"Don't worry. I'm just mentioning it in passing. Personally, I have great respect for Arima-san."
Byakuya said.
"What do I have to worry about with you? I was just surprised. I didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly..."
Eto laughed lightly.
Given Byakuya's power, if he truly wanted to harm her and Arima, he wouldn't need to beat around the bush—he could just take direct action.
So she had no reason to worry about this.
"Yeah... Arima-san being Aogiri Tree's 'One-Eyed King' was quite surprising to me too."
Byakuya said mildly. "After all, he's also V Organization's 'Cleaner'..."
"Rize must have told you that."
Eto said. "Actually, Arima and I started working together long ago. But after all these years of effort, everything went to waste overnight a little while ago."
The "little while ago" she referred to was naturally the Owl Suppression.
She was clearly alluding to Byakuya.
"Nothing I could do about that. When it comes to the Manager, I won't back down."
Byakuya said casually.
If he had handed the Manager over to Eto to be used as an experimental subject, wouldn't everything he had done have been for nothing too?
"I know, I know. I'm not going to keep dwelling on it. If there's no need for that old man to sacrifice himself, I don't really want him to die like that either. He's still my father, after all..."
Eto continued to speak harshly about her old father.
But Yoshimura had truly wronged Eto far too much. Even his desperate efforts to protect her from the shadows couldn't make up for the suffering she had endured.
Not only had she been alone and helpless in the extremely chaotic and dangerous Ward 24, but her mother had been killed by her father's own hand...
Eto's despair toward the world was one matter. Her resentment toward her father was another.
Changing the world was certainly more important than her private grudge against her father, but that didn't mean Eto didn't harbor such feelings.
So even though Eto continued to speak disrespectfully about the Manager, Byakuya said nothing.
"That would naturally be for the best. As long as Manager Yoshimura is fine."
Byakuya also made his stance clear.
"You..."
Eto sighed. "Alright, I understand now why you care so much about me and Kuzen. I happen to have some free time in a couple of days. I'll drop by your coffee shop—though honestly, I'm pretty free every day..."
As long as there was hope of changing this world—as long as she didn't have to bear such enormous pressure alone—there was nothing absolutely irreconcilable between her and Yoshimura.
Now Byakuya was the hope in her eyes. In her view, Byakuya's success was only a matter of time. She just didn't know what his plan actually was...
There was no hatred that absolutely required mutual destruction. Just like in the original story, when the Dragon Orphans appeared, humans and ghouls—now facing a common enemy—had formed cooperation and peace.
Ken Kaneki, who became the One-Eyed King, was only one of the main contributors. Furuta Nimura, Kanou Akihiro, and others also deserved significant credit, as they had driven the emergence of Dragon. Almost every element had been indispensable.
"'Takatsuki-sensei' is always welcome."
Byakuya responded with a smile.
"Speaking of which... didn't you establish a ghoul organization? It appeared during the last Suppression, didn't it?"
Eto suddenly asked.
"That's right. That's also part of my plan."
Byakuya nodded slightly.
More precisely, it was an important component for earning Fusion Points. This could also be considered part of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
"I see. No wonder you were dressed like that. Your organization's other members should have the same attire. That'll make it easier to tell you apart next time."
Eto said casually while sipping her coffee.
"Actually, I think Aogiri Tree could merge with the organization I've established. After all, our ultimate goals are the same, even if our specific plans and ideologies differ."
Byakuya suddenly remembered the matter of expanding the Akatsuki Organization.
Aogiri Tree had several hundred members if not a thousand. Merging them would surely yield plenty of Fusion Points.
"Hm? I didn't expect you to have such plans."
Eto was somewhat surprised. "While merging is certainly possible, don't you think it'd be a loss for me if I don't set some conditions?"
Of course, if the other party intended to forcibly absorb them through power, then there was no question of loss—and she couldn't resist anyway.
She was speaking this way with Byakuya because he hadn't shown an aggressive or domineering attitude.
"What conditions? Don't tell me you still want me to inherit the title of 'One-Eyed King'?"
Byakuya guessed.
He felt that any condition Eto might propose would be closely related to this.
"I won't bring up something you can already guess. If I'm going to make a demand, it'll be one you won't expect. As for what exactly that is, I'll tell you once I've decided~"
Eto said mysteriously.
This seemed to be mimicking Byakuya's earlier approach—he had ultimately made a request that surprised her.
"As you wish."
Byakuya said mildly.
Eto narrowed her eyes slightly. "Your indifferent attitude is really annoying. I'll definitely come up with a condition that'll shock you."
"I'll look forward to it."
Byakuya's demeanor remained calm.
"Oh, right—if we're going to merge, shouldn't you tell me what your organization is called?"
Eto asked.
"Akatsuki. The 'Akatsuki' of dawn. That's its name."
Byakuya answered.
"Akatsuki...?"
Hearing this name, Eto suddenly thought of something. "...I recall your current partner at the CCG is a girl named 'Akira Mado,' right?"
"Don't tell me your 'Akatsuki' Organization is named after her? Naming an organization after a girl you like... wouldn't that be a bit too lame~?"
Eto took the opportunity to tease Byakuya.
And also... Mado... such a distant surname...
Eto still remembered the female investigator known as "Associate Special Class Mado" whom she had killed ten years ago...
...
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