Tokyo's 1st Ward, Washuu Clan Estate.
The entire estate was empty and desolate, with only Washuu Tsuneyoshi and Washuu Yoshitoki remaining inside.
The rest of the "Washuu" members were either in the underground world or serving as puppets within the CCG's decision-making hierarchy.
Uchiha Byakuya hadn't completely dismantled the decision-making body. Instead, he allowed those Washuu members he had captured to continue holding their positions.
However, they no longer had any real power, now they were all merely Uchiha Byakuya's puppets.
Today, three uninvited guests arrived at the Washuu Estate.
Furuta Nimura, Kamishiro Rize, and Kamishiro Matasaka.
The first to meet them was Washuu Yoshitoki.
"Furuta, Rize, what are you two doing back here?"
Washuu Yoshitoki immediately questioned them.
"Just coming back to take a look. You know, I've barely ever returned to this house, even though I'm also a member of the Washuu Clan."
Furuta smiled as he spoke.
Before long, his name would officially change to Washuu Nimura.
Prior to this, the number of times Furuta had set foot in this estate could be counted on one hand, and even then, it had only been done secretly with the permission of his father, Washuu Tsuneyoshi.
Even so, he couldn't let any of the other clan members see him.
"..."
Washuu Yoshitoki fell silent.
He knew all too well just how much pain and suffering the Washuu Clan had inflicted upon Furuta and Rize.
Despite being Furuta's half-brother, he barely knew him and in this moment, he had no idea what to say.
Kamishiro Matasaka, meanwhile, remained silent, standing beside Furuta and Rize. He had come along for the sole purpose of protecting them.
Washuu Yoshitoki ultimately did not try to stop them.
Thus, Furuta and the others soon came face to face with Washuu Tsuneyoshi.
Washuu Tsuneyoshi had been meditating with his eyes closed, but when he heard footsteps that clearly did not belong to Washuu Yoshitoki, he immediately opened his eyes.
"Furuta?"
Upon seeing the familiar face, Washuu Tsuneyoshi was visibly surprised.
Compared to Furuta, he had no particular reaction to Rize, who stood beside him.
From the perspective of the entire Washuu Clan, Rize being the "mother body" was undoubtedly far more important than Furuta, who was not even born of the main wife.
However, from Washuu Tsuneyoshi's personal standpoint, there was no doubt that he cared far more about Furuta.
"With the current state of the Washuu Clan, can I finally call you 'father'?"
Furuta asked Washuu Tsuneyoshi directly.
"Of course, that's no problem..."
Washuu Tsuneyoshi's expression grew complicated, unsure whether he should feel happy or sad.
The Washuu Clan had already been utterly crushed by Uchiha Byakuya, who still cared about those so-called "family traditions" anymore?
However, rather than calling him "father" in such a formal manner, Furuta preferred a less rigid term "Dad."
"Mm..."
Washuu Tsuneyoshi responded at once.
In contrast, Rize showed no kindness toward Washuu Tsuneyoshi whatsoever.
To be precise, she loathed the entire Washuu Clan.
The only exception was Furuta, whom she regarded favorably, given their shared childhood bond but that was it.
"Furuta, from now on, you are the King of the Washuu Clan. Stay here from now on."
Washuu Tsuneyoshi declared.
And he wasn't lying, he intended to use this moment of internal chaos to completely reform the Washuu Clan.
Although he had always been the head of the Washuu family, he had still been restricted by the decision-making members of the clan.
Additionally, V had never truly obeyed him unconditionally, it served the Washuu Clan as a whole, not him as an individual leader.
Due to various forces restraining his power, Washuu Tsuneyoshi had no choice but to adhere to the Washuu Clan's traditions.
For this reason, he wanted to seize this opportunity, if Furuta, a branch family member not born of the main wife, were to ascend as the King of the Washuu Clan, it would deal the greatest blow possible to the clan's traditions.
From what he knew about Furuta, his intelligence was more than sufficient, this was one of the reasons Washuu Tsuneyoshi had always faVoled him.
"Can Rize stay too?"
Furuta was naturally delighted, but he still cared about Rize's situation.
"Of course. Rize can also reclaim the 'Washuu' name, and she will no longer be regarded as the 'Mother.'"
Washuu Tsuneyoshi granted Furuta's request.
The reason he was so determined to keep Furuta here was that the "Dragon" in the underground world was about to awaken.
He was worried that Furuta might be caught in the crossfire, so he wanted to keep him close.
As for Rize, she was merely an incidental factor but at the same time, her presence could also help keep Furuta obedient.
"No, I have no interest in the 'Washuu' name. I am Kamishiro Rize now."
Rize spoke coldly and indifferently.
Hearing this, Kamishiro Matasaka was somewhat surprised.
He had initially intended to persuade Rize not to be so willful, since Furuta was destined to become the King of the Washuu Clan, and reclaiming the "Washuu" name would bring far more benefits than drawbacks.
However, after reconsidering, he chose to respect Rize's wishes.
Compared to Kamishiro Matasaka, Furuta's reaction was entirely different.
He looked as if he had just taken a serious emotional blow, because if Rize refused to take the Washuu name, didn't that mean she had no intention of marrying him?
"Even though the Washuu Clan has wronged you all this time, I thought you would still be willing..."
Washuu Tsuneyoshi was also somewhat surprised.
He had long noticed that Furuta and Rize's relationship was unusual, but he had simply chosen not to interfere.
However, it was clear that Rize hadn't thought about it as deeply as Furuta or Washuu Tsuneyoshi, she simply detested the Washuu Clan.
"Furuta, if you want to stay, then stay. But I have no interest in staying in a place as disgusting as this."
Rize spoke with casual indifference.
"..."
Furuta suddenly felt torn.
Now, he faced two choices.
One, he could abandon the 'Washuu' name, forsake his claim as the King of the Washuu Clan, and continue living a simple yet happy life with Rize in the 6th Ward.
Two, he could accept his responsibility as the King of the Washuu Clan, but in doing so, he would likely lose Rize forever.
Although he deeply loved Rize, he also deeply respected and admired Byakuya-nii.
He wholeheartedly supported Byakuya-nii's ideals; to tear down this cage that had imprisoned so many lives and to create a world where humans and ghouls could coexist in peace.
If he wanted to help achieve that dream, then becoming the King of the Washuu Clan was necessary.
At this moment, Furuta seemed to have made up his mind.
He smiled at Rize and said:
"Until you change your mind... I'll always be waiting for you."
His words were gentle, but his resolve was clear.
In the original story,
Furuta had also given up on his purest dream, a dream of living a simple life with Rize; all for the sake of changing the world.
"Very good. As expected of my son."
Washuu Tsuneyoshi openly praised him without hesitation.
In his eyes, only someone with this level of determination was worthy of being the King of the Washuu Clan.
"..."
Due to a certain degree of misunderstanding, Rize felt an inexplicable sense of irritation.
She immediately turned to Kamishiro Matasaka and said:
"Let's go. Forget about him."