The three little girls didn't realize they had already arrived. They still kept their eyes tightly shut, clinging to Uchiha Byakuya and Yoshimura Eto.
Seeing Byakuya and Eto suddenly appear, and noticing that they had brought back three strangely dressed little girls, Yoshimura Kuzen slightly opened his mouth, about to say something, but hesitated.
The three girls weren't wearing normal clothes, their outfits resembled gray robes designed for stealthy movement at night.
"Byakuya… Eto… who are these three…?"
Yoshimura Kuzen couldn't help but ask.
"Don't tell me… you've taken in three more foster daughters? Manager, you really have it tough; raising so many kids at your age."
Kirishima Hikari joked.
"It's fine. I'll help the Manager too. Besides, it's good for Touka and Ayato to have more companions."
Yomo Renji said seriously.
The only one who understood the situation was Hoito Roma.
Deep in her gaze, a hint of surprise flickered.
She had been to the underground world of the 24th Ward before. She had also met the Underground King; the First One-Eyed King.
Naturally, she had seen the original inhabitants of that world.
She never expected Byakuya and Eto to go directly into the underground world and bring the inhabitants out, and at such an unbelievable speed!
Roma had already heard rumors that Byakuya was the "One-Eyed King" of Aogiri Tree.
She also knew that Eto was the "One-Eyed Owl."
The moment she learned this information, everything suddenly made sense.
Before, she always had a vague feeling that something felt off.
Back when she was defeated by Byakuya in Cochlea, she was immediately captured by the One-Eyed Owl.
Then, a series of events unfolded, events that made her feel like something wasn't adding up.
But now, she finally understood everything.
"We've arrived. There's no need to be so scared."
At that moment, Byakuya gently reminded the three little girls.
Only then did they slowly open their eyes.
After confirming that their feet were firmly on solid ground, they finally let go of Byakuya and Eto.
Feeling a bit embarrassed about their earlier panic, their expressions became somewhat awkward.
However, they still crossed their arms over their chests in a bold stance.
"They are the original inhabitants of the underground world. I brought them up from there."
Byakuya explained to Yoshimura Kuzen and the others.
"The underground world? What kind of place is that?"
Yoshimura Kuzen couldn't help but ask.
Aside from Roma, the other staff members of :re were just as confused.
"It's the deepest part of the 24th Ward. There's actually an entire underground world there. A long time ago, the Washuu family produced a One-Eyed King…"
Byakuya briefly explained the story of the Washuu family and the First One-Eyed King.
"So there's a place like that…?"
Yoshimura Kuzen murmured in slight amazement.
"The Washuu family who controls the CCG is actually a ghoul family?! That's an unbelievably shocking revelation! If this news gets out, it'll shake all of Tokyo!"
Yoshimura Kuzen and Roma already knew the secret of the Washuu family.
But Kirishima Hikari and the others had no idea.
Compared to the underground world of the 24th Ward, the truth about the Washuu family was far more shocking to them.
"Speaking of which… isn't Uchiha-san the one in power now? The fact that the Bureau Director and a Special-Class Investigator from the CCG can sit here and talk with us peacefully… it's honestly unbelievable…"
Renji couldn't help but sigh.
After Byakuya restructured the CCG headquarters, he had also learned a lot through Manager Yoshimura and Eto.
The barrier in his heart regarding Byakuya had completely disappeared, and now, he deeply respected him.
"Is that so? Then I hope our dear Bureau Chief will show us some mercy."
Koma Enji joked.
"No need for the Bureau Chief to go easy on this guy. He should've been thrown into 'Cochlea' and locked up ages ago."
Irimi Kaya mocked Koma Enji on purpose.
"The CCG now is no longer the same as before. We are committed to the peaceful coexistence of humans and ghouls."
Byakuya said, "But for now, our priority is dealing with the underground world."
While they were talking, the three little girls couldn't help but look around curiously.
They gazed here and there, taking in countless unfamiliar and fascinating things.
But the most mesmerizing sight was the bright blue sky outside the window.
It was a spectacle they had never once seen in their entire lives.
Byakuya turned to the three little girls and asked, "This is the surface world. How do you feel?"
"It's incredible! It's nothing like the world we used to live in!"
"I want to go outside! It looks like there are even more amazing things out there!"
"The surface world is so beautiful… Unlike our world, where the sky was nothing but pitch-black darkness…"
The three little girls were all filled with awe.
At that moment, Byakuya spoke to Yoshimura Kuzen.
"Eto and I will take them outside for a look around."
"Alright. Later, we should let them try our coffee."
Yoshimura Kuzen said with a gentle smile.
"Sounds good."
Byakuya nodded slightly.
Then, he and Eto led the three little girls outside.
"By the way, I still don't know your names. What are you called?"
Byakuya asked them.
"Emi."
"Eiko."
"Elia."
The three girls spoke almost simultaneously.
The short-haired girl was Emi.
The girl with twin buns was Eiko.
And the golden-haired girl was Elia.
"So, you three are sisters?"
From their names, Byakuya's first thought was that they must be siblings.
"Yeah, Emi is the eldest, and Elia is the youngest."
Eiko nodded in confirmation.
"I see…"
Byakuya slightly nodded in understanding.
"Even the way they name themselves is different from us… But your names are really pretty."
Eto smiled warmly.
"I'll let you walk around outside for a bit, but you must promise me something; no causing trouble.
And most importantly, if you see a human who smells delicious, you absolutely cannot attack them.
Because up here, humans are everywhere."
Byakuya seriously emphasized this point to Emi and her sisters.
"Mm-hmm, I understand."
"I know too! I definitely won't cause any trouble."
"But… Didn't you say the surface world has plenty of food? If we can't attack them, then where do we get food?"
Eiko was the only one who raised a question.
In her understanding, the only way to obtain food was through killing.
"No need to worry about that right now. You'll see soon enough. The three boxes of 'meat' I gave you earlier weren't obtained through killing."
Byakuya explained.
"Oh… okay then…"
Eiko responded hesitantly.
But in truth, she wasn't too worried about food at the moment.
Because right now, she was far more excited about exploring the world outside.