"When it comes to flaws, it isn't exactly easy to evaluate. After all, no matter what I say, it's just based on my own taste preferences-it doesn't represent anyone else's."
Uchiha Byakuya stated seriously. "Besides, I'm not a professional food critic."
"Why should I care about other people's tastes?"
Yoshimura Eto immediately countered.
"Because my personal evaluation isn't very valuable. My opinion is just for reference, you don't have to take it too seriously."
Byakuya explained.
"And I'm asking; why should I care about other people's tastes?"
Eto's tone carried a hint of amusement. "I only need to know yours. Other people's opinions are completely irrelevant."
"...Fine."
Byakuya gave in and finally provided his critique. "If we're going by my taste, I'd say the meat was cooked a little too long-it's slightly overdone. As for seasoning, you could make it a bit lighter; that's about it."
He wasn't a professional chef, so his feedback was naturally based purely on his own preferences.
But since Eto only wanted to know his taste, he simply gave her his honest thoughts.
"Got it. I've noted it all down."
Eto had already written everything in her little notebook.
Next time she grilled a hamburger steak, she'd make adjustments accordingly.
Late at Night.
Byakuya had been sleeping soundly when he was suddenly woken up by a familiar sensation.
Just like before, Eto had unknowingly wrapped her arms around him in her sleep.
But this time, it wasn't just her arms.
Even her legs had draped over him, clinging to him like an octopus.
In her subconscious, it seemed she had completely accepted him as her personal body pillow.
At this point, Byakuya was already used to it.
So, as always, he didn't wake her up.
The Next Morning.
For once, Eto woke up before Byakuya.
Probably because she had slept so comfortably clinging to him, he didn't get the best rest.
The moment she opened her eyes, Eto realized she was holding onto Byakuya in a rather undignified position.
Though she didn't really want to admit it, from the looks of things, she was definitely the one who moved toward him in her sleep, not the other way around.
Only now did she realize her sleeping posture might not be that great after all.
Maybe this bed was just too comfortable?
Back in the 24th Ward, where she usually slept on makeshift bedding or straight-up on the ground, she had never noticed any issues with her sleeping habits.
But even so, Eto didn't feel embarrassed or awkward about it at all.
Instead, she just tightened her hold around him.
Then, she leaned close to Byakuya's ear and whispered teasingly:
"Still sleeping in, hmm? Lolicon.."
And to top it off, she blew a soft breath against his ear.
Byakuya was instantly wide awake.
He had already been on the verge of waking up-half-asleep, half-aware.
He had even faintly heard Eto's voice in his dream but that breath against his ear snapped him into full alertness instantly.
"First thing in the morning, and you're already acting out of line."
Byakuya spoke calmly.
Since he had almost woken up naturally anyway, there was no irritation in his voice.
And besides, he rarely ever got angry at Eto.
There wasn't the slightest hint of blame in Byakuya's tone.
"So… your ears are your weak spot, huh~?"
Eto seemed to have discovered something amusing.
"Maybe so..."
Byakuya responded casually.
From his perspective, it was completely normal for anyone to be startled awake if someone suddenly blew into their ear while they were sleeping.
"But aren't you going to let go? We should get up."
Byakuya asked.
Even now, Eto was still clinging to him like an octopus, and if anything, she was holding on even tighter than before.
"Does it really matter? It's not like we're in a rush."
Eto had no intention of letting go yet.
Byakuya fell silent.
Seeing this, Eto immediately sensed something.
Her voice turned playful as she teased:
"Hmm~? Are you embarrassed? Don't tell me you're actually getting shy?"
"A little… but don't push your luck."
Byakuya suddenly shifted his body so that he and Eto were face to face.
Since she kept poking at him, he figured it was only fair to return the favor.
"You-"
Eto assumed he was about to do something to her.
Her heartbeat sped up slightly, and she felt a faint sense of unease.
But in the next moment-
Byakuya reached out and grabbed Eto's cheeks, pulling them both to the sides.
Of course, he controlled his strength so it wouldn't actually hurt her.
For someone like Eto, who had spent years fighting brutal battles in the 24th Ward, this level of pain wasn't even worth mentioning.
Her expression remained completely unfazed.
"You're seriously the most boring guy ever..."
Eto rolled her eyes, somewhere between exasperation and amusement.
"Forget it, I'm done messing around with you. Get up and help me make breakfast."
Eto lost interest and finally released her grip on him.
"Alright."
Byakuya replied simply.
He knew full well that he could have done something more mischievous just now.
But he chose not to.
To him, Eto was still too young.
While he didn't consider himself some paragon of virtue, he did have his principles.
At most, he was blunt with his words, but he wouldn't actually cross any serious lines.
Later That Day.
Eto, as usual, returned to the 24th Ward to lead the expansion of "Aogiri Tree."
Meanwhile, Byakuya headed for the Sunlit Garden-a small teddy bear plushie in hand.
On the way from the 1st Ward to the Garden, it wasn't uncommon for him to run into other investigators.
And today was no exception.
"Hey, isn't that Uchiha Byakuya? He got promoted recently, right? Let's go say hello."
"Uchiha Byakuya!"
A group of investigators called out to him.
Byakuya responded with a polite nod.
After he walked past them, the group couldn't help but focus on the plushie in his hands.
"Wait… why is Uchiha Byakuya carrying a stuffed toy?"
"Doesn't it feel… kinda out of character? I mean, considering his strength and status..."
"Maybe it's for his girlfriend? Now I'm really curious-who could Uchiha Byakuya's girlfriend be?"
"Hey, hey, don't go spreading rumors! My guess is it's for a younger sibling or something. Besides, from what I've heard, both Uchiha Byakuya and Arima Kishou are really popular among the female investigators in the CCG."
