Crimson lanterns swayed in the night breeze, while the fragrance of the courtesans' cosmetics drifted throughout the street.
On the third-floor corridor, the shadows of two sword-bearing guards stretched across a painted folding screen under the lantern light.
Most guards carried guns. The fact that these two wore swords suggested they held positions far above ordinary guards.
Their suit jackets hung open, revealing flashy floral shirts underneath.
The young man on the left leaned against the railing, casually surveying the lively scene below.
"I really don't know what Lord Uesugi is thinking, keeping all those useless people around."
"With General Esdeath backing us, we could just go back to controlling those women the old way."
"We'd make way more money than we do now."
Beside him, a middle-aged one-eyed man exhaled a ring of smoke and warned quietly,
"Talking is one thing. Don't actually try it."
"Forgot what happened to those two troublemakers the other day?"
His lone eye narrowed slightly as he sighed.
"Life's a lot better now. Patrolling the manor never gave us scenery or entertainment like this."
Below them, the sharp clatter of wooden sandals echoed through the hall.
A girl carrying a shamisen hurried by with her head lowered.
The young man's throat bobbed as he tugged at his collar and sighed deeply.
"Tch. What's the point if all we can do is look?"
"Boring."
"Our territory's so huge now. I doubt anyone would catch me."
The one-eyed man snorted.
"If you really like one, just pay up and marry her."
"How many sticky-fingered idiots we brought in before ended up dead?"
"Do you even know why you became vice-captain?"
Unable to withstand the lecture, the young man quickly surrendered.
"Alright, alright. I was wrong, Captain."
The one-eyed man crushed his cigarette, envy flickering in his eye.
"Women are small matters."
"At yesterday's meeting, Lord Gore was carrying that suitcase Lord Uesugi gave him."
"They say it's one of those legendary Shingu. That's the kind of treasure that lets a man truly play with power."
The young man did not seem especially moved.
That sort of thing was far beyond people like them.
The one-eyed man had once been a bounty hunter specializing in Danger Beasts.
During one hunt, a Danger Beast had bitten off certain vital parts.
Suddenly remembering that, the young man's expression turned strange.
He forcefully suppressed his grin, though a muffled chuckle still escaped.
....
Nearly a week had passed in the Tokyo Ghoul world.
Inside a massive underground training facility, Uesugi Ryu sat in a chair, continuously flipping through the documents in his hands.
Occasionally, he jotted notes on a sheet of white paper with a ballpoint pen.
With his current intelligence, learning several languages was no challenge at all.
Alchemy, however, was too important.
He needed to combine the linguistic nuances with the technical knowledge for an accurate translation.
In the spacious training hall, Uesugi Ryu's water clone was sparring with Akira Mado.
When Violet Lightning Frenzied Bone was in Uesugi Ryu's hands, the lightning had been too dazzling to clearly see its structure.
Only in Akira's hands did the Teigu reveal its true appearance.
Its main body consisted of seven pale vertebrae, each sharpened to deadly points at both ends.
When activated, violet lightning wrapped around the spinal segments.
After being thoroughly intimidated by Uesugi Ryu, Violet Lightning Frenzied Bone had become much more obedient.
Especially since Akira carried Uesugi Ryu's scent, the Teigu was remarkably docile toward her.
Although there was no system panel to display exact compatibility, judging by how naturally she wielded it, her compatibility was certainly above sixty percent.
Uesugi Ryu was already considering whether to bring Akira with him.
Gore was a capable fighter, but managing an organization was hardly his specialty.
He could barely keep things together for now, but that was not a long-term solution.
Inside the training arena, the water clone wielded a blade formed from water.
Its movements were extremely strange.
Since it was fundamentally just water, it could have simply flown.
But that would defeat the purpose of sparring.
The clone circled Akira, searching for an opening.
Suddenly, it lunged forward and slashed viciously.
Akira stepped back half a pace.
Violet Lightning Frenzied Bone emitted a shrill crack as the seven vertebrae coiled like a serpent, forming a cage of white bone.
Water blade and bone whip collided, producing a harsh scraping sound.
With a thought, Akira unleashed the violet lightning wrapped around the whip.
The water blade was instantly torn apart.
The clone retreated rapidly.
Lightning chased after it like a giant python.
Akira flicked her wrist.
The seven white vertebrae tore through the air, instantly straightening into a rigid bladed whip.
Mixed with crackling lightning, the bone whip shredded the water clone into fragments.
Countless droplets exploded outward toward Akira.
The lingering violet arcs in the air immediately activated, blocking most of them.
Using a Teigu consumed a great deal of stamina.
After such an intense fight, Akira was breathing heavily.
Most of her clothes were soaked through.
Violet Lightning Frenzied Bone retracted back into its hilt as Akira slowly walked out of the arena.
A nearby clone handed her a towel and a glass of water.
