Failed capture

"An impression? Tell me more."

A flicker of curiosity appeared in Huiqi's eyes.

"Ummm... their... leader... probably... had brown hair, I think? It sort of looked like a caterpillar bun..." Misaki Aika spoke haltingly, her brows knitted as though she were dredging up some very old information.

"Brown hair... shaped like a caterpillar bun... That certainly doesn't narrow it down much." Huiqi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He hadn't expected any useful information, but this was far too vague.

"It was ages ago... probably back when my supervising teacher was still around."

Misaki Aika looked a little embarrassed, belatedly realizing how broad her description was. Outlandish hairstyles were popular among students these days, and caterpillar-shaped hair was hardly uncommon.

"Even if it's too broad, it could still give us a starting point..." Huiqi casually jotted down the words "brown hair" and "caterpillar" on a sheet of paper.

"Yes! I'm just happy I could help you, Special Class Investigator Huiqi!"

"Thank you for the information, Misaki. If we manage to catch the Monkey Demon Organization's leader, I'll report your contribution to the higher-ups."

Huiqi waved the documents in his hand and answered with a smile.

Night fell...

"Hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm... I once had a little toy~ But now he's turned against me~ I'd love to twist his head off and cradle it in my arms~"

In the endless darkness, that soft, lovely voice echoed slowly like a trickle of clear spring water. The melody was sweet and pleasant, but paired with those eerie lyrics, it inspired nothing but boundless fear.

"Have you found Washuu Rise?"

A cold voice emerged from the darkness, interrupting the song. Its singer wasn't angry, however, and merely paused before answering. "No. Who knows where she ran off to? Doesn't the CCG have any news?"

"...He's been assigned to Ward 20."

The male voice in the darkness didn't answer directly, offering another piece of information instead.

"Ward 20, heeheeheehee... Shall I go see my adorable toy? I want to eat him so badly..."

"Be careful. He's no ordinary Ghoul Investigator... His strength is more like... a half-human's."

"A half-human? Has he changed too...? I won't be able to hold myself back like this. Heeheeheeheeheeheehee."

"Watch yourself."

With those final words, the man disappeared.

"Ward 20... What an annoying place. So, Mr. Toy, please come play in another ward... Heeheehee."

As the final laugh faded, a small figure slowly emerged from the darkness. White bandages covered the figure's entire body, leaving no skin exposed, and a blank white mask concealed the face.

The next day.

Huiqi dozed in his office. Documents lay scattered across his desk, all bearing labels such as "Suspicious individuals in Ward 20."

Knock, knock, knock!

A sudden knock shattered the silence.

After a moment, Huiqi came to his senses and called toward the door, "Come in."

Creak...

"Special Class Investigator Huiqi, Senior Mado and I discovered two ghouls in Ward 13. One of them was the S-rate Yamori, but he escaped..."

Holding a report, Kōtarō Amon carefully delivered his account, continuing until he had covered all the recent intelligence.

"Why did you let Yamori escape? How could Kureo Mado make a mistake like that?" Huiqi looked at Kōtarō Amon in confusion. Kureo Mado was strong enough to take Yamori down, so why hadn't he captured him?

At Huiqi's question, embarrassment crept onto Kōtarō Amon's face. He had hit the nail on the head, and this was precisely why Kureo Mado had sent Kōtarō Amon to deliver the report.

The CCG had an explicit rule: when a branch had a Special Class Investigator, all ghoul intelligence had to be reported to that investigator, who would make the final decision.

Kureo Mado, who was still a First Class Investigator, enjoyed his freedom but also had to obey the rules.

Huiqi watched Kōtarō Amon hesitate, looking as though he wanted to speak but couldn't. His expression was off, and his hands kept fidgeting.

"Stop dawdling... Spit it out. What has that old bastard done this time?"

"N-nothing. Senior Mado's Quinque just broke during the fight, and... then Yamori escaped," Kōtarō Amon answered nervously. He himself had been stunned when it happened. He had never expected the Quinque to be destroyed.

"It broke? Why is that old bastard tinkering with his Quinques again? All he makes is shoddy junk. Isn't he afraid he'll get himself killed?"

After hearing Kōtarō Amon's explanation, Huiqi couldn't help complaining. This had happened more than once or twice. In the beginning, Huiqi had repeatedly reprimanded Kureo Mado for it, but the man simply refused to listen and kept doing as he pleased. Now he wouldn't even show up himself, sending his student instead.

"All right, you can go. When you see Kureo Mado, pass this on: if it happens again, he can haul his ass back here. Don't make me do it myself."

"...Well..." Kōtarō Amon looked troubled. He was only a Rank 2 Investigator; there was no way he could say something like that. Special Class Investigator Huiqi might have some other connection with Kureo Mado that allowed him to speak that way, but Amon had only recently joined the CCG.

"Forget it... I'll handle it myself." Huiqi picked up his phone and began tapping on the screen.

Seeing this, Kōtarō Amon breathed a sigh of relief, his expression relaxing. Then he turned the office door handle and quietly left.

Click.

The office door closed.

"Excuse me... Are you Ghoul Investigator Amon?"

"Hm? Yes, I am."

A figure suddenly appeared behind Kōtarō Amon. When he turned around, he found a woman from the support staff.

That face... looks so familiar... Could she be...? Kōtarō Amon slowly sank into his memories, searching for a clue. When he recalled his days at the CCG Academy, a figure in his mind finally matched the woman before him.

"Misaki... Is that you, senior?"

"You recognized me! I heard you were assigned to Ward 20, but I never had a chance to see you. And now here you are!" Surprise shone in Misaki's eyes. The two had known each other at the CCG Academy, but not long after they met, Misaki Aika had graduated and gone to work for the CCG.

"Yes. How have you been? It's been so long."

"Pretty well. What about you? I heard you've been working on the front lines." Misaki curiously eyed the briefcase in Kōtarō Amon's hand.

"I've been very lucky. I met Senior Mado and Senior Huiqi, and I've learned so much from them."

Having not seen each other for so long, the two caught up outside the door. But as time passed, Kōtarō Amon, who had been enjoying their conversation, suddenly remembered something and rushed off with an anxious expression.

Watching him go, Misaki tilted her head and muttered something in a puzzled tone. Then she knocked on Huiqi's office door and went inside.

"Special Class Investigator Huiqi, here's your coffee."

"I don't remember ordering cold coffee." Looking at the coffee Misaki had brought, Huiqi couldn't help blurting it out.

"Ah?! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I ran into Amon just now and chatted with him for a while. I accidentally forgot about the coffee..."

Flustered, Misaki took the coffee back, stumbling over her explanation.