Chapter 412 - 412: Making It Official

[Ding! Host has gathered all nine Tailed Beasts. Reward obtained: 1,000 Fusion Points!]

Before officially activating the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Byakuya granted the Tailed Beasts more freedom, with only one absolute rule: no harming humans.

He could technically purchase the Gedo Statue from the System Shop right now, use his Rinnegan to control it, absorb all nine Tailed Beasts, synthesize the Ten-Tails—which would become the Divine Tree—and then cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi...

But if all went as expected, his and Rize's daughter would be born very soon.

So Byakuya decided to wait until after his daughter was born before getting to business. There was no rush.

Today, he went to work as usual.

"Hairu, I've been meaning to ask—you're already an Associate Special Class. Why haven't you partnered up with a subordinate yet?"

He happened to run into Hairu Ihei at CCG headquarters and posed the question.

Hairu had been a First Class Investigator for a while now. She should have started mentoring a junior partner upon her promotion, yet she was still working solo.

"But I only want to partner with you, Byakuya-senpai..."

Hairu answered with guileless sincerity.

"I'm already a Special Class. Even if I wanted to partner with you, regulations only allow me to pair with investigators three ranks or lower—and you don't meet that criteria."

Byakuya's tone carried a hint of helplessness.

"Then... just change the regulations. You're the Bureau Director now, Byakuya-senpai."

Hairu suggested.

"Stop messing around. Though I suppose there's no strict requirement forcing you to take a partner."

Byakuya said.

"Too bad. If demotions were possible, I'd rather drop back to First Class so I could keep partnering with you, Byakuya-senpai. Come to think of it, you don't have a partner right now either."

A trace of wistfulness crossed Hairu's face.

Since Akira had also been promoted to Associate Special Class, she and Byakuya were no longer official partners.

Though Akira still worked out of his office, so practically speaking, it was almost the same.

"Speaking of which, it's rare to see you back at headquarters. Is something going on?"

Byakuya asked.

"Mm, Director Marude asked me to come back and assist in Ward 1. We're still rounding up Dragon Orphans and pushing them back to Ward 24, and apparently Ward 1 has more than most."

Hairu explained the situation.

"I see. Thank you for your hard work."

Byakuya nodded slightly.

"Today's operation will wrap up around evening, and you probably won't have left work by then, right Byakuya-senpai?"

Hairu asked.

"Roughly. I should still be here around that time, or close to leaving."

Byakuya replied.

"Then could you wait for me a little? There's this famous dessert shop in Chiba Prefecture I've been wanting to try, and I was hoping you could come with me, Byakuya-senpai."

Hairu requested.

"Chiba Prefecture... Sure, that works."

Byakuya nodded.

Tokyo was still being rebuilt. With Dragon Orphans rampaging across multiple wards, most civilians who had evacuated to other cities hadn't returned yet.

Only essential personnel—CCG staff, police, subway workers, and construction crews—had come back.

That meant dessert shops and similar businesses were temporarily shuttered. Hairu couldn't just pop out and grab her favorite treats whenever she wanted.

"Thank you, Byakuya-senpai! I'll head off to help them now. See you later."

With a delighted expression, Hairu hurried off.

"Stay safe."

Byakuya called after her.

Then he headed into his office.

Akira glanced up briefly, confirming it was Byakuya, then returned her attention to the documents on her desk.

"No Tailed Beasts with you today?"

She asked while continuing to work.

"No, I'm letting them do their own thing for now."

Byakuya answered.

"More than unusual—I'd say this is the first time you've acted normally. You're probably the only Bureau Director who brings pets to work."

Akira deadpanned.

"..."

Byakuya gave an awkward smile. "To be fair, they're not pets. They're Tailed Beasts."

"Same difference. They act like pets around you anyway."

Akira said.

"..."

Byakuya found it hard to argue.

After chatting briefly with Akira, he sat down and got to work.

The Battle of Tokyo had significantly increased his workload.

It would take some time before things returned to normal.

...

Around 5 PM.

It was getting late, and Byakuya was preparing to leave.

He hadn't forgotten his promise to Hairu, so he decided to wait for her before heading out—unless she took too long.

Beside him, Akira was already packing up. As she gathered her things, she noticed Byakuya's relaxed posture and asked, "It's quitting time. Are you waiting for someone?"

Her intuition—or perhaps a woman's sixth sense—told her Byakuya might be waiting for another woman.

"Yes. Hairu and I made plans, so I'm waiting for her."

Byakuya answered honestly.

"Figures it's some woman."

Akira commented with a hint of teasing but said nothing more.

The remark made Byakuya feel slightly awkward.

"Is something wrong...?"

"Nothing. I'm heading home first. Don't forget to lock up when you leave, Director."

Akira's tone was somewhat cool—almost as if she were annoyed.

Just as Akira was about to open the door and leave the office, she ran right into Hairu, who was about to enter.

"Oh! Good evening, Akira-san."

Hairu greeted her with a smile.

"Hello."

Akira wasn't surprised to see Hairu.

"Looks like work's done. Good thing Byakuya-senpai's still here."

Hairu looked relieved, worried she might have arrived a moment too late.

"That guy stayed just to wait for you."

Akira mentioned.

She had no intention of prying into what exactly Byakuya and Hairu were planning—she could already guess it was probably a date.

"Really? Byakuya-senpai is so sweet."

Hairu smiled. "Actually, since you're here, Akira-san, would you like to join us?"

