Ghoul: Starting with Sharingan

24th Ward

Roma had already been taken by Eto to the base of the 24th Ward in Aogiri Tree.

At that moment, Eto's entire body was once again wrapped in white bandages, and she was wrapped in a red cloak.

She was the only one guarding Roma here.

"Ah, you're finally back."

From a distance, Eto heard the sound of approaching footsteps and quickly deduced that Byakuya had returned.

"How is her condition?"

Byakuya, who wore a mask, had undergone a noticeable change in appearance.

"I temporarily subdued her with RC suppressants. I was waiting for you to return" Eto replied.

It wasn't surprising that she had access to RC suppressants, given her history of repeatedly attacking the CCG.

Roma lay on her side, her hands and feet securely bound by Eto.

The RC suppressant in particular left her too weak to break free of her bonds by force.

So...

In truth, Roma had already regained consciousness, but chose to lie there, abandoning any attempt to struggle.

"Gypsy - that's your code name, isn't it?"

Byakuya spoke. "Or should I call you the Founder of Clowns?"

It was important to note that only the Washuu Clan and V within the CCG knew Roma's true identity.

Otherwise, Tsuneyoshi wouldn't have personally captured her at that time.

Even among the CCG's top investigators, Roma was considered nothing more than an SSS rated target for elimination.

When she heard Byakuya's words, Roma finally reacted.

She turned around, sat up and stared at him in astonishment.

Only a handful of people knew that she was the founder of the Clowns, and she had no memory of the masked man before her.

Apparently, Roma hadn't realized that the one-eyed ghoul in the mask was the same black-clad investigator who had defeated her in Cochlea.

In fact, she mistook him for the one-eyed kakuja she had encountered in the underground passage earlier. After all, they were both one-eyed ghouls.

This misunderstanding stemmed from the fact that Roma had been knocked unconscious after being defeated by Byakuya in Cochlea. When she awoke, all she saw was Eto wrapped in white bandages.

"What exactly do you want from me? Are you trying to recruit me into your Aogiri Tree?"

Roma finally asked.

"That's right. Serve the Aogiri Tree or face death."

Byakuya's tone was indifferent.

"Looks like I don't have much of a choice."

Roma, however, showed no sign of fear. Instead, she smiled nonchalantly. "But let me make one thing clear: I may have been the original leader of the Clowns, but I've been imprisoned in Cochlea for so long that the current members may not even listen to me."

She assumed that their main goal was to integrate the Clowns into the Aogiri Tree, so she preemptively addressed the issue.

And she wasn't wrong. She had no idea how many successors the Clowns had or who the new members were.

"Got it."

Byakuya didn't say much. His priority was to complete his system quest.

Besides, it was no disadvantage that Roma worked for Aogiri Tree - on the contrary, it was an advantage.

After all, she was still an SSS rated ghoul, undeniably powerful. Besides, she had met the original One-Eyed King in the past and knew some hidden secrets about the Washuu clan.

"All right, I guess I have no choice but to obey. I'm willing to serve Aogiri Tree. Can you untie me now?"

Roma offered no further resistance, knowing it would be futile.

"Eto..."

Byakuya said quietly.

"Got it~"

Eto went over and began to untie Roma.

"You tied my wrists and ankles so tight - it hurts" Roma said, feigning a pouty, hurt expression.

With her relatively cute appearance, this act made her look even more pathetic.

"...You should be grateful that I didn't cut off your hands and feet" Eto replied icily.

"Huh?! Don't be so cruel!"

Roma exaggerated her reaction, playing up her shock.

"That's enough, Eto."

Byakuya intervened, not because he sympathized with Roma, but because he had no interest in her theatrics.

However, Eto seemed to misunderstand his intentions.

"..."

Eto fell silent, her expression hidden beneath the bandages.

She assumed that Byakuya's words were meant to favor Roma and so...

"What should I do next?"

Roma's cheerful demeanor was completely at odds with someone who had just been subjugated.

Byakuya thought for a moment before answering, "For now, you'll be working at the Anteiku in the 20th Ward. Your job will be to protect the ghouls there if necessary."

He wasn't worried about Roma causing trouble at Anteiku. Her strength was no match for Yoshimura's, and besides, the cafe was also protected by Renji Yomo, Koma Enji, and Irimi Kaya, all formidable SS rated ghouls.

As for Hikari, she might not always be at Anteiku, but she would undoubtedly visit it to see Yomo.

"Sure, sure~"

Roma agreed without hesitation, her demeanor compliant.

[Ding! Host has successfully completed 'Quest 3: Defeat the original Leader of Clowns, SSS rated 'The Dodgy Mother' Roma Hoito, and recruit her into Aogiri Tree. Reward: 100 Attribute Points!]

Figuring out how to integrate herself into Anteiku was easy for someone like Roma. She didn't need to ask Byakuya for details, she would investigate and handle it on her own.

Byakuya had now achieved another goal.

The CCG and the had assigned him and Arima to investigate Aogiri Tree's operations in the 24th district. As part of the mission, they were required to go to the 24th Ward once a week.

This arrangement didn't interfere much with their daily routine.

If anything, it gave Byakuya an excuse to hang out in the 24th Ward and conveniently blame the labyrinthine layout of the Ward for slow progress when he reported back to the CCG and V. This was, after all, a tactic Arima himself had used in the original story.

"Dinner's ready, Miss Takatsuki"

Byakuya called after preparing the meal. Eto was still in bed, not bothering to come down.

In the past, she had been willing to learn to cook with him. This time, however, she showed no interest.

"You used to call me Eto, and now you're back to 'Miss Takatsuki'?"

Eto's voice was slightly cold.

Byakuya noticed that her tone was a bit colder than usual.

Was it just his imagination?

Had he unintentionally upset her?

Could it really only be a problem with the way he addressed her? After all, he had used "Miss Takatsuki" many times before.

Byakuya felt confused, not sure what was bothering Eto.

"Alright, I'll stick to Eto from now on" he said.

He actually found "Eto" easier to say, and "Miss Takatsuki" was just a habit he'd picked up before.

"That's more like it."

Still, Eto's tone didn't improve much.

This made Byakuya even more confused. Was it just a sudden bad mood on her part?

During dinner, Eto Yoshimura suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence. "Someone had the audacity to say he didn't like lolis, but now he's completely in love with that 'clown'"

By "clown" she meant Roma, of course.

"Roma Hoito? No, no, no," Byakuya denied immediately. "That person is no loli. Her real age is older than yours and mine together."

"Even if you say that, a lolicon is still a lolicon" Eto replied dismissively, refusing to believe his explanation.

"Wait, I think you're misunderstanding something. When exactly did I become 'infatuated' with Roma?" Byakuya was genuinely puzzled, unaware of any such incident.

"Well, you seemed awfully eager to recruit her into the Aogiri Tree" Eto listed her evidence. "And earlier, you even spoke up for her. Isn't that proof enough?"

Byakuya was speechless for a moment before he finally understood.

"This is a misunderstanding" he explained. "I only brought her to the Aogiri Tree to increase its strength. There's nothing more to it."

He added, "Besides, I assigned her to work at Anteiku. If I had any interest in her, I wouldn't have given her such a job."

Of course, he couldn't mention the system mission that required him to recruit Roma.

"Is that so?" Eto replied, her tone still skeptical.

She wasn't going to take his simple explanation at face value. In fact, she suspected that Byakuya's actions were meant to ensure that Roma could protect that girl, Minami.

"Of course it is. And about me 'speaking up' for her, you misunderstood. I just couldn't stand to watch her exaggerated antics anymore" Byakuya went on to explain.

"Oh~" Eto replied nonchalantly, still sounding unconvinced.

But after thinking about it, she admitted that Byakuya's attitude towards the "Clown Girl" didn't seem to have any special meaning.

"Well, that's all I can say to clear this up" Byakuya concluded with a touch of resignation.

"Fine, we'll leave the 'Clown Girl' for now" Eto said, shifting her focus. "But how about taking me to meet Minami sometime soon - preferably in the next few days."

Although she was no longer worried about Roma, Minami was still on her mind.

"All right, tomorrow works. It's not a day for me and Arima to go to the 24th District for investigations anyway" Byakuya agreed.

After their earlier conversation, Eto's tone had returned to normal, losing its former coldness.

Byakuya couldn't help but think that her coldness had indeed been the result of a misunderstanding - albeit a rather absurd one. She had actually suspected him of having that kind of interest in Roma.

For the record, he wasn't into lolis.

And secondly, he definitely couldn't have feelings for someone older than his own mother...

Apart from the usual manuscript editing, Byakuya and Eto didn't do much else that night.

Since their first overnight stay, Eto had stopped returning to the 24th Ward late at night. The soft, comfortable bed here was a much better alternative to the harsh conditions back there.

Deep into the night, as Byakuya slept soundly, he suddenly felt something pressing against his waist and abdomen.

His sharp senses immediately jolted him awake, only to discover Eto's hand resting there. Realizing it was hers, he relaxed.

"Eto...?"

He almost called her "Miss Takatsuki" out of habit, but quickly corrected himself.

Eto didn't answer.

"Eto?"

He called softly again, but there was still no answer.

It seemed that she was fast asleep and had unconsciously used him as a pillow.

Not wanting to disturb her with something so trivial, Byakuya let it go and went back to sleep.

The next morning, Byakuya awoke earlier than Eto. Gently pulling her hand away from him, he got up and went about his morning routine. Eto remained blissfully unaware of what had happened during the night.

To fulfill Eto's wish to meet Minami, Byakuya asked Arima for her address.

Minami had recently moved from the 13th Ward to an apartment near Anteiku in the 20th Ward. This made it easier for her to get Anteiku's support.

She had also joined the "Body Retrieval Team" working with Yomo and others to collect human bodies-those who had died by suicide, often in secluded places to avoid inconveniencing others.

Given Japan's high suicide rate, this was an unfortunate but necessary task.

Byakuya and Eto accompanied Arima to visit Minami in her new home.

"Thanks for having us~" Eto greeted cheerfully, once again showing her lively side, similar to when she met the Kirishima siblings.

"Welcome, Arima, Byakuya... And this is...?"

Minami looked genuinely pleased; it wasn't every day that Arima suggested a visit. But the petite, green-haired girl standing in front of her was a complete stranger.

Fortunately, Eto's appearance and demeanor seemed approachable.

"She's..." Byakuya started, only to stop mid-sentence.

He realized that it might not be wise to introduce Eto as "Eto Yoshimura". The name could easily connect her with Yoshimura, the manager of Anteiku, and complicate their relationship.

To be on the safe side, Byakuya naturally continued, "She's a friend of mine. Her name is..."

Before he could finish, Eto interrupted with a mischievous smile and addressed Minami directly.

"Hello, I'm Uchiha Eto. It's a pleasure to meet you~"