Ghoul: Starting with Sharingan

Eto casually sat on Byakuya's lap, staring straight into his eyes.

"How did you just do that? That ability is totally broken!"

Her tone was full of curiosity.

Byakuya, of course, knew exactly what she was asking about.

"That's just one of my eye's abilities. As for the details... I'd rather keep that a secret."

Even though he knew Eto was extremely curious, he wasn't willing to reveal too much about the secrets of his mangekyo sharingan. 

"Well then… at least show me again? Just one more time?"

Eto lowered the bar a little, making a lighter request.

"Fine."

This time, Byakuya didn't refuse. "But first, get off me. I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"Alright~"

Eto responded playfully but didn't actually get off him. Instead, she simply shifted from his lap to his back, leaning on him so she could observe his abilities up close.

"..."

Byakuya didn't even bother commenting on it.

With a thought, his sharingan appeared.

Using only his right eye, he activated a space-time vortex, summoning a single quinque briefcase out of his Kamui dimension.

It was just a demonstration, after all.

"So, it really just comes straight out of your eye like that?"

Eto, sensing the brief ripple in space, was amazed.

"That's right. And I can send it back in just as easily."

As he spoke, Byakuya demonstrated again, sending the briefcase back into Kamui's dimension.

He used his ocular technique three times in total, but thanks to his high physical endurance and RC cell level, the energy consumption wasn't an issue.

"It's like watching a magic trick… except this one's actually real."

Eto still wasn't satisfied. "Come on, show me more of your eye's abilities!"

"I think that's enough for now. If I overuse these eyes, even I have my limits."

Byakuya admitted, feeling a little awkward.

"Fine, then at least turn off your kagugan before Mayu sees you. That would be a hassle to explain."

Eto reminded him.

They weren't sitting next to Mayu, and she was too focused on the TV to notice what was happening.

Byakuya quickly deactivated his sharingan, returning his eyes to their normal black color.

And so, once again, Byakuya spent the night serving as both a "sandwich filling" and a "hug pillow."

...

As the branch director of CCG's 2nd Ward, Byakuya had some business to take care of in the area today.

Meanwhile, Eto stayed home with Mayu.

As for Aogiri Tree's expansion into the 19th Ward, she left that to Tatara and Noro. Such minor matters didn't require her personal involvement.

As his workday came to an end, Byakuya had just finished handling his tasks.

On his way to the subway station, he happened to pass by a battle scene.

His keen eyesight and perception allowed him to spot a CCG investigator being overwhelmed by a ghoul from a distance.

However, rather than killing the investigator, the ghoul seemed intent on capturing him alive.

Without hesitation, Byakuya retrieved his quinque, STK from his Kamui dimension —a black-and-gold briefcase — and charged forward.

"Tch! Another dove?"

The ghoul frowned behind his mask, his expression unreadable. "Well, two 'merchandise' at once isn't bad either."

He immediately launched a barrage of blue, blade-like projectiles with his ukaku kagune, aiming straight for Byakuya.

But by then, the briefcase in Byakuya's hands had already transformed into its combat form — a massive black-and-white shield resembling butterfly wings.

The shield easily blocked the incoming projectiles, allowing Byakuya to close the distance without needing to dodge.

Seeing his attack completely negated, the ghoul realized this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.

But by the time he understood the situation, it was already too late — or rather, it wouldn't have mattered even if he had reacted in time. Against Byakuya, he had no chance of survival.

As Byakuya reached the ghoul, STK shifted from its shield form into a black-and-white dual-edged greatsword.

In the blink of an eye, the blade sliced downward—

The ghoul never got the chance to escape. He was split clean in two.

[Ding! Host has defeated an A rank ghoul. Reward: +6 Attribute Points!]

Even though this was his first time using the STK, Byakuya found it incredibly comfortable and satisfying to wield.

If the Owl quinque was the ultimate offensive weapon, then STK was the perfect balance of offense and defense.

"Spe...Special Class Byakuya…?"

The investigator who had nearly been captured recognized Byakuya.

He had thought he was done for — about to be tortured and killed. But against all odds, Byakuya had arrived to save him.

Byakuya glanced at the young investigator. He was still relatively inexperienced, so it wasn't surprising he had lost to an A rated ghoul.

Normally, only first class Investigators were expected to handle A rated ghouls. They weren't weak — Byakuya was simply far beyond the norm.

"How bad are your injuries?"

Byakuya asked.

"N-Not too bad. Just some minor wounds."

The young investigator shook his head.

The only reason he wasn't in worse condition was that the ghoul hadn't been trying to kill him — just disarm him and take him alive. His B rated quinque had been knocked away, but he was otherwise unharmed.

"Investigator Byakuya! I have something important to report!"

The young man's expression turned serious. "That ghoul… the reason he didn't kill me was because he wanted me as 'merchandise'.He mentioned something about an auction…"

"I see."

Byakuya's expression remained calm.

The moment he heard the word "merchandise," he had already guessed what this was about — the underground ghoul "Auction."

A secret event where ghouls bought and sold human captives.

Anyone could be put up for sale—celebrities, investigators, ordinary civilians. There was nothing those ghouls wouldn't auction off.

Take Juuzou Suzuya, for example. He had been kidnapped as a child and allegedly sold at one such auction before being "adopted" by the ghoul known as Big Madam...