Byakuya remained silent.
A short while later, he unexpectedly ran into the Mado family.
Mado Kasuka took the initiative to greet him, "First Class Uchiha... ah! My apologies, I misspoke-it should be Special Class Uchiha."
Since she had always addressed him as "First Class Investigator," she instinctively made the mistake.
"It's fine. It's not a big deal."
Byakuya replied.
"Perhaps, but mistakes in the most basic things are the ones we should avoid the most."
Mado Kasuka smiled and said, "It hasn't been that long since we last met, and yet you've already been promoted to Special Class."
"Although Special Class Uchiha's strength is undeniable, your rate of promotion is truly astonishing."
Mado Kureo also remarked in admiration.
Standing beside them was Mado Akira.
She had come out for a walk with her parents.
However, at that moment, Akira kept glancing at the plush toy in Byakuya's hands.
She seemed interested in it.
Byakuya noticed her gaze and asked, "Do you want this? I can get you one later."
Akira had only been curious, she hadn't intended to trouble Byakuya.
But she hadn't expected him to read her thoughts so easily.
"...Akira, if you want something, you can always tell your father and me."
Kasuka spoke gently to her daughter.
She didn't want to trouble Special Class Uchiha.
"No, it's not that... I just..."
Akira hesitated, struggling to explain.
Because her parents were often too busy to spend much time at home, she had learned to be understanding at a very young age.
She never wanted to trouble them.
As a result, she had never been the type to ask for things.
Though she found the plush toy cute, she hadn't particularly thought about asking for one.
After a moment of hesitation, she finally voiced her real thoughts.
"I just didn't want to bother Mom and Dad... or this Onii-san. So I actually don't want it."
Kasuka fell silent for a moment.
"I see... Your father and I really never considered what you truly like, have we?"
She had always chosen gifts for Akira based on what she liked as a child.
But Kasuka had always had a strong personality, even as a girl.
Her childhood preferences had been quite different from most.
"This is..."
Kureo felt even more awkward.
He suddenly realized that most of the gifts he had given Akira were Quinques.
Of course, they were safe, low-level Quinques, and she had always used them under his supervision.
He had also spent a lot of time teaching her about Quinques.
Although Akira had never expressed dissatisfaction, he had never once even asked her what she actually wanted.
"My apologies for this embarrassing display, Special Class Uchiha."
Kasuka said, feeling a bit awkward.
"It's nothing. I'll take my leave now; I have some matters to attend to."
Byakuya had no intention of interfering in the Mado family's personal affairs.
He left them to sort things out on their own.
Byakuya hadn't expected that, without meaning to, he had just set in motion a change in how Mado Kasuka and Mado Kureo treated their daughter.
Sunlit Garden.
Byakuya quickly found Furuta Nimura and Kamishiro Rize-since these two kids were always playing in this same area.
Furuta hadn't started his training yet; eventually the children of the Sunlit Garden had to undergo rigorous training from a young age, and their instructors were members of 'V', who had also been raised there.
In theory, Byakuya also had the qualifications to be an instructor.
Thus, he had the authority to personally take in both Nimura Furuta as well as Rize as his disciples.
"Byakuya-nii really did come back to see us so soon!"
Seeing Byakuya, Nimura was delighted.
Rize also sat up.
She had been waiting for the plush toy he promised.
Byakuya of course handed the teddy bear to her.
"Try not to break this one."
"Mhm, I'll do my best not to break it too quickly."
Rize smiled as she hugged the teddy bear to her chest, but the words she spoke were rather ominous.
"Haha..."
Byakuya laughed awkwardly.
Rize had been a bit violent since childhood.
But that was inevitable, given the cruel fate she had been born into.
And it would only get worse with time.
As she grew older, she would become increasingly brutal and ruthless, indulging in bloodlust and selfishly doing whatever she pleased.
At its core, it was her way of venting frustration over her tragic existence.
In the original timeline, Rize had refused to listen to anyone including even her adoptive father, Kamishiro Matasaka.
Her unchecked cannibalistic rampages had eventually drawn the CCG's attention to the 6th Ward, leading to Matasaka's capture and imprisonment in Cochlea.
Byakuya hoped to prevent Rize from heading down that same path.
That was why he was willing to fulfill her requests for small things like plush toys and why he planned to get her out of the Sunlit Garden as soon as possible.
"Furuta, Rize."
He got to the point.
"I spoke with Kaiko-san. I plan to take you both as my disciples and personally oversee your training. How do you feel about that?"
"Really?! Of course, I'd love that!"
Furuta agreed immediately without hesitation; He had always admired Byakuya the most,
Being personally trained by him was more than he could ever ask for.
"Sounds like a hassle."
Rize, on the other hand, had the complete opposite reaction.
Even though this older brother treated her well, she still felt it was a pain.
Byakuya added, "If you become my disciples, you won't have to stay in the Sunlit Garden all the time; You'll be able to leave and go outside occasionally-though your range will be limited."
"Rize! Did you hear that?! We can leave!"
Nimura became excited.
"I heard you. You're getting annoying."
Rize was clearly tempted.
"If this is true, then I want to go out today."
Which basically meant she had agreed.
Both Furuta and Rize had never actually left the Sunlit Garden before.
At their age, curiosity about the outside world was inevitable.
"No problem. I'll take you both out later."
Byakuya smiled.
[Ding! Host has successfully completed 'Task Two: Take in Furuta Nimura and Kamishiro Rize as disciples.]
[Reward: 50 Attribute Points!]
[Task Two completed. Unlocking Task Three...]
[Task Three: Help Furuta Nimura and Kamishiro Rize break free from the Washuu Clan's control.]
[Reward: 500 Attribute Points!]