He didn't bring up his ideals or future plans with Arima Kishou right away.
If he rushed into such a conversation, there was no way he could earn Arima's trust.
After all, Arima was still completely bound by V, the shadow organization that controlled the Sunlit Garden. There was no way he'd easily turn against them.
For now, it was best to let things develop naturally.
Not long after Byakuya and Arima met, the CCG assigned them a new investigation mission, another undercover operation.
"Infiltrating Seishin High School in the 13th Ward by posing as students...?"
Receiving the mission details, Byakuya was somewhat surprised.
Seishin High School… Wasn't that the school of Lantern, the ghoul Uruka Minami?
By all accounts, Arima should have already eliminated her by this point in the timeline.
It seemed like some small details had shifted, but it likely wouldn't affect the bigger picture.
[Ding! Host has accepted the mission to infiltrate Seishin High School and investigate ghouls. Hidden mission "Tokyo Ghoul: Jack" has been activated!]
[Mission 1: Enroll as a student at Seishin High School and join Taishi Fura's delinquent gang.]
[Mission Reward: 10 Attribute Points]
The moment the system notification sounded, Byakuya immediately understood the connection.
Fura Taishi-he knew that name.
In the original timeline, Fura became an Associate-Special-Class Investigator, and he had a past friendship with Arima, one that began when Arima went undercover at Seishin High.
As for the "delinquent gang" mentioned in the mission…
Well, that was because Fura was a delinquent back in high school, running around with a group of troublemakers.
"The investigation begins in three days. Arima, use the time to prepare."
Byakuya turned to Arima, speaking in a calm tone.
"Mm."
Arima simply nodded slightly, offering no further words.
With that, the two of them went their separate ways for now.
Since the mission wouldn't begin for three days, Byakuya decided to return to his job at Shoei Publishing in the 2nd Ward.
The next night.
Byakuya had just finished dinner at home when Eto Yoshimura showed up at his door.
As expected, she had come looking for him first.
"Takatsuki-sensei, have you finished dealing with your other affairs?"
Byakuya asked as he opened the door for her.
"Mm... That's why I'm here; to continue refining the second edition of Dear Kafka."
Eto nodded lightly.
The girl standing before him looked as innocent and delicate as ever.
It was almost impossible for an average person to associate this seemingly fragile, endearing young author with the SSS-Rated One-Eyed Owl.
"Alright, come in, Takatsuki-sensei."
Byakuya acted as though nothing was out of the ordinary, keeping up the facade that he knew nothing of her true identity.
Of course, deep inside, he remained completely vigilant, he simply didn't let it show on his face.
Because now, Eto knew he was a CCG Investigator.
And considering her deep hatred toward the CCG, she could choose to kill him at any moment.
After all, the ones responsible for her mother's death… the ones who forced her into growing up in the brutal, lawless depths of the 24th Ward…
The real masterminds behind her suffering were none other than V.
And the CCG was secretly deeply intertwined with V.
At the same time, Eto was testing him.
She wanted to confirm, beyond any doubt, that Byakuya hadn't uncovered her identity as the One-Eyed Owl.
Observing Byakuya's unwavering, expressionless demeanor, Eto found no difference from their past interactions.
He showed no hesitation, no unnatural reaction.
Everything was just as usual.
That settled it. There was no way he knew.
Logically speaking, there was no reason for him to know her true identity in the first place.
So, Eto dismissed the minuscule possibility that he was simply acting perfectly.
More importantly, she had no intention of making a move against him.
If she killed Byakuya here, the CCG would quickly discover their frequent interactions, making her the prime suspect.
And beyond that, she still needed his financial support.
She also wanted to see her book; Dear Kafka successfully published.
At this moment, killing him was far more trouble than it was worth.
However, just then, Byakuya's phone rang.
A quick glance at the caller ID-"Arima Kishou".
For the first time, Byakuya felt a bit awkward.
Of all times, Arima had to call right now?
Still, it wasn't a big deal.
He calmly answered the call right in front of Eto, as if nothing was amiss.
If he hesitated even for a moment; it could easily arouse Eto's suspicion.
After all, she was just a "normal person", right?
So why would a CCG investigator hesitate to answer his colleague's call in front of her?
The moment the call connected, Arima spoke.
"First-Class Uchiha, we're meeting the day after tomorrow. Will it be at Headquarters in the 1st Ward or the 2nd Ward branch?"
"Neither. Let's just meet directly at the 13th Ward branch."
Byakuya replied without missing a beat.
Seishin High School was located in the 13th Ward.
"Understood."
Arima immediately hung up, cutting the call short without any unnecessary words.
Yet, in doing so, he had unknowingly made things even trickier for Byakuya.
If Byakuya had shown even the slightest unnatural reaction in front of Eto, it could have triggered her suspicion.
Thankfully, he handled it flawlessly.
Eto, now completely certain that Byakuya had no idea she was the One-Eyed Owl, took the opportunity to ask:
"That person just now… They called you 'First-Class Uchiha.' By 'First-Class,' do they mean… First-Class Investigator?"
"Mm. I'm a First-Class Investigator in the CCG. That was just my colleague calling about work."
Byakuya answered calmly, without hesitation.
At this point, there was no point in hiding his identity from Eto.
He might as well be straightforward.
"Ohh… So Uchiha-san is not only an editor, but also a ghoul investigator for the CCG. That's really impressive…"
Eto spoke with the perfect tone of an ordinary, awestruck young girl.
"It's nothing special. Originally, I infiltrated the publishing company as part of an investigation on ghouls. But I found myself actually interested in the editor role… and more importantly, I discovered a genius writer like you, Takatsuki-sensei. So, I decided to stick around."
Byakuya replied smoothly.
"I see… That's a bit overwhelming, to be honest."
Eto tilted her head slightly, feigning mild surprise.
After all, his words made sense.
If he didn't know her true identity, then he had no other reason to invest so much effort in publishing her book.
This skilled bastard of a CCG investigator, somehow seemed strangely interesting…
She'd keep her eye on him a little longer.