"..."
Matsumae fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Master, Madam, I'll go prepare some nourishing soup for you both later."
Of course, "Madam" was the title Rize had long insisted that Matsumae and Kanae use when addressing her.
"...That won't be necessary."
Byakuya's expression turned awkward.
Matsumae's reaction made it abundantly clear she understood exactly what had transpired between him and Rize.
"Is that so? Very well then."
Matsumae's face remained expressionless. "Also, I won't speak of this matter to anyone."
"..."
Byakuya found himself at a loss for words.
Rize, on the other hand, seemed entirely unbothered. She felt not the slightest hint of embarrassment.
"By the way, Madam, would you like me to tidy up your room?"
Matsumae directed the question to Rize.
After all, given what had occurred in there, it was only proper to ask permission before entering.
"Whatever you like. If you don't mind, then please go ahead."
Rize waved dismissively.
Byakuya couldn't help but feel a certain admiration for Rize's complete lack of bashfulness.
"Understood..."
Matsumae nodded slightly.
She entered Rize's room, first making sure to lock the door behind her before beginning to clean...
The moment she stepped inside, her eyes were instinctively drawn to the battlefield of the previous night—the bed.
Master and Rize-sama have already progressed this far... and this is between a human and a ghoul, no less...
Matsumae mused silently.
She gathered the bedsheets to be washed.
As she cleaned, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of something—she was already in her mid-twenties and had never experienced such things herself.
What did it feel like...?
But forget about that—she hadn't even experienced love yet...
...
By this time, Byakuya and Rize had already headed downstairs.
Fortunately, they had showered before leaving the room. Otherwise, given that everyone in the house was a ghoul, the scent on them would have been quite obvious...
Apart from Matsumae, Byakuya, and Rize themselves, no one knew what had happened.
Everything proceeded as normal.
...
Quinx Squad.
The entire squad was still working from the house as usual.
Kiyoko Aura was available to provide guidance at any time.
Since she remained partnered with Kurona and Nashiro, she spent most of her time here.
Byakuya and Akira Mado, on the other hand, typically worked at the Ward 20 Branch office. They only came here when there was nothing pressing to attend to.
Today happened to be one of those quiet days, so Byakuya and Akira had come to the Quinx Squad residence.
"There was a ghoul wearing a 'Black Rabbit' mask that suddenly appeared in Ward 6 recently. We initially suspected a connection to White Rabbit, but he only showed up for two days before vanishing again."
Seated in the living room, Akira discussed the Black Rabbit matter with Byakuya.
"Mm, I'm aware of this Black Rabbit as well. Perhaps he'll suddenly resurface somewhere else after a while. It's probably meant to divert our attention."
Byakuya replied, "When we focus on White Rabbit, Black Rabbit suddenly appears to draw us away. Once our attention shifts to him, he disappears again..."
For now, Byakuya offered this fabricated speculation.
After all, he couldn't exactly say that Black Rabbit and White Rabbit had already been reunited with their family and wouldn't be appearing again.
"That does seem like the most likely possibility..."
Akira remained deep in thought over the matter.
Just then, Kiyoko emerged from Kurona and Nashiro's room.
"Byakuya, Akira—they've run into some problems they can't solve. I'm currently helping Kurona and Nashiro. Could you two handle the other four?"
"Sure."
Byakuya nodded, then turned to Akira. "Let's go help them."
"Mm..."
Akira temporarily set aside the Black Rabbit matter.
Byakuya headed to Urie's room first, while Akira went to check on Saiko.
He found Urie sitting at his desk, staring at his laptop screen with a troubled expression. The young man seemed so absorbed in his frustration that he hadn't even noticed Byakuya's footsteps.
"What's wrong?"
Byakuya asked.
"Ah!"
Urie whipped around, nearly jumping out of his skin. "Amaha-san, you're here. I'm just having trouble with this document."
"Let me see..."
Byakuya examined the screen.
He discovered that while Urie knew how to open a document, he apparently had no idea how to format it properly. He'd added a chaotic mess of formatting and formulas that made the whole thing look like a disaster.
"You're working on documents?"
Byakuya asked.
He was quite proficient with computer documents himself.
In fact, every official CCG investigator needed to be competent in this area.
For instance, every investigator had to submit at least one report per week—even if nothing had happened that week. That was just the most basic job requirement.
Then there was intelligence documentation and all the rest—where else did anyone think all those files on his desk came from?
Clearly, Urie and the others simply weren't very familiar with computers.
After all, they hadn't had much formal schooling. At the Academy, they'd primarily studied ghoul-related subjects.
Whether in the one-year elite track or the two-year standard curriculum, there wasn't much time dedicated to teaching computer skills.
"Yes."
Urie then explained the document requirements to Byakuya.
Byakuya handled it in no time, demonstrating the process as he went.
"That's amazing!"
Urie exclaimed in admiration. "No wonder Hairu-san likes you, Amaha-san..."
The words slipped out before he could stop them. He immediately caught himself. "Ah! Sorry, that was out of line!"
...
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