Apart from the deceased, the most severely injured in this Owl Suppression Operation were the partners Shinohara Yukinori and Juuzou Suzuya.
Suzuya's right leg, severed by the Non-Killing Owl, had already been treated and bandaged. His body was no longer in danger, and he could move around normally in a wheelchair.
Today, Byakuya came to the hospital to visit. He visited Kuroiwa Iwao, Koutarou Amon, and others in succession.
Kuroiwa's left hand, severed by the Non-Killing Owl, would never return either. But fortunately, he could still use his Quinque with his right hand, and he could be fitted with a prosthetic suitable for combat.
As for Amon, he had already fully recovered. He was staying at the hospital only as a precaution against any potential aftereffects.
However, the pollen released by Deep Forest Bloom had only knocked Amon and his squad unconscious—it wouldn't cause them any actual harm.
The most terrifying aspect of this ninjutsu was its ability to make people collapse the instant they inhaled the pollen, and its range was enormous. Byakuya had deliberately limited the range of Deep Forest Bloom back then; otherwise, it would have covered an even larger area.
Though the one who had used Deep Forest Bloom was one of Byakuya's Wood Clones. Even if the clone had gone all out, it would only achieve half the power of Byakuya's main body.
Afterward, Byakuya went to see Suzuya.
Suzuya was sitting on his hospital bed, gazing out the window. He seemed not to have noticed someone arriving at the door.
"Suzuya..."
Byakuya called out first.
Only then did Suzuya turn his head. When he saw Byakuya, a glimmer of life finally appeared in his previously vacant eyes.
"Byakuya, you came."
Suzuya spoke calmly.
As if nothing had happened.
"Are you okay?"
Byakuya asked with concern.
"I'm fine. It's just Shinohara-san..."
Suzuya lowered his head and fell silent.
"...Shinohara-san will be fine too."
Byakuya said.
"Thank you..."
Suzuya said. "Byakuya, I want to go see Shinohara-san. Can you take me there?"
"Of course."
Byakuya nodded.
Suzuya got into the wheelchair, and Byakuya pushed him to Shinohara's room.
Kuroiwa was also at the door, having come to check on Shinohara's condition.
But the reality was that Shinohara's situation was extremely dire...
"Due to excessive blood loss and severe trauma to the brain, he's now in a state similar to a 'vegetative state'..."
The doctor beside them spoke grimly. "His consciousness will never recover..."
Even the doctor had said so, and without using the word "may."
Even if the doctor had said "his consciousness may never recover," it would have meant Shinohara had almost no hope.
But without even a "may," it meant there was no hope at all...
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room was extremely heavy.
Only Byakuya knew that once the "Dragon Cells" from Dragon were applied to medicine, Shinohara would be able to wake up and even make a full recovery.
Dragon Cells shared a similar origin with the RC cells in ghouls' bodies. In the original story, everything Kanou had done was to apply Dragon Cells to medicine. If this had happened earlier, his mother, who had been suffering from a terminal illness, wouldn't have died untreated. It was only after discovering that the Washuu were the main obstacle to the combination of ghouls and medicine that Kanou became what he was now.
As it turned out, Kanou's goal had been good. The combination of ghouls—or rather, Dragon Cells—with medicine had allowed modern medicine to advance by leaps and bounds. Even terminal cases like Shinohara, who would have been in a vegetative state for life, could be cured.
"At least it wasn't your dominant hand, Iwa."
Just then, a voice came from behind.
Kuroiwa turned around, slightly surprised. "Former Special Class Iba..."
"'Former' Special Class. I retired a long time ago."
The man corrected him.
The newcomer was Fujishige Iba, a former Special Class investigator of the CCG. At fifty years old, his spirit still seemed strong, though his right sleeve hung empty...
He had participated in the Owl Suppression Operation ten years ago—the one where the Non-Killing Owl had impersonated the One-Eyed Owl while attacking the Ward 2 CCG branch. He was the one who had lost his right hand to the Non-Killing Owl, and had also been Shinohara's superior.
That was why he could empathize that at least Kuroiwa hadn't lost his dominant right hand. Back then, losing his right hand had caused his combat ability to decline drastically, leading to his immediate retirement.
"Haah..."
Standing before the hospital bed and looking at his former subordinate and disciple, Iba sighed. "This fool was really unfilial to his superior..."
"..."
Suzuya had remained silent for a long time.
...
Even after Byakuya, Iba, and the others left, he continued to watch over Shinohara's room.
After an unknown amount of time, a beautiful young woman suddenly entered the room.
Seeing Suzuya beside the hospital bed, she immediately asked, "Are you... Suzuya?"
Suzuya was dazed for a moment before quickly realizing who she was.
He immediately bowed deeply, his voice filled with self-reproach. "I'm sorry... If I had performed better, Shinohara-san would..."
"...Suzuya, you don't need to do that. I'm an investigator's wife. I was prepared to face any unexpected situation long ago."
The woman spoke gently. "Yukinori, he... always thought of you as his own child..."
Much later, Shinohara's wife also left. Suzuya continued keeping vigil.
Late at night...
"I'll work hard for both of us. Please rest well..."
Suzuya leaned against Shinohara's bedside and gently kissed his forehead. "...Good night, Shinohara-san."
...
Ward 1 Main Office, General Chairman's Council Chamber.
Commander-in-Chief Yoshitoki Washuu and Vice Commander Marude Itsuki were giving their final report on the Owl Suppression Operation to General Chairman Tsuneyoshi Washuu.
"We failed to capture the most important target, the One-Eyed Owl. We also allowed a mysterious ghoul named 'Madara' to disrupt the situation. The Owl's escape is largely due to that 'Madara.' This failure was due to my lack of foresight. I deeply apologize..."
Before the General Chairman, even though he was facing his own father, Yoshitoki maintained a humble, subservient posture.
"We must eliminate Aogiri Tree's 'One-Eyed Owl'—no, the 'One-Eyed King'—at any cost."
Tsuneyoshi's stern expression remained unchanged. "As for the ghoul named 'Madara'... designate him as the CCG's highest threat level. Codename 'Madara,' SSS-rated target..."
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"