Byakuya turned his head and noticed Akira's hand frozen in midair.
He couldn't help but ask, "Something wrong?"
"...No, it's nothing..." With an emergency situation suddenly at hand, Akira chose to back down. She withdrew her hand, pretending nothing had happened.
"We should hurry over there and find out what's going on."
Byakuya's voice was grave.
Of course, no one knew better than him what was actually happening.
"Mm..." Akira nodded slightly, pushing the stray thoughts from her mind.
"Takizawa, can you still stand?"
Byakuya addressed Takizawa, who was still sitting on the ground looking utterly dumbfounded.
"Ah... of course!" Takizawa snapped back to attention.
He patted his rear and hurriedly got to his feet, standing at attention. Having embarrassed himself repeatedly in front of his idol First Class Amaha left him extremely frustrated.
"Then let's go. I'll escort you both to the rear first."
"You're going to rush off to the battlefield alone again?"
Hearing this, Akira bit her lower lip.
"There's no other choice. This is the duty of a First Class investigator—being responsible for subordinates' safety and... responding to any powerful enemies that might appear..."
Given what Byakuya had actually done during this operation, he perhaps wasn't in a position to say this. After all, the entire Owl Suppression situation had been completely upended by him.
"I suppose so..."
For some reason, Akira suddenly thought of her mother.
Ten years ago, her mother Kasuka Mado had been leading a team investigating Ward 24 when they unexpectedly encountered the One-Eyed Owl.
Facing the One-Eyed Owl with virtually no chance of victory, Kasuka—the strongest fighter in the group as an Associate Special Class investigator—had resolutely stayed behind alone to face the One-Eyed Owl.
Her sacrifice alone had ultimately saved everyone in the team, including Kureo Mado.
Remembering all of this, Akira felt certain her mother hadn't regretted it...
The scene before her now was strikingly similar...
Akira looked again toward the building. Could anyone really handle a monster like that?
A being that inspired despair...
But the operation wouldn't end because of this. As the main force of Squad One, First Class Amaha had to fight.
Fear suddenly gripped Akira's heart—fear of losing someone again...
"First Class Amaha!"
Suddenly, Akira called out solemnly.
Her right hand, which she had just withdrawn, reached out again. This time, she grasped Byakuya's chin and rose onto her tiptoes...
CRASH—!!!
At that very moment, an earth-shaking sound came from nearby—Byakuya's Wood Clone had just used Susanoo to cleave the entire building into four pieces.
But this didn't affect Akira and Byakuya in the slightest...
Under Byakuya's surprised gaze, their lips met—brief and sweet.
Akira said nothing about it. There wasn't a hint of shyness on her face. Instead, she spoke with concern. "Please be careful..."
She truly was like her father, Kureo Mado—when she wanted to make a move, she didn't hesitate in the slightest.
"...Mm."
Byakuya responded, his expression showing a moment of surprise.
Takizawa, standing nearby, was completely stupefied. "M-Mado... you..."
This scene was too shocking for the innocent young man. Especially since it involved people he knew—Akira Mado and First Class Amaha...
"Got a problem with that?"
Akira shot Takizawa a cold glance.
"No, nothing at all..."
Takizawa immediately cowered.
But inwardly he was still reeling. Who would have thought—this Akira Mado actually liked First Class Amaha, and she was so bold about it!
"First Class Amaha, you don't need to escort us. The battlefield over there needs you more."
Akira spoke to Byakuya with a serious expression.
"Alright then. You two be careful."
Byakuya nodded.
"Rank 2 Takizawa, Squad Leader Adjutant Mado—what's your situation?"
Just then, a voice came through Akira and Takizawa's radio equipment.
"The situation has been resolved. First Class Amaha came to our rescue. Two Aogiri 'executives' escaped, and several other Aogiri members have been eliminated."
Akira reported back. "We're also aware that a new enemy has appeared at the One-Eyed Owl's battlefield. First Class Amaha is currently en route."
"Understood. You and Rank 2 Takizawa should relocate to the rear immediately to avoid getting caught up in the fighting. An unprecedentedly powerful enemy has appeared!"
Having received instructions from command, Akira and Takizawa immediately headed toward the rear command area.
As for Byakuya, he made his way to the front lines.
Although the entire situation was proceeding according to his plan, there was one thing he hadn't fully decided: should he stage a self-directed battle against his own Susanoo Clone...?
...
Meanwhile, the One-Eyed Owl was already immobilized in Susanoo's grip.
Inside the Owl's shell, Eto Yoshimura wanted nothing more than to curse. What the hell was Amaha trying to pull? Weren't they supposed to be partners?!
If not for all the investigators watching, she would have burst out of her kakuja shell right then to demand answers from Byakuya.
The "Amaha Byakuya" inside Susanoo felt he had dished out enough punishment. He casually tossed the One-Eyed Owl to the ground.
The battered Owl—its form already crushed out of shape—crashed through several walls before collapsing. It struggled a few times but couldn't even stand.
The damage to the kakuja shell was too severe. It wouldn't regenerate anytime soon. After struggling briefly, it gave up and lay there, questioning its existence.
"That damned bastard..."
For now, all Eto could do inside her kakuja shell was curse.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd been beaten this badly. More accurately, she had never been manhandled so utterly without any chance to fight back. Even when she first met Kishou Arima, they had fought for quite a while before she lost.
But then something occurred to Eto. Why was that bastard so powerful?
With strength like that, he could probably wipe out the entire Washuu Clan without breaking a sweat, couldn't he?
If she could borrow his power, everything she had longed for could be easily achieved. But the way things looked, he had already burned his bridges with her...
The more Eto thought about it, the more confused she became. What exactly was that bastard trying to do...?
...
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