"Whoa! That's bold!"
Tanakamaru Mougan exclaimed.
"First Class Ihei, there are so many people watching..."
Koori Ui reminded her.
Though many investigators were still recovering from their shock, quite a few had their attention drawn to Hairu.
Still, her action had lightened the tense atmosphere considerably.
"What does it matter? It doesn't violate any CCG rules."
Hairu shifted to hold Byakuya's arm instead, grinning.
Her smile made her feelings perfectly obvious—written all over her face.
"You really are popular, Byakuya. Even First Class Ihei has already..."
Kiyoko Aura's tone was neutral, yet carried a certain undertone.
Just then, two figures landed beside Byakuya.
One wore an Akatsuki robe—Eto. The other was naturally Akira.
Eto had flown Akira down from the rooftop to find Byakuya.
"Oh~? Seems we've come at a bad time. Someone's getting cozy with another woman..."
Seeing Hairu holding onto Byakuya, Eto immediately teased.
"Takatsuki Sen? That one-eyed ghoul—why are you here?!"
Marude recognized Eto instantly, his expression turning stern and wary.
Ui, Tanakamaru, and the others also assumed combat stances. They'd long suspected that the one-eyed ghoul named "Takatsuki Sen" was the One-Eyed Owl.
"Relax, relax. I'm not here to fight. My target has always been the Washuu Clan."
Eto waved her hand with a smile. "Now that Byakuya has destroyed them, there's no reason for me to be your enemy anymore."
"...Is that so?"
Marude looked at her skeptically.
Ui and the others weren't quick to trust the One-Eyed Owl either—especially those who had faced her personally. Her ferocity and power had left an indelible impression.
"It's true."
Byakuya spoke up in Eto's defense. "Much of what we know about the Washuu Clan came from her. Her father, the Non-Killing Owl, was originally a Cleaner for the Washuu—the same position Arima was in."
"But now that the Washuu are destroyed, Arima no longer needs to work for them."
This meant Eto had contributed to overthrowing the Washuu Clan. At least in this matter, she'd been on the same side as the CCG.
Marude and the others might not fully trust Eto's words, but they couldn't disbelieve Byakuya.
His authority made them unable to question him.
"I see... so the One-Eyed Owl was always opposing us because of the Washuu Clan behind us?"
Based on Byakuya's explanation, Marude quickly realized this.
"Yes. The Washuu killed my mother. I wanted revenge—it's that simple."
Eto said directly. "The Washuu Clan is the root cause of almost every tragedy and suffering in this world. To break the cage imprisoning this world, we had to overthrow them. Byakuya should have already told you how the Washuu deliberately maintained the balance between humans and ghouls, intentionally preventing any reconciliation between the two races."
For example, specialized food that ghouls could taste, using ghoul RC cells for medical research...
These could have advanced human-ghoul peace, so the Washuu had deliberately suppressed them. Otherwise, such developments would have been achieved long ago.
Hearing Eto mention her mother being killed by the Washuu, Akira looked at her with renewed interest.
Earlier on the rooftop, Eto had been telling Akira the story but hadn't reached Ukina's death before Byakuya's "Super Almighty Push" interrupted them. Learning of it now caught her off guard.
Marude nodded slowly. "I understand. If Byakuya believes you, I have nothing to say."
Besides, the most pressing concern right now wasn't the One-Eyed Owl—it was that the Washuu Clan had been exposed as ghouls and destroyed. The CCG faced enormous problems ahead.
First was the public trust crisis. The Washuu Clan had always controlled the CCG from behind the scenes. When the public learned that a ghoul family had been in charge, would they still trust the CCG...?
Second was the leadership vacuum. The Bureau Director, General Chairman, and entire leadership had been wiped out. They were now leaderless.
There were also external threats... Though the One-Eyed Owl might no longer be an enemy, "Madara" remained their greatest threat...
Obviously, Marude and the others still hadn't realized that Amaha Byakuya was Madara.
Marude immediately voiced his concerns.
"We're facing not only a trust crisis but also a leadership vacuum."
He looked at Byakuya. "Byakuya, the CCG will definitely need to reform. I think you should take the Bureau Director position for now. We can worry about the General Chairman and leadership council later—resolving this chaos is the immediate priority."
"If no one objects, I can accept."
Byakuya replied.
"What do you all think?"
Marude immediately asked the others.
"I have no objections."
Kiyoko shook her head expressionlessly.
"Neither do I."
"Given Byakuya's strength, he's definitely the most suitable person to lead the CCG right now."
"..."
Everyone expressed their agreement. Not a single person questioned Byakuya.
Given the divine power Byakuya had displayed when destroying the Washuu estate, anyone with sense wouldn't dare question him.
Moreover, Byakuya had always had an excellent reputation within the CCG and had never made enemies.
Seeing this, Marude wasn't surprised. "Then it's settled. From now on, Byakuya is the new Bureau Director of the CCG."
...
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