Trouble

"Oh."

A little while later...

Akira Mado came up to the two of them, clutching the Quinque Emelisa tightly in her arms.

Seeing her like that, both of them already knew her answer.

"If you've chosen, let's go."

"Okay, okay!"

Huiqi took the excited Akira Mado back to the CCG Academy in Ward 5.

"You have another year until graduation, right?"

"Yes, one year."

"If anything comes up during that year, you can call me. But after you graduate, I hope you won't make a decision you'll regret."

Huiqi looked at the gates of the CCG Academy, an inexplicable heaviness in his voice.

"I won't regret it. I've known what I wanted from the very beginning," Akira Mado answered earnestly, her gaze resolute.

"Are you sure? Do you know where the children at the CCG Academy come from, or why they're here?"

"No... but they won't influence me."

"You really are your father's daughter. Exactly alike. The children the CCG recruits all bear deep grudges against ghouls. Their families have suffered at their hands, one way or another... so I don't want you to..."

Huiqi stopped abruptly. Some things didn't need to be spelled out; a hint was enough for both of them to understand.

"That's why things like ghouls deserve to die!"

Akira Mado answered bitterly, the flames of hatred flickering deep in her eyes. Her happy, loving family had been torn apart by ghouls...

Seeing how angry she was, Huiqi fell silent for a moment before saying, "The next time we meet might be a year from now."

"Mm-hmm, but I'll make full use of this year~ After all, a certain Special Class Investigator gave me his word."

"What kind of earth-shattering trouble could you possibly cause at school?" Huiqi raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing.

"Who knows? I look forward to our next meeting... but next time, I'll be your teammate."

Watching Huiqi leave, Akira Mado unconsciously murmured those words.

"What was that about teammates? Let me hear!"

An irritatingly cheeky voice suddenly rang out beside her ear.

"Shut up!"

"Is that a Quinque?! Holy crap! Did that man just give it to you?! What's your relationship?"

"Get lost!"

"Judging by the pattern on the case, it's not a low-grade one, either... how are you so damn lucky?!"

"Get lost, runner-up!"

Inside the CCG Special Class Conference Room, all the Special Class Investigators were seated, with Yoshitoki Washuu at the head of the table.

"Everyone... headquarters just received a message reporting a ghoul riot in Ward 24." Yoshitoki Washuu clasped his hands, his expression unusually grave.

"A riot? None of them escaped, did they? I recommend reinforcing security at Cochlea in Ward 23."

Mougan Tanakamaru exhaled a white plume through his nose as he answered heavily.

"None have escaped, but you should all understand how dangerous the ghouls in Ward 24 are. Even one slipping through the net could have a tremendous impact on society."

"What can we do? None of us can spare the time." Kiyoko Yasuhira shook her head, indicating that she had no solution.

"I can put in a few extra days, but I can't leave the wards under my jurisdiction without a Special Class Investigator, can I?"

After some thought, Yukinori Shinohara offered as much as he could manage.

"I don't have time. I need to reorganize Ward 20," Huiqi said, turning Yoshitoki Washuu down.

Participating in several battles over such a short period had already left Huiqi with plenty of troublesome matters. He had to deal with them one by one and simply had no time to get involved in Ward 24's problems.

The Ape Devil and Black Dog organizations in Ward 20 still hadn't been dealt with, either. They remained an ongoing problem, and most importantly, he still had to return to Dr. Kanou to collect his new equipment.

"I can squeeze in some time."

Iwao Kuroiwa gave Yoshitoki Washuu an affirmative answer.

"There's nothing I can do. I'm just a commander. You can't send me to the front line, can you?" Marute shook his head regretfully.

"All right, then. Still, I hope you'll all keep an eye on the situation. Of course, if any problems arise, please provide support immediately!"

"No problem," all the Special Class Investigators answered.

After the meeting ended, Huiqi walked back.

His gaze drifted toward the moon from time to time. His face was expressionless, and an eerie atmosphere surrounded him.

"Mom! Mom, I want this!"

"All right, all right. As long as you like it, Hinami."

"Honey! Let's go get barbecue!"

"Sure. Whatever you want."

"Waaah..."

"Don't cry, little sis... next time, your big brother will chase those bullies away!"

All sorts of voices reached Huiqi's ears, weaving together into a unique, bustling symphony of the city.

"What a wonderful life."

Thud!

"Ow!"

"Hm?"

Two voices rang out at once as Huiqi felt someone bump into him.

"Sorry~"

Huiqi looked down toward the voice and saw a green-haired woman hurriedly apologizing to him.

"Sen? Sen Takatsuki???"

"Toy? Mr. Toy???"

Both froze, staring wide-eyed at each other.

The reason Sen Takatsuki had hastily retreated during the battle in Ward 10 was that the Clowns had incited the ghouls in Ward 24 into launching a small-scale riot, requiring her to return and suppress it.

By the time Sen Takatsuki had returned and resolved the matter, it was nearly night. On top of that, her novel editor would be chasing her for a manuscript tomorrow. Her packed schedule had left her utterly frazzled, and she hadn't noticed Huiqi at all.

"You? Me?" Huiqi's mouth opened slightly, and his hand instinctively moved to press a latch-but there was no briefcase for him to open.

Recent events had left Huiqi increasingly exhausted, and he had forgotten that his Quinque was at Ward 1 Headquarters for maintenance. He had no weapon available at all.

"Huh?"

Sen Takatsuki responded almost involuntarily. It took her a long moment to recover before she eyed Huiqi warily.

"You... aren't going to attack?"

"You'd better be thankful there are so many people here!"

Even without his Quinque, Huiqi boldly warned Sen Takatsuki. As long as he could distract her, she wouldn't realize he hadn't brought a weapon.

"Huh? What does the crowd have to do with anything? Unless..."

Sen Takatsuki rubbed her chin, her gaze sweeping over Huiqi. Based on her experience living with him and fighting him several times, he wasn't the kind of person to hold back just because there were people around.

"Why aren't you carrying anything?" After looking him over several times, her gaze finally settled on his empty hands. She even reached out and took his hand.

*...*

Huiqi's thoughts fell into a strange loop, with only one word surfacing in his mind: regret.

If he had known this would happen, he would have grabbed any Quinque on his way out. Even with a ranged weapon, he could have put up a fight. Instead, his hands were completely empty.

"Did our esteemed Ghoul Investigator forget his Quinque? Heeheeheehee, want to come somewhere dark and play with me?"

Sen Takatsuki's bewilderment gradually turned to smug delight, and her voice took on a teasing edge. Her small hand gripped Huiqi's tightly, as though afraid he might escape.