Ghoul: Starting with Sharingan

A brief and delicate moment of contact,

And that warm, soft sensation,

Made Byakuya's pupils slightly contract.

This sudden gesture from Eto was clearly beyond his expectations.

"Eto..."

Byakuya's gaze carried a hint of surprise as he looked at her.

At that moment, a faint redness graced Eto's cheeks. But it didn't seem like it was out of shyness. Her teasing expression made it clear she wasn't embarrassed.

That scene had struck most of the investigators present like a bolt of lightning.

How did wiping sweat turn into... a kiss?

This was too much!

Could they not be this tormenting?

Kureo and Kasuka had already left with Akira, sparing her from witnessing this inappropriate-for-children scene.

On the other side, Rize looked on, seemingly deep in thought.

It seemed she was ready to start mimicking again.

Rize brushed aside her bangs with one hand, sitting in a common Japanese pose, and leaned slowly toward Furuta.

As her lips drew closer, Furuta's face turned increasingly red.

"R-Rize... Wait!"

Just as there were only a few centimeters between them, Furuta could almost feel her breath. But in this situation, he couldn't hold out any longer.

Flustered, Furuta covered his face with his hands.

"What's wrong? Don't you like this?"

Rize tilted her head in confusion.

"It's not that I don't like it... It's just that we're not at that stage yet..."

Furuta stammered, his gaze darting elsewhere, too embarrassed to meet her eyes.

"That stage?"

Rize immediately pressed on.

"Well... like the relationship Byakuya and Eto have. You need to be like them to do this sort of thing, right?"

Blushing deeply, Furuta avoided her gaze entirely.

"Is that so?"

Rize didn't fully grasp the implications. "If it's about marriage, then I guess it's impossible for us anyway."

Because of her identity, marriage to Furuta was out of the question.

Her nonchalant remark left Furuta in silence.

Thinking about the painful and cruel experiences awaiting Rize, and in the bittersweet atmosphere of the moment, Furuta felt a pang of sorrow.

The mood between them shifted, though others around them didn't notice. To the onlookers, Furuta and Rize were just naïve kids.

But it was precisely this innocence that dealt the strongest blow to the onlookers.

Byakuya and Eto's earlier scene had already left them devastated. Now Furuta and Rize had poured salt on the wound.

"I can't take it anymore. I need some fresh air..."

"Ugh! I just want to fall in love, too!"

"Alright, alright. Tonight I'll take you to a new maid café that just opened. It'll cheer you up for sure."

...

At CCG's closing time, Byakuya prepared to send Furuta and Rize back to the Sunlit Garden.

He didn't need to personally escort them, though, as Yoshitoki had arranged for someone else to take care of it.

"Goodbye, Brother Byakuya! Bye, Sister Eto!"

"Goodbye."

Furuta and Rize waved as they departed.

"Alright, rest well when you get back" Byakuya replied.

Once Furuta and Rize were taken away by a half-human working for CCG, Byakuya and Eto headed home together.

"Those two kids are really adorable" Eto said, humming a tune as they walked.

"Yeah..." Byakuya responded.

Although Eto's earlier kiss had shocked him, his thoughts were now focused on Furuta and Rize.

There was no rush to free them from the Washuu clan yet — it wasn't the right time.

But it wouldn't be long now...

"By the way, you're heading to the 24th Ward for an investigation tomorrow, right?" Eto suddenly asked.

"Yeah, I go there every week around this time with Akira to deal with certain 'issues.'" Byakuya nodded.

"Perfect timing, then. You can lend us a hand. We've been having trouble with a ghoul organization in the 24th Ward lately" Eto explained. "Most of the ghouls unwilling to join Aogiri Tree have aligned themselves with that group. Their leader is also the current 'manager' of the 24th Ward. It'll be tough to take them down quickly."

Though confident in her eventual success, Eto admitted it would take time.

Her wounds had healed, but Aogiri Tree was still a fledgling organization, while the enemy had been entrenched in the 24th Ward for years.

"Alright" Byakuay agreed without hesitation.

It would also give him a chance to strengthen himself — a win-win.

"Great. I'll leave it to you, my king'" Eto said lightly.

...

Back home, as Eto prepared dinner, her thoughts wandered back to the kiss.

Looking back, she realized how bold she'd been, acting on impulse.

Eto didn't feel embarrassed, though. She concluded that she must really like that guy, which was why her actions had come so naturally.

Even after acknowledging her feelings, she wasn't the least bit shy.

Glancing at Byakuya, Eto thought to herself, 'This idiot is so infuriating. How did he manage to make me feel this way without even trying?'

"Eto, don't get distracted while chopping vegetables" Byakuya reminded her suddenly.

With his sharingan, noticing Eto's absentmindedness was inevitable.

"What's the big deal? Even if I accidentally cut myself, I'll heal right away" Eto replied nonchalantly.

With her formidable regeneration, such minor injuries were nothing.

"That may be true, but it would still hurt, wouldn't it?" Byakuya countered.

"Hurt...?"

Eto froze momentarily.

Pain no longer fazed her.

But then she snapped back to reality.

Byakuya spoke again, "Yeah, that's why I'm concerned about you."

"So that's how it is..."

Eto's lips curled into a smile.

"Well then, Mr. Lolicon, there's no denying it anymore~ ❤"