After accepting them, Akira sat beside Uesugi Ryu and sighed.
"Whew. What a fascinating weapon. It's much easier to use than a Quinque."
Uesugi Ryu smiled, twirling his pen.
"As long as you like it."
Come to think of it, Teigu and Quinques were fairly similar.
Ghouls probably counted as Danger Beasts, did they not?
Both were weapons crafted from biological materials combined with special metals.
Quinques might not be so different from Teigu after all.
Akira wiped away her sweat and rested for a while.
Then she walked over, rested her head on Uesugi Ryu's shoulder, and glanced at the stack of yellowed papers.
"I never expected to see you bent over a desk doing research."
Her breath brushed against his ear.
Uesugi Ryu rubbed his temples and set his pen down.
Turning to her, he asked seriously,
"Do I not look scholarly?"
Akira bit her lip, trying desperately not to laugh.
She truly could not find even the slightest resemblance between Uesugi Ryu and a scholar.
Looking at his utterly serious expression, she finally lost the battle.
"Pfft..."
She stood up, covering her mouth.
"Y... You do."
Uesugi Ryu sighed helplessly at her obvious insincerity.
"And for the record, not scientist. Alchemist."
Akira blinked.
"Alchemist?"
Uesugi Ryu had intended to explain, but realized he did not fully understand it himself.
"More or less."
Then he looked at her seriously.
"Have you decided? Will you come to another world with me?"
Akira gently stroked his black hair.
"Do you really need to ask?"
Uesugi Ryu let out a long breath and took out the Adventurer's Guild Certificate.
[Use special item: Adventurer's Guild Certificate?]
"Yes."
[Guild established. Name: ____]
"Akatsuki."
[Akatsuki]
[Guild Rank: E]
[Member Limit: 1/3]
[Guild Skill: Ring of Enlightenment - Symphony of Wisdom]
[Skill Type: Passive Enhancement]
[Skill Effects:]
[1. All members gain a 10% efficiency increase when analyzing texts, training skills, or summarizing experience.]
[2. Within a 100-meter radius, each additional member participating in collaborative study grants an extra 2% efficiency bonus, up to 15%.]
[Members must remain focused through discussion, note-taking, practical verification, or review to count.]
Uesugi Ryu immediately sent Akira an invitation.
A translucent screen appeared before her.
[Join Akatsuki?]
Akira looked down at him.
That name was a little...
Uesugi Ryu had not thought too deeply about it.
He was terrible at naming things.
A name was a name.
Once she accepted, the full system panel appeared before her.
---
Name: Akira Mado
Race: Human
Strength: 8
Speed: 9
Constitution: 9 (+1 Equipment)
Intelligence: 10
HP: 98
MP: Locked
Skills: E-Rank Skill: Quinque Research and Manufacturing Method, F+ Rank Skill: Whip Mastery
Equipment: Teigu - Violet Lightning Frenzied Bone: Kiss of the Thunder Serpent (Compatibility: 78%)
Items: D-Rank Item - Pharmacist's Treasure
Guild: [Akatsuki]
---
Uesugi Ryu could also see his party members' exact stats.
He quietly evaluated Akira's combat ability.
Violet Lightning Frenzied Bone was an excellent Teigu.
Its attack range was large, and its lightning attribute made it especially deadly.
Lightning was practically the nightmare of close-combat fighters.
In the Akame ga Kill! world, Akira would at least possess some ability to protect herself.
However, her current stamina was insufficient for prolonged use.
Wine-Sack Rice-Bag had granted her a two-point increase to all attributes.
Even so, her base stats were already above average.
After all, Akira had graduated top of her class.
Her natural talent was undeniable.
"This really feels like a game..."
Akira quickly processed everything.
Then she declared confidently,
"You definitely came up with that name yourself."
Uesugi Ryu nodded proudly.
"Well? Isn't it meaningful?"
Akira's ears reddened slightly.
She took a deep breath before asking,
"When are we leaving? I should tell Father first."
Uesugi Ryu stretched lazily.
"No rush. We'll just tell him we're going on a trip. We won't be gone for too long."
After thinking about it, Akira realized Uesugi Ryu had indeed only been absent for a few days.
Time probably flowed differently.
She did not ask further.
Uesugi Ryu gently rubbed the dragon-shaped ring on his finger.
"I'll take you with me next time I return. For now, let's handle more important matters."
Akira quickly took two steps back.
She really could not handle how shameless Uesugi Ryu could be.
Not caring about the occasion at all.
A flustered expression appeared on her face as she hurriedly protested,
"At least let me take a bath first."
"No need."
Uesugi Ryu grinned wickedly as the ring on his finger emitted a soft glow.
The next moment, a massive stream of water flew over from the distance.
Black Marlin really was convenient.
Uesugi Ryu had already discovered many new ways to use it.