates?
"We've always eaten carrion, which means we have to find human corpses."
"As for the RC Detection Gates... we're not entirely sure either. It might be because half-ghouls possess characteristics of both humans and ghouls—we can't eat normal food, but to other ghouls, we still smell human."
"..."
Regarding the RC Detection Gates, Kurona and Nashiro genuinely didn't know. Byakuya hadn't yet explained the truth about the gates to them.
Kiyoko didn't press further.
Their conversation gradually shifted to casual chat.
"How's your Quinque, Special Class Aura? Can it be repaired?"
Byakuya asked.
"I've already had Dr. Chigyou look at it. He said it's completely fixable."
Kiyoko replied.
"Then it should be fine, since it's Dr. Chigyou."
Byakuya said.
"By the way, do you really live alone, Special Class Aura? I thought you'd at least be living with your children..."
Kurona asked.
Clearly, she'd assumed Special Class Aura was married but separated, or perhaps divorced.
"No... it seems Kurona has misunderstood."
Realizing she'd been misread, Kiyoko quickly clarified. "Forget children—I'm not even married yet..."
...
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