Right after the Owl Suppression Operation ended.
Once he'd handled everything that needed handling, Byakuya went home to rest.
Rize and the others had returned much earlier.
Tsukiyama Shuu and Matasaka Kamishiro had already gone back to their respective homes.
"Welcome back."
Rize greeted Byakuya at the entrance, helping him out of his coat and into comfortable house clothes.
Rize appeared to have just bathed.
Besides Rize, Kurona, Nashiro, Matsumae, and Kanae had all bathed too—the Owl Suppression had been conducted in constant rain, and they'd been fighting while getting soaked.
Rize had returned earlier. Kurona and Nashiro were still in the bathroom.
However, as Rize was changing Byakuya's clothes, she suddenly caught a faint scent that piqued her interest.
After carefully identifying its location, she zeroed in on Byakuya's lips.
"Byakuya... you've had mucous membrane contact with someone, haven't you?"
Rize immediately questioned him.
"Mucous membrane contact..."
Byakuya didn't register what she meant at first. After a moment's pause, he realized what Rize was referring to.
The kiss from Akira must have left a scent that Rize had detected...
"This scent seems somewhat familiar? Which girl was it this time?"
Though Rize had never met Akira face-to-face, Byakuya had been working with Akira almost daily, constantly carrying traces of her scent on him.
Having smelled it so often, Rize naturally found it familiar.
It was just that this particular scent from the kiss was too faint, making it difficult for her to immediately identify.
"It's my current partner, Akira Mado."
Byakuya didn't try to hide anything from Rize, telling her directly.
"Her, is it..."
Rize knew about Byakuya's partner.
She followed up: "So she forced a kiss on you?"
"Yes..."
Byakuya confirmed.
"Then..."
Rize pointed at her own lips: "Kiss me on your own initiative, and I'll forgive you."
"Okay."
Byakuya responded immediately.
Without a moment's hesitation, he took the initiative to kiss Rize.
This time, instead of Rize standing on tiptoe, Byakuya wrapped his arm around her waist and bent down to kiss her.
Rize was briefly stunned by how unhesitating and skillful this was.
A moment later, their lips parted.
"So when you actually want to do it, you can do it quite well."
Rize couldn't help but comment.
She'd thought Byakuya would just give her a quick, clueless peck and then stand there not knowing what to do next. This was somewhat surprising.
"This should be your first time initiating a kiss with someone, right?"
Rize asked with a smile.
"Now that you mention it... yes."
Byakuya nodded slightly.
"Good."
Rize said plainly.
On this point alone, she had already won.
Whether it was Byakuya's first kiss or his first time taking the initiative—she had claimed both.
That "sneaky cat" from CCG who'd forced a kiss on Byakuya suddenly seemed far less threatening.
Though... Rize seemed to have forgotten that she herself had also forced a kiss on Byakuya at the very beginning...
Just then, Kurona and Nashiro emerged from the bathroom, freshly bathed and changed.
"You're back, Byakuya. Why are you two still standing at the entrance?"
Kurona asked.
"I just finished helping him change."
Rize said casually, then turned and walked into the living room as if nothing had happened.
"?"
Nashiro was curious—she'd noticed Rize seemed to be in an unusually good mood.
But Nashiro couldn't get an answer, since Rize had no intention of letting Kurona and Nashiro know what had just transpired.
A while later...
Byakuya, Rize, Kurona, and Nashiro were all seated on the sofa. Matsumae and Kanae had just finished their chores and sat nearby to rest.
"It seems like you're not in a hurry to deal with the 'Washuu.' So we can just relax for now?"
Rize asked Byakuya.
Since Byakuya hadn't yet told Rize and the others the specifics of the "Eye of the Moon Plan"—which involved the System's existence—they didn't know what came next.
"Correct. No rush for now."
Byakuya said: "I've mentioned something called the 'Infinite Tsukuyomi' to you before, right? Our ultimate goal is to achieve it. Using the power of these eyes of mine, we'll change this flawed world..."
As he spoke, his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan manifested.
Rize and the others believed these eyes were mutated kakugan—that's what Byakuya had told them before. They didn't know about the "Eternal Mangekyo."
"The power of those eyes alone can achieve this, Master?"
Matsumae asked with confusion.
She had no idea what the "Infinite Tsukuyomi" actually was, nor how mere eyes could change the world.
Neither did Rize and the others, really.
"It's not hard to understand. You all saw my 'kakuja-fied' clone during the battle, right? That clone had only half my power, and it's all from the abilities stored in these mutated eyes."
Byakuya explained in terms they could comprehend.
"I saw it. Master, the size of your kakuja form was beyond anything I could have ever imagined..."
Matsumae said with awe.
"Yes, I also saw the One-Eyed Owl being held like an ant."
Rize smiled lightly.
Though she already knew Sen Takatsuki and the One-Eyed Owl were the same person, she still held no fondness for the One-Eyed Owl after Aogiri Tree had tried to capture her.
"What I'm trying to say is that the power stored in these eyes goes far beyond what you saw that day."
Byakuya continued: "The so-called 'Infinite Tsukuyomi'—when the time comes, I'll project the power of these eyes onto the moon, allowing every ghoul in the world to become human again."
"However, my power isn't sufficient yet, so we need to take it slowly. As for the Washuu Clan—they're a minor issue. I could crush them any time. It's just not necessary yet."
Byakuya felt this explanation was sufficient.
He hadn't revealed the System's existence, while giving Rize and the others a general understanding of his plan.
"I see... Such power is truly incredible..."
Rize found it hard to believe.
Byakuya had mentioned before that he wanted to turn all ghouls back into humans, but she hadn't known the specific process.
She never imagined it would be through such an unbelievable method...
...
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