"Nice to meet you~."
After saying that, Suzuya Juuzou flashed a smile.
"Huh~~?"
Marude Itsuki's hand was clenched into a claw shape, trembling in front of him. Standing nearby, Shinohara Yukinori saw this and placed his hand on his forehead, looking like he had a headache.
"Seriously…"
Shinohara Yukinori's eyes swept the room and quickly landed on Suzuya Juuzou, standing behind Su Xiao.
Marude also noticed Su Xiao. The stiff expression on his face immediately disappeared.
"Shinohara, was he temporarily assigned to us from headquarters? That's great!"
It's no wonder Marude was so happy. The fact that Su Xiao had almost single-handedly cleared out the 14th ward was well known and witnessed by many.
"Marude, you might be getting excited for nothing. White Night has been transferred to the 24th ward to play 'whack-a-mole' with Arima Kishou."
Marude was stunned for a moment.
"The deep parts of the 24th ward? Isn't that place only accessible to the Zero Squad? Has White Night become a member of the Zero Squad? Don't they have strict rules about membership?"
"He's considered a temporary member."
Upon hearing the word "temporary," Marude's eyes lit up.
"Temporary~ member, huh. Hehe, that gives us room to negotiate. If the Black Reaper joins the operation in the 11th ward, even if we face Owl, we won't suffer many casualties."
While speaking, Marude had already walked toward the door, bypassing Suzuya Juuzou and enthusiastically approaching Su Xiao.
"White Night, we've met before. We're having a meeting. Why don't you join us?"
Su Xiao was a bit taken aback by this sudden enthusiasm.
"Well, I…"
"The people you're waiting for will arrive in about a day, at the earliest."
Since Su Xiao didn't have a reason to refuse anymore, he took a seat in the conference room.
"Um, Suzuya, why don't you just listen in for now?"
Suzuya Juuzou, looking a bit puzzled, stared at Marude.
"Listen in?"
"From outside!"
Bang! The door to the conference room slammed shut.
Marude was obviously someone who held grudges. Although he usually seemed laid-back and mischievous, he was also a reliable person.
Wearing bright red slippers, Suzuya leaned against the wall outside while the meeting continued inside.
"Now then, let's discuss the key points of this operation. It's evident that Aogiri Tree operates in a very organized and disciplined manner. I am certain they have a leader, and based on previous cases, their leader..."
Marude began to explain the details of the operation. Su Xiao yawned and propped his chin on his hand.
"I might issue some harsh orders, but please bear with me. I'm counting on you."
The operation was scheduled for a week later. The remaining residents of the 11th ward would be evacuated, and since the 14th ward had seen an unusually low number of ghouls lately, they would be relocated there. Marude would handle the media.
"That's all. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir."
As the meeting concluded, Su Xiao, who had fallen asleep halfway through, was woken up by Shinohara Yukinori.
"Hm? It's over? Marude sure likes to ramble."
Su Xiao yawned again and stood up.
"Well, Marude is just trying to minimize the casualties. Our job requires precision; there's no room for error. We can't help it."
As Su Xiao and Shinohara walked out of the conference room, they noticed Marude standing by the door, a mischievous smile on his face as he approached Suzuya Juuzou, who was leaning against the wall.
"You're Suzuya Juuzou, right? Such a skinny little thing."
Suzuya Juuzou didn't respond, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Seeing this, Shinohara Yukinori sighed and quickly walked over.
"This is going to be trouble. I'd better step in."
Shinohara Yukinori hurried toward them.
Marude, seeing that Suzuya wasn't paying him any attention, didn't get angry. Instead, he leaned close to Suzuya's face, wearing a creepy grin.
"Are you eating properly? Oh, and by the way, do you have, you know, something between your legs?"
Clearly, Marude was looking for trouble, still holding a grudge over Suzuya disrupting the meeting earlier.
"Hm?"
Suzuya Juuzou finally reacted upon hearing that remark about "something between his legs."
