"They're all dead! All of them!"
"Just three days ago, when our organization held a gathering, two damned Doves suddenly appeared."
"The whole scene fell into chaos instantly. Those two Doves were absolute demons!"
"In under two minutes... everyone... everyone was slaughtered!"
The delicate-looking female ghoul spoke with a face full of terror, as if the blood-drenched, horrifying images from that night had returned to haunt her.
Even now, merely recalling the events caused her body to tremble uncontrollably.
Standing across from her was a blue-haired young man clad in tight black leather jacket and pants. His face was full of displeasure as he glared at the woman, muttering under his breath:
"Damn Doves... and that Wolf of the Owl too. How useless can you be?"
"After all these years, how did that guy fall to such a miserable level?"
Yamori had been a cadre of Aogiri Tree, and now that he was dead, Aogiri urgently needed fresh combat strength.
Kirishima Ayato happened to know a few capable ghouls; back when he was still in the 20th Ward, he'd 'crossed blades' with quite a few from surrounding areas.
After numerous confrontations, Kirishima Ayato knew very well: in this region, truly strong ghouls were few and far between.
He could count them on one hand.
Originally, he had come here to recruit one such ghoul into Aogiri Tree but to his surprise, by the time they located this place, most members of Wolf of the Owl had already been killed by Doves.
At that moment, a cold voice cut through the air.
"Describe those two Doves."
It was Tatara, who spoke with his usual calm demeanor.
"One had white hair and looked crazy, pretty young too. The other one... I couldn't see clearly. He was too fast."
The female ghoul spoke with visible fear, glancing nervously at Kirishima Ayato as if seeking affirmation.
Tatara frowned. White hair was a distinct trait. As for the other... he had his suspicions.
Ayato narrowed his eyes and asked:
"Could it be the one who killed Yamori?"
But Tatara remained silent. He neither confirmed nor denied, only turned away, maintaining his stoic expression.
"Let's go," he said plainly, and without waiting for a response, strode off into the darkness ahead.
...
Ding!
The elevator came to a gentle stop with a soft chime, and the doors opened slowly.
Uesugi Ryu and Suzuya Juuzou stepped out side by side.
"Uesugi, you really did act recklessly this time, huh? You even borrowed my Quinque, don't tell me it was for this?"
Mado Kureo gave Suzuya Juuzou a once-over, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
Shinohara Yukinori, standing nearby, shook his head helplessly.
He'd always thought that Uesugi Ryu appeared composed and reliable, he hadn't expected this kind of unpredictable behavior from him.
Besides Mado and Shinohara, also present were Mado's former partner Houji Kousuke, and the man who would one day be called the "Pineapple Jam King," Takizawa Seidou.
"No helping it, Mado-san," Uesugi Ryu replied calmly, not offering further explanation.
"Hello there, Mado-san. The Quinque was really fun to use~ quite the interesting child\~"
Suzuya Juuzou raised a lazy hand, greeting with a carefree smile.
Mado Kureo couldn't help but chuckle, a rare warmth showing on his face.
"I see. Third-Class Suzuya seems to be quite the capable investigator too."
Amon Koutarou glanced at Uesugi Ryu and said, somewhat exasperated:
"You were the one who told Mado-san to rest and recover, and now you're the first to start causing trouble."
Uesugi Ryu shrugged nonchalantly.
"No, no, I'm fully recovered. Amon, you know my body better than anyone."
"The famous Second-Class Uesugi! An honor to finally meet you today."
Houji Kousuke smiled faintly and offered a polite greeting.
"Likewise, Houji-san," Uesugi Ryu nodded back.
At that moment, Marude Itsuki strode over briskly, tablet in hand.
Upon seeing so many people gathered, his face instantly darkened.
"Tch, this isn't a reunion, people. I'm here to run a strategy meeting, not a class reunion!"
Mado smirked, clearly amused, and responded with a touch of mockery:
"Haha, if you ask me, there's not much difference between a strategy meeting and a reunion these days."
Even someone as sharp-tongued as Marude had no retort to that.
It was true, most senior investigators at the CCG knew each other. It really did feel like a class reunion sometimes.
Marude turned his gaze to Suzuya Juuzou, snorted, and said:
"So this little bean sprout is your partner now? Looks underfed..."
Before he could go further, Shinohara quickly cut in:
"Alright Maru, focus. We've got work to do."
Marude snorted but shifted his attention to Uesugi Ryu, scanning him up and down.
His tone gradually softened.
"Not bad, kid. But following Mado around playing with toys, what's the point? Come work under me instead."
Mado's expression darkened at once: ＼（〇\_ｏ）／
But Uesugi Ryu calmly raised an eyebrow and replied with a half-smile:
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm like Mado-san, I don't like being managed. Having someone always nagging over my shoulder would drive me nuts."
Marude was so amused he actually laughed out loud.
"You're just like Mado! The same damn attitude!"
With that, he threw up his hands and walked straight into the meeting room.
...
Inside the conference room, Marude stood at the front, passionately presenting details.
Uesugi Ryu, however, sat at the back... zoning out.
In the original timeline, it was Nagachika Hideyoshi who provided the intel that led the CCG to Aogiri Tree's hideout, he'd planted a tracker on Yamori.
But Yamori had already been killed by Uesugi Ryu.
Aogiri Tree's real goal wasn't just a hideout, it was Cochlea Prison. The supposed hideout was nothing more than a trap.
Aogiri would eventually expose themselves anyway, it was only a matter of time.
This meeting was mostly to brief the members on the basics of the Aogiri Tree ghoul organization and to announce the formation of the 11th Ward Special Task Force.