Kishou Arima, Zero Squad

"..."

After hearing Kurona Yasuhisa's words, Juuzou Suzuya opened his mouth, then closed it again. In the end, he said nothing.

Perhaps it was because this Amahane Byakuya hadn't known about the cat killings until just now. Although he hadn't done any of those things, he couldn't be bothered to explain.

Now that the other boy knew, there was nothing left to say.

"I see... Anyway, you must be Suzuya, right? Let's talk again when we get the chance."

Amahane Byakuya didn't join Kurona Yasuhisa in criticizing Juuzou Suzuya.

His continued calmness left an unusual impression on Juuzou Suzuya.

Kurona Yasuhisa was also surprised that Amahane Byakuya could still speak to Juuzou Suzuya so calmly.

Although Juuzou Suzuya didn't reply, he gave a slight nod.

Aside from the changes to their theory classes, their practical classes also shifted to focus on Quinque training.

Amahane Byakuya, the Yasuhisa sisters, and the other two boys all used "Hiruko 1/76," which was also the Quinque they would be issued during their internship.

Juuzou Suzuya, meanwhile, used "Scorpion 1/56," a small black knife-or rather, a dagger. It was a B-rated Quinque made from a bikaku-type kagune.

Of course, this wasn't preferential treatment. Juuzou Suzuya was a student of the Ghoul Countermeasure Education Center, so the Quinque he used for practice had always been different from theirs.

"Hiruko 1/76" and "Scorpion 1/56" were both B-rated Quinques, with roughly comparable power.

Amahane Byakuya remembered "Scorpion 1/56." It was the Quinque Juuzou Suzuya used in the original story. He had originally possessed only one, but later stole all fifty-five remaining blades from the warehouse.

Even at this point, Juuzou Suzuya already displayed outstanding talent and considerable skill with a dagger.

Though he still fell somewhat short of Amahane Byakuya.

After three days of special crash training, Amahane Byakuya and the others were ready to head to the 24th Ward to begin their internship assignment.

Kishou Arima and his squad were waiting for them there. There was no chance they would come over to personally fetch them; they weren't anyone important.

By now, Amahane Byakuya and the others had arrived at the 24th Ward.

More precisely, they were at the edge of the 23rd Ward. Before them stood an enormous cavern, one of the entrances to the 24th Ward.

Six people dressed in white combat uniforms were waiting at the entrance. This was Zero Squad, led by Kishou Arima.

Amahane Byakuya recognized all six of them: Kishou Arima, Ui Koori, Iba Irimi, Hajime Iba, Yusa Arima, and Rikai Soutou.

Take Hirako had yet to join Zero Squad at this point.

From left to right: Yusa Arima, Kaneki (uncertain), Take Hirako, Kishou Arima, Ui Koori, Iba Irimi, Hajime Iba, Rikai Soutou.

This elite squad was composed almost entirely of half-humans. It could also be called the CCG's strongest ace squad. Its sole human member was Ui Koori, an Associate Special Class Ghoul Investigator, and every member was extremely powerful.

Hajime Iba, Rikai Soutou, and Yusa Arima might have been very young-only eleven, twelve, and thirteen respectively-but as half-humans, their physical abilities were already approaching their peak at those ages.

Half-humans had very short lifespans, and after roughly twenty, their strength would instead begin to decline.

"You must be the trainee Ghoul Investigators assigned to us this time, right? One, two... six. Six of you. Looks like everyone's here."

Ui Koori was the first to speak.

Ui Koori looked somewhat like a girl, with slightly long black hair, a height of around 170 centimeters, and a well-proportioned build. Of course, he was a boy.

Yet Ui Koori was mild by comparison. The half-human named Hajime Iba had looks that were even more "unfair."

If Ui Koori resembled a girl, then Hajime Iba at this point looked exactly like an adorable little girl.

He had cute, delicate features and pale blue hair that bordered on white. His petite frame stood only a little over 150 centimeters tall, but Zero Squad's white combat uniform gave him a distinguished air. In truth, he was also a boy.

Rikai Soutou's features resembled Ui Koori's, and even their hairstyles were similar, except that his hair was purple. Because he was younger, he stood only around 160 centimeters tall.

Yusa Arima was similar to Rikai Soutou in height and build. He shared Kishou Arima's surname, Arima, and had handsome, delicate features. His expression was somewhat gloomy, but he was actually a quiet, gentle boy.

The only actual girl in Zero Squad was Iba Irimi, the girl with pink hair and pink eyes. She had a slender, graceful figure, and her exquisite, cute features possessed an enchanting beauty.

Iba Irimi.

Finally, Kishou Arima needed no introduction. He was both Zero Squad's captain and the strongest Ghoul Investigator.

He was tall and lean, wore glasses, and had completely white hair. His features were handsome, but his face was cold and utterly expressionless.

"Yes. I'm Amahane Byakuya, one of the students taking part in the internship."

Amahane Byakuya nodded as he answered.

The Yasuhisa sisters and the others then gave their names one after another.

"I'm Kurona Yasuhisa."

"I'm Nashiro Yasuhisa."

"...Juuzou Suzuya."

"..."

Ui Koori checked that their names matched the list.

"Since everyone's here, follow us inside."

Then Amahane Byakuya and the others followed Zero Squad, with Kishou Arima at its head, into the 24th Ward.

As mentioned before, the 24th Ward wasn't a district in the usual sense. Beyond the cavern lay a virtually endless underground labyrinth, its overall course taking them ever deeper beneath the earth.

Ui Koori seemed to be responsible for explaining things to them. He spoke again. "Take a look at the structure of this labyrinth. Can you guess what these walls are made of?"

Not only did the labyrinth twist and turn, but the walls on either side clearly weren't made from ordinary materials. They could be described as "walls of flesh" in a jumble of colors. The sight alone would frighten anyone fainthearted.

"They should be... kagune."

Amahane Byakuya was the first to answer.

As someone who had transmigrated into this world, he naturally knew all about the 24th Ward.

"That's right. Every wall in this labyrinth was made by the ghouls here using their kagune. The principle behind their construction is similar to that of Quinques, except this technology was developed by ghouls. Our inability to crack it has made exploring the 24th Ward extremely difficult."

Ui Koori explained in greater detail, then praised Amahane Byakuya. "Amahane Byakuya, you have excellent judgment. As I recall, the Academy doesn't teach much about the 24th Ward."

Beside him, Kurona Yasuhisa immediately grew a little irritated. How does this guy know so much?

P.S. There's a detail in the earlier text I need to revise. While repeatedly studying the original manga, I noticed something else-it took countless rereads before I suddenly realized that Rize Kamishiro actually saw Furuta Nimura before the steel beams knocked her unconscious. So after I finish today's updates, I'll make a small revision to the earlier text. It won't affect the overall plot.