When that bolt of lightning ca from behind, Byakuya's sharp reflexes made him glance back instinctively.
He saw Arima holding "Narukami" in its cannon form. Narukami was a high-grade Quinque with an overall rating of S .
Unlike Byakuya's simple B-rated weapon, Narukami could freely switch between three attack modes:
Cannon Mode: Fires long-range electrical bolts.
Pincer Mode: Releases multiple spherical electrical projectiles.
Blade Mode: Concentrates electricity at the sword's tip for devastating lee strikes.
A versatile, extrely lethal high-grade Quinque that Arima used as his primary weapon. To date, no ghoul had survived Narukami's attacks.
Though... this Quinque was made from the kagune of Touka Kirishima's mother—Hikari Kirishima...
Hikari's maiden na was Yomo Hikari. She was Renji Yomo's older sister. Both siblings possessed RC cells with a unique electrical property—a special talent that set them apart from ordinary ghouls.
The exact chanism was unclear. Just as Tatara of Aogiri Tree had a special fla attribute, it might be so kind of genetic mutation.
Touka and Ayato Kirishima hadn't inherited their mother's electrical abilities.
Still marveling at Narukami's terrifying power, Byakuya montarily forgot to put Kurona down.
Kurona didn't show much resistance either. Her body had gone stiff, her cheeks slightly flushed, a mix of shock and embarrassnt on her face.
She understood Byakuya had acted to save her. She wasn't the type to be unreasonable—and she certainly wouldn't do sothing like slap him in a knee-jerk reaction.
But still... he'd been holding her for quite a while now...
Her hands had nowhere to go. Her mind was so scrambled she could barely feel her own arms.
Finally, she couldn't hold back: "How... how long are you planning to hold like this...?"
"Ah, sorry."
Byakuya imdiately set her down.
"You don't really need to apologize..."
Kurona murmured quietly.
"Kurona!"
Nashiro rushed over, worry written all over her face.
"I'm fine. But I ruined things for us..."
Kurona's voice was heavy with self-reproach.
She'd nearly gotten herself killed by a ghoul and had to be rescued by Byakuya. That ant both she and Nashiro had failed.
And it was her fault Nashiro failed too...
"That doesn't matter. I'm just glad you're okay, Kurona."
Nashiro cared far more about her sister's safety than whether they'd succeeded.
Byakuya returned to where Arima stood, with the Yasuhisa sisters following behind.
Embarrassed by their poor performance, both kept their heads slightly lowered.
Arima still hadn't returned Narukami to its briefcase—the other pair of boys wasn't faring well either.
"I think I might've been unnecessary just now."
Byakuya smiled awkwardly.
Given how perfectly tid Arima's Narukami strike was, even if Byakuya hadn't grabbed Kurona, the ghoul wouldn't have had a chance to hurt her.
But Kurona didn't see it that way. Byakuya's intention had been to save her, and that was what mattered.
"No. You did well."
Arima said evenly.
Hearing Arima praise Byakuya, Hairu Ihei imdiately took notice.
After all, what she wanted most was recognition from Arima. She'd worked incredibly hard for it.
She didn't say anything, but her gaze fixed on Byakuya in silence.
Byakuya could feel Hairu's stare. He knew exactly why she was looking at him that way—best to just pretend he didn't notice.
"You really did do well. This proves you're not only capable of eliminating ghouls, but also of protecting your teammates when facing them. Honestly, your individual ability exceeded my expectations."
Koori Ui added his own praise. "Of course, Suzuya Juuzou perford admirably as well."
From this single engagent, he could tell both newcors had exceptional potential—especially Byakuya, who'd imdiately demonstrated combat ability beyond what most Rank 2 investigators could muster.
"As for Yasuhisa Kurona, you need to seriously reflect on what happened. Losing focus while fighting a ghoul is a critical mistake. Never let it happen again."
While praising Byakuya and Suzuya, Koori Ui didn't forget to admonish Kurona.
Nashiro's performance had been acceptable—no lecture needed there.
If Kurona hadn't lost concentration, the sisters' excellent teamwork would have let them quickly gain control and defeat their ghoul.
Finally, the two boys had perford adequately despite a more difficult fight. They'd made no major errors and ultimately succeeded.
In other words, of the three pairs, only Kurona and Nashiro had failed.
Kurona couldn't help feeling dejected. Even if Nashiro didn't care, she still blad herself.
Sensing her sister's low spirits, Nashiro grew concerned. "Kurona..."
"Don't take a single mistake too hard. Just make sure you don't repeat it next ti."
Byakuya offered so encouragent.
"Easy for you to say..."
But Kurona quickly reconsidered. "...Actually, you're right. The internship isn't over yet."
Byakuya's words seed to help. Kurona pulled herself together, determined to redeem herself next ti.
"Looks like you're all ready to continue. Let's move on."
Koori Ui gave the order.
"Amaha-san is really impressive—both Koori Ui-senpai and Arima-san praised him."
As they proceeded deeper into the labyrinth, Shio ca over to chat with Byakuya again.
"Don't think I don't know Squad Zero is the elite of the elite. You're definitely stronger than , Shio."
Byakuya replied casually.
"No, no way."
Shio grinned, the happiness from being complinted showing plainly on his face.
anwhile, behind Byakuya, Kurona had been subtly edging closer. She wanted to ask him sothing.
But Shio was in the way.
She also didn't know Shio's actual gender—judging by appearance alone, she assud Shio was a girl.
Watching Shio stick close to Byakuya, chatting and laughing, only made Kurona more inexplicably irritated.
User Comments
0 comments from readers