Quinques

"My assignments are dangerous. When I'm facing extremely dangerous ghouls, anyone partnered with me could easily die. You need to understand that."

Huiqi answered with a bitter smile. His situation was far from ideal. There was his open feud with Kishou Arima, and then there was the ghoul Sen Takatsuki harassing him behind the scenes. Anyone who teamed up with him might end up dead one day.

"All ordered! Here are the drinks. It's not often we get together."

Kureo Mado came upstairs excitedly, carrying three bottles.

Seeing Kureo Mado return, Akira Mado stopped asking questions. A smile reappeared on her face as she talked to her father.

She's already so emotionally mature.

Watching Kureo Mado get wrapped around her little finger, Huiqi sighed inwardly. Who knew how many years it had been since he had paid proper attention to his daughter? He did not even understand how she had grown emotionally.

Two hours later...

Kureo Mado had fallen asleep with his head on the table, while Akira Mado wiped her mouth, looking perfectly at ease.

"When did you learn to drink? Are minors even allowed to drink?" Huiqi looked at Akira Mado gravely.

"It's not that I can hold my liquor... it's that my father doesn't drink. Ever since my mother passed away, he's buried himself in work, staying up late every night. His body can't handle alcohol anymore." Akira Mado's face was slightly flushed as she traced circles with her finger. Clearly, the drinks had not gone down easily for her either.

"So one glass is the limit for both of you?"

Huiqi raised an eyebrow.

"Mind your own business! Send the old man home. I want to pick out a Quinque."

Akira Mado rose unsteadily and walked over to face Huiqi. Under the influence of alcohol, she even reached up to touch his face.

"You're the second person besides my father to care about me this much. It feels really nice."

"Rein it in. You're a terrible drunk." Huiqi reached out and pulled her hand down.

"No."

"My father... ever since that happened... he hasn't smiled again. All he does is work... leaving early and coming home late..."

"Life at home started falling apart. Every time I came back from school, my father wasn't there... I was really, really worried about him. Late at night, I'd always start crying. Sometimes he didn't come home at all. For a while, I thought..."

"Later, I applied to CCG Academy on my own, just to ease my father's burden and be able to partner with him after graduation."

Huiqi did not know whether to laugh or cry at that. He glanced between Akira Mado and the sleeping Kureo Mado. "You really are his daughter. You two are exactly alike."

Thinking back to their conversation at the hospital and what Akira Mado had just told him, Huiqi had no idea how to respond.

"Take this hangover medicine, then we'll go for a walk and clear your head. Once you've sobered up, I'll take you to get a Quinque."

He handed Akira Mado the hangover medicine, then called a taxi to take Kureo Mado home. Even as he was leaving, still asleep, Kureo Mado kept murmuring his daughter's name.

In the park, a gentle breeze brushed their faces. Akira Mado held on to Huiqi's arm as they walked. The flush on her face had faded a little, and her speech gradually grew clearer.

"Hey... my father told me about the things you've done, and I imagined what you'd be like. But meeting you feels different."

"That different? That's not surprising."

"Yes, very, very different. And you're quite a legend, too. According to my father, you're second only to Kishou Arima, whether it's your mission success rate or how quickly you've risen through the ranks."

"What a bad joke." At the mention of Kishou Arima, the cold glint in Huiqi's eyes sharpened. He had no idea what assignment the CCG had given Arima, but the man still had not shown himself.

"A bad joke? I don't think so. You're already a legend in our eyes."

"Being a legend isn't much use... but this is the path I chose, and I'll see it through."

"You look sober now. Let's go back and pick out a Quinque." Huiqi tried to divert Akira Mado's attention with the matter of her Quinque.

"A Quinque?! Yes, yes, yes!"

Akira Mado's attention shifted instantly. For a CCG student, receiving a Quinque ahead of time was an immense honor. It meant a Ghoul Investigator had already recognized their potential.

The two took a car back to Ward 1 Headquarters. By then, evening was approaching, and the people around them were gradually leaving work. Huiqi led Akira Mado toward the laboratory area.

This time, no one stopped them. Instead, everyone looked at Huiqi with respect, while their gazes toward Akira Mado held only curiosity.

After passing through the Rc Detection Gate and a long corridor, they finally reached the laboratory area.

"Dr. Jin Toka, sorry for all the trouble." Huiqi raised a hand in greeting.

"Not at all. I have to do my best to fulfill a Special Class Investigator's requests. Besides, you've helped me plenty yourself, Huiqi." Jin Toka answered with a grin, though his eyes settled on Akira Mado beside him.

"So you're the one. I've been waiting ages, but you never showed up."

"That wasn't my fault."

Hearing Jin Toka's odd tone, Akira Mado's expression shifted. Who could have expected something like that to happen?

"It wasn't her fault. Neither Kureo Mado nor I expected her to be stopped. They nearly threw her out."

Huiqi recounted what had happened, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"I see. Come along, then. You'll get to see Huiqi's collection in a moment... it'll definitely shock you!"

"Really?"

"Absolutely! You can't even imagine it. Compared to other Ghoul Investigators' collections, it's on a completely different level."

Jin Toka spoke mysteriously, his exaggerated gestures making him look as though he were about to unveil some peerless treasure.

"Do you have to make such a big deal out of it? It's just a bunch of things I don't use."

"Tch. You're the only one who has no use for them. If these pieces ever got out, some of the Special Class Investigators would probably fight over them."

Seeing how unconcerned Huiqi looked, Jin Toka grew earnest. With a serious expression and tone, he began explaining the collection piece by piece.

The collection contained hundreds of throwing-knife Quinques alone, ranging from S-rate to SS-rate, the vast majority made from ukaku.

There were dozens of long-bladed Quinques ranging from S-rate to SSS-rate, made from all different types of kagune.

There were also many, many other types of Quinques, though Jin Toka had never counted them. Huiqi regularly used only throwing knives and long blades; he never used the other weapons.

As for the Quinque Huiqi currently used, it was the only kakuja-class one in the entire CCG. Jin Toka had not disclosed that fact, and its reported rating was only SSS-rate.

"Ahem. The exciting moment is almost here. Try not to get too frightened, young lady..."

Along the way, Akira Mado looked around curiously. A sign to the right of each room identified the Ghoul Investigator whose collection it held, and many of the names were familiar.

Yukinori Shinohara, Houji Kousuke, Iwao Kuroiwa, Mougan Tanakamaru, Fukami Haizaki, Kiyoko Yasuhira, Kishou Arima.

This section was reserved for Special Class Investigators. The other Ghoul Investigators' collection rooms were in the outer area.

Jin Toka led the two to a room with Huiqi's work nameplate hanging beside it, marking it as his private collection room.