"Come on, Marude. Suzuya just got to the division and must be tired. Let him be. Let's go get something to eat."
Shinohara Yukinori pushed Marude's shoulders and began walking him away.
"What? I was just chatting."
"Yeah, yeah, save it for tomorrow. Let's go."
Before leaving, Shinohara Yukinori turned back to Su Xiao and silently mouthed, "Please take care of him."
Suzuya Juuzou had just arrived in the 20th ward and was unfamiliar with the place. Plus, this white-haired boy had no sense of right and wrong and could easily cause trouble.
Back in the 14th ward, there were only two people who could handle Suzuya Juuzou. One was Shinohara Yukinori, who used kindness to guide and reform him. He treated Juuzou very well.
The second person was Su Xiao. If Juuzou didn't behave, Su Xiao would beat him until he did.
...
After Marude left, Suzuya Juuzou tilted his head and stared in the direction Marude had gone, his light red eyes memorizing his face. Suzuya Juuzou, like Marude, was also the type to hold grudges.
"How do you plan to get revenge? With your current strength, Marude could kill you in under ten minutes."
Suzuya Juuzou withdrew his gaze.
"White Night~, I'm hungry~."
"Let's go."
Su Xiao led Suzuya out of the division, and after wandering around the area, they found a barbecue restaurant.
The restaurant was elegantly decorated, clearly a high-end place with expensive meals.
Su Xiao wasn't short on money. Before leaving the 14th ward, he had collected a hefty sum in bonuses from the division there.
"Right this way, please," the server said, guiding them to their seats.
After browsing the menu, Suzuya ordered a cut of beef so expensive it could make jaws drop. He then stared at Su Xiao with a silly grin.
Su Xiao himself ordered a large portion of meat and fish.
Soon, a self-serve barbecue grill with a wire mesh grate was placed in front of them.
The beef Suzuya had ordered was a special Wagyu tenderloin.
Zzzzz~. The beef sizzled on the grill, its surface glistening with fat. Droplets of animal oil fell onto the charcoal beneath, producing a satisfying hiss.
Su Xiao tried a piece. It was indeed delicious—tender, smooth, with a delicate texture, and the flavor, paired with a unique dipping sauce, was absolutely delectable.
After the meal, Su Xiao felt a bit aimless as he walked down the street. Since arriving in this world, he had been constantly busy.
Now that things had slowed down, it felt a bit strange to have free time.
As dusk set in, the sky darkening, Su Xiao continued wandering until he noticed a café in the distance.
Upon closer inspection, the sign read Anteiku!
It was purely by chance—Su Xiao hadn't been specifically looking for Anteiku. He had just been strolling after dinner.
Now that he was here, he might as well go in. He could use the opportunity to gauge the situation on the ghoul side.
While the café boasted a formidable team, including the manager, Yoshimura, as well as Uta, Renji Yomo, and the likes of the Kaya Irimi and the Enji Koma, they wouldn't dare make a move on Su Xiao in the 20th ward unless they wanted to lose their place there.
Su Xiao pushed open the door of the café, and a little bell jingled softly above him.
"Welcome."
A soft, sweet voice greeted him.
Entering the café, Su Xiao saw a young girl with short, light-brown hair and pale skin.
He recognized her immediately. This was Hinami Fueguchi, a girl who had recently lost her parents.
For some reason, upon seeing Su Xiao, Hinami froze in place, as if she had seen something utterly terrifying.
"D-don't come closer!"
Hinami's voice quivered with fear, already on the verge of tears. She dropped to the floor, trembling.
Su Xiao had been killing too many ghouls lately, and his body reeked of blood. Hinami, with her unusually heightened sense of perception, could feel it all too clearly.
(End of Chapter)
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Translator's Note :- I am Not that familiar with a lot of the fictional worlds mentioned in the story. So if I make a mistake naming something please correct me by writing a paragraph comment on the mistake. Thank you.