Byakuya could clearly hear the hint of complaint in Eto's voice.
It seemed like she had been waiting outside his home in the 2nd Ward for quite some time already.
"Ahem..."
Byakuya let out a soft cough and said, "I forgot to tell you; I was assigned a last-minute mission. I'm currently in the 4th Ward."
"You could've said something sooner. I made a wasted trip and even waited around for ages."
Eto's tone of dissatisfaction grew even stronger.
"My bad... that was my mistake..."
Byakuya said, feeling slightly awkward.
"Where exactly are you? I'll head over now."
Eto wasn't the type to throw a tantrum over something like this.
After a couple of complaints, she dropped the matter entirely.
Byakuya then gave Eto his location, estimating that he would likely be operating in the 4th Ward for the foreseeable future.
"I'll wait for you at the subway station."
"Alright. And don't make me wait forever this time."
After the call ended, Byakuya immediately made his way to the subway station to wait for Eto.
To his surprise, Eto arrived fairly quickly, not keeping him waiting for long.
She stepped out of the station with a light green shoulder bag slung over her back.
"So... what exactly brings you all the way to the 4th Ward?"
"Let's talk about it later. This isn't the right place..."
The subway station was too crowded, making it an inconvenient place to discuss such matters.
Once they reached a quieter street, Byakuya finally spoke in a low but clear voice:
"You're familiar with a group called 'Clowns,' right?"
"Of course. The first leader of 'Clowns' is still locked up in Cochlea."
Eto replied without hesitation.
She had previously led an attack on the 23rd Ward's Ghoul Detention Center, intending to recruit powerful ghouls into Aogiri Tree, including the first leader of the Clowns: the dodgy mother, Hoito Roma.
However, at the time, they hadn't fully taken over the facility, meaning they never reached the level where Hoito Roma was held.
"The Clowns are currently one of 'V's biggest threats."
Byakuya explained the situation briefly:
"And in the 4th Ward, there's a ghoul faction called 'Clowns' that's connected to the original Clowns; their activity has been escalating, and right now, we're investigating them."
"Clowns, huh? I do have some intel on those guys. Need my help?"
Eto offered.
"The Clowns aren't my main concern, I'm just going through the motions for appearances."
Byakuya shook his head slightly.
"What I really want isn't them."
The Clowns weren't important.
Among them, the only one of value was Uta, defeating him would earn Byakuya some attribute points.
Yomo Renji was closely acquainted with Uta, but he wasn't officially part of Clowns, he was a lone wolf.
"Then who exactly are you looking for? Another girl?"
Eto asked almost instinctively.
"Not exactly; there are multiple people I'm looking for, all of them ghouls."
Byakuya replied honestly:
"The Kirishima family... and the Yomo family."
"This, I really don't know."
No matter how much she knew, Eto wasn't omniscient.
"Corpse Collector" Kirishima Arata and "Narukami" Kirishima Hikari, also known as Touka Kirishima's parents, weren't yet powerful ghouls at this point in the timeline.
In fact, they might not even have received their CCG codenames yet.
Later on, Kirishima Arata began devouring large numbers of humans and engaging in cannibalism to gain enough strength to protect his children.
That was exactly what put him on CCG's or possibly V's radar, ultimately leading to his extermination by Arima Kishou.
In the original timeline, Narukami, the S+ rated Quinque wielded by Arima, was created from Kirishima Hikari's Kagune and Kakuhou.
It must also be said, that said Quinque's offensive power was truly terrifying.
"This matter isn't urgent for now. Let's go buy a laptop first. Otherwise, we won't be able to work on the manuscript while we're in the 4th Ward."
With that, Uchiha Byakuya headed toward a shopping mall.
"Must be nice to have money… You can buy whatever you want whenever you want."
At that moment, Eto glanced down at her own outfit; a worn-out dress that she had been wearing for a long time.
Even though she identified more with being a ghoul, she was still a girl. It was only natural that she'd want to look good.
Even pureblooded ghoul girls cared about their appearance; Nutcracker, for example, had wanted to become beautiful since she was a child but was too poor to ever afford it.
That poverty eventually drove her into a complete psychotic breakdown.
Eto was in a similar situation.
She had no money and even if she did, she would have prioritized using it for Aogiri Tree's expenses rather than for herself.
It was only recently that she finally managed to buy a relatively cheap handbag.
With Byakuya's level of perception, he naturally noticed the way she looked at her clothes.
He could more or less figure out what was going through her mind.
So, he gently suggested, "After we buy the laptop, let's stop by a clothing store. It seems like you've been wearing that outfit for quite a while now."
"..."
Eto paused for a moment, caught off guard by his words.
It almost felt like… he had completely read her mind?
But mind reading was something that only existed in novels and manga, right? There was no way such a thing could exist in reality.
So, she reasoned that it must have just been a coincidence, that his thoughts had simply aligned with hers by chance.
"In that case, I won't hold back. I'll have to pick out at least two pretty new outfits."
Eto smiled.
"Buy as many as you like, it's not a problem."
Byakuya replied casually.
Compared to funding all of Aogiri Tree, buying a few new outfits was nothing.
"Oh? That's what you're saying now."
Seeing Byakuya being so generous, Eto was a little surprised. But at the same time, she was happy.
If Byakuya hadn't suggested it, she wouldn't have been willing to use his money for clothes.
But since he brought it up, she could finally pick out something pretty for herself.
When Byakuya bought the laptop, he wasn't picky at all.
He just grabbed a mid-range model. Since it was only for typing and editing manuscripts, there was no need for high-end specs.
Next, they headed to a clothing store.
They chose one with a stylish storefront, specializing in women's fashion.
Byakuya walked in with Eto, but before they could enter, a female store clerk stopped them at the entrance.
"Excuse me, sir. This is a ladies-only boutique. Unless you're a couple or married, men are not allowed inside."
Byakuya was about to suggest going to another store, but before he could speak, Eto suddenly turned to him, her voice dripping with amusement.
"So… does that mean we're a couple~?"