"Think of a name already? Isn't that a bit early?"
Byakuya said.
"Is it? I don't think so—this way we won't be scrambling at the last minute."
Touka replied.
"Fair enough. Though I probably can't think of a good one right away—I have a bit of naming difficulties..."
Byakuya smiled awkwardly.
"That's fine, we'll think together."
Touka began pondering.
"Rabbits..."
Byakuya suddenly thought of Touka's favorite animal. "Yusami—how does that sound? If it's a girl..."
"Yusami... Yusami... the pronunciation is similar!"
Touka exclaimed with delight. "That's actually a great name! What naming difficulties?"
"It just came to me in a flash of inspiration..."
Byakuya explained.
Yusami and rabbit have similar pronunciations in Japanese.
Yusami (ゆさみ) sounds like "yusami," while rabbit (ウサギ) sounds like "usagi."
"Amaha Yusami. If it's a girl, we'll use that name."
Touka looked thrilled—she clearly loved the name too.
"But our future child might be a boy, so we should think of a boy's name too."
Touka added.
"That's on you—I'm completely out of ideas now."
Byakuya didn't want to pick something random. It should at least have deeper meaning like Yusami did.
In his view, naming a child was extremely important.
"Then we'll take our time. I don't have any good ideas at the moment either."
Touka didn't want to be careless about the name.
"Yusami~ Yusami~"
On the way home, Touka kept happily repeating the name.
...
When Kurona and Nashiro returned from work, Rize told them about her conversation with Touka.
The twins' attitudes were unanimous—they both supported Rize's plan.
"You two can stay close to Byakuya regularly, so it's more convenient for you to keep an eye on him. Don't let him keep fooling around."
Rize spoke evenly.
"Mm, I also think Byakuya's attracted way too many girls. We can't just let this keep going."
"Though I've always wanted Byakuya-oniichan to be happier, I do have selfish feelings about this..."
Kurona and Nashiro nodded simultaneously.
"I'll be counting on you then."
Rize said politely.
"No problem."
Kurona nodded.
"Rize-san, I want to listen to the baby again."
Nashiro requested.
"Sure, feel free to listen however you want."
Rize smiled.
"Mm, thank you..."
Nashiro pressed her ear to Rize's belly.
Though Nashiro had been the one to speak up, Kurona couldn't help leaning in too.
As time passed, the baby in Rize's womb was becoming increasingly active.
"If you like babies this much, you'll have your own eventually."
Rize chuckled.
"But... to have a baby, don't you have to do that?"
Kurona's face reddened slightly.
"In that case, we'd have to do it with Byakuya-oniichan..."
Nashiro's cheeks flushed too as her mind automatically began imagining such scenes...
"..."
Rize suddenly regretted what she'd just said.
But there was nothing for it—she'd already come to see Kurona and Nashiro as family.
Such things would happen sooner or later, so she'd mentally prepared herself.
"But you should also be mentally prepared. Without using some forceful methods, that guy just sits there like a blockhead and won't make a move."
Rize offered a friendly warning.
"He really is like that..."
Kurona agreed immediately.
Nashiro said nothing, but seemed to be planning something in her mind.
...
Ward 1 Headquarters.
As the new Bureau Director, Byakuya naturally had more responsibilities than before.
However, his deputy Marude and the other high-ranking investigators at headquarters could share the workload, so things weren't too overwhelming.
Though Akira had been promoted to First Class Investigator, she hadn't been assigned a subordinate partner yet. Instead, she served as something of a "strategist" at headquarters.
Just as Marude had never had a fixed partner—his talents lay in command and big-picture thinking.
Talent should be put to appropriate use.
And Akira's greatest talents were her intellect and intuition.
Though Kureo Mado was similar in type, his key difference from Akira was his mindset.
Previously, he'd been willing to sacrifice anything for revenge—such as declining promotions. Advancing to Associate Special Class or higher would impose various restrictions that would interfere with his vendetta against the One-Eyed Owl. He'd also completely ignored others' opinions while becoming a Quinque maniac.
His goal had been to cultivate as many exceptional investigators capable of fighting the One-Eyed Owl as possible. Even if his own strength wasn't enough, his former subordinates—Shinohara, Houji, Amon, and others—could carry on.
Otherwise, with Kureo Mado's intellect and intuition, spending his career as a mere First Class instructor would have been a waste of talent.
Akira was different from her father in this regard.
She wanted to help Byakuya, to share his burdens, and could advance her career this way too.
Promotion had pros and cons—while it limited freedom somewhat, it also provided access to stronger equipment.
Plus, the CCG was no longer under Washuu control. Byakuya would likely reform the freedom-restricting policies.
"Ward 6's Ghoul Restaurant is getting restless again. Like weeds that keep coming back—they resurface every so often."
Akira sighed as she reviewed documents.
Byakuya spoke evenly. "Then let's find a way to eliminate them completely."
...
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