That day, when Byakuya witnessed Mutsuki cutting out the cat's tongue, he had also seen Tokage.
Not wanting to get involved with either of those troublesome individuals, he'd simply left.
What Byakuya didn't know was that as he turned and walked away, Mutsuki had caught a glimpse of his retreating figure.
However, Mutsuki had only seen his back—not his face.
So now, as Mutsuki stared at Byakuya, she was trying to confirm whether that silhouette from back then belonged to this Associate Special Class Amaha.
As early as the "Whack-a-Mole" training exercise, she'd felt something familiar about Byakuya's build...
It wasn't until recently, when she heard that Byakuya had been roughly the same year as them—just having skipped ahead to graduate early—that she connected him to that figure from her past.
She'd originally wanted to ask Byakuya directly, but without confirmation and given that he was her superior, she'd hesitated and ultimately couldn't voice the question.
Meanwhile, having noticed Mutsuki's gaze, Byakuya decided to pretend he hadn't seen anything.
Once he finished the document for her, he spoke. "All done. I've demonstrated it once for you. How does it look? Think you can try it yourself?"
His words snapped Mutsuki back to attention. She quickly averted her eyes, not daring to meet his gaze.
"S-Sorry, I probably can't do it on my own yet..." she said softly.
"That's alright. I'll demonstrate it one more time."
Byakuya smiled.
"Okay..."
A faint smile appeared on Mutsuki's face as well.
She felt some relief—she'd expected Associate Special Class Amaha to scold her for being distracted.
Byakuya then demonstrated the process again.
This time, Mutsuki watched attentively until the end.
"I think I can try it now," she said.
"Practice on your own then. I'll head out."
With that, Byakuya moved to leave the room.
But just as he opened the door to leave, Mutsuki called out to him.
"Associate Special Class Amaha."
"...Is there something else?"
Byakuya turned back. Seeing the determination in Mutsuki's eyes, he had a feeling he knew what was coming.
"Back at the Academy... did you see what I did...?"
Though she'd steeled herself, Mutsuki's voice still came out weak.
"...Yes. I saw it. The cat's tongue being cut out."
Byakuya didn't deny it. He answered directly with a nod.
"So... so you really did see..."
Mutsuki's heart clenched.
What puzzled her was that he hadn't reported her at the time. Even now, as her superior, he hadn't discriminated against her because of it...
"Yes. Including how that combat instructor named Tokage later pinned what you did on Suzuya Juuzou. I know about all of it."
Byakuya spoke plainly.
He hadn't pursued the matter afterward because Suzuya had long since made peace with it, and Kurona and Nashiro had reconciled with him as well.
"I..."
Mutsuki hung her head in shame.
Though Tokage had acted on his own initiative, she hadn't stepped forward to clear Suzuya's name. She bore responsibility too...
"Do you want to make amends for what you did?"
Byakuya asked.
"...If I can, yes!"
Mutsuki nodded earnestly.
"Then go apologize to Suzuya Juuzou. He's working at CCG now too—First Class Investigator, same Ward 20 Branch as me. I can take you to see him."
Byakuya said.
He didn't harshly condemn Mutsuki. He knew the kind of family she'd grown up in. A child raised in that environment was bound to have psychological issues.
As her superior now, his job was to guide her properly. Mere scolding would accomplish nothing.
"Okay..."
Hearing Byakuya's suggestion, Mutsuki knew this was what she needed to do. But she felt nervous and afraid.
After all, her wrongdoing had been blamed on Suzuya. She had no idea what would happen when she faced him...
He was probably going to be furious...
"Since you're willing, let's go now. Suzuya's at the Ward 20 Branch office today."
Byakuya said.
Despite her anxiety, Mutsuki nodded.
Whatever happened, she had to do this.
Otherwise, not only would her conscience never rest, but she'd also disappoint Associate Special Class Amaha.
She'd finally found a place to belong in the Quinx Squad. Everyone was pleasant to be around. She treasured this.
As Mutsuki followed Byakuya out of her room, Akira happened to emerge from Saiko's room.
"Akira, you seem a bit slow today. I've already finished with the other three."
Byakuya couldn't help but comment.
"I couldn't help it. Saiko only knows how to play video games, not computers. Complete computer illiterate. Teaching her was exhausting..."
Akira's expression showed mild exasperation. "Since you've finished with them, there's nothing left for me to do."
"However..."
Akira then noticed Mutsuki standing beside Byakuya. "Are you two going somewhere?"
Mutsuki's heart raced.
If Associate Special Class Amaha told First Class Mado about what she'd done—or worse, let everyone know—she'd likely face cold stares and ostracism...
Though that would be exactly what she deserved, she couldn't help but feel...
"Mm."
But Byakuya simply nodded and said casually, "She mentioned wanting to see the CCG branch, so I'm taking her along."
"!"
Hearing this, Mutsuki looked at Byakuya with surprise.
...
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