As expected; It was Eto.
Byakuya wasn't surprised at all.
"Let her in." Byakuya instructed the investigator.
"Understood." The investigator quickly withdrew.
"Wait, Uchiha Byakuya didn't even deny it? So his wife really is here?!"
"So he actually got married? No way… I thought you guys were joking when you said that kid was his son!"
"Hold on… does that mean Uchiha Byakuya just looks young? Is he actually in his late twenties? Or even thirty?"
Byakuya's brief exchange with the investigator instantly caused an uproar.
At that exact moment, Kasuka Mado and Mado Kureo entered the training grounds, bringing Mado Akira along with them.
"It seems like we just walked in on quite the shocking news." Kasuka remarked with a surprised smile.
Rumors about Uchiha Byakuya supposedly having children had already reached her and Kureo.
Of course, they didn't believe any of it.
After all, they knew Byakuya was only eighteen, while those two kids were reportedly around ten.
Besides, they had also assumed he was still single.
But now?
"So, he's already married…?"
"Actually, that's not-" Byakuya was just about to explain when Eto walked in.
"Darling, isn't it about time we head home for dinner~?"
The moment Eto spoke, her voice was laced with a soft, teasing sweetness.
And then, the entire training ground fell into stunned silence.
The investigators stared at Eto's appearance-completely dumbfounded.
Today, Eto had deliberately dressed to look more mature but her makeup coupled with her petite frame and youthful, doll-like face made her look quite.. strange.
Because of this, the reaction of the surrounding investigators was one of absolute disbelief.
This… is Uchiha Byakuya's wife?!
This is a crime, right?!
Something isn't right here.
This is seriously messed up.
"No way… Uchiha Byakuya wouldn't actually be like that, right?"
At this point, Byakuya could feel the stares from all around him.
He remained silent, utterly speechless.
That damn Eto. It was obvious-she was messing with him on purpose..
And she had succeeded.
Even Kasuka and Kureo were staring at him with expressions of disbelief.
Meanwhile, Mado Akira-who was a little too mature for her age-had already hidden behind her parents, unwilling to approach Byakuya.
The only ones who weren't fazed at all were Nimura and Rize. They didn't understand what was happening.
"Is something going on? Why is everyone acting so weird?" Rize whispered to Furuta.
"No idea… but it looks like that pretty Onee-san is Byakuya Nii-san's wife?" Furuta said, genuinely surprised.
"Pretty Onee-san, huh…?" Rize's expression shifted slightly. Then, she asked a critical question.
"Nimura, do you think she's prettier than me?"
Furuta froze. He was glad he didn't blurt out an answer right away. This was a dangerous trap.
But after carefully thinking it through, Furuta responded without hesitation.
"Of course not. Rize, you're definitely prettier."
His tone was firm and decisive.
Rize instantly looked pleased.
"Ahem!..."
Byakuya let out a deliberate cough, remaining calm instead of hastily explaining himself. Instead, he simply addressed Eto.
"Maybe ease up a little."
"Oh… You're not mad, are you?" Eto suddenly seemed slightly concerned. Had she really gone too far and actually made Byakuya angry?
"I'm not angry." Byakuya's tone remained even. "You've just caused me quite a bit of trouble."
"Alright, Alright~" Eto had only intended to tease him, not push things too far.
"I hope no one gets the wrong idea." Then, she "clarified" the misunderstanding.
"I'm already of legal age."
Except… the way she phrased it only made things worse.
"Ah! So that's how it is! That really gave me a scare!"
"So that means Uchiha Byakuya and this lady must be newlyweds! That boy named Furuta must not be their son, then-next time, let's not spread baseless rumors!"
"But… this must be a huge blow to some of our female colleagues. Quite a few of them had their eyes on Uchiha Byakuya…"
With just one sentence, Eto successfully cleared up part of the misunderstanding. But only part. Everyone still believed she was Byakuya's wife.
Especially some of the female investigators present-their hearts shattered on the spot.
Many of them had been waiting for the right moment to confess to Uchiha Byakuya… only to find out he was already taken.
In reality, Eto had deliberately left some of the misunderstanding intact.
While messing with Byakuya was fun, she also saw this as a perfect chance to eliminate any potential "threats" from within the CCG.
"Our apologies-we were too quick to assume." Kasuka Mado smiled apologetically.
"My eyes must not be working properly… Really, I'm so sorry." Even Kureo Mado felt the need to apologize.
"I'm sorry too." Even the little Akira bowed her head politely.
"It's fine." Byakuya waved it off. "The real culprit here is Eto and her.. prank that misled everyone."
"A prank?" Kasuka and Kureo looked confused. In their eyes, Eto was clearly Byakuya's wife. How exactly was this a prank?
"Ah… right, you guys wouldn't know." Byakuya was just about to fully clear up the misunderstanding-
when Eto suddenly jabbed at his waist.
He instinctively dodged with ease, but she had already succeeded in stopping him from speaking.
Byakuya looked at Eto with confusion.
What was she trying to do? Was she telling him to keep pretending they were married? But why? What's her goal here?
Eto didn't explain. Instead, she shot him a sharp glare, warning him not to say too much.
She was still in the process of making all those "hopeful" women lose heart. She wasn't about to let this golden opportunity go to waste.
Byakuya couldn't figure out her exact motives, but in the end, he decided to just go along with it.
"She just likes playing pranks, she deliberately used makeup to make herself look younger."
Byakuya's adjusted explanation flowed smoothly-logical, without any obvious loopholes.
Kasuka seemed to believe it immediately. She smiled and offered her congratulations.
"Ohh, I see. Well, in any case-congratulations, Uchiha Byakuya! I wish you two an early blessing of children!"