"...Join you where?"

Akira's expression grew slightly odd.

What kind of date invitation includes another woman? Even if Hairu didn't find it awkward, Akira certainly would.

"To the dessert shop, obviously! I've seen the ads for this place forever but never had a chance to go."

Hairu explained.

"A dessert shop..."

Akira appeared thoughtful.

After a moment, she asked, "Can we make it back before dinner?"

"Probably... not?"

Hairu considered. Between Tokyo's Ward 1 and Chiba Prefecture, even just counting the two train rides, they probably wouldn't make it back in time.

"But we could grab dinner first and then go to the dessert shop. That would work."

Hairu suggested.

"That's true. Alright, I'll come along."

Akira nodded slightly.

From her exchange with Hairu, Akira got the sense that this wasn't really meant to be a romantic outing—Hairu genuinely just wanted to eat.

"Great, thanks Akira-san!"

Hairu smiled. "Let's get going then, Byakuya-senpai."

"Actually, we can get there anytime. I can just teleport us."

Byakuya interjected.

He took hold of both Hairu's and Akira's hands and instantly transported them to Chiba Prefecture.

Chiba Prefecture bordered Tokyo directly. Despite being called a "prefecture," it was actually a major city—considerably larger than Tokyo in terms of land area.

"So fast! As expected of Byakuya-senpai."

Hairu marveled.

"Hairu, where exactly is this dessert shop? Chiba Prefecture is pretty big."

Byakuya asked.

"It should be nearby. Let me check the map."

Hairu pulled out her phone to navigate to the shop's location.

Before long, they found it.

As Hairu had said, the place was clearly popular—the storefront and interior décor looked upscale. Whether or not the food was good, it obviously wasn't cheap.

Byakuya tended to stand out in public, especially after the Battle of Tokyo. In the eyes of the Japanese public—and perhaps the world—he had become something like a god.

His appearance was already well-known to many, making him easily recognizable on the street.

Being recognized by passersby wasn't a big deal, but there were plenty of paparazzi trying to snap photos.

This time, Byakuya had not only come to this bustling area but was accompanied by Akira and Hairu—both exceptionally beautiful women—which drew even more attention.

"Look! Isn't that Director Amaha over there in white?"

"It really is Director Amaha! I can't believe he came here too. Best decision ever coming to this shop today!"

"He's got two gorgeous girls with him. Don't tell me they're both his girlfriends?"

"Why would that be surprising? For Amaha Byakuya, this world is basically a dating sim. He can have as many women as he wants and no one can do anything about it."

"..."

Sure enough, Byakuya was quickly recognized by the other customers.

They even addressed him as "Director Amaha."

Byakuya could only pretend he hadn't heard anything and went about his business—accompanying Hairu as she selected desserts.

Hairu wanted to pick out a large haul to take home and enjoy over several days.

Soon, she had filled an entire bag with sweets.

Akira, on the other hand, was still browsing without having chosen much.

Looking at the single small bag of cookies in Akira's hand, Byakuya couldn't help but ask, "Akira, aren't you going to pick more? If this place is popular, the food's probably good."

Akira selected two more small bags of desserts. "This is enough. I watch my figure."

"Everyone's metabolism is different. If I ate sweets every day like Hairu-san, I'd probably gain weight before long..."

Akira sighed, a hint of envy in her voice.

After all, Hairu devoured high-calorie treats daily and never seemed to put on a single pound. Her figure remained as perfect as ever.

"Fair enough."

It was Akira's business, so Byakuya didn't comment further.

"I've already picked some out for you, Byakuya-senpai. But if there's anything else you like, feel free to add it."

Hairu chimed in.

"That's alright. What you picked is fine."

Byakuya replied.

They headed to the counter to pay.

The cashier had clearly recognized Byakuya as well, appearing quite nervous during the transaction—her movements stiff and awkward.

Byakuya said nothing, simply waiting in silence to avoid making her more anxious.

...

On the way back, they traveled through the Kamui dimension again.

Byakuya made two trips—first taking Akira home, then Hairu...

"Come to think of it, I don't actually know where you live."

Byakuya could only bring Hairu to a ramen shop near her neighborhood—a place they had visited together before.

"Then this is the perfect chance for you to come up with me, Byakuya-senpai."

Hairu invited him.

"Sure."

Byakuya nodded slightly and followed Hairu into an apartment building.

This was where Hairu lived—a single-occupancy apartment complex.

They took the elevator to the seventh floor and stepped out just a few paces from Hairu's door.

"I remember reading somewhere that when a boy visits a girl's home for the first time, she's supposed to feel nervous and shy. But I don't feel that way at all."

Hairu remarked candidly.

"That's because you're not like most girls."

Byakuya said.

"Huh...? Are you saying I lack feminine charm?"

Hairu asked.

"Feminine charm" was just a Japanese way of describing a woman's allure.

"That's completely wrong. What I mean is that you have your own unique qualities—and... I like you the way you are."

Byakuya quickly corrected himself.

What attracted him most about Hairu was her personality—pure, innocent, almost like a blank sheet of paper outside of combat...

Of course, she was beautiful too, but he wasn't someone who only cared about looks.

Hairu blinked in surprise. "...That confession came out of nowhere, Byakuya-senpai. You almost gave me a fright."

"Since..."

She paused, a faint blush coloring her cheeks—seemingly unconsciously. "If we both feel the same way about each other... does that mean we can make it official now?"

...

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