As Uchiha Byakuya entered the office, Washuu Yoshitoki had already been informed about Furuta Nimura and Kamishiro Rize's situation.
"Byakuya, you really brought Furuta and Rize out of the Sunlit Garden."
Yoshitoki sounded mildly surprised.
"You're probably even more familiar with the Sunlit Garden's rules than I am."
He continued, "Children from the Sunlit Garden aren't allowed to leave freely until they reach a certain age or strength threshold. From now on, you'll be entirely responsible for Nimura and Rize."
From Yoshitoki's perspective, Byakuya was unaware of their true identities. So he simply reminded him about the Sunlit Garden's regulations as a warning.
"I understand."
Byakuya replied calmly.
"Good, as long as you know what you're doing."
Yoshitoki nodded. "Their movement will be restricted to the 1st Ward, and you should avoid taking them to isolated areas where ghouls are likely to appear."
Although the 1st Ward was the headquarters of the CCG, the Sunlit Garden, V, and even the Washuu Clan, it was also one of the most dangerous areas where ghouls gathered.
Simply put, the only ones genuinely fighting against ghouls were actually the CCG's human investigators.
As for the Washuu Clan-who were ghouls themselves; They only acted in their own interests.
The Sunlit Garden and V, which were completely loyal to the Washuu Clan, naturally followed their orders.
Wiping out all ghouls in the 1st Ward wasn't in the Washuu Clan's best interests.
What they wanted was a carefully maintained balance of conflict between humans and ghouls.
"That's all I needed to say. Later, I'll arrange for them to be escorted back to the Sunlit Garden."
Yoshitoki didn't stress the rules too much, doing so might have seemed suspicious.
Afterward, Byakuya spent the day taking Nimura and Rize around the 1st Ward, letting them experience the outside world for the first time.
As the afternoon turned into evening, Byakuya finally brought both Furuta and Rize to a training session.
Of course, this was just for show, nothing too serious.
In one of the CCG's designated training areas, Byakuya and Furuta each held a wooden practice sword, preparing for a sparring match.
"Wow, today must be my lucky day, I get to see Uchiha Byakuya spar in person!"
"Wait, his opponent is just a kid? Did he take in a disciple or something?"
"No, no, I heard that's Uchiha Byakuya's younger brother."
"Huh? I heard that's actually his son!"
"What?! But he looks so young! He already has a kid this old?"
Ever since Byakuya brought Furuta and Rize to the CCG, ridiculous rumors about him had been spreading like wildfire.
Byakuya had no idea when he supposedly became a father to a ten-year-old. But for now, he ignored the chatter and focused on Furuta.
"Furuta, come at me."
Furuta nodded seriously, his face filled with determination. Even though this was just a spar, he took it very seriously.
The next moment-
Furuta exploded forward with astonishing speed, charging straight at Byakuya.
A wave of shocked exclamations erupted from the crowd.
"Holy crap! That kid is fast!"
For a boy who barely looked ten years old, his speed was far superior to most investigators.
The surrounding investigators suddenly felt like they had embarrassed their entire profession.
Even a child was outperforming them.
"Your speed is still not fast enough."
Byakuya said calmly, effortlessly sidestepping Nimura's wooden sword strike.
Furuta knew how vast the gap was between him and his elder brother, but he refused to give up. He pressed on, relentlessly attacking.
Byakuya continued sparring while offering sharp critiques:
"Your strength is still lacking."
"That strike was decent-clever angle-but you're still missing something."
"Your stamina is nearly depleted, isn't it? You need to work on that too."
Just as Byakuya pointed out, Furuta was already drenched in sweat, panting heavily.
Since the very beginning, he had been fighting with everything he had. Naturally, he exhausted himself quickly.
Yet, despite all his efforts, he hadn't managed to land even a single hit.
Every one of his attacks was either easily parried by Byakuya's wooden sword or effortlessly dodged.
"Honestly, that kid is way stronger than me," one investigator muttered, eyes wide. "And yet, Uchiha Byakuya is completely dominating him..."
"Well, he is the fastest-rising Special-Class Investigator in history," another sighed. "Not to mention the youngest ever."
"And that kid isn't bad either-he's got insane talent for someone his age."
"Of course, he takes after Uchiha Byakuya!" Someone else nodded seriously. "He inherited Byakuya's skills perfectly-like father, like son!"
Ever since Byakuya brought Furuta and Rize into the CCG, wild rumors had been spreading uncontrollably.
Byakuya still had no idea when he supposedly became a father to a ten-year-old. But right now, he ignored all the gossip.
Meanwhile, the gathered investigators had completely abandoned their own training. They were fully absorbed in watching Byakuya's match.
The difference in ability was staggering.
If the gap between Furuta and Byakuya was already this enormous in a simple sparring match, then in a real battle with quinques, the difference would be multiplied tenfold.
After all, Byakuya's quinque was rumored to be the strongest SSS-rated quinque in all of the CCG.
Just as some of the investigators began chatting amongst themselves, assuming the match was over-
Furuta still refused to let go of his sword.
Even with his stamina nearly drained, he wanted to keep going.
But in the next moment-
A wooden blade lightly tapped against his throat.
"Nimura, you've lost."
Byakuya said.
Only then did Furuta reluctantly lower his sword.
His expression was a little downcast.
He felt like he had performed terribly.
But then, Byakuya spoke:
"You may have lost, but your performance was already excellent. There's no need to be discouraged, you should have more confidence in yourself."
Byakuya wasn't just saying this to comfort him. Nimura had done exceptionally well.
If anything, Byakuya had been bullying him a little, after all; He had a Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Mm!" Furuta's mood instantly improved.
After all, his elder brother had acknowledged him.
Meanwhile, Rize had been sitting nearby, zoning out.
She had zero interest in training. The only time she had paid attention was during Furuta's match with Byakuya.
Just then-
A CCG investigator hurriedly entered the training hall.
"Uchiha Byakuya!" the investigator called out anxiously. "There's a woman outside who claims to be your wife!"
Byakuya's expression remained calm. He had already guessed who it was.
"Her name?"
The investigator answered immediately: "She said her name is Uchiha Eto."