"What's wrong?"
Noticing something off about Yoshimura's reaction, Ukina asked immediately.
"How should I put this... there seem to be quite a few girls who like Byakuya..."
Yoshimura gave an awkward smile as he explained.
"Quite a few meaning how many?"
Ukina pressed.
"Just among those I know about, there are already several."
Yoshimura said.
"..."
Ukina fell silent for a moment. "Then it seems little Eto won't have it easy..."
"Indeed..."
Yoshimura nodded slightly.
"But we don't need to worry too much. That girl is not only adorable but also clever—she'll figure something out."
Ukina said with a smile.
...
As Byakuya left, Eto walked with him for a while.
"Thank you..."
Along the way, Eto suddenly said this.
"Thank me for what?"
Byakuya asked.
"For bringing back my mother and my adoptive father, of course."
Eto said.
"No need to be so formal. Didn't I promise you before?"
Byakuya smiled gently. "As for Noroi-san, I know he was someone very important to you, so naturally I wouldn't forget him."
"To know even that much, I'm starting to wonder if you've been secretly in love with me all along?"
Eto teased.
"Want me to answer seriously?"
Byakuya said.
His sudden seriousness made Eto pause slightly. "...Yes."
"I've always thought you were very cute, and also very pitiable, having gone through so many tragic things. That's why I've always been willing to help you and the Manager."
Byakuya said frankly.
Hearing this, Eto felt a small tug at her heartstrings, but she still managed a quip: "So basically, you just pity me."
"There's pity, but of course there's also affection."
Byakuya said openly.
"Okay okay, I get it."
Eto's cheeks flushed slightly as she muttered under her breath, "Don't suddenly get all serious saying you like me or whatever, idiot..."
Then she deliberately changed the subject. "Speaking of which, how's Akira's mother? She should be back too, right?"
"Mm, barring any surprises, she should be."
Byakuya nodded.
As a former Associate Special Class Investigator, Mado Kasuka's abilities were nothing to worry about.
So even if she might have been resurrected in some strange location, Kasuka would be able to find her way to the Mado residence.
"That's good. Otherwise, every time I face Akira-san, I'd feel guilty—after all, I did that to her mother back then."
Eto sighed.
Back then, she was only fourteen—nowhere near as mature as she would later become. She not only hated humans but harbored extreme hatred for CCG investigators.
At that time, she blindly sought revenge, believing all CCG investigators were the Washuu family's lapdogs who deserved death.
It wasn't until she suffered setbacks that she gradually matured, beginning to lead Aogiri Tree with calculated strategy rather than mindlessly slaughtering ghoul investigators...
"Let the past stay in the past. You're no longer a ghoul, nor a one-eyed ghoul—you're a complete human being now."
Byakuya offered some comfort.
"Mm, but I'd still like to visit the Mado family. Could you come with me sometime?"
Eto asked.