[Ding! The host has completed a daily sign-in. Reward: 1 Attribute Point!]
Uchiha Byakuya never forgot to sign in every day, after all, free attribute points were something he couldn't afford to pass up.
Moreover, accumulating sign-ins for a certain number of days would grant him additional attribute points.
At this moment, Byakuya had arrived at the CCG's Experimental Lab in the 1st Ward.
Earlier this morning, he received news that his A-rank Quinques, Tsukikage and Fūrei, had been successfully repaired, and that his SSS-rank Quinque, Owl, had been completed.
Led by the research staff, Byakuya received all of his Quinques.
"Associate Special Class Uchiha, we noticed that you seem accustomed to dual-wielding, so we designed a more convenient storage method for Tsukikage and Fūrei," the researcher explained.
"The same applies to your two SSS-rank Quinques, Owl, though their storage case is about one to two sizes larger than a standard briefcase."
In other words, instead of separating each Quinque into its own case, the research team had combined them into shared storage units.
Thus, what Uchiha Byakuya received were two slightly larger briefcases; one containing Tsukikage and Fūrei, and the other housing both SSS-rank Owl Quinques.
To distinguish between them, the researchers even embedded gold-colored patterns onto the Owl's storage case, using real gold.
"Appreciate it."
Byakuya thanked them out of habit.
This storage method was indeed more convenient for him.
The larger cases didn't matter-after all, he could simply store them in Kamui's dimension and retrieve them at will.
For opponents below SSS-rank, he would use Tsukikage and Fūrei.
For SSS-rank enemies, he could bring out the Owls.
Although in the original series, Owl's performance was underwhelming, it was worth noting that in the final battle, Kaiko, who wielded the Owl (Kuzen) Quinque, completely lived up to the role of a final boss, excluding Furuta's downfall as leader of the Dragon Orphans.
This time, Byakuya would never allow one of the Owl Quinques to end up in Kaiko's hands.
In the original timeline, it was likely Arima who had given Kaiko one of the Owls.
After all, Arima himself only used his Owl Quinque once before he died.
1st Ward, CCG Headquarters
"Byakuya, Arima, you'll be working with the 'Inaba Squad' for this mission."
CCG Bureau Director Washuu Yoshitoki addressed Uchiha Byakuya and Arima Kishou.
"The squad leader is Inaba Emi. Of the five members, four are half-humans-including Inaba himself; I'd like you two to train them."
"Understood."
Byakuya nodded.
Arima Kishou also gave a slight nod.
Although Byakuya wasn't particularly familiar with the Inaba Squad, he did remember Inaba Emi.
Back in the Sunlit Garden, Inaba had been recognized as a genius, an outstanding talent among his generation of half-humans.
By now, Inaba had likely just left the Sunlit Garden, forming the Inaba Squad alongside three other half-human recruits.
As for the one human member of the squad, Byakuya had no idea who it was.
Given that Director Washuu personally assigned this training, it was clear that the CCG had high expectations for Inaba and his team.
Shortly after, Uchiha Byakuya and Arima Kishou met the five members of said Inaba Squad.
Byakuya recognized all four half-human members of Inaba Squad, and he even recognized the lone human recruit.
That human member was Ui Koori, who, in the later parts of the original story, became a Special-Class Investigator.
Not only was Ui highly skilled, but he was also sharp-minded and highly adaptable.
Despite his longer hair and delicate features, which made him resemble a girl, he was actually a boy.
Based on the timeline, he should currently be in his early teens.
This was far from the mature and composed Ui Koori of the late story.
"Associate Special-Class Uchiha, Second-Class Arima."
Inaba Emi's expression seemed slightly fatigued, his eyes dull and lifeless, occasionally letting out a yawn.
However, despite this, he remained polite and well-mannered.
After a brief introduction, Byakuya learned that all five members of Inaba Squad had only recently joined the CCG as Second-Class Investigators.
"Alright, prepare your wills. Once you're done, we'll depart."
Byakuya didn't waste time with small talk and got straight to the point.
According to intelligence, the ghoul organization 'Clowns' had at least two SS-rated ghouls, making this a highly dangerous mission.
Byakuya knew exactly who those two SS-rated ghouls were: Uta and Yomo Renji.
Both of them were legitimate SS-class threats.
As he continued writing one will after another, Byakuya realized that, every single time, he ended up writing them to Eto.
After all, there wasn't really anyone else to write to.
It wasn't like he could write to Arima, the latter already had Uruka Minami to worry for.
So, without overthinking it, Byakuya did what he always did and wrote another will to Eto.
As for the content, he just scribbled down some updates about the latest publication process.
[...]
[To Takatsuki Sen, the Zero Squad and Inaba Squad are departing from the 1st Ward to investigate the ghoul organization 'Clowns' in the 4th Ward; The operation begins now.]
This mission was classified as an 'investigation', as the CCG hadn't yet ordered an outright attack on the Clowns.
After all, the Clowns had significant numbers, and rushing in recklessly would be unwise.
For now, the primary objective of this mission was to gather intel in the 4th Ward and assess the situation surrounding Clowns.
Following this, the CCG would gradually deploy more and more investigators into the 4th Ward to reinforce the Zero Squad and Inaba Squad in the eventual raid against the Clowns.
"The 4th Ward has a high concentration of ghouls. Stay alert at all times."
Byakuya reminded the five members of Inaba Squad.
"Understood!"
Inaba Emi and his squad nodded seriously, acknowledging his warning.
For the time being, they would be stationed at the CCG's branch in the 4th Ward, using it as a base of operations for their investigation.
Since combat hadn't officially begun, the Zero Squad and Inaba Squad were still operating separately.
For now, Byakuya moved alone with Arima, which made things easier for him.
While investigating the Clowns, Byakuya also kept an eye out for any notable individuals who might be lurking in the area.
However, on the first day, they didn't find anything significant.
Since neither Byakuya nor Arima wore the 'Dove' emblem on their chests, they avoided unnecessary ghoul attacks.
After all, this was an investigation mission, so remaining inconspicuous was crucial.
Nightfall
After dinner, Byakuya returned to his temporary residence at the CCG branch apartments.
He had just arrived at his room, barely having time to familiarize himself with the space, when suddenly:
His phone rang.
It was Yoshimura Eto.
She had probably gone to his place in the 2nd Ward, only to find out he wasn't home.
"Damn lolicon, where the hell did you run off to?! Why aren't you home yet?"
...
(Original Author's Note: This character, 'Inaba Emi,' is actually the No.1 donor from the reader leaderboard. They previously requested a cameo in the story.)