"Anything's fine."
Uchiha Byakuya replied casually.
However, he had no interest in handling all the tedious affairs. At most, he would just bear the title of "Bureau Director" and delegate tasks to capable individuals; just as he had done when he was the 2nd Ward's CCG Branch Chief.
"Does anyone have any objections to Special-Class Uchiha assuming the position of Bureau Director?"
At that moment, Marude Itsuki turned to the other Special-Class Investigators and asked.
"No objections."
"Given the massive crisis with the Washuu Clan, there's indeed no one more suitable than Special-Class Uchiha."
The others shook their heads one after another.
Although they hadn't had much direct contact with Byakuya, they were well aware that his strength was, without a doubt, the most formidable.
As for Byakuya's connections with the "One-Eyed Owl" and "Aogiri Tree," they did have concerns, but they dared not press the issue.
To put it bluntly, they still couldn't fully trust Byakuya, because they had no idea which side he truly stood on.
All they knew for certain was that he was at least not a ghoul, but a half-human.
"But... can we really trust you?"
Once again, it was Marude Itsuki who voiced the concern that was on everyone's mind.
"Rest assured, both Kishou and I uphold the pursuit of peace. Otherwise, I wouldn't even be standing here, having this conversation with you."
Byakuya replied.
"That's true..."
Marude Itsuki and the other Special-Class Investigators felt somewhat relieved.
Since the original decision-making body had been entirely composed of the Washuu Clan, and they had either fled or been subdued by Byakuya, the decision-making body no longer existed.
With no opposition from any of the Special-Class Investigators, Byakuya was now the indisputable new Bureau Director.
They were already holding a "Special-Class Meeting," which was the most important meeting aside from the decision-making council.
According to the Washuu Clan's established system, Byakuya would technically have to change his name.
Just like how in the original story, Furuta Nimura changed his name to Washuu Kichimura, every Bureau Director in CCG's history had the character "Kichi" (吉) in their name, for example; Washuu Yoshitoki (和修吉時) and Washuu Tsuneyoshi (和修常吉).
But now that the Washuu Clan was beginning to collapse, there was no way Byakuya would bother upholding such a pointless system.
"From now on, the CCG will continue to operate under its original system, everything will proceed as it always has."
After assuming the position of Bureau Director, Byakuya had no intention of making any changes. The current system of the CCG was already sufficient.
Previously, the real tool the Washuu Clan used to manipulate the balance between humans and ghouls was V, not the CCG.
The CCG's greatest significance lay in elevating the Washuu Clan's status and prestige within human society, while also granting them absolute control over Japan's most powerful military force.
Although Byakuya's ultimate goal was to change this world, merely overthrowing the Washuu Clan was far from enough.
It wasn't realistic to dismantle the CCG entirely and prevent them from hunting ghouls; if that happened, ghouls would only become even more rampant in preying on humans.
This approach wouldn't solve the problem at its core.
At present, the most effective solution was to develop a special type of food that could replace human flesh and satisfy the hunger of ghouls.
Even if it was impossible to completely resolve the conflict between humans and ghouls, it could still be significantly mitigated.
At the very least, ghouls who had no intention of harming humans would no longer have to force themselves to prey on humans due to hunger.
And by then, if there were still ghouls who deliberately harmed humans, that would be where CCG came into play.
According to Byakuya's vision, as laws regarding ghouls continued to improve and evolve, the conflict between humans and ghouls could be gradually alleviated. This was something that needed to be pushed forward over time.
Now that he held the position of CCG Bureau Director, it was essentially no different from being the Chairman of the Commission. At this moment, he had the authority to slowly bring his vision to life.
The "Special-Class Meeting" was still ongoing.
"Let me explain the future direction of CCG. It will no longer be purely an anti-ghoul organization. Instead, while protecting humans, we will also strive to ease the conflict between humans and ghouls. Otherwise, the cycle of slaughter will never end."
As the new Bureau Director, Byakuya was going to lead CCG in this new direction.
"But... isn't that almost impossible? Ghouls inherently require human flesh as food, which means the conflict can never truly be resolved..."
Marude Itsuki said with a helpless tone.
"That's exactly the key issue here."
Byakuya's voice turned sharp.
"As long as we develop food that ghouls can consume or adjust their taste perception toward regular food, the conflict can be greatly reduced."
In the original story, a special food for ghouls was successfully developed; this was the result of research by Akihiro Kanou, Nishino Kimi, and Ogura Hisashi.
Later, it was also revealed that the organization Nishino Kimi was involved with, "Great Ring Act," was dedicated to modifying ghouls' taste perception, helping them taste regular food.
Although the biological structure of ghouls meant that consuming regular human food would weaken their abilities, at the very least, they would be able to enjoy the flavors of normal cuisine like humans.
And as research progressed, perhaps even their physical limitations could be overcome.
After all, the fundamental difference between humans and ghouls lay in RC cells. If RC cells could be fully understood, then the problem could likely be solved.
"Is that really possible?"
Marude Itsuki and the other Special-Class Investigators found it hard to believe.
"It is very possible."
Byakuya spoke with confidence.
"The truth is, the Washuu Clan has been secretly obstructing this kind of research all along. Otherwise, a special food that ghouls could eat might have been developed long ago."
"I know two people who are capable of leading this research; Akihiro Kanou and Ogura Hisashi."
However, at this time, Akihiro Kanou seemed to be studying abroad in Germany.
"Ogura Hisashi... That ghoul researcher who frequently appears on TV?"
Marude Itsuki and the others found the name somewhat familiar.
That was because Ogura Hisashi often appeared on television to educate the public about ghouls.
As for Akihiro Kanou, they weren't as familiar with him.
"Yes, that's him. And then there's Akihiro Kanou. The next step will be to invite them to join CCG."
Byakuya nodded.
Inviting Akihiro Kanou wouldn't be too difficult, as Kanou himself had always been interested in researching ghouls.
In the original story, after finishing his studies in Germany, Akihiro Kanou joined the CCG as a researcher and conducted experiments to transform humans into ghouls.
Byakuya knew Akihiro Kanou well; he was the perfect medical genius to fulfill his plans.