Ghoul: Starting with Sharingan

"Steak, hamburger patties, potatoes..."

Eto was pushing a shopping cart, strolling through the market alongside Byakuya, picking out ingredients.

Byakuya mostly let Eto take the lead, buying whatever she chose. After all, most of the things she picked were things he liked as well.

"Alright, this should be enough" Eto said after selecting the items she wanted.

Noticing that Byakuya hadn't chosen anything yet, she asked, "Aren't you going to pick anything? Why am I the only one choosing?"

"Because you've already chosen for me" Byakuya replied.

"...I see. In that case, I guess we don't have enough" Eto said.

She had originally restrained herself, thinking Byakuya would want to buy his own items, but now she unceremoniously grabbed a few more packs of assorted meats.

"Alright, let's go grab a few apples, and then we can head home."

She pushed the cart toward the fruit section.

"Wait for me by the fruits for a moment. I need to pick up something else" Byakuya said, remembering the doll he had promised to get for Rize.

"Okay~" Eto didn't think much of it.

But a short while later...

Eto eyed the stuffed bear in Byakuya's hands. Initially, she almost thanked him out of habit, but then it struck her — she hadn't mentioned wanting a doll.

"Is this for me?" she asked cautiously.

"No" Byakuya replied bluntly.

"Oh~?" Eto's eyes narrowed slightly. "Then who is it for?"

"A child at the Sunlit Garden, who will soon become my apprentice" Byakuya explained honestly.

"Apprentice?"

Eto grew a bit suspicious.

The kind of child who'd want a stuffed toy was probably a girl. Taking in a female apprentice seemed... curious.

"Why the sudden interest in taking on a girl as your apprentice?" she asked pointedly.

"Because she's... special" Byakuya admitted.

Eto's eyes turned sharp at the word "special" though Byakuya hadn't finished explaining.

"She's the 'womb' of the Washuu clan—the ghoul with the purest bloodline" he clarified.

"Ah... I see."

Eto blinked in surprise, realizing she had misunderstood.

She composed herself quickly, seamlessly steering the conversation toward the Washuu family. "I didn't know the Washuu clan had something like a 'womb'. It's impressive you managed to take someone so important as an apprentice."

Clearly, she wasn't privy to such deep secrets of the Washuu clan.

Back when Eto's mother, Ukina, investigated V, she uncovered some Washuu clan secrets but didn't learn about the existence of the 'womb'.

"Not really. While the child is important to the Washuu clan, her status is surprisingly low. I'm simply taking advantage of their twisted hierarchy..."

Byakuya explained Rize's low status and the reasons behind it.

Eto sighed. "Their obsession with becoming human is downright sick. The purest ghoul ends up with the lowest status..."

"But that works in our favor. Taking their 'womb' away will cause all sorts of trouble for them."

Eto's attitude shifted dramatically — she now fully supported Byakuya taking Rize as an apprentice.

Still, she harbored some concerns.

After all, Byakuya had mentioned that Rize was only about ten years old...

"But if a certain lolicon does anything inappropriate, I'll report him to the authorities immediately" Eto said sweetly, though her tone was laced with warning. "Imagine —CCG's first Special-Class Investigator to be arrested by the police. It'd be both unprecedented and unrivaled~"

Byakuya instantly understood who she was talking about.

"...I'm not that bad" he muttered, sighing. "Let's focus on the main topic. Besides Rize, there's also a boy named Furuta. He's the biological son of Tsuneyoshi and half-brother to Yoshitoki, the current bureau chief. But like Rize, he's relegated to a lowly status due to the Washuu clan's system."

"You're saying you've taken him as an apprentice, too?" Eto asked.

"Yes, both Rize and Nimura will become my apprentices" Byakuya confirmed.

"How interesting. I'd love to meet them" Eto said, suddenly inspired. "Furuta and Rize— both meant to be core members of the Washuu clan but cast aside to the Sunlit Garden. Fascinating!"

Characters with tragic backstories and twisted fates were her favorite types for storytelling.

"Meeting them is easy. I'm picking them up from the Sunlit Garden tomorrow" Byakuya said as he pushed the cart toward the checkout.

...

With each passing day, Eto's cooking skills improved as she cooked alongside Byakuya.

"Here, try this. Tell me if my skills have improved," Eto said, holding a piece of hamburger patty with her chopsticks and offering it to Byakuya. "Say 'ah~~'"

Byakuya felt slightly awkward but complied.

The perfectly grilled patty released a delightful burst of flavor as he chewed.

"It's delicious," he said earnestly. "The balance of seasonings is spot-on, and the slight charring on the outside is just right. You've definitely improved."

Eto, though pleased with the praise, wanted more constructive feedback.

"I'd rather hear about the flaws so I can improve further" she said.

She found Byakuya's critiques honest and valuable.

Deep down, she hoped he'd remain her taste tester for life, ensuring her cooking continued to evolve.