Uesugi Ryu glanced toward the door with a trace of confusion, raising his voice as he called out, "Coming!"
He casually grabbed the phone lying on the table and strode toward the entrance. The knocking also stopped the moment his voice rang out.
The door opened, revealing none other than Mado Kureo and Amon Koutarou.
Seeing that Uesugi Ryu had finally emerged, Amon visibly relaxed, the tension in his body loosening slightly.
He looked at Uesugi Ryu with a hint of concern and asked, "Ryu, are you alright? I called you so many times, but you didn't answer."
As he spoke, he gestured to the phone in Uesugi Ryu's hand.
Uesugi Ryu glanced down at the screen, an entire column of missed calls stared back at him. Even he was startled by the sheer number.
Scratching his head awkwardly, he offered a sheepish smile.
"Ah... really sorry about that! I overslept today and didn't even notice my phone going off. Come in, have a seat!"
With that, he stepped aside and motioned for Mado Kureo and Amon to enter.
Amon shot him a helpless look.
Uesugi Ryu had long developed a habit in his previous life of keeping his phone within reach.
Normally, his line was always open.
Amon had originally just wanted to call Uesugi Ryu to deliver the good news of his promotion.
But when his calls went unanswered again and again, he began to suspect that Ryu had gone off solo on some reckless mission.
After all, with Uesugi Ryu's promotion to First-Class Investigator, a formal promotion ceremony had to be held.
The battle against Aogiri Tree loomed ahead; there was no time for any delays.
After failing to reach him for two consecutive days, Amon finally decided to stop by in person to make sure Uesugi Ryu was safe.
Uesugi Ryu welcomed them into the living room and hurriedly cleared the piles of clothes and snack wrappers off the sofa.
As a single man living alone, he didn't clean often, and of course, no one ever came to visit him. Usually, he just hired a cleaning service every now and then to tidy up.
Mado Kureo glanced around at the mess, his expression calm as he remarked,
"Your place has... quite a 'lived-in' feeling, Ryu."
Uesugi Ryu chuckled dryly.
Mado had put it very diplomatically.
While his apartment wasn't quite messy enough for rats to need GPS navigation, it wasn't far off.
"Ryu, congratulations. We're now equals in rank," Mado said with a pleased expression.
Uesugi Ryu had known the news already, so he didn't bother feigning his surprise, he had always lacked that type of acting spirit.
Pouring water for the two guests, he replied humbly, "If you hadn't recommended me, Mado-san, I'd probably still be in university."
"Not that there's anything wrong with staying in school," he added. "But for me, becoming an investigator opened up a broader path."
"The rank is just a tool, we all serve the goal of eradicating ghouls."
Mado Kureo looked at Uesugi Ryu with an amused expression, then turned to Amon seriously and said, "Amon, Ryu's words show real depth. This is what a good investigator should sound like."
At that moment, Uesugi Ryu nearly burst out laughing, barely managing to hold it in.
The two exchanged glances, then both chuckled.
The atmosphere in the living room lightened considerably.
Amon massaged his temple in mild exasperation.
Choosing not to indulge their antics, he simply sipped his water in silence.
"To be honest," Amon said after a moment, "I didn't expect Ryu to be promoted to First-Class this quickly."
Mado nodded. "The higher-ups rarely move this fast."
Suddenly recalling something, Amon asked,
"Ryu, are you close with the Yasuhisa sisters? I didn't see them at the Academy the last few times I went to lecture."
It wasn't mandatory for active-duty investigators to teach at the Academy, but many still chose to do so.
Amon, as a top graduate himself, often volunteered for it.
Uesugi Ryu had also been invited but promptly declined, he didn't think he had much if anything worth teaching.
His own skills relied on raw stats, ghoul-baiting, and spell projection. Not exactly replicable methods.
Hearing the question, Uesugi Ryu shook his head.
"Not particularly. I assume something came up at home."
In truth, he knew exactly what had happened.
But back then, he lacked the power, or the reason, to intervene.
Kanou Akihiro was backed by Furuta Nimura.
He would've been heavily protected.
For two classmates he barely knew, Uesugi Ryu wasn't about to risk his life like that.
Even if he killed Kanou, the Yasuhisa sisters might just end up hating him for it.
Since he couldn't stop the tragedy, he simply chose not to get involved. No point in bringing unnecessary trouble upon himself.
Amon looked mildly disappointed. "I see. Got it."
Mado Kureo's expression shifted slightly.
His sharp nose twitched subtly.
In the next second, the faintest trace of blood in the air was caught by his keen senses.
He glanced at Uesugi Ryu, concern flickering in his eyes.
"Ryu, are you injured? I think I smell blood."
Uesugi Ryu blinked in surprise, then smiled.
"Haha, it's nothing serious! Just a scratch, I cut my arm earlier by accident. Probably because I overslept and my brain's still fuzzy."
As he spoke, he extended his right arm, revealing the shallow wound.
A thin scab had already formed.
He was quietly impressed, Mado's sense of smell was sharper than he'd expected. It wasn't the wound giving off scent, but probably the bloody tissues in the kitchen trash.
Mado gave Ryu a long look, then said calmly,
"Looks like our time as partners has come to an end. HQ will soon assign you a new partner. Keep it up."
Uesugi Ryu nodded in acknowledgment, then said playfully,"My next partner won't be Akira-san by any chance, will it? I have a weird feeling about this..."
"There's actually a decent chance of that," Mado replied with a weary sigh, raking a hand through his disheveled white hair.