"Marriage? That doesn't sound very interesting…"
Rize remarked, sounding a little disinterested.
"Then let's not get married. As long as we can live together, that's all that matters."
Furuta smiled, easily compromising.
"Mm."
Living together with Furuta didn't seem like a bad idea to Rize.
"Speaking of which, Furuta, why do you think Byakuya-nii is even willing to help us?"
Rize suddenly asked. "It's obviously dangerous for him, and there's no real benefit in it, right?"
"I don't know. But I can tell that Byakuya-nii genuinely wants to help us. Maybe it's because he's kind and gentle."
Furuta speculated.
"Well… He's already letting us experience the outside world. That alone makes him a great person."
Rize nodded slightly.
1st Ward, CCG Experimental Building
Uchiha Byakuya was considering obtaining two S-rank Quinques so that he wouldn't have to rely solely on the SSS-rank Owl.
"Special Class Uchiha."
A lab technician was already waiting for him on the first floor.
He still remembered that just a month or two ago, when he first met Uchiha Byakuya, the man was only a First-Class Investigator.
Yet now, he had already risen to Special Class Investigator.
Byakuya's rapid promotion speed was nothing short of astonishing.
"Based on the ghouls you've subdued, aside from the lower-rank Quinques, you currently hold ownership rights to several S-rank ones."
The technician explained the general situation to Byakuya.
"I need one Koukaku-type Quinque and one Rinkaku-type Quinque. Just two for now."
Byakuya stated his request.
"We actually happen to have Quinques that meet your requirements."
The technician then led Byakuya to retrieve them.
"This is the S-rank Rinkaku-type Quinque, Nitta. It's already configured as a spear, but if you're not satisfied, you can exchange it for a different one."
The technician first presented Byakuya with a Rinkaku Quinque.
"This is fine. No need for a change."
Byakuya replied.
Aside from swords, he had quite an interest in spears as well.
Back in the 24th Ward, the Quinque he borrowed from Mado Ui was a spear-type, and he had found it quite easy to handle.
"That's good. Next, this is the S+ rank Koukaku-type Quinque, STK. It can switch freely between 'sword' and 'shield' modes."
The technician continued with the introduction.
The STK Quinque was housed inside a black-and-gold briefcase, making it stand out.
"To make it easier for you, Special Class Uchiha to distinguish between Quinques, STK was specifically placed in a black-and-gold case, while Nitta is in a standard white case."
The technician explained.
"Understood."
Byakuya accepted the two briefcases.
In the original story, there weren't many Quinques stored in black-and-gold cases; only a select few were really known.
After all, only very few Investigators had the privilege of wielding multiple Quinques. Additionally, lower-rank Quinques weren't even qualified to be stored in black-and-gold cases.
Now, Byakuya possessed a total of three Quinques, each with a different color scheme.
The most special one, the SSS-rank Owl, was platinum-colored and noticeably larger than the usual briefcases.
Byakuya took the two newly acquired Quinques and headed straight home.
"Papa!"
The moment she heard the door open, Mayu's gaze immediately shifted away from the television.
She jumped off the couch at once and ran to the entrance to greet Byakuya.
"What's that?"
Noticing the two briefcases in Byakuya's hands, Mayu asked curiously.
She felt they looked somewhat familiar but couldn't recall where she had seen them before.
"Oh, these…"
Byakuya thought for a moment before explaining, "These are weapons used by Ghoul Investigators. They help us fight and ensure our safety."
He kept his explanation vague and deliberately avoided mentioning the word "Quinque."
After all, Quinques were made from..
Mayu was still too young to understand such things, so it was better not to tell her just yet.
"Ohhh."
Mayu nodded, indicating she understood.
At that moment, Eto stepped out of the kitchen.
"You're back, dear. Rest for a bit, dinner is almost ready~"
She was wearing an apron, clearly in the middle of cooking.
Her culinary skills had improved significantly by now, allowing her to prepare an entire meal on her own.
And to make sure Mayu could eat together with her and Byakuya like a normal family, Eto had taken the time to properly process the "meat" stored in the refrigerator.
Though it was corpse meat, it had been well-preserved. At this point, it couldn't even be considered rotten anymore.
Byakuya, Eto, and Mayu all sat down together for dinner.
In front of Mayu was a full bowl of roasted "meat" along with a cup of coffee.
Eto was teaching Koutou how to use chopsticks.
"Hold them like this. Take your time practicing, no need to rush."
She demonstrated the proper grip and technique. "If it feels too difficult at first, you can use a fork and knife instead—those are easier to handle."
Mayu tried the fork and knife. As expected, the chopsticks were too difficult for a beginner.
"This is way easier!" she declared.
Mmm.
If one ignored the source of the roasted meat in that bowl, this scene was no different from an ordinary family having dinner together.
After dinner.
Byakuya transferred the two briefcases containing STK and Nitta into his Kamui dimension, ensuring he could retrieve them whenever necessary.
More importantly, doing so allowed him to completely conceal his identity as a CCG Investigator during missions.
Unlike regular investigators, who had to carry their Quinque cases everywhere, sometimes disguising them in various ways, his method left no traces for ghouls to detect.
Mayu was focused on watching TV and didn't notice Byakuya's ability, but Eto, with her keen eyes, caught it immediately.
She leaned in close, staring intently into Byakuya's eyes.
Just now, she had clearly seen him absorb the two Quinque cases into his eyes and now, they were completely gone without a trace.
She was extremely intrigued.
Rather, anyone witnessing such an extraordinary ability would naturally be curious.
Eto leaned in even closer, their noses nearly touching. They could both feel each other's breath.
Byakuya couldn't help but ask:
"…What's wrong?"