Since they had agreed to go shopping together today, Yoshimura Eto had already taken Mayu and was waiting in the lobby of the CCG Headquarters in the 1st Ward.
The lobby itself didn't require passing through an RC detection gate, so there was no need to worry about Mayu being discovered.
Aside from Mado Kureo who, during the original timeline, had an exceptionally sharp intuition and an intense hatred for ghouls; no investigator would ever force a regular civilian to go through an RC detection gate.
As luck would have it, Mado Akira and Mado Kureo were also sitting on a lobby sofa, chatting with Eto and Mayu.
"Miss Uchiha, is this your or Special-Class Uchiha's younger sister?"
Mado Kureo couldn't help but ask.
She definitely couldn't be Special-Class Uchiha's daughter, right? She looked even older than Akira.
At this stage, Mado Kureo hadn't yet reached the level of cunning he would have in the original timeline.
Plus, Eto and Mayu wouldn't act suspiciously like Ken Kaneki had, so naturally, there was no reason for him to be doubtful.
"Yes, this is my younger sister, Mayu."
Eto then turned to Mayu and said, "Come on, greet Uncle and Auntie."
Mayu obediently nodded. "Uncle, Auntie, it's nice to meet you. Please take care of me."
Even though she had been brought to the CCG by her "Mama," she wasn't scared at all. After all, she already knew that her "Papa" was the strongest investigator in the CCG.
So, her demeanor remained perfectly natural.
Mado Akira and Mado Kureo both smiled kindly in response.
Just then, Uchiha Byakuya arrived with Furuta and Rize.
"Byakuya-nii is here."
Eto said to Mayu.
After exchanging a few words with Mado Akira and Mado Kureo, Byakuya left the CCG with Eto and the others.
On one side was Mayu; on the other side were Furuta and Rize.
Both sides looked at each other with curious eyes.
Mayu had already heard from "Mama" that she would be meeting two kids around her age today, but she still didn't know who they were.
Naturally, she was curious.
The same also went for Furuta and Rize.
"You must be Eto-nee's little sister, Mayu?"
Furuta Nimura was the first to speak.
"Mm."
Mayu responded, "Furuta, Rize, hello."
"Hello."
Furuta smiled as he replied.
Rize, however, looked somewhat displeased when she saw Furuta and Mayu chatting so cheerfully.
So, she didn't want to greet her at all.
At that moment, Furuta reminded her, "Rize, she just said hello to you."
Rize's expression changed slightly, her mood souring even more.
But in the end, she still responded, "…Hello."
Though her tone was noticeably unenthusiastic.
As long as they were within the 1st Ward and accompanied by Byakuya, Furuta and Rize were free to move around.
The Washuu Clan wouldn't go so far as to monitor them at all times, after all; they trusted Uchiha Byakuya enough.
So, Byakuya and Eto took the three kids out shopping, letting them pick out things they liked.
During their outing, Mayu naturally spent a lot of time talking with Furuta and Rize.
She had never experienced having childhood playmates before, so getting to interact with kids her age was both novel and exciting for her.
However, Mayu soon noticed that the girl named Rize seemed rather cold toward her.
She didn't know the reason, but she decided to limit her interactions with Rize to avoid making her even more unhappy.
Ironically, this led to Mayu spending even more time with Furuta instead.
Yet, despite her efforts to keep her distance from Rize, she could still feel the girl's gaze growing even colder.
Byakuya didn't pay much attention to these little dramas between the kids, but Eto, on the other hand, observed the situation with great amusement.
Once they had finished shopping, it was time to take Furuta and Rize back to the Sunlit Garden.
Eto took Mayu home first, as there was no way she could bring her along to a place like the Sunlit Garden.
Upon arriving back at the Sunlit Garden, Furuta excitedly said to Byakuya, "Byakuya-nii, I'll make sure to come up with the most thorough plan possible so that you won't get dragged into this."
"You don't need to worry about whether I'll be implicated or not. I'll handle that myself when the time comes."
Byakuya had no intention of putting any pressure on Furuta.
After all, a flawless plan simply didn't exist. No matter what they did, he would inevitably be involved.
When that time came, it would also be when he himself completely severed ties with the Washuu Clan.
After Byakuya left, Furuta finally turned to Rize and asked, "Rize, are you feeling unwell today?"
He had vaguely sensed that something was off with her throughout the day but had only now decided to bring it up.
Instead of answering, Rize countered with an icy expression, "And what about you? You seem really interested in that girl, Mayu."
"Yeah, it's rare that we're be able to befriend a human. It's pretty interesting."
Furuta nodded honestly.
Clearly, he still had no idea that Mayu was actually a ghoul.
Rize's gaze turned even colder, and her tone became eerily calm. "Furuta, I want to eat you."
"Why?"
Furuta was instantly puzzled.
"Because you smell delicious… and because I hate you."
Rize stated bluntly.
Of course, when she said "delicious," she was referring to the scent of human flesh on him.
"Eh?"
Furuta was momentarily taken aback. "Why do you hate me? I haven't done anything…"
The moment he said that, a thought crossed his mind.
Could it be… because Rize didn't like seeing him interact with Mayu?
"I swear, from now on, I won't play with other girls ever again!"
Furuta immediately declared.
Then, his tone became calm once more. "But Rize, if you really want to eat me, I'd be okay with that."
Now that Byakuya-nii was willing to help them, Rize had a real chance of escaping her fate as the 'Mother.'
That alone was enough to satisfy him, he didn't really care about much else.
Hearing Furuta's promise, Rize's mood instantly improved.
"…But if I did that, you'd die. Never mind, I won't."
Rize retracted her statement.
"That's good. Because I still want to keep playing with you, Rize."
Furuta said with a smile.
"If we really manage to escape one day… what are we supposed to do out there?"
Rize suddenly wondered aloud. "We'd still have to eat people, right?"
"That wouldn't be good, would it? I think Byakuya-nii would get mad."
Furuta replied. "Wouldn't it be better to just live a normal life? Like, I don't know… maybe get married and settle down